Do you carry a generator?

[rgrugg]

FedX delivered my Honda 2000 today. If you take a generator with you, where do you carry gas for it? I don't want to carry it in either the minivan or in the Egg C. Thanks for your advice.

[Mark V.]

I don't take a generator - but what about using a siphon?

[cpaharley2008]

I believe the Honda and my Yamaha have gas vent valves that you close while transporting, thus no different than you going to gas station to fill up your gas can and bring back home. I'd treat it like my gas can. If you do not carry your can inside, there are external gas jerry cans you can mount to your tongue.

[Mark V.]

Like this?

[Bill K]

I bought my honda 2000 setup for propane and it has never had gas in it.

I carry it inside my SUV.

Bill K

Originally Posted by rgrugg

FedX delivered my Honda 2000 today. If you take a generator with you, where do you carry gas for it? I don't want to carry it in either the minivan or in the Egg C. Thanks for your advice.

[Joy A]

I carry the gas can in the back of the Jeep.

I thought about syphoning and purchased a syphon. One problem, you can't put anything down the gas pipe on the Jeep. There is something there that blocks a syphon from being inserted.

[honda03842]

I only carry a generator if we're really going rural rural like Labrador where we could be out of contact with anyone for days.

In that case we carried an empty 1000 watt generator and a gallon of gas. As well we have a siphon in our Honda. On that trip we carried the generator, only 1'x1'x1' and a gallon can of gas inside the CRV. The gas tank sealed pretty well and there was virtually no gas odor.

Norm

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Joy A

I carry the gas can in the back of the Jeep.
.

It is very dangerous to carry gas, even in a sealed container inside a vehicle.

[theresa p]

we've got 2 generators...one 3500 and a 1200. not honda. so far, we only use them up at our lot, which is our own property without nearby neighbours.....haven't had to travel with them. but i am very interested to read here what everyone else is doing--so when, and if, we decide to travel with one, we'll have a better idea of how to do so safely.

[Perry J]

I used to carry my Honda all the time.
Now my 50W solar panel and LED lighting supply all I need so I leave ir home.
John

[campfrugal]

RGRUGG,
Years ago, my car ran out of gas close to Wenatchee Washingotn. A State Patrol came to my aid....he opened his hood pulled out a rubber tube and stuck
it in my tank. Then with his car running he opened a valve and eyed his watch for a few minutes..... and said "that should give you about two gallons".

I looked under his hood. There was a 'T' fitting on the gas line with a valve and a rolled up tube. His car also had spring bumpers for pushing cars.

Love our Wash. St. Troopers !

Doc.....the boonDOCer

[Byron Kinnaman]

No generator, low current draw lights, an 80 amp-hour battery, a 50amp-hour battery, and a 65 watt solar panel supply more than enough power for my needs. Needs include lights, furnace, charging computers and other electronic devices, powering a woodburning pen, and power my ham radio station. Don't need no "stink'n generator".

[rgrugg]

Installed my generator on the tongue of my Egg Camper today. Fastened it down with two ratchet straps, secured it with a bicycle locking cable, and put a propane tank over it to hide it. Now less than two weeks until we can hit the road to Colorado.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

No generator, low current draw lights, an 80 amp-hour battery, a 50amp-hour battery, and a 65 watt solar panel supply more than enough power for my needs. Needs include lights, furnace, charging computers and other electronic devices, powering a woodburning pen, and power my ham radio station. Don't need no "stink'n generator".

Actually if your batteries are connected together, you will only have about 100 a/h between the two. With 2 disparate batteries, the weaker one will drain the stronger one quicker than if they were both equal. Don't ask me where I read this but this is the way I remember it.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Actually if your batteries are connected together, you will only have about 100 a/h between the two. With 2 disparate batteries, the weaker one will drain the stronger one quicker than if they were both equal. Don't ask me where I read this but this is the way I remember it.

Simply not true. If you take two containers of water, say a 5 gallon and 10 gallon container, take water out through a common connection are you only going to get 5 gallons of water?

That said there's only been one time I connected them together, that was when the 80 amp-hour was drained and it was easier to connect the 50 amp-hour in parallel than to disconnect the 80 amp-hour at 4:00 am when the temperature was almost 5°F. By the way it made it to 5°F.

[cpaharley2008]

Actually what I found was that they have to be identically charged- the weaker one will pull from the stronger one-

12.2 Parallel

If you connect batteries in parallel you must be very careful that they are exactly the same type, same state of charge, and the same age, much more so than in the serial connection above. Batteries have an internal resistance, which goes up as they discharge. Imagine the following connection where one battery is fully charged and the other is discharged:


The discharged battery on the right has a terminal voltage of 10.5V and an internal resistance of 8 milliohms. The fully charged battery on the left has a terminal voltage of 13.2V and an internal resistance of 4 milliohms. The internal resistances are shown in the circuit for clarity. When the two batteries are connected together in parallel, the fully charged one will start charging the discharged one. A current will flow around the loop between the two batteries of


This current is very high and may damage some batteries.

If the batteries are at an identical state of charge, their terminal voltages will be the same, and so no appreciable current will flow when they are connected in parallel. Any imparity will be evened up as the one with greater charge and hence terminal voltage charges up the other.

[GeorgeR]

There are two issues, battery capacity measured in Amphours and voltage measured in Volts. You can connect in parallel lead flooded acid batteries with different capacities and still get total capacity which will be approximately a sum of both. A different voltage between any batteries will drive current to equalize their voltages. Voltage drives electrons flow not capacities. It is best to connect identical batteries to get best life from them.

George.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Actually what I found was that they have to be identically charged- the weaker one will pull from the stronger one-

12.2 Parallel

If you connect batteries in parallel you must be very careful that they are exactly the same type, same state of charge, and the same age, much more so than in the serial connection above. Batteries have an internal resistance, which goes up as they discharge. Imagine the following connection where one battery is fully charged and the other is discharged:


The discharged battery on the right has a terminal voltage of 10.5V and an internal resistance of 8 milliohms. The fully charged battery on the left has a terminal voltage of 13.2V and an internal resistance of 4 milliohms. The internal resistances are shown in the circuit for clarity. When the two batteries are connected together in parallel, the fully charged one will start charging the discharged one. A current will flow around the loop between the two batteries of


This current is very high and may damage some batteries.

If the batteries are at an identical state of charge, their terminal voltages will be the same, and so no appreciable current will flow when they are connected in parallel. Any imparity will be evened up as the one with greater charge and hence terminal voltage charges up the other.

The batteries in parallel will find an equilibrium if not both fully charged to the same point. However the total capacity will not change. Same way with the water example I gave earlier.
Another example in real life.
I ran down the house battery (80amp hour) to the point the fan in the furnace wouldn't run. I connected the 50amp-hour in parallel with the discharged battery and went back to sleep with the furnace running.

Furthermore I know of several installations of batteries used to for radio repeaters in case of power failure that have several different capacities all connected together. The idea presented that they have to be all the same is a like many other things in the electrical world a myth.

[Joy A]

Originally Posted by rgrugg

Installed my generator on the tongue of my Egg Camper today. Fastened it down with two ratchet straps, secured it with a bicycle locking cable, and put a propane tank over it to hide it. Now less than two weeks until we can hit the road to Colorado.

Now:
1. Purchase a 30amp extension cord.
2. Plug the male end into the generator.
3. Run the extension cord under the trailer, connecting it to the frame
4. Cut off the female end
5. Drill hole into the electrical compartment
6. Thread the extension cord into the compartment
7. Add a 30amp outlet to the cord and secure it.

When ready to use the generator simply reach into the compartment and plug the trailers 30amp power cord into the outlet. Nothing is out in the weather or hanging down on the ground.

I love things that are slick and clean.

"Thanks Mel for the idea"