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Generator for Cool Cat

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  • HfisherHfisher Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone use a generator to power their heating units when not connected to shore power?  My T@B has a cool cat heat pump and I am trying to decide if a 2000W generator will be sufficient power.
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  • Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    edited November 2020
    Hfisher, not unless you add a soft start unit. A 2200i Honda seems to be the minimum size required to run the Cool Cat.  That said, the Alde runs on LPG and a little DC power, and heats the TaB better.  The Cool Cat is only good for heating down to around 40F.
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,764
    @Hfisher - what model TaB do you have?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • N7SHG_HamN7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    I have personal experience with the 2200i, propane conversion and starting and running the CoolCat at elevation up to 3000 feet. A soft start would be better, but it does work without in my testing.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • ChrisFixChrisFix Member Posts: 739
    edited November 2020
    N7SHG_Ham said:
    I have personal experience with the 2200i, propane conversion and starting and running the CoolCat at elevation up to 3000 feet. A soft start would be better, but it does work without in my testing.
    Running on propane decreases the number of watts produced by the generator...
    The 2200i should be sufficient for the Coolcat when run on gasoline, even without a soft-start kit.
    After two years of looking and considering...finally the proud owner of a 2021 T@B 400 Boondock!
    2023 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E with Redarc Trailer Brake Controller
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  • N7SHG_HamN7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    @ChrisFix agree, but I always mention the propane and altitude I have tested to so folks get a little more info. I think the soft start while not needed, would make a smoother start with these 2k class of gensets.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    Yes, yes it would, and would be a worthwhile mod.  It also quiets thenCoolCat operation whilst on shore power, giving smooth, quiet starts.  
    Cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • rfuss928rfuss928 Member Posts: 1,028
    From my CoolCat experience, a small ceramic electric space heater is much more effective and a lot quieter than the CC.  I found the heat pump function useless.  The generator use for cooling mode would be very nice.

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  • James_MacPhersonJames_MacPherson Member Posts: 7
    Okay, I am in bewilderment mode here.  I have a 2009 Dutchman, with Coolcat A/C and heatpump.  I also have a Honda eu2000i generator.  I accept that I cannot run the CC on the Honda, I have tried that.  So I was looking for options, and dived into the documentation for that model of CC.  It says it requires a 2,800 watt generator, so the eu2000i (Honda say 1,600-1,800 running  watts is normal) being insufficient is no surprise.

    Here's where I get confused.  2,800 watts divided by 120 volts says 23.33 Amps.  But I know for fact that I routinely run my CC air on a 15 Amp circuit, because that is the outlet in my garage, and I run the A/C off of it. 

    Does anyone know the actual wattage draw for a Coolcat?
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  • Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    The Cool Cat only draws the full 2800 watts on startup.  What you can do, is Denny a Soft Start system to the CoolCat AC to reduce the startup draw.  The new Honda 2200i will just run the CoolCat.
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • James_MacPhersonJames_MacPherson Member Posts: 7
    Also, in my wandering around looking for info, I found the report that converting a Honda eu2000i to propane (I did the Hutch Mountain) will cost you about 10% in efficiency when running on propane.  Also, the eu2000i is tuned for 5,000 elevation, and each 1,000' you go up from there will cost you ~3.5%, depending on if you fiddle with jet sizes.   
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  • James_MacPhersonJames_MacPherson Member Posts: 7
    Looked at the softstart option.  It brings me back to just replacing the whole thing with a newer 6,000 - 8,000 BTU unit that draws maybe 400 - 700 watts. 

    Buying a complete replacement A/C ends up being cheaper than many of the softstarts.  And a simple ceramic heater beats the heatpump.  All of which have been discussed on this forum, but I keep going in circles to convince myself. 

    Long ago I told myself that the Dutchman T@bs were a kit, that we all customized.  I just thought after a decade I might be getting close to done.
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