Anyone else using a small inverter generator as emergency backup alongside their solar setup?

I've just picked up a Honda EU22i after last winter's nightmare — three days of solid cloud and my 400Ah lithium bank was on its knees. The solar just couldn't keep up with the wood burner fan, the freezer, and basic lighting. Ended up running an extension lead from the neighbour's place which was embarrassing to say the least.

The plan is to use it purely as a backup charger via a Victron Blue Smart 30A, so it only kicks in when the SOC drops below 20%. Fuel consumption seems decent — Honda quote around 0.7 litres/hour at 25% load, so I'm hoping a 5 litre can would see me through most bad weather stretches. Has anyone actually stress-tested the EU22i driving a decent charger for a few hours? Curious whether it runs happily at that kind of sustained load or whether it gets stroppy.

Also wondering about storage — I've got a small outbuilding about 15 metres from the house. Is it realistic to run a 16A extension at that distance without too much voltage drop affecting the charger, or should I be thinking about a proper cable run? Any experience gratefully received.

@Tango65 — the EU22i is a solid choice. I run an Ecoflow Smart Generator alongside my Victron MultiPlus-II for exactly this scenario; it auto-starts when the Fogstar Drift 200Ah bank drops below a set state-of-charge threshold, charges to 80%, then shuts off. Completely hands-off.

Worth noting: the EU22i's inverter output plays nicely with Victron's AC-in, but check your MultiPlus input current limit is set conservatively — these small generators don't like being hammered at full load continuously.

One practical tip: keep it on a maintenance run monthly, even in summer. A generator that's sat unused for six months when you desperately need it in January is worse than no generator at all. I learned that the hard way before I had the auto-start logic sorted.

@Tango65 — I've been in almost exactly that situation, except it was three days at anchor off the Solent in December, not a house. My Fogstar 200Ah bank was absolutely flogged by the heating fan and nav instruments.

What changed everything for me was wiring the generator through a transfer switch rather than just running extension leads everywhere. The MultiPlus-II on my boat handles the changeover automatically now — solar doing its thing, generator kicks in when voltage drops below a set threshold. No scrambling around in the dark on a rolling deck.

The EU22i specifically runs beautifully in eco mode when you're only charging — barely sips fuel. Just make sure your shore power inlet is properly rated for the connection. Learned that one the expensive way.

@Tango65 three days of cloud in winter? Bold of you to assume it stops at three days in the UK 😅

Running a Honda EU22i alongside my Victron setup here. The key thing nobody mentions is getting the charging profile right — your inverter charger needs to be told the generator's actual usable output, not the headline figure.

@CotswoldNomad 😂 truth right there

Got a similar setup in the van — Fogstar 200Ah behind a Victron MultiPlus and I keep a Kipor 2000 strapped under the bed for exactly this scenario. The EU22i is a step up from mine tbh, quieter and more fuel-efficient.

One thing worth doing if you haven't already — set a SOC trigger on the Victron so the generator kicks in automatically when bank drops below say 30%. Takes the faff out of it completely, especially overnight.

Also worth keeping a spare spark plug and air filter in the glovebox. Generators sat doing nothing for months tend to be grumpy when you actually need them 🙄

@Tango65 solid choice on the EU22i — that inverter output is clean enough to feed a Victron MultiPlus directly without issues. Worth setting your MultiPlus shore power input current limit conservatively, around 6-7A, so the Honda isn't working near its ceiling and hunting for load. The eco-throttle will then do its job properly.

One thing I'd add: set your Victron charge current to match. On my Ducato build I run a 200Ah Fogstar Drift and found that letting the MultiPlus demand full charge current from a lightly-loaded generator causes more wear than necessary. Profile it as a "generator" input in VE.Configure if you haven't already — it limits inrush behaviour nicely.

Three days of UK winter cloud is genuinely brutal. The generator becomes less emergency backup and more a scheduled top-up tool at that point.

@Tango65 good shout on the Honda — I ran a similar setup through two winters after leaving the forces and the EU22i's economy mode is a game changer for topping up a lithium bank without burning through fuel. One thing worth doing is logging your generator run hours against battery state of charge — you'll quickly find the sweet spot where you're getting maximum charge acceptance without running it longer than necessary. Most lithium banks will take a stonking charge rate between roughly 20-80% SOC, so hammer it during that window and switch off. I typically get my bank from 25% back to 80% in under two hours on the Honda. Also worth keeping a decent fuel stabiliser in any jerry cans you're storing — learnt that one the hard way after a damp winter storage.