Honda Generators

[CarolMarie]

Camping World has a sale and lower shipping costs on these generators. I already have the 2000i and really love it. It came in handy for power outages at my home several times. I was thinking of getting the companion one which is a little different and gets attached to the original. My questions if anyone has done this:

1) Can the companion be used alone, for example, if I loaned it to my daughter while I used the original one? (not in the trailer, but at home)
2) Does the combination of two extend the actual strength (for lack of the correct word) or just increase the time duration of the fuel. In other words, can I use more appliances, such as refrigerator or maybe the well if I use both generators?

[d-day]

Yes, the Companion generator can be used on it's own. But if you are considering connecting two generators together in the parallel configuration you will need the special Honda cables for that purpose. You basically will have two 2000 watt generators that can be used independently, or connected together by way of the parallel cables to double your available wattage. This will be useful if you need to operate more or larger electrical devices. I know from experience that my EU2000 will operate a typical refrigerator and a small window AC unit simultaneously, with maybe a small reserve for a few lights. Any additional load would likely trip the internal overload circuit. It's usually the high starting loads of electric motors & compressors that will demand the extra wattage of a second ( or larger ) generator.
Have a look at the Honda site:
http://powerequipment.honda.com/gene...lel-capability

[rgrugg]

Camping World prices are usually higher than other places. Last year I bought a Honda 2000i from a place in Wisconsin (ad in the back of Trailer Life mag) for $899 and free shipping. I had it in about 2-3 days.

[Thomas G.]

My grumpy opinion. The only thing worse than a generator running in a campground is two generators.

[CarolMarie]

No, Tom, I didn't want it for camping...I plan to use it when we lose electricity this winter (as we always do). The reason I asked here is that a lot of RVers have Honda generators and offer such good advice!

[David and Nancy]

I have the 2 generator set-up. The companion generator works fine on its own or in tandem with the first one. One of the plusses is the 30-amp outlet on the companion, which actually provides 30 amps in tandem mode. The air conditioner on my Bigfoot wouldn't work on just one Honda 2000. I now also have enough generator power to run a furnace fan, refrigerator, or water pump in case of a power outage at my house.

I bought the first Honda when I owned a Casita, and it was plenty for that. But the Bigfoot has a higher BTU AC unit.

Thomas: We agree with you on the obnoxious nature of generator use in general. We only use ours when boondocking away from everybody. And thankfully the Hondas are about the quietest generators around.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by CarolMarie

No, Tom, I didn't want it for camping...I plan to use it when we lose electricity this winter (as we always do). The reason I asked here is that a lot of RVers have Honda generators and offer such good advice!

Bless you!

Not to take this off into a tangent, but you might be better off buying a larger Big Box store generator like a Champion from Costco. Something about 6500 watts or so. Inverter generators like the Honda inherently have less surge capacity for starting up motors like well pumps, sump pumps, refrigerators, furnace blowers, etc. A Champion won't last as long as a Honda, but if you only use them for power outages, you will never wear one out. You will also have 220 volts, which I don't think the Honda has. With 220 volts you can install a simple transfer switch like the Gentran and power most of your house.

My 2 cents worth.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by David and Nancy

Thomas: We agree with you on the obnoxious nature of generator use in general. We only use ours when boondocking away from everybody. And thankfully the Hondas are about the quietest generators around.

It is great to hear that you are a sensitive generator user. If only more campers were.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by CarolMarie

No, Tom, I didn't want it for camping...I plan to use it when we lose electricity this winter (as we always do). The reason I asked here is that a lot of RVers have Honda generators and offer such good advice!

If you are going to by a backup generator for your home, Tom is correct a 2000 watt is too small . In your climate you will need to run your furnace , well, lights , refrigerator , freezer and probably a TV unless you want to just sit in the dark. You need to allow for the starting current of the motors and assume that some loads will be continuous. unless you want to stay up all night unplugging and plugging in equipment and manually managing the load.
The other question is a fuel source , I prefer LP or Natural gas over gasoline.It burns cleaner and is easier to store for longer periods without the fuel degrading.
I installed a lot of them in the Y2K hoax and a couple years later many of the gasoline generators were all varnished up from bad fuel, neglect, and did not run

[rgrugg]

For home use...our house is all electric and we're gone for extended periods of time, especially in the winter. We recently had installed a 20,000 wate whole house generator. Starts when the power goes off, shuts down when the power comes back on. Every Monday morning it starts at 9 am, runs for 12 minutes then shuts off. This is necessary for exercise and to keep all components in good shape, lubricated, etc. Runs on propane.They're not cheap but not exorbitant, either. About $6700 installed.

[SilverGhost]

Just a note - Costco sells an inverter made by Champion that is just as quiet at the Honda and with same output.

Jason

PS: and for about $500 (mines was $489 +tax)

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by SilverGhost

Just a note - Costco sells an inverter made by Champion that is just as quiet at the Honda and with same output.

Jason

PS: and for about $500 (mines was $489 +tax)

I don't think this inverter generator gives you 220 volts, either. If you power a well pump or an electric range, you need really 220 volts.

[BCDave]

If we are talking about generators for HOME USE in the event of blackout- you do NOT wanna be looking at "what do I WANT to run", but at what I NEED to be able to run.

I spent several years teaching (part-time, side job) Emergency preparedness & response. You want to look at "what is MINIMUM SIZE generator I can get away with."

Simple equation: The bigger the genset, the more gas it drinks. Post "apocalypse", how much gas to you have on hand? How long will that amount of stored gas run your generator, and how long will it be be until power is restored? (Gas stations cannot pump gas with their electric pumps while the power is out! If they can pump the gas to refill your gas can, you likely don't need the generator!)

What you want - for a post hurricane, post ice-storm, post earthquake scenario is to keep your food from spoiling, and to run MINIMUM lights (psychological comfort). Cooking can be done on the BBQ. Minimum heat to keep the house pipes from freezing up (a common secondary disaster!). Spoiled food is the most common secondary disaster, so keep the freezers and fridges cold. A 1500W genset is almost overkill.

My house is also all electric (dammitt!) with a well. So I'll be using a fireplace and small fans to keep the place from freezing up, and relying on the bottled water for cooking & drinking. Washing can be done with buckets of water from the pool, and flushing can be done with grey water.

[SilverGhost]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

I don't think this inverter generator gives you 220 volts, either. If you power a well pump or an electric range, you need really 220 volts.

Sorry, the conversation drifted a bit before I posted. I thought the OP was asking about slaving two 2000i Hondas together, for a backup during power outages. Last time I checked those are very pricey gen-sets and I thought I would toss out a cheaper solution.

The Champion I bought can also be slaved together and is rated the same output. I can run my Eggcamper a/c, fridge, lights, charge laptops, watch tv, etc. without problem. Only thing it cannot do is start the microwave and a/c together. For what one Honda costs (typical retail) you could buy the pair of Champions.

Now they also sell a regular Champion 6500 watt for about the same price. That could probably run a well pump, range, etc. It all depends on what you can do in your neighborhood. Same rules as camping I'd imagine - nobody want to hear it all night.

Maybe get a regular, higher output generator and run it during the day (heat, hot water, well pump, cooking, etc.). And keep the quite Honda for at night to keep some lights, a fridge, blower for the heater (or a little cube heater).

Sorry, babbled on too much

Jason

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by SilverGhost

..............
Maybe get a regular, higher output generator and run it during the day (heat, hot water, well pump, cooking, etc.). And keep the quite Honda for at night to keep some lights, a fridge, blower for the heater (or a little cube heater).
...............Jason

This is actually what I meant to suggest. The OP has a nice quiet small generator - the Honda inverter. A second more powerful generator would run the big starting load stuff when necessary, while the Honda kept the furnace or fridge running over night.

[RogerDat]

I have loaned my 5000 watt backup gen out more than I have used it myself that said if you have a well that is not a shallow "stab" well you are probably running the pump on 220 volt so you need to be able to output 220 and have a way to hook it into your house load center.

Keeping fresh fuel on hand is a bit of a pain, summer I rotate fuel cans through the lawn tractor. Winter I have to generally rotate it through the car, or the snow blower but that does not use much. Nothing I enjoy about being at the gas station pouring a 5 gallon gas can into a car at 15 degrees then refilling the can.