Propane Generator

[outdoornate65]

I saw a EP review of a portable propane generator on my FB feed this week which got me thinking about propane as an option for our set-up.

We have a FWC with solar as our primary power source. The camper is set-up for shore-power but we seldom use it because we mostly dispersed camp.
We do "plug-in" when driveway camping at a friends or prepping for a trip. We do NOT have AC. 85L Dometic fridge is our primary power draw.

We discovered on a recent trip to the North Woods of Wisconsin that a couple days without sunshine really made a difference in our battery life (duh).
Being from CO, we are used to abundant sunshine and take it for granted most of the time.

As we are about to head out on the road for 18 months, we are looking for at generator options as a back-up to our solar. We carry quite a bit of propane on our rig for the stove/furnace/heater so a propane generator looks appealing. The lower weight and smaller size would be a plus too.

We have a Honda 2000 that we seldom use due to the heavy weight and the fact that it is difficult to store in our small rig.

So.....hoping to get your thoughts/feedback regarding propane generators, good or bad. Brands that are desirable and ones to avoid.

Thanks in advance,

Nate

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

I don't know much much the Honda weighs.
I would recommend Champion generators.
This is the smallest Propane powered generator they have.

2000-Watt Dual Fuel Inverter - Champion Power Equipment

Powering Your Life

www.championpowerequipment.com

 

[Buddha.]

You have a truck bed mounted camper? Just charge off of the alternator with a dedicated 2awg circuit, with or without a DC to DC charger.
What kind of batteries are in the camper?
Those small Propane generators are only putting out 10-15amps. If you have more than one camper battery they could draw 30-40 amps off the alternator for a while and really get some amps back in it.

 

[Chris Boyd]

There are conversion kits to run the 2000 off of propane (and gas)
Just plan to use slightly more volume of propane than gas as it has lower energy content. (Ie running out propane sux if that’s how you heat or cook)

Agree with the comment about also running from the alternator and I would use a dc-dc if your bank is suitably large or your alternator is of the “smart variety”

 

[Chris Boyd]

There are conversion kits to run the 2000 off of propane (and gas)
Just plan to use slightly more volume of propane than gas as it has lower energy content. (Ie running out propane sux if that’s how you heat or cook)

Agree with the comment about also running from the alternator and I would use a dc-dc if your bank is suitably large or your alternator is of the “smart variety”

If you were to run the Honda, plan on going AC from it to an onboard charger like you do In The driveway (or victron makes a nice, smart one in various flavors). This way you can utilize the whole 2000watts or something less in eco mode.

The dc charger on the Honda is for small batteries.

 

[outdoornate65]

You have a truck bed mounted camper? Just charge off of the alternator with a dedicated 2awg circuit, with or without a DC to DC charger.
What kind of batteries are in the camper?
Those small Propane generators are only putting out 10-15amps. If you have more than one camper battery they could draw 30-40 amps off the alternator for a while and really get some amps back in it.

Yes, truck bed camper with 12V batteries x2. HD alternator on truck (not sure of output). Camper is wired to truck and charges while the truck is running.

 

[Buddha.]

Yes, truck bed camper with 12V batteries x2. HD alternator on truck (not sure of output). Camper is wired to truck and charges while the truck is running.

Do you know what gauge wire you have running back to the batteries? If it's the regular trailer type wiring harness you're not gonna get much of a charge from the truck's alternator, less than ten amps for sure.
For my bumper pull travel trailer I have a 2awg positive and negative cables with anderson powerpole connectors going back to the trailer where it feeds into a renogy 40 amp dc to dc charger. When the batteries are down ~50% I can see the full 40 amps going to the trailer's batteries, when they'll take that charge rate. This would be a good setup for a truck camper too imo.

 

[outdoornate65]

Do you know what gauge wire you have running back to the batteries? If it's the regular trailer type wiring harness you're not gonna get much of a charge from the truck's alternator, less than ten amps for sure.
For my bumper pull travel trailer I have a 2awg positive and negative cables with anderson powerpole connectors going back to the trailer where it feeds into a renogy 40 amp dc to dc charger. When the batteries are down ~50% I can see the full 40 amps going to the trailer's batteries, when they'll take that charge rate. This would be a good setup for a truck camper too imo.

After checking in with other FWC owners, I guess the wire is smallish/undersized, someone thought maybe 10G. They also recommended bumping the gauge to 2awg to get the most from the alternator's output.

Circling back to to the propane generator question: if we would only be using the propane powered generator to occasionally charge the two camper batteries, would it be sufficient without having to be run for long periods? Example: tree cover or cloudy weather? I believe our two deep cycle batteries are 180 ah total.

 

[BritKLR]

FWIW......I've had mixed experiences with propane generators. Both were brand new kohler's, setup specifically for propane and both were in new Lance truck campers. In lower altitude, coastal, warm areas they worked ok. Always seemed to take forever to fire up and stay running. But, once running they did everything we needed.

High altitude and/or cold mornings you almost had to forget about them starting. No matter how much priming and cranking they simply took for ever to start. Since then and now living in the mountains, I've never considered propane again. Our Honda 2000 gasser has done everything we've asked from it and is extremely reliable and even when I set our house up with an emergency gen I stayed with gas. Good luck!

 

[dreadlocks]

I'mna convert my Honda EU2200 over to LP, its pretty simple.. I drag it around for same reason as you, leave Colorado and suddenly you cant have enough solar panels.. I just dont wanna bring gasoline with me on a diesel rig anymore, and for most of the summer I can barely put a dent in my 30# tank.. I also want to explore the southern states more but i'mna need aircon.

Ive talked to people up here in Colorado w/LP Converted hondas that didnt have any issues, you can run rich off LP all day long and not really have any fouling out issues like like you get with other liquid fuels.

 

[Buliwyf]

It's going to be a nightmare of maintenance for little gain. And a ton of dead weight to haul around. Whatever fuel it saves your main engine, you lose due to the weight of the thing.


Just run your main engine and use your alternator. Try adding a solar panel if you'd like. IME, generators are for AC only.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

I converted my Honda 2200 over to propane about a month ago. Simple install and more convenient for me since I have 2 10lb tanks on the front of the trailer.

I bought the generator as a backup because there have been numerous occasions that I do not have direct sunlight for the sun due to tree cover or its been cloudy out.


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[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

I'mna convert my Honda EU2200 over to LP, its pretty simple.. I drag it around for same reason as you, leave Colorado and suddenly you cant have enough solar panels.. I just dont wanna bring gasoline with me on a diesel rig anymore, and for most of the summer I can barely put a dent in my 30# tank.. I also want to explore the southern states more but i'mna need aircon.

Ive talked to people up here in Colorado w/LP Converted hondas that didnt have any issues, you can run rich off LP all day long and not really have any fouling out issues like like you get with other liquid fuels.

I use my propane Honda at 9-11k’ feet and no issues yet.


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[dreadlocks]

If he's got two deeply discharged 12v batteries getting those back full w/the engine alone because solar is not cooperating is easier said than done.. You up for 8h drive, it dont matter if he gets 200A back to his bank its not gonna back to 100% SOC without a good painfully long absorb.. been there, done that and lost that war.. If your out for any considerable time it'll catch up with you sooner or later.

there is also the damn ethanol crap out now, I run my genset with treated ethanol free and got bit last time I went out with a clogged carb.. because I took it in for recall and they poured some crap outta their reclaim tank into the carb for testing and I didnt flush it all out before putting it back in storage.. with as intermittently as the genset gets used not worrying about any of that is a big plus.

 

[calicamper]

I’d skip the propane aspect. A $400 tiny gasser will run 20+ hrs on a tank. The propane run burns nearly 2-3 times as much and propane is typically harder to find and more expensive.