Small generator

[davido]

Add a second battery while you're at it.

A dorm fridge consumes 140w with a 30% duty cycle (totally guessing on that, but your energy budget starts somewhere). So it will consume almost 100 AH per day powered off an 85% efficient Inverter.

A Group 24 battery holds 80AH, with 40AH usable before you drop below 50% charge. Two group 24 batteries hold 160, with 80AH usable. If you never want to drop below 50%, you will need to run the generator twice a day, maybe at the beginning and end of "noise" hours. So if your campground allows generator use between 10am and 7pm, you'll charge for a couple hours at 10am, and a couple more at 5pm. As of 7pm you'll be at 100% charge. But you're consuming 4.16A per hour. So by morning your 160AH will be drawn down to 98AH, or 61% of full. That's if you don't use anything else.

It's pretty obvious that if you don't want to kill your battery you're going to need at least two Group 24, and a 2x/day charging plan that you never skip.

...or instead of spending $500 on a generator + $180 on a 2nd battery, box, and cables, spend $400 on a 3-way fridge.

 

[TSS]

I'm sure we need a generator, we have a small fridge, that's pretty much all I really want it for, isn't a small Honda enough to charge a deep cycle battery that will fit the bill for that need? I know their expensive but I do want the quietest one we can get. I would appreciate your input!

Have used a Honda 2000 watt Inverter gen for years. For camping snd Ohio State tailgates. Only supplies 29 amps but will charge batteries and run the camper except AC effectively here in the south. Watch pawn shops as I found this one

 

[Lug_Nut]

29 amps at 120 volts is 3500 watts. Is 29 amps a typo?

 

[TSQ]

You posed an interesting question. I did some digging and it appears that because of the invention of the low cost solid state diodes we now use alternators. I looked at some classic car forums for alternators vs generators and here is a good answer why we don't find DC generators any more: ​

...
Bob

I will also add:

Commutators do not really convert AC to DC, they just keep switching the polarity as the rotor rotates so that DC power is produced.

The sparking that occurs with commutators causes EMI, which is not at all desireable with modern electronics.

There are regional differences - some people call a device that makes DC (equiped with a commutator) a generator, others call it a dynamo.

I do my best to call any engine driven assembly that's primary purpose is to make power a "genset" (short for generating set) to avoid confusion.

 

[JimmyM]

The Harbor Freight Super Quiet 1400 watt Inverter will do all the OP wants to do for 400 bucks. It has an ECO mode that is very quiet. It's ECO mode is designed for charging batteries.

Interested in this one myself. Tiny, light, quiet, and will allow me to recharge during a long week of camping if necessary

 

[JimmyM]

slightly off topic, but parallel, not a tangent.
Are there any commercially available, liquid or gasseous fuelled, 12VDC electric generators?
It seems that most* camping generators are used to replenish the trailer battery, and that can be done without having to make 120VAC, then rectify and transform that to the 13-ish volts of DC. It also means a (non-Inverter) generator wouldn't have to spin at 3600 rpm to make 60 cycle AC frequency since the alternating current isn't needed.
There are AC generators galore from which to choose. There are fewer, but still many, with 12 VDC in addition to the 120 VAC, but I'm asking about 12VDC only.

There are a few options but they're very expensive.
https://polarpower.com/products/
https://www.zrd.com/pd/esdgenerators.html

 

[NEODon]

I'm sure we need a generator, we have a small fridge, that's pretty much all I really want it for, isn't a small Honda enough to charge a deep cycle battery that will fit the bill for that need? I know their expensive but I do want the quietest one we can get. I would appreciate your input!

If you use the suggested propane & battery combo to run the fridge without any generator, could you top off the battery by using your tow vehicle? I assume since it has not been mentioned that there may be too many reasons not to do it this way. We have the Honda 2200 generator. It is quiet, will run our refrigerator, freezer, lights and more all night at home during an outage but it is not what I consider light weight. Add in the negatives of carrying extra gas and we leave the generator for home use. We now either find a site with electric or buy ice for the cooler for the little bit of camping that we do. I do understand that an idling vehicle is going to use fuel while charging but possibly for your use it is an option.

 

[stierheim]

I have 2 of these, one will not run the air cond nor will 2 tied together!

A-iPower SUA2300i Ultra-Quiet Inverter Generator with Mobility Kit (CARB Compliant)​

Sam's club $399.98 currently

Something doesn't seem right with those gens. I have a Honda EU2000 (somewhat less output than yours) and it runs my AC just fine. The AC unit is a Coleman Mach 3 PS (13.5K BTU) - a pretty standard unit on a lot of PUPs.

 

[JimmyM]

Something doesn't seem right with those gens. I have a Honda EU2000 (somewhat less output than yours) and it runs my AC just fine. The AC unit is a Coleman Mach 3 PS (13.5K BTU) - a pretty standard unit on a lot of PUPs.

It's really hit or miss which small generators will start a 13.5k A/C. The Honda may handle the start-up surge better. Also, an A/C takes more power to start and run at higher ambient temp. Those higher ambient temps also reduce generator output as well. So there's several variables.

 

[Burchard]

My good wife and I have a Honda Generator. It is quiet, but the noise that it makes, is small but it still scares the wildlife away.
I try not using it unless absolutely needed.
Nothing beats putting the coffee on at dawn, and a few rocky mountain elk sleeping in bushes right next to your trailer.
God's Blessings