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19-11-2008, 19:44
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Southbound
Boat: Pearson 31-2
Posts: 303
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Honda generator for charging batteries
I have tried searching the forum for an answer to this but found threads related to running an air conditioner only.
I'm looking at using the Honda to charge batteries but am unsure how to plug it in. Do you use the 12v output to charge or the 120v to run the shore power charger?
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19-11-2008, 19:46
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Southbound
Boat: Pearson 31-2
Posts: 303
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Hey, do I get a free cruisersforum hat or t-shirt when I hit 100 posts? Oop, thats 98! Almost there!
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19-11-2008, 19:53
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#3
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: 29° 49.16’ N 82° 25.82’ W
Boat: Pearson 422
Posts: 16,306
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If this is like the Honda I used to have, the 12V output is only a couple of amps or so. I got much faster charging by plugging the boats charger into the 120V AC output of the generator.
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19-11-2008, 21:11
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: daytona beach florida
Boat: csy 37
Posts: 2,976
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the honda only puts out 8 amps at the 12 volt outlet - probably not enough to make it worthwhile running the thing except in the direst of circumstances.
you can connect it to your onboard charger by making up or buying an adapter plug that plugs into the 120 outlet on the honda and your shorepower inlet and then use your onboard charger.
or you can run an automotive type charger that plugs into the 120 outlet and connects direct to the battery via battery clamps.
i use the last method.
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19-11-2008, 21:47
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Puget Sound
Boat: Irwin 41 CC Ketch
Posts: 2,878
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What he said but I would use the first method..simplicity of having a shore power charger pre wired is bliss.
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20-11-2008, 02:10
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#6
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,082
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onestepcsy37
... You can connect it to your onboard charger by making up or buying an adapter plug that plugs into the 120 outlet on the honda and your shorepower inlet and then use your onboard charger...
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Much preferred.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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20-11-2008, 04:16
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Hayes, VA
Boat: Gozzard 36
Posts: 8,700
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Quote:
Hey, do I get a free cruisersforum hat or t-shirt when I hit 100 posts?
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You made it! Sorry, we don't have any free stuff to give out. We don't even have pay stuff either. But you do get answers to 100 posts.
From the other responses I would agree with everyone and go with the shore power connector. Just consider that converting gasoline into electricity is not the most efficient process. You don't get much for the effort in the case of a small Honda generator. They do work well for what they are but they don't put out much power. As a primary charging system it's not a wise choice for extended charging. They tend to work better if you need to operate AC devices for moderate periods of time where an Inverter would drain the bank too much.
On a boat with a typical fridge you'll need 60 to 80 amp hours per day for a modest fridge. The poor little Honda needs to run a very long time to make even that amount up.
__________________
Paul Blais
s/v Bright Eyes Gozzard 36
37 15.7 N 76 28.9 W
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20-11-2008, 04:35
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#8
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: 29° 49.16’ N 82° 25.82’ W
Boat: Pearson 422
Posts: 16,306
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pblais
From the other responses I would agree with everyone and go with the shore power connector. Just consider that converting gasoline into electricity is not the most efficient process. You don't get much for the effort in the case of a small Honda generator. They do work well for what they are but they don't put out much power. As a primary charging system it's not a wise choice for extended charging. They tend to work better if you need to operate AC devices for moderate periods of time where an Inverter would drain the bank too much.
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Absolutely. I kept a small Honda on board (back in the days when inverters were not readily available or affordable) for running small power tools and backup power. They just aren't a practical or cost effective way to charge or supply AC on a long term basis. Sure are handy if you inadvertantly run down all your batteries and can't crank the engine (yes, been there, done that).
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20-11-2008, 05:31
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: daytona beach florida
Boat: csy 37
Posts: 2,976
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not defending my position, just explaining it. yes, using the shore connector to run the onboard charger is the best - and easiest - solution.
i used the automobile charger for different reasons (read $$CHEAP$$). my onboard charger is an old 10 amp unit and would hardly be any better than the 8 amps coming out of the honda. rather than replace the onboard charger with a suitable one i chose to go the cheap route and bought a 'smart' charger at walmart for $70 which puts out 35 amps initially.
charging time. my primary draw, like many of us, is the adler barbour fridge. i'm guessing about 60 amps a day. my morning routine consists of running one quart of gas through the honda which runs it for about two hours and brings the batteries up for the day. and yes, it's a pain in the neck to hook everything up but that's what being cheap gets you.....
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20-11-2008, 05:53
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Maine and California
Boat: Tartan 37 "Velera"
Posts: 406
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Whoa
I took a 1000 watt Yamaha generator on my two year voyage through Central America and found it worked spectacularly in charging through my 40 Amp shore charger into 440 Ah of golf cart batteries. It had to run a few hours a day, but it saved running the diesel or fooling around with wind machines. In efficiency mode (it provides only the electricity that is demanded) it could run all day on a tankful of fuel but that was unnecessary. It made a lot less noise than my neighbors' helicopter windvanes--in fact I could not hear the thing from more than two boat lengths away. A number of times I had to row my neighbors over to my boat to prove to them that the thing was working. This powered my ancient Adler Barbour refrigerator with a stock ice box in the tropics as well as all my other electrical needs. I complemented this with a 65 Watt solar panel, but that only gave me 3.7 amps at max during daylight.
I am sure someone will think this not possible, but that was my experience.
__________________
Ray Durkee
S/V Velera
Tartan 37
Castine, Maine
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20-11-2008, 16:21
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Boat: CyberYacht 43
Posts: 5,174
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12 Volt DC Honda Generator...
Has anyone tried a 12 volt DC Honda Generator.
Christie Engineering makes a range of them for what looks to be a reasonable price.
Maybe not full time but for intermittent use they look interesting.
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20-11-2008, 23:03
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Puget Sound
Boat: Irwin 41 CC Ketch
Posts: 2,878
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete the Cat
I took a 1000 watt Yamaha generator on my two year voyage through Central America and found it worked spectacularly in charging through my 40 Amp shore charger into 440 Ah of golf cart batteries. It had to run a few hours a day, but it saved running the diesel or fooling around with wind machines. In efficiency mode (it provides only the electricity that is demanded) it could run all day on a tankful of fuel but that was unnecessary. It made a lot less noise than my neighbors' helicopter windvanes--in fact I could not hear the thing from more than two boat lengths away. A number of times I had to row my neighbors over to my boat to prove to them that the thing was working. This powered my ancient Adler Barbour refrigerator with a stock ice box in the tropics as well as all my other electrical needs. I complemented this with a 65 Watt solar panel, but that only gave me 3.7 amps at max during daylight.
I am sure someone will think this not possible, but that was my experience.
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Sounds right to me..their capable of puting out 166 amp hours I think
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21-11-2008, 07:57
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Southbound
Boat: Pearson 31-2
Posts: 303
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166 Ah ? What generator is that? I'm considering the iu 1000 or 2000 and leaning towards the smaller lighter one.
So, help me get my brain straight. I'm thinking 2 house batteries of the largest capacity I can fit in the compartment. An Engel or similar cooler which I'll say is 4 Ah so almost 100 a day if it runs 24 hours (which it wont). If everything else uses another 100 (which I hope it wont) then thats 200 a day total. To replace that in a 400 Ah bank in two hours, I'll need a 100 Ah shore charger, link 10 or similar, the batts and the gen,and a 15A to 30A cable. Simple, right?
How large of a charger is the iu 1000 capable of running? Or is that the 166Ah figure from above?
On a side note I just discovered that Harbor Freight is carrying a 2.5 HP 1000 watt 4 cycle gen for $199 and a 4hp 1500 watt for $299. I doubt if I'll take the chance on a cheap generator, but I'm going to go check them out before buying a Honda. I've bought alot of stuff from there over the years and some of it is total crap but a surprising percentage of it is very reasonable quality.
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21-11-2008, 08:11
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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I suggest getting the EU2000i. Everyone I know that got the 1000 regretted it and some traded up to the 2000. Of course it depends on the size of your charger. I have a 100 amp charger and the Honda will put out 96 amps or so. That's about maximum. Spend the money and get a Honda. No one has a bad thing to say about them. Just clean the carb every year or two. You can tell when the carb needs cleaning because it won't run without a bit of choke.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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21-11-2008, 08:19
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lakeland, FL
Posts: 1,296
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Also, a lot and probably most of the cheapo brand generators are LOUD. Kind of like running a lawn mower onboard.
__________________
"There's nothing . . . absolutely nothing . . . half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats."
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (River Rat to Mole)
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