Generators for RV use

I'm just curious as to what sort of generators folk have that they use with their RVs. This is something DW and I have considered but never acted upon as we seem to end up in places that are plumbed for power and the like. However, we can not deny the possibility of going somewhere where we may need to bring our own power. Hurricane Ike gave us a lesson in that and if it weren't for a neighbor who loaned me a Honda 2000i superquiet generator that also had the inverter technology, I'd be replacing a lot of food. In the hayday of Ike I saw a lot of large 5000W generators flying off of 18 wheel trucks as well as the newly stocked hardware stores selling these gas guzzling monsters that are as loud as can be. So based on what I've learned in the last two weeks I'm leaning toward two of the Honda's 2000i that can be set it series for 4000W combined. None the less, I am curious about what others are using.

David

We purchased the Honda 2000 generators. They are quiet, light, economical, and don't take up to much room. You can hook them up in series and have enough power to run your air conditioner. When not needing the air conditioner, one handles everything else.

I've got this one on order from Home Depot. A little louder than the ultra-quiets (10 - 15 dB), and 1/3 the cost. The $200 shipping is a little steep (OK, a lot steep ) and I'm lucky to know someone that works at the local Depot that can order it for me, have it shipped to the store so I don't have to pay the shipping. I'll let you know how it sounds when I get it.


Champion 70008

We have an onan 5500 mounted on the back of our Cat. Super quiet, during Ike, the neighbor came over and sat down about 50' away from it and asked if I was ever going to start it up so I could have some power. Just about that time the air conditioner in the cat kicked on and he just kind of looked at it and said, Ohhh, never mind. Really, it is quieter than the air conditioner.

There are pictures of it in my gallery.

mattebury wrote:I've got this one on order from Home Depot. A little louder than the ultra-quiets (10 - 15 dB), and 1/3 the cost.

Mark,

You realize that 10-16 db is a huge difference. Every 3 db, the sound doubles, so you are talking about a magnitude in energy difference.

MaxRock wrote:You realize that 10-16 db is a huge difference. Every 3 db, the sound doubles, so you are talking about a magnitude in energy difference.

But it is still less than National Forest guidelines. 10 times louder than whisper quiet is just a bit louder than conversation, so on the other side of the rig in the middle of the desert is not going to be a problem.

Maxtor wrote:We purchased the Honda 2000 generators. They are quiet, light, economical, and don't take up to much room. You can hook them up in series and have enough power to run your air conditioner. When not needing the air conditioner, one handles everything else.

Not everything. It depends on altitude. At higher altitudes (above 6k) my single Honda 2000 will not run the microwave.

mattebury wrote:I've got this one on order from Home Depot. A little louder than the ultra-quiets (10 - 15 dB), and 1/3 the cost. The $200 shipping is a little steep (OK, a lot steep ) and I'm lucky to know someone that works at the local Depot that can order it for me, have it shipped to the store so I don't have to pay the shipping. I'll let you know how it sounds when I get it.


Champion 70008

I've heard these run, they are loud. You won't be popular with your neighbors.

We have the Honda EU2000i

scottz wrote:

Maxtor wrote:We purchased the Honda 2000 generators. They are quiet, light, economical, and don't take up to much room. You can hook them up in series and have enough power to run your air conditioner. When not needing the air conditioner, one handles everything else.

Not everything. It depends on altitude. At higher altitudes (above 6k) my single Honda 2000 will not run the microwave.

That reminds me of something I want to share with you all. Back in the old days, when I was young, I ran x-country and track in high school and College. I had a resting heart beat of 48 bpm. When we camped at a lake above Bishop Calif. at a little over 8,000 ft. I went to sleep and of course when asleep your heart rate is even lower. Well, what happened was morning came, and my wife could not wake me up. Not enough blood flowing fast enough to the brain.
She had to drive me down to a lower altitude to get some oxygen flowing. So,,,, if you or your children have a low heart rate, beware of camping at high altitudes.

I was at the balloon festival on Thursday. They had lighting here and there and they were powered by Honda 3000's. Could not hear them running until I was about 3 feet away.

I've got to get one.

Hey Dave, glad to hear from you.....

A Honda 3000 is a little light to run our air conditioners. If you only want one generator, a Honda 4000 would be a better choice for our WC's. I chose to buy two EU200I generators, because they are light, small, easy to store, and when connected in series, will run the air conditioner with no problem. If you do not have a need for a air conditioner, then a Honda 3000 would be more than enough to power your WC.

Honda 4000 does not exist, it's either the 3000 or 6500

mattebury wrote:Honda 4000 does not exist, it's either the 3000 or 6500

Mark;
Yes Honda does make a 4000w generator. A 3000w generator is just not up to running a 15kw air conditioner. The Honda 4000w is loud, but would work. I prefer two 2000's for their quietness and light weight.

http://www.lawnequip.co.uk/honda_generators/honda_generator_EC_4000.htm

Not in the ultra quite series it doesn't. The Honda gennys everyone's talking about here are the ultra quiet inverter models, not the one you have a link for. Your link is to a British website and is not available in the U.S.

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/models.aspx?page=models&section=P2GG&category=sq

Here you go Mark;

4000W rv Honda generator, sold in the USA. My point was that a single 3000w generator will not put out the power needed to run a 15k air conditioner, but a 4000w generator would. Many companies make a 4000w generator. For portability, it is hard to beat the two Honda eu2000i generators. But to each his/her own...

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/modeldetail.aspx?page=modeldetail&section=P2GG&modelname=EV4010&modelid=EV4010ACA0

I run the Honda 3000iU and have no issues running the air (15k), even at alt of 9,000+ ft.

Regards,

Keith

Keith;
You might have one of the 15kw air conditioners that is very energy efficient. When I purchased our Honda EU2000I generators, the Honda representative told me that it was not recommended to use the Honda 3000 for that purpose. If yours works with the 3000, then that is great. Air conditioner start up power can be different on different models. Lack of proper power can damage a Air Conditioner motor. At least that was what the Honda representative told me when I asked them about using the Honda 3000 generator on my WC.

Maxtor wrote:Here you go Mark;

4000W rv Honda generator, sold in the USA. My point was that a single 3000w generator will not put out the power needed to run a 15k air conditioner, but a 4000w generator would. Many companies make a 4000w generator. For portability, it is hard to beat the two Honda eu2000i generators. But to each his/her own...

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/modeldetail.aspx?page=modeldetail&section=P2GG&modelname=EV4010&modelid=EV4010ACA0

True, when you think of it, anything above 3,600 sustained watts is pretty much wasted on our trailers since we only have 30 amp service.

I did not know that Honda made internal RV generators. That's pretty cool, a bit noisy for a Honda at 80 dB at rated load. I wonder how much sound dampening you could get when you enclose it in the trailer? Price is not bad at $2,700 v the $3,500-ish for a comparable Onan.

We have a 3000 Honda

We have a Yamaha 3000 w/booster technology that powers a/c , micro, tv and reefer, w/o any problem (so far).
Very quiet and fairly fuel efficient but a bit heavy. Looking into box at rear of trailer to contain it.

I was looking at those Yamaha's, very nice, but a little heavy. I have a Honda 2000, but only used it once. I really like the light weight. I don't worry about the air conditioner, we just climb into the mountains until it is cool. My solar panel takes care of most of my other needs.

Does anyone know anything about these two generators?][img][/img]

So, can someone explain what a "digital" generator is?

I have no experience with these units.

It's an inverter. The electricity is generated as DC then converted electronically to AC. It's supposed to make the AC very clean and safer to use on sensitive electronics like new digital TVs, microwaves and computers. They are also quieter, you see ll the ultra quiets from Honda and Yamaha are inverters.

A standard generator generates AC directly and can be very "dirty" in terms of frequency. AC is 60Hz in the U.S. Most AC appliances can handle this, but once you get to electronics like microwaves and the like, they are more sensitive to AC frequency being stable. Every time a new load is applied, the engine temporarily slows down until it matches the load, with a corresponding drop in frequency.

mattebury wrote:It's an inverter. The electricity is generated as DC then converted electronically to AC. It's supposed to make the AC very clean and safer to use on sensitive electronics like new digital TVs, microwaves and computers. They are also quieter, you see ll the ultra quiets from Honda and Yamaha are inverters.

A standard generator generates AC directly and can be very "dirty" in terms of frequency. AC is 60Hz in the U.S. Most AC appliances can handle this, but once you get to electronics like microwaves and the like, they are more sensitive to AC frequency being stable. Every time a new load is applied, the engine temporarily slows down until it matches the load, with a corresponding drop in frequency.

I should have been clearer; I was making fun of their add. Regardless if it is AC of DC, there is nothing "digital" about it. Similar to the craze of calling everything from a coffee pot to a shower head "turbo". Sorry to rant.

I'd argue that they are digital, the computer that converts DC to AC on my Yamaha EF3000iSEB has a list price of almost $1,100. That's why inverters are so expensive and recommended for use with electronics.

IMHO

f150k wrote:Does anyone know anything about these two generators?][img][/img]

I've got an older version of the blue one. I have 2 of them due to one being donated to me for parts. I've had very few problems with mine, but the one donated to me has been back to the manufacturer 1 time already, I believe the wiring to be screwed. It's ok for the price, but in hind sight I would have just bought 1 honda EU2000i for as much as I use the extra power for. It'll run my 13.5k A/C, and it does so decently quiet. It's a tad louder at idle than the Honda Eu2000i (I've got a db meter and access to both styles). It isn't any louder than 2 Eu2000i paralleled. The pitch is higher than the Honda so it's a tad more annoying but not greatly so.

Take it for what its worth. My dad and I both paid 900 for ours, and now I own his too after 2 seasons. Mine quit on me once, but it ended up being the oil pressure board which I was able to disconnect and make it work afterwards. If you aren't handy (Mechanically and Electronically), I personally would skip the Boliy. I'm good with both and it's been a slight pain for me.

Joel

Question? We have a 2007 24RL, with a Dometic Air Conditioner model # 57915.541. The specificatons sheet shows capacity (BTU/HR) COOLING 13,500, compressor amp rate 11.3, fan motor amp rate 2.5, with a 20 amp circuit. Also shows minimum generator size 1 unit/ 2 units as 3.5 kw / 5.0 kw. My question than is will two Hondas do the job/ or one of the china 3000 watt gens with the 30 amp outlet on board work. Your thought please thank you

The two Honda's that I have run my 15K unit with no problem. I run the hot water heater on gas. At time when use of the microwave will pull it down. You can use a china 3K unit and what about the noise level.