RV Tech: Generator discussion

[mbryson]

So, I'm kinda wanting a generator for our travel trailer. The batteries only last a few days. We don't really run the AC, so I don't need a big generator at all. I'm sure the Honda is the way to go, but are there others that are similar in noise output (or lack thereof ) that will work pretty well?

 

[Shawn]

Nope, Honda. I did miles of research and ended up with the 2000 eui. That thing is amazing!!!! quiet, powerful, and very light.

I looked at the Yamaha 2800i, but the price and deal I got on the Honda was perfect!

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/ModelDetail.asp?ModelName=eu2000i

I think I paid $750.00 at Honda of SL.

 

[Coreshot]

I bought a Yamaha invertor that I'm very happy with. The model I bought can be mated with a second unit to double the output, so you can run one for everything else, and fire the second one up for your AC.

linky...http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/products/modelhome/475/0/home.aspx

 

[Paul R]

I have been really impressed with honda for small generators as far as noise. Pricey but worth it IMO.

 

[offroaddave]

Nope, Honda. I did miles of research and ended up with the 2000 eui. That thing is amazing!!!! quiet, powerful, and very light.

I looked at the Yamaha 2800i, but the price and deal I got on the Honda was perfect!

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/ModelDetail.asp?ModelName=eu2000i

I think I paid $750.00 at Honda of SL.

Yep Honda That's a great price on a 2000
More money than some others but you'll never reget it.

Plus nowadays, having A/C is the only way my wife will go camping.

 

[ALF]

Yep Honda That's a great price on a 2000
More money than some others but you'll never reget it.

.

I have this one also and love it, you can stand right next to it and still have a conversation without yelling

 

[kirk86CJ]

I have the honda 2000 also. I also have a onan 4K. I didn't want to get rid of the onan because I use it as backup for my house. The problem with the Honda is its not big enough to run the A/C on the trailers (my understanding) I have heard that the Yamaha 2800 can barely run the A/C's. I think the ideal for me would be having two hondas with the connecting system - just take one when you don't need A/C, take both when you do.
The Onan is just too big and loud to carry around for me.

I got a pretty good deal on the Honda at an equipment store (Simpsons?) just east of I-15 on 4500 south - by Grinders - these guys sell a lot on ebay.

I love the Honda - very quiet.

 

[gijohn40]

if its for your rv why not get a solar cell for the same price ($750) that will recharge your batteries as you use the a/c...

 

[kirk86CJ]

My understaning is Solar just recharges/maintains batteries. Batteries can't run an A/C, can they? Do you have a link or something that discribes what you are talking about?

 

[gijohn40]

solar cells do recharge the batteries... and then you can buy a nice inverter that will convert the dc to ac for the A/C... a good 2000 watt inverter runs about $145 right now... hell of a lot quieter then a generator...

 

[Coreshot]

In order to run your AC off batteries, you would have to have alot of batteries, and an inverter to produce ac current, as well as several very large solar panels to keep up with the drain. It is a very expensive endeavor, but a nice way to go if your RV is in a fixed area such as a recreational property where it never moves.

 

[BCGPER]

Hey Marc, a guy on here named Jeremy (JERSsomething) had a 4K onan RV gen set for sale. That's the way I'd go. Big enough to run your A/C, and electric start. If he doesn't still have it, there's plenty around from guy's parting out RV's. The downside is, they're pretty large and heavy. Good part is, it probably wont disappear from the back of your truck while you're out on the trail.

If you want something smaller and more portable, Honda, and only Honda. The trade off would be not running your A/C though.

 

[Bodine]

In order to run your AC off batteries, you would have to have alot of batteries, and an inverter to produce ac current

I have been told the same thing coreshot has stated but I was also told to go with 2 6 volt batteries they have 1k more charge and dishcharge cycles than 2 12v batteries (quote from state trailer sup.) they will also suppossedly last 2 to 3 times longer than 2 12volts.
I had a 3500W generator that would run my air but would not run both my air and micro, no big deal just turn the air off if you want to run the micro.What you have to look for on a generator is surge watts to handle the initial startup of the micro or the AC.
I have an Onan 5500 watt on board genset and I love it but I plan on adding an 80 watt solar panel ,2 6v batteries and a Honda 1000w backup generator (The Onan wont start if the batteries are dead)
I have heard nothing but good comments about the Hondas and they are the quietest I have heard so far.

 

[Coreshot]

I have been told the same thing coreshot has stated but I was also told to go with 2 6 volt batteries they have 1k more charge and dishcharge cycles than 2 12v batteries (quote from state trailer sup.) they will also suppossedly last 2 to 3 times longer than 2 12volts.
I had a 3500W generator that would run my air but would not run both my air and micro, no big deal just turn the air off if you want to run the micro.What you have to look for on a generator is surge watts to handle the initial startup of the micro or the AC.
I have an Onan 5500 watt on board genset and I love it but I plan on adding an 80 watt solar panel ,2 6v batteries and a Honda 1000w backup generator (The Onan wont start if the batteries are dead)
I have heard nothing but good comments about the Hondas and they are the quietest I have heard so far.

You can do the 6v batteries, but I've always preferred to use the big 12v ones like they use in golf carts etc. In order to run you AC for any time at all, it's going to take more than just a couple of batteries. Most folks with the solar setups just use the batteries for everything except the AC, then fire up the generator when you need to run the AC. Even then, it's nice to have between 5 and 7 batteries to keep up, and a larger solar panel.

 

[Coreshot]

Honda, and only Honda. The trade off would be not running your A/C though.

This was my opinion also, until I saw the Yamha 3500 inverter my brother bought to run his well. He had 2 rvs hooked up to it in the middle of August and was running both AC units very well. He has had it for about 8 years now, with heavy use. and has never had a problem.

My cousin has one like mine, a Yamaha 2400i, that she has run 24/7 for over 3 years now. She lives full time at our cabin developement and keeps her rv and outside refrigerator running constantly. 24/7 for 3 years is alot of hours to not have a single issue.

Not taking anything from the Hondas, I like them, but you can't go wrong with the Yamis.

 

[Bodine]

You can do the 6v batteries, but I've always preferred to use the big 12v ones like they use in golf carts etc. In order to run you AC for any time at all, it's going to take more than just a couple of batteries. Most folks with the solar setups just use the batteries for everything except the AC, then fire up the generator when you need to run the AC. Even then, it's nice to have between 5 and 7 batteries to keep up, and a larger solar panel.

Good to know about the 12V golf cart Batts Ill have to check into that I thought they were all 6v.
My bad I was trying to say to use the solar panel and batteries to run everthing but Micro and AC so the generator didn't have to run all the time to charge Batteries
Unfortunately I think a person needs the costly combination of a gen,solar panel and good batteries (An inverter would also be a good asset) for an extended stay where there are no hook ups

 

[MR.CJ-7]

Honda inverters are the best but they are spendy$$$. I couldn't justify the cost so I cheaped it out and bought a champion 5500watt from checker. If I remember correctly it was about $400. It's not as loud as I thought it would be(definetly not as loud as other gensets I have heard while camping) It works pretty good the downside I have seen is the L5 plug has 30A stamped on it but it is only fused at 20A so occasionally I trip the breaker with A/C and other stuff on, but only if its really really hot outside. Also the DC output for direct battery charge is a P.O.S. I just charge off my trailer's convertor or bring the battery charger from home.

It was a life saver last year at country jam in Grand Junction in June. 105* and a 6 month pregnant wife. That generator ran from 7A to midnight everynight to keep the A/C on in our trailer. Wifey set up her chair under the A/C and ventured out only after the sun went down. Without A/C we would have had to come home.

I had a small 50W solar panel on my camper that I used to have. It worked pretty good for keeping the battery up. I never tried it with an inverter since it was such a small panel. I really noticed it after a cold night with the furnace running. Usually the next morning all the trailer guys were out starting generators to charge batteries, but with the panel when I'd drag out of bed and check the battery minder, it was charging.

Stay away from any Generac RV units. I had an LP fired 3500w on my camper and it ate magnetic pickup units(basically a crank sensor) like they were going out of style. I only had 50hr on that unit when I sold the camper and I had put 4 sensors in and the dealer did one under warranty. A real b*tch of a job on a built in unit!

Just my $0.02

 

[Coreshot]

Unfortunately I think a person needs the costly combination of a gen,solar panel and good batteries (An inverter would also be a good asset) for an extended stay where there are no hook ups

Yup. That's what I'm looking at for our cabin property-I have a 7000watt generator for running the well pump. I will also be able to run AC and washer/dryer in the RV while the big generator is running. My small generator will run the RV by itself, and is much quieter than the 7000.

I will eventually run 15-20 12v deep cycle batteries off a solar panel linked to an inverter for everyday use. This will eliminate running a generator for everything except the well, and possibly(depending on number of batteries) the AC. Costly, yes, but a self sufficient power system would be awesome.

 

[gijohn40]

if your looking for power for a well or big items your not going to be getting off cheap with solar cells... a 3000 watt cell will run you about $3500.... if there is 12 mph winds constant in your area you might look into windmill...they produce about 3-10 kw of power with just 12 mph wind... and are cheaper then solar cells...

now for a rv if you got a 200 watt solar cell and placed it on the roof it would recharge 2-3 12 volt batteries of which you could put an 2000 watt inverter that would run an a/c unit.

A generator does produce AC where as a solar cell just does DC... an inverter takes DC power and inverts it to AC... and most inverters have a surge rating usually about twice the continus rating.... so a 2kw inverter will take a surge up to about 4kw...

You need to read the manual on your A/C unit to see what wattage it need to run... and go from there...

I had a 1000 watt honda genset that wouldn't run anything... it was tooo small. so stay away from those...

 

[utahxjer]

Heard about these last year... Champion 4000w peak and 3500w running. They are $299.00 at Checker Auto and Cabelas.

They are surprisingly quiet (not as quiet as a 2000 Honda) I have run my A/C, microwave, TV and DVD player all at the same time. They are truely the way to go! Several people at my work have bought them and we all love em.

http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=CPE&MfrPartNumber=C46540&CategoryCode=3483C

You can plug your RV plug right into it without an adapter. Also has the regular outlets.