Micro CoGen.

Quote from: Derb on August 30, 2016, 06:17:57 AM
Hi Fellas. I just acquired one of these new EU20i generators as a straight swap for my Lister generator set. It is light, quiet, economical and starts 1st pop every time with a light pull. It is also easy to cart around in the caravan unlike the Lister. There are any number of Chinese copies of these around for under $900-00 NZD as opposed to $2400-00 NZD for the Honda but I wouldn't expect them to be around for long. I also checked out a Hyundai unit but it was "really heavy" given the output and a similar price to the Honda anyway. The only other unit I would consider would be the new Yamaha invertor generators - very nice.

Derb, if you don't need clean sine-wave power (as in if you just want to run power tools or whatever) imho the Hondas are a waste of money

In my line of work we have seven or eight Chinese generators around the 2kVA mark.  They work hard.  they last for years and years and years.  They are tough & reliable; and if you do needs parts for them they are unbelievably cheap ($25 for a carb, $15 for an AVR)

And - the kicker - parts for these often come in "Genuine Honda" boxes with the Honda stuff  scratched out with a black felt pen

We have done hundreds & hundreds of hours here in the Manwatu with Chinese Honda copies.  Sure, if you want to, by all means buy a genuine one.  But, apart from the stickers, don't expect it to be much different

Also fwiw, I recently sold my personal Honda 2.2 for $900 and bought a 2nd-hand Chinese one for $100.  Starts, runs, works just the same

Cheers, Mike

Quote from: Chris on September 29, 2012, 05:39:37 PM
Thanks for your comments on this.
Here in the Bahamas, and our electrical code follows the Canadian code The neutral and ground is supposed to be connected in one and only one place. It is usually at the main disconnet at the meter box. This is also a US code requirement.

Many European codes do not ground the neutral and leave it floating.
Inverters for RV units normally would not have neutral and ground interconneted and have a floating neutral.
Most low cost inverters keep ground and neutral issolated. This one of the reasons that they recommend NOT hooking up to a house panel.
All that being said, I will double check that I made the proper wiring connections when I reconfiured for 120/240 and keep you all posted.

Again thanks for your input.

Regards


An old topic, but I am looking at it this morning on Henry's recommendation - just a comment that here in New Zealand we have a similar system to that mentioned, called "Multiply Earthed Neutral" where the neutral and earth bars are linked at the switchboard so that there is a path to earth for fault current or over-current which includes a fuse or CB to blow.  Cheers

Hi Henry.  Thanks.  Appreciated.  I will have a look

Hi Guys

If you have off-grid and time & space on your hands - then you don't have to be very efficient, especially if you live on your own

Where I live there's lots of sunshine & I have a water supply from an elevated spring that gives me a 2-bar head - or maybe a bit more

So I have a "solar shower" with the solar part outside in the sun and the shower part inside in a conventional shower cubicle with hot & cold taps etc etc

The "solar panel" is a rectangle of 8mm black plastic sheeting measuring 1400mm X 1600mm, more or less - on a timber support frame, aligned to the sunshine, on which is wound 100 metres of 20mm black "alkathene" poly pipe - ordinary farm stuff - in a big, flat, sun-facing spiral.  It's held flat on the black plastic sheet by about a million cable ties

Cold water at 2 bar goes in and - when there's direct sunshine - really hot water come out and goes to the shower cubicle.  The water's hot-enough that you have to feed in quite a bit of cold.  There's enough hot water for a good shower and then enough left over to think "well I might as well stand here until the hot runs out as both the water and the energy are free

Of course there are two downsides:  There's no storage of hot water - it's just direct on line.  And it only works when the sun shines.  But, since I have a wetback on the stove for winter or overcast, and since I'm on holiday whenever I'm there - who cares.  When the sun shines you can have a shower

It has worked well for years.  And. since there are no moving parts, it will still be working well when I'm dead

Next, then, is a similar panel, probably mounted flat, and a nearby small insulated tank into which I would like to think water will thermosiphon, getting hotter and hotter with each cycle, whenever the sun shines.  I guess it's probably only 10% efficient in turning solar energy into hot water - but if it's simple and it works, then who cares?

My question is - does anyone have experience with a low-tech, thermosiphoning, pump-free, water heater?  If they do - I'd like to hear about it.  No sense re-inventing the wheel

Cheers, Mike

I'm interested in the grounding/earthing question too

I have solar + inverter.  From time to time I use a Chinese Honda-clone petrol generator as well

The "wiring" in my shed is carefully done but there is no earth because there is no switchboard - rather there's an extension flex with a 10A plug which either goes into the inverter or the generator.  At the other end of the extension flex there's an RCD

I have been told both that I should and should not run an earth stake at the generator; also that I "could if you wanted" run an earth at the inverter

To my way of thinking - if there's fault current - the RCD will trip.  I don't see what contribution an earth stake will make unless there is a switchboard and a path to neutral/earth so that current can flow to blow a fuse or pop an overload

But I'd be interested in the thoughts of better-qualified folks

Thanks, Mike

T