Carrying Gas Generator inside Camper Van

[craggers]

Consider weight carefully before attaching anything to your rear door!

The doors and hinges weren't designed to handle any extra weight. Even those old spare tire carriers that were 3 point attachment (both hinges and the edge of the door)  eventually pulled on the metal. That's if the metal didn't rust out first from the steel on steel and any movement from bumps etc.

I also have a 2002 Savana and I don't believe you'll be able to siphon gas from the tank.

BTW, my cargo carrier is a swing out one so that I can access the back doors easily. Instead of the expensive box that can be bought with the hitch platform I put a $65.00 Husky Tradesman box on mine.

 

[craggers]

the Hinges on the rear door are quite Massive actually, some 2 X 4 frame on the inside of the door cavity attached to the door inside steel frame

 

[craggers]

I had the same idea.
My neighbor the car genius who fixed my van said NO... i insisted... 
he said we would have to make an extension to the exhaust of the generator
and put it out the bottom plus make a hole in the back door for a grill and fresh air. 
inside we could put generator in a box that has a gasket to keep air going outside rather than leak into the inside.
i think this is a good idea
a lot of people will warn against it is my guess 

I wouldn't run a generator inside .

 

[craggers]

A lot of vehicles have an anti-siphon fuel fill.  Check to make sure you CAN siphon before needing to.  I would carry extra gas on a hitch haul of some sort or fastened to a back door (on the outside).

My $0.02 worth.

Bob Wells has a new video of a guy with " Underbody Truck Boxes "   about $75 each ,  Attached to his 2 rear doors on a 2000  Express Van  I really like that Idea +

 

[craggers]

I have a tall thin 6 gallon plastic gas can.  I squeeze the large flat sides together then tighten the cap.  I never put more than 5 gallons in it.  It never has pressure.  It doesn't stink of gasoline.

I keep it inside.  My van has been rear ended three times.  A gasoline container on  the back at the point of impact would not be good.  I keep the propane and the gasoline inside because I think it is well protected there.        That's Smart Thinking    +

 

[craggers]

It's no easy feat to siphon gas out of these newer vehicles.

If you find it's a problem buy a milspec jerry can. Mine has a small vent on it. I plan to run a hose from the vent to the outside of the vehicle. The can also has a positive closing top with a seal to prevent fumes.

Or you could put a regular gas can and your generator in a container with a good sealing lid and vent the container to the outside.

Another Great Idea,  Thanks

 

[highdesertranger]

the NATO gas cans will not leak even if transported upside down. but make sure you get real ones and not Chinese knock offs. Wavian makes good ones.

http://lexingtoncontainercompanysonlinestore.mybigcommerce.com/jerry-fuel-can/?mode=1

https://www.jerrycan.com/product-category/steel-jerry-cans/

do not get the ones with the screw on lids they are not true NATO cans. I have four 20 liter, two 10 liter, and one 5 liter and not one has ever leaked a drop. highdesertranger

 

[craggers]

the NATO gas cans will not leak even if transported upside down.  but make sure you get real ones and not Chinese knock offs.  Wavian makes good ones.

http://lexingtoncontainercompanysonlinestore.mybigcommerce.com/jerry-fuel-can/?mode=1

https://www.jerrycan.com/product-category/steel-jerry-cans/

do not get the ones with the screw on lids they are not true NATO cans.  I have four 20 liter,  two 10 liter,  and one 5 liter and not one has ever leaked a drop.  highdesertranger

 

[craggers]

I decided to return the 2,000 watt generator to home depot on sale for $160 , I am looking at 1,000 watt generators they weight Less, are more portable, and I'm think'in could be transported in a aluminum truck box attached to the rear door on the outside. There is videos on youtube showing how to siphon gas from newer vehicles, eliminating the need for a gas can, I mostly want a small generator to Charge the Coach battery if I'm boondocking and my onboard 20 amp charging circuit has not replenshied the battery because I won't do Solar on this vehicle.

 

[John61CT]

You want a "suitcase style" inverter gennie, not the loud construction site ones.

Usually more expensive per output but much quieter and easy to handle.

Note fully recharging a lead bank a few times per week is required for longevity, but not practical with zero solar, since out of the 5-7 hours charging required, the last 4-6 are at very low amps, waste of dino juice.

Not a problem if you're off-grid for just a few days, just plug into shore power to charge overnight soon as you get back.

 

[Feelit]

I've done some thinking and research along these lines as well. If you look up/calculate the actual consumption for the common 5000btu 'small window units' they're talking about 500-600w while running, more at startup. That's well within the range of a fairly affordable inverter. There's a good chance that your stock alternator can keep up with this either at idle or with a high idle switch. 600w divided by ~12v = 50a. Fudge that up maybe 20% for the inefficiency of a cheap inverter and you're still at 60a. Lots of alternators can do this at idle, and pretty much all of them can do it off-idle.  So my question is, would you rather buy and deal with a generator, or just buy an inverter and leave your van idling? This probably depends on how long you plan to use the AC and a bunch of other things. If you're only going to use the AC while you're with the van, it's probably not a big deal to just run the van engine. At least if you interested to get a generator for your RV, <a href="https://generatoron.org/best-rv-generator/">check it out here</a>.

 

[B and C]

Idling an engine to use a lot of power out of the alternator will make the alternator very hot and shorten its' life considerably not to mention that it will put out less as it gets hot. High output while not driving will not move enough air to keep it cool.

 

[bullfrog]

It is very hard for people who try to make a van or home built rig into an apartment or house on the grid like they are used to. It is good to realize even really well build and designed RV's tend to have tons of solar, generators, large battery banks and often park where they have access to grid power in order to have the same environment they are accustom to. Generators make noise that can be a problem for the people camped in the area as noise travels quite well in many areas. Generators require fuel and maintenance. Generators and their fuel are heavy and take up space. Both must be secured. Some AC is possible but to most a generator is not worth staying cool as it is limited to where and when you can use it if you maintain and fuel it. Few vehicles are designed to have AC efficiently while parked and usually to expensive to operate safely for long. Following the seasons, mister fans, swimming, visiting air conditioned buildings and being hooked up to the grid all are much better options in my opinion.

 

[jasper]

My workaround to siphon fuel from my normally siphon-blocked tank.  Still works. 

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=34258&pid=424103#pid424103

 

[crofter]

Following the seasons, mister fans, swimming, visiting air conditioned buildings and being hooked up to the grid all are much better options in my opinion.

And shade. Stand or park in the shade as temperatures will feel 10 to 15 degrees cooler than in the sun due to decreased solar radiation. 

I carried my generator in the van for the past year without needing to use it, now it is parked someplace else and I have more room for other stuff.  Electrically I replaced the jump start need with a jump box which I have yet to use.  ~crofter

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

i carry a small inverter generator in my rig. it tucks behind the seat and if i remember to close the tank vent i get no fuel smells. it is easy to grab yet out of the way. i carry it as a charging source for times when i am parked in the shade for extended periods and during the dark days of long winter stoms in the PNW. it also gets used regularly when get into colder weather and need to get started earlier in the morning and i dont want to smoke everyone out. i can run my block heater for and hour or so and she starts right up with little to no smoke. other wise a fog horn is needed for 10-15 min as she warms up after a few cold nights of sitting

I've done some thinking... snip...  So my question is, would you rather buy and deal with a generator, or just buy an inverter and leave your van idling? This probably depends on how long you plan to use the AC and a bunch of other things. If you're only going to use the AC while you're with the van, it's probably not a big deal to just run the van engine. At least if you interested to get a generator for your RV, <a href="https://generatoron.org/best-rv-generator/">check it out here</a>.

if you dont have the solar or grid to run such an AC, you are, in my opinion, much better off with a small inverter generator in the 1000-2000 watt size. just the extra fuel you will burn idling a rig will kill a budget if used much. this website https://tinyurl.com/y7ht2yds has specs for idle fuel consumption with NO load, add 50-60 amps load and it will go up. for those that dont want to go to that site, a mid sized sedan with a 4.6 liter engine uses right at .4 gallons of gas per hour, just idling, no load. the little inverter gennys will run a small AC unit for a few hours or more on that same fuel. and they will be running in their designed operating range. where as idling a car/van engine is one of the harshest forms of service. and will increase the need for more frequent service and just wear things out faster. not to mention the excessive wear on the alternator from running it hot and at low rpm.

 

[eksine]

I had the same idea.
My neighbor the car genius who fixed my van said NO... i insisted... 
he said we would have to make an extension to the exhaust of the generator
and put it out the bottom plus make a hole in the back door for a grill and fresh air. 
inside we could put generator in a box that has a gasket to keep air going outside rather than leak into the inside.
i think this is a good idea
a lot of people will warn against it is my guess 

lllindsey, running a generator in a car is absolutely the stupidest thing you can do. There isn't proper airflow and the genius mechanic who did the retrofit for you isn't a genius, the opposite actually. Please educate yourself about the dangers of using a generator anywhere other than outside in free air. In fact let me show you what can happen if you do:

 

[eksine]

I know this thread is old but your alternator is already a portable generator. If you're charging lead a it batteries you already have a generator for Free. Also if you buy a 4 cell 280 amp hour LiFePo4 lithium iron phosphate battery cells than if you can use a DC to DC charger which takes the power your alternator puts into your batteries and uses that to convert the voltage to charge whatever your lithium Bank . You can also use a dual battery isolator if you want to use lead acid battery banks. But back to your alternator, simply run the engine and connect an inverter to it, bam FREE GENERATOR LITERALLY, FREE. if you don't get enough amps buy a high output alternator for $200 on ebay for your model van, they can supply more amps at idle rpm

 

[eksine]

Idling an engine to use a lot of power out of the alternator will make the alternator very hot and shorten its' life considerably not to mention that it will put out less as it gets hot.  High output while not driving will not move enough air to keep it cool.

This is absolutely unrealistic. You CAN use an alternator as a power generator whether it be DC or AC. Like a solar panel requires a charge controller you simply some way to limit the current so it isn't maxing out . If you need DC power from your car engine you connect an inverter and use either a mean well rsp, frp, or frpg CURRENT LIMITED power supplies OR use a RC truck and buy used HP server power supplies on ebay for $15 or $20 each. If you need 12.3v at 75 amps it's perfect, if you need 24.6v or 36.6v at 75 amps DC you need to look up how to isolate/ float DC ground on all except the first power supply, the dc and ac grounds are shorted to the case is the reason you must do this otherwise you will have burnt out supplies. If you need AC simply do not max out the idle amps on the alternator or buy a high output alternator which puts out more amps at idle. For the cooling simply open your hood , you can even use a 1 amp DC fan, one that puts out an insane amount of airflow. 

In fact Victron and Sterling make dc to dc chargers to charge large vehicle battery banks up to 60 or 80 amps. So alternator charging is possible, you simply need to educate yourself. Also buying spare alternators that are rebuilt from a good brand on ebay by reading the reviews is something I'd also do. Just take time to research, anything is possible except time travel, that's crazy

 

[Camper]

Running a 200-hp engine to charge a battery when a 3hp will do the same thing. No thanks .