Xmas gave me some time to do the next job on the list, installing the 3kVA Generator. It is a Honda EU 30 IS model, as I've previously had an excellent run with a smaller 2kVA Honda. It's really quiet! 

The generator will be used to power the air-conditioning/heating, the hot water service (if we run out of gas),  the microwave and anything else we want to plug into the 240V power sockets (a hair straightner and drier I've been informed!).  I've put a switch in the cabin so it can be started/stopped remotely.

There was already a small inverter installed in the cabin, but this only powers things up to 600W which is no good for something like the air conditioner which is rated at 2.8kW.

To stop vibrations coming through the cabin, it has been mounted on special rubber insulating feet. The top part is free to wobble around 'left/right', but not up and down very much.

Six of these take the weight of the generator (which is 53kg), and I built a kind of 'sled' out of aluminium to affix it inside the garage area.  The back of the 'sled' slides into a tight bracket which means I only have to fix it using screws on one side.

I modified the existing rails from the generator to match up to the 6 rubber mountings.

So it was easy to re-fit the generator on top of all this using the original bolts.

There is a strap around the body to stop vertical motion, whilst still allowing it to vibrate pretty freely back and forth when it's running. You can just see an additional bracket on the right which encloses the lifting handle when the door is shut. When the door opens, this disconnects and it is free to wobble around when it's running (but not when in transit).

Once installed, I discovered that the top of the generator wobbled left and right quite a bit, which would be how it reacted to corrugations, so I fabricated up another bracket higher up on rubber mounts to limit this.  The small junction box to the left is the wiring for the internal start. There is a switch inside the cabin we can use to start/stop the generator (as long as the ventilation door is open).

The small rear door has an interlock switch so the generator can't be started from inside unless the door is open.

So now we have independent power whenever it's needed.  In practice, I don't think it's going to get a lot of use, as the solar 12V system is so good, but if it gets stinking hot and we want to cool down with air-con, or a quick re-heated meal with the microwave, we'll be pleased to have it.

This is the readout with the air-conditioner running:

BTW - The little gauge underneath is for voltage monitoring of the main 24v truck batteries and the 12V house batteries.

Next post ...