Generator Recommendations

[Fire and Ice]

I am looking for advice on a genny to take to outdoor meets.

Primarily will need to use it with 2 lipo chargers and a laptop.

We are also looking at purchasing a caravan so would be nice if it could run that during the day also. Never had a genny before so this may not be possible but hoping to get some useful info from any oOpler that can help.

[KennyClark]

I got one of these recently and its superb.
Small, quiet and no problems.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/impax-im80...tor-230v/15760

[mrfodds]

Just done my homework on this! Basically you're going to need an inverter type generator to run the chargers and laptop. A standard genny won't provide a consistent voltage and could damage your sensitive electricals.
In terms of running a caravan, most come with a leisure battery that should easily last 24-48 hours. If the unfortunate should occur and the battery ran flat, then the genny could be used to charge the battery if it has the capacity to do so.

Hope this helps

[h0m3sy]

I got myself one of these, didn't get it from amazon though, had no problems with it so far, over 2 years use.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004...&robot_redir=1

[racingdwarf]

As above chargers and power supplies need an invertor to supply a constant feed I have seen more than one person blow there power supply with the cheep 2stroke gennys as there power flow is up surges as the engine does.If you are thinking of also running a caravan I would go for 1000w minimum as the 700w are ok but you need to accommodate the spike when things are 1st turned on, If you want to run water heaters etc you will need 2500+. but as said a caravan battery should last the weekend and water heaters, fridges etc can run better of the gas,but if you are working on you car in the awning in the evening…or you are the party animal that all come to see some 240v lighting is a must

Beware of the cheep invertor generators as I found their overload protection was not all that good and important bits get fried before the circuit breaker goes off they will want to charge nearly what you paid for it to fix it.

if you can afford it a 1000w Kipo would do you a treat

[Fire and Ice]

Thanks for all the advice and links this is really useful info and it helps having the links to see what I need

[andy110m]

Dave has given you a good steer suggesting a Kipor but I'd advise the IG2000 model rather than the 1000.

I go caravanning with the family to rallies and shows which don't have hook ups and similarly with bigger race meetings. We use this genny, its quiet, very good on fuel and more important than anything else, its reliable. Service it once a year and it starts first pull every time. No messing about like with cheaper units.

We have small kids so run the lights, charge the caravan battery, a TV of course and a small microwave for doing the bottles in addition to my race kit normally sat in the awning.

So the 1000 is great if you only want to charge and run some lights. If you want a that and more, and are willing to push the boat out slightly more, I think you'd find the 2000 is the better option.

[mpg200]

As with most things there is always more than one solution. The solution that I currently use is a cheap 2 stroke genny (ebay £40) and one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/APC-Line-R-1.../dp/B0000C88CR
I was lucky to get one of the bay for £25
This stabilises the genny output to somthing more reasonable and in the 3 years I've been using this set-up I've had no failures of PSU's/chargers or laptops.
The down side is its heavy and takes up more room in the car. The regulator gets warm and reduces efficiency of the whole system. But it was a cheap solution for me at the time. Yes a nice inverter genny would be preferable but on a budget this worked for me.

Matt

[mark christopher]

Originally Posted by andy110m

Dave has given you a good steer suggesting a Kipor but I'd advise the IG2000 model rather than the 1000.

I go caravanning with the family to rallies and shows which don't have hook ups and similarly with bigger race meetings. We use this genny, its quiet, very good on fuel and more important than anything else, its reliable. Service it once a year and it starts first pull every time. No messing about like with cheaper units.

We have small kids so run the lights, charge the caravan battery, a TV of course and a small microwave for doing the bottles in addition to my race kit normally sat in the awning.

So the 1000 is great if you only want to charge and run some lights. If you want a that and more, and are willing to push the boat out slightly more, I think you'd find the 2000 is the better option.

100% agree with this.

[racingdwarf]

I can only afford a 1000