Club 80-90 Forums

I bought a brand new Propex last yr with fitting kit then funds got low so I have never had it fitted and its all still in box. I've had quotes for around £300 and as it looks like Im going to be med retired and poor asa church mouse Im balking at cost.

So my lil head said why cant I get a small genny instead . Now beinga mere female and not clued up on these things what specifically am I loking for. Ive seen several small allegedly silent running (53 dbs to 65), but what tech specs am i looking for?

Do I need an inverter one ?

Im only going to be running lights , slow cooker, halogen heater thats rated at 650 watts. So I was thinking a smal one that is around 850watts or do I look for at least 1kw.

I can see if i wild camp its going to spoil my peace and tranquility but i thought id get someone to make a ventilated wooden box to cover it and keep noise down.

Ive been looking at this one:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371219170838? ... EBIDX%3AIT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this one:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331423552842? ... EBIDX%3AIT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Your wisdom would be appreciated guys

You may want to consider how others will feel when you are running a generator? I assume you'll be on hook up on a campsite, but will there be other times? I can see why you may be attracted to the idea though.

a generator that cheap will be pretty crap. Your also half way to the install cost of the propex....

tbh i dont use a leccy hook up from April to September. Its going to be for winter camping and i certainly would nt be running it all the time only when i actually needed to use it for the heater.

As for cost I can sell my brand new propex to cover cost of Generator

lloydy wrote:a generator that cheap will be pretty crap. Your also half way to the install cost of the propex....

Boydy why will it be crap? I'm not being facetious I just want to know.

if you use hook up, you don't need a genny. This is a good genny, and your fellow campers may not want to kill you when you fire it up
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Eu20I-S ... 418cfc32ee" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As for selling the propex, you will take a loss on it when selling so you'll be losing money there. end of the day do what is best for you, but i think you'd be crazy to sell a proper to fund a genny

Have to agree with Lloydy

Get the propex fitted makes more sense,we fitted an Eberspacher took the hit and fitted new, great bit of
kit just fire up and the vans heated in no time.

One of the guys in our local club has a Honda generator and have to say really nice and quite,but would still go with the Eber.

Back to basics. You've got the kit so fitting it makes sense.
If you are not wild camping why not use electric hook up and a small oil filled radiator? These give out enough heat for a van and turned down to minimum it will keep the van warm overnight.
A generator is ok if you wild camp. However, if you want to annoy your neighbours on a campsite then a generator is the way to go!

OK Few simple facts about me

I don't use electric hook up from April to September. I have a hot water bottle and the dog to keep me warm in bed, battery operated led lights and a gas hob n grill to cook with so I cant really see need for leccy hook up unless I want to charge mobile.

When i have had electric hook up on a site in October or Jan/Feb Ive used it for total of about 1 hr each day. Basically to warm van up and charge phone.But I would like to do more wild camping on the moors or visits to daughter in Liverpool where I may be sleeping not on campsites.

I'm generally a really considerate person and would not dream of running a genny for hrs at a time.

The gennys I highlighted are the quieter ones as I dont like noise either.

So regarding technical things I think I have worked out a invertor genny is better so no huge peaks of power,

Has anyone used a Genny ? What are your thoughts on it, was it useful or did you find it a pain? Did it meet your needs? Having used one, apart from the noise factor, what was good, what was bad? What should I look out for?

ps I am taking on board the comments re my Propex but £300 is a lot of money for me at the mo.I also have to figure in its annual service cost.

browneyes1311 wrote:But I would like to do more wild camping on the moors

Seems a shame to break the peace of the moors with a generator running...

or visits to daughter in Liverpool where I may be sleeping not on campsites.

Umm, you'd be street-camping in town? Anybody like to guess at the odds of the generator still being there in the morning?

If you have the £150 for the generator; its only another 150 for installation? Is there anyone else that maybe able to help you fit it, maybe someone who lives nearby on here?

I use the honda one mentioned above with work. It's a panel van, well insulated but you can still hear the panel van running. You need to carry petrol around for it which is frustrating but one tank can last a while, we only use it for 2 hours at a time so I cant tell you exactly how long. It is nice to know you aren't relying on a battery.You could use your leccy hookup cable to position the genny away from you whilst wild camping.

At your daughters could you run an extension lead out, i.e. is it on a driveway. Might be better than worrying about leaving a genny running outside.

I lugged a genny around in my Merc for ages (Only because it was in there when I bought it) and never used it once. I can't see the need for one myself.
Pity you aren't closer to me - I would soon get that Propex fitted and it wouldn't cost anything like £300!

I may be saved theres a guy on Plymouth air cooled enthuisiasts (PACE) who fitted his own and hes said he will help me in New Year. Then I just need it checked by lpg gas sure engineer.

I do agree totally re the noise issue but it is an interesting back up plan.Seems like most peoples issues are the noise. But nobody really had any tech advice re right sort. Ive already worked out u need an inverter and read an interesting review regards Honda and some cheaper dif brand name ones that appeared to have been made in same factory in China. Honda had them all taken of shelves in UK for breach of copyright.

Thank u Getunder that was sweet of you.

hi,now look we go off wilding it for weeks at a time zero hook up,zero sites, we hide away in interesting places, we do lots to avoid drawing attention to ourselves and the the thought of a genny is pure utter folly and not needed, not needed for back-up and not for anything else.
get your propex fitted. carry a spare gas cyc, and run on propane not butane
you have a leisure battery to cater for lights etc, froget genny -fan heater etc, nonsense
and your main battery should only run satrter and van speceific stuff, leaisure for all else, your BACK-UP is called starting the engine and running it for a short while and let the alternator do its job,
happy camping
mm

For what its worth I wouldn't bother with either. Its easier to dress for the cold than it is to try to heat the van. My van has got a propex and I've used it less than half a dozen times in the last three years. I've got a petrol genny sat in the garage but I'd never consider running it at night camping. It sounds like a scooter ticking over and I'm pretty sure it couldn't provide enough power to run a heater.
I've camped in Snowdonia in a cheap tent in February. If a decent set of thermals, sleeping bag and a bobble hat is good enough for base camp on Everest it's probably good enough for a night on Dartmoor.