Fellow eggers, a little advice on Generators please.

[Jon Vermilye]

I have a 95 Watt solar panel installed on my Escape 17B. Combined with LED lighting & a pair of 6V batteries, I've been able to run all my "stuff" except the toaster oven & AC without a generator. That includes a couple of hours per day using a 9 amp laptop, and a cell phone amplifier & router that draw 3 amps. I did end up with the batteries down to 85% after 4 days in the shade at Apgar Campground at Glacier National Park, but if there is sun I'm usually up to 100% by noon. While on my Southwest trip there were a couple of days that were hot enough that I wanted the AC - I just stopped at a campground with hookups. The rest of the time I found the Maxx Fan provided enough air movement to make things comfortable.

[honda03842]

Michael,

I was easily able to mount 80 watts on the roof of our Scamp. Even with a light weight solar storage system it's possible to run many high wattage short duration items from the inverter, like a coffee pot or hair dryer, things that run a fraction of an hour. The only thing we can't run is probably the Air Conditioner, refrigerator or hot water heater, all high power draw with hours of running town.

Our 80 watts seems to be enough for most everything that's small trailer sized..

[Mike Magee]

Norm, I guess I could have been more clear. I meant that there isn't enough roof room for sufficient solar panels to recharge the draw of an AC unit. 300 to 400 watts of panels could handle that, I think, if the whole system is set up correctly. It would take some heavy gauge wiring.

I agree, an 80 watt can do a lot.

[honda03842]

Mike, Hope I didn't come across too strongly. What I was trying to say is that 80-100 watts is probably enough for a small trailer like mine. If one were to go to 4 batteries (really high tongue weight)I could run an AC unit. It turns out my AC unit draws no more power than my coffee pot, just for a longer time.

I've been keeping track of our Energy usage for the past 10 weeks.

110 VAC Electricity.
Electrically we average 5 kWhrs or about 2 amps of AC an hour.

With 12 hours of sunlight I'd minimally need about 400 watts of panelsn to meet all AC needs. I assume most of the AC goes to refridge and secondarily the hot water tank.

From an environmental point of view that's a lot less than we use at home.

Propane.
We've used about 2/3rds of a 20 pound tank in ten weeks.

Gasoline,
We've averaged about 75 miles a day, including travel towards Seattle and exploring.

We're using an average of 3 gallons a day of gasoline, paying around $10-11 a day for gas.

This provides some information for full time RVers. In our travels we have stayed at one place for 2 weeks and another for a month, in both instances visiting old RV friends. Generally we drive an average of 150 miles when driving between destinations.

Hopefully this provides some cost information.

[Ray N]

While at my dentist's office last summer I ran across an issue of Trailer Life that evaluated the Honda, Yamaha, and one other brand of 2000 watt inverter generators. They give both the Honda and Yamaha high marks, but thought the Yamaha had a few features that put it ahead of the Honda. I don't remember the details since I had other things on my mind at the time, but it seems that having a fuel gauge was one of the several features they liked on the Yamaha. On another forum someone said that Yamaha has gotten out of the generator business; something that you might want to look into before laying down close to a thousand dollars.
The Champion 2000 watt inverter generator seems to get very good reviews if you're on a limited budget.

[steve dunham]

We used Honda generators at work for years . They ran well under load or idle and the oil alert was a great feature. We would start them in the morning , run them all day (10 to12 Hours) day after day with no problems. The lower price generators did not hold up well under continuous load especially in hot weather and cost more to own in the long run.
I visited 5 Wisconsin State Parks last year and all had posted bans against generators . The only exception was for medical reasons ( doctors slip ) and only if no sites with electric were available , the park ranger gave consent,
and the hours when the generator could be operated were limited.
I'm beginning to see limiting my electrical usage , LED lamps and installing solar as a more viable alternative.

[rgbekker]

I checked out a Honda Yesterday at a local camping world that just happened to have one that they could run. It was quiet indeed, in fact while it was running in eco mode, and I walked up to it I didn't realize it was already running until I was only a couple of steps away. Running at full load was a little louder, but still reasonable, plus I liked the size of the unit. Two of these would fit into a smaller space, and even cost less than the Honda 3000 watt generator. I think that's going to be my choice...a 2000i, and a companion. $2k total, so not a cheep solution, but I guess us eggers have to pay a premium, and always be cognizant of size and weight!

Thanks for ALL your help!

[cpaharley2008]

Why would you need 2 units? What size is your a/c?

[Ron F]

Put a load on the Honda, or any generator for that matter, if you want to really sample its noise level. Hondas in eco mode are very quiet, even with a load, but they do speak up quite a bit with a load.

I have a Honda 2000. It's a wonderful little generator. I used it once while camping, then left it home and added solar to my trailer. I go camping for peace and quiet and the generator doesn't fit for me. YMMV.

Ron

[Steve Outlaw]

Although money usually plays a big part in one’s decision of which generator to buy, the biggest factor should be "will it handle my needs?" Running a very close second should be "how loud is it?" You may not think that there’s much difference between that Yamaha or Honda running along at 56 dB and the Chinese wonder doing about 75. But, as a rough rule of thumb, an increase of 10 dB is perceived to be approximately twice as loud. Thus a 20 dB gain would seem to be about 4 times as loud and a 40 dB gain would seem to be about 16 times as loud so the numbers do matter. As in life, perception is everything, and you might find yourself parked next to someone whose idea of quiet is not even being able to hear you breathe so nothing would please a person like that.

Our Oliver has a 13,500 BTU A/C and we have a Yamaha
EF3000iSEB. It is advertised at 53 dBA – 60 dBA. We have found it will run anything we throw at it. It’s greatest fault is its 154lb weight.

[rgbekker]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Why would you need 2 units? What size is your a/c?

The 2000 watt generator is insufficient to run the 13000 btu AC by itself, but with a companion I can plug into and use the full 30 amp socket. If I don't need the AC, then I can run only one generator and save gas and noise. Plus, two of the 2000 watt Honda generators are less expensive, lighter, more efficient, and smaller than one 3000 watt generator.

[rgbekker]

Originally Posted by Ron F

Put a load on the Honda, or any generator for that matter, if you want to really sample its noise level. Hondas in eco mode are very quiet, even with a load, but they do speak up quite a bit with a load.

I have a Honda 2000. It's a wonderful little generator. I used it once while camping, then left it home and added solar to my trailer. I go camping for peace and quiet and the generator doesn't fit for me. YMMV.

Ron

If I had to guess, the Honda 2000 roughly doubled in perceived noise outout with a maxed out load plugged in.

[Mike Magee]

Oh, you have a rooftop AC. I have read user comments on rv.net that a Yamaha 2400 will handle the startup load of a rooftop unit all by itself... if so, that could save you some pennies.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Oh, you have a rooftop AC. I have read user comments on rv.net that a Yamaha 2400 will handle the startup load of a rooftop unit all by itself... if so, that could save you some pennies.

On the site for the Yamaha Genny, it very specifically says:


The EF2400iSHC will not run most RV air conditioner units, and it does not have the 30 amp receptacle to tie into an RV."

That may just be some CYA on Yamaha's part, but that's what they say anyway.....

[john warren]

ok after reflecting on this for awhile, if you need to run your ac unit, thats probably going to be your biggest power draw. so that is the minimum you will need for generators. now if the rest of the stuff you run is propane or 12 volt, that should be fine.

so in the end, get the best unit you can afford, you will never be sorry you bought the best.

[Roger M]

Originally Posted by rgbekker

The 2000 watt generator is insufficient to run the 13000 btu AC by itself, but with a companion I can plug into and use the full 30 amp socket. If I don't need the AC, then I can run only one generator and save gas and noise. Plus, two of the 2000 watt Honda generators are less expensive, lighter, more efficient, and smaller than one 3000 watt generator.

Yamaha advertises it's 2400 as capable to start most 13500btu AC's.
Yamaha Inverter EF2400iSHC Home, information

There is an excellent Amazon review comparing the Honda 2000 and Yamaha 2400. The reviewer does however misquote a Hayes Equipment starting load test measuring 30 amps for 10 seconds. The correct number is 25 amps.
Amazon.com: YAMAHA 2400 Watt Inverter G: Patio, Lawn & Garden

[SilverGhost]

I'll jump into the fray. I had a cheap Chinese 1000watt from Northern Tool - 2 stroke and cheap design did not work out for a quiet or pleasurable experience. I only ran it one time at a rest stop. Luckily the idling semis drowned it out. And by the time I finally got it started I most definitely needed that a/c.

After that I started my search for a generator. What I found was the invertor generators are expensive but quiet, the Chinese models are cheap junk, and the larger RV guys liked Champion.

Well, I stumbled across a couple Champion generators in Costco shortly after that. One of them was a 2000watt invertor generator for about $500. Found the exact model with different stickers and colour at Sam's for the same price. I bought the red one from Costco. I have heard the Honda 2000 in person. This Champion is as quiet in Eco mode and doesn't have the deeper growl under load that I heard from the Honda. It starts up the A/C without a whimper in my Egg and will idle back after the a/c has been on for a while.

Like has been said before, if you are at an area where a generator would bother people then you should be plugged in. Other wise you should be so far away from other people that you are more likely to keep yourself awake from the noise.

Jason

[Earl E. November]

Jason,

Is this the Champion you were referring too?

Amazon.com: Used and New: Champion Power Equipment 73531i 2000 Watt Portable Gas Inverter Generator

Ken

[SilverGhost]

Ken,

Actually that's the other one at Sam's. But, besides the colour, it is identical as far as I can tell. And I think I paid closer to $470, but with sales tax and minus the rebate they had at the time, it was closer to $525-530.

Jason