Generators - Is a 2000w Necessary or Practical?

Nomad

I have a Honda 2000i - the most common found in campgrounds, probably 80% of the generators I see. The reason I bought the 2000w is it's "supposedly" what you need to run (or at least start up) the air conditioner. The generator gets roughly 8 hrs per gallon. If you need to run the air a lot, you're either going to have to carry a lot of gas or be running to a gas station to refill quite a bit. I've kind of come to the conclusion that if you need air for any kind of lengthy period, you're probably better off just hitting a campground with hook ups. So, with that thought, would one be better off just getting something smaller/lighter (1000w for instance) for those days when solar just won't work and you need to juice your battery?

Thoughts?

Tabaz

My old beat-up Honda 1000 actually runs the A/C in the Tab.  I just bought a voltage meter, so I'll post how much juice it draws on start-up and while running for you techies out there.  The 1000 is very lightweight and quite.  I once asked a private pilot how high he usually flew.  He said around 72 degrees.  The moral of the story - If it gets too warm, just drive to a higher elevation.

ScottG

My thoughts are "That's a good question." Coincidentally, I was just looking at 1000W gennys online. Not much need for air conditioning in my neck of the woods, but would like something simple to charge the battery and occasionally provide a little extra power. I haven't ruled out a solar rig, but my impression is that it takes a little more TLC than I'm interested in providing. If anyone out there is using a 1000W (or smaller) generator, I'd also like to hear how you're using it and how it's working for you.

Nomad

This thread went totally sideways so just deleted all the solar posts - Sorry peoples...
There's a million threads on solar - lets get back to thoughts/experiences with generators.
Thanks

KyBawpaw

Ever hear of a generator that runs directly on propane? Just a thought but then you'd be running out of propane. If you could get 8 hours on a gallon like you do with gas..not bad.

RZRBUG

I have the 2000i, but if I were looking to purchase one, I'd still get the 2000i.  If I'm going to lug one around and carry gas for it, I might as well have the larger one.  Also, if you're using it to charge your house battery, I'm guessing the samller would take longer.

Nomad

Eight hours is really good but if it's hot/humid you could need to run 16 or more every 24 so 2-3 gal/day. I carry 2 gal and under normal operations that lasts quite a while. If hot/humidI'd be running to the gas station every day.
Propane's a thought. No idea how long a generator/tank lasts.
Still think the easiest, most efficient solution is to head to a hookup campground if able.

Ratkity

There's a 5 gal expansion tank for the Honda 2000i that looks interesting (saw on Amazon). That would let it run all night with an Air Conditioner load, right PXL? Still would be making gas station runs, though. 

Nomad

I have no room for anything bigger than my 2 gal.
With 5 you'd get a couple solid days.

ScottG

PXLated said:

This thread went totally sideways so just deleted all the solar posts - Sorry peoples...
There's a million threads on solar - lets get back to thoughts/experiences with generators.
Thanks

Aw shucks, I missed the apparent debate over the care and feeding of solar panals. Lots of questions there, too, but I agree it wasn't topic at hand. One advantage of being a moderator is you can start, derail, and rerail your own threads. ;-)

My specific interest in a generator was really for juicing the battery (as mentioned in the OP). As reformed tent campers, we've lasted several days on just battery and propane, but it pushes the limits of the battery.

To address PXL's original question: I'd rather lug something smaller than larger, and a 1000W generator should be plenty sufficient for charging a battery. However, as with any generator, doing it quickly might be the bigger challenge.

So--at the risk of again going a little off topic--those of you using generators (any size) to charge your battery, how are you doing it (Onboard converter? 12V from generator? Separate AC charger?) and how long do you typically have to run it?  

Ratkity

Separate AC battery charger that doesn't have the lower voltage limitations of cheaper chargers. It can even do an "equalize" charge. It acts much like the converter on board the T@B, has 3 stages.

Photomom

We've been assuming that we'd need a 2000 watt generator to charge a T@B battery. Someone mentioned above that 1000 should do the job - is anyone using a 1000 and does it work well?

Nomad

Photomom - That 2000 number gets thrown out as the minimum for the Air Conditioner. A 1000 would work fine for just the battery. OutbackAZ (above) says the 1000 also runs his air.

Photomom

I frankly doubt we'll ever use the A/C - I considered having our T@B built without but figured it would be important for resale purposes. Sounds like the 1000W would be fine for us. 

Nomad

The Honda 2000i's a great little generator but it is a brute to be liting in/out of my Jeep on a regular basis. And since I'm out in the boonies shooting a lot I have used it for AC as there were no hookup campgrounds close. And it's ok for when you need 5/6 hrs of AC in the heat of the day but if you're in a spot where you need it 12-24 hrs it's just not practible because of the gas.
I've suspected that maybe the 1000 would run the AC as Outback suggests as the AC barely kicks the 2000 into high gear - 15 sec at most (in comparison, my toaster* throws it into high for the entire toast cycle).

* My only appliance

Tabaz

I just received my Zamp 200w solar kit. VERY easy to set up. Select one of four battery types, plug it in and you're good to go. However, it is BIG and heavy. Plus fragile, so you can't just throw it around. And no way to lock it to the trailer if you leave. I hope I never have to take it, the Honda 1000 and Honda gas on the same trip.

Ratkity

Bringing up appliances is a good point. Coffee pots, toasters, little toaster ovens, hair dryers, ceramic heaters.... those come to mind in needing a generator as strong as a 2000W - and only running one, maybe 2 of them at a time!  The Honda 2000i *does* have an overload protection circuit and indicator light.

I can't speak for the Yamaha or other really quiet generators (there's a new brand on the market that I can't rem the name of), just the Honda. The Honda EU2000i has a peak output of 2000W for 30 minutes. It runs continuously at 1600W (http://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/pe/pdf/manuals/31Z07610.pdf - page 19). There is an eco-throttle switch that will drop the engine output even more if there are no big loads on it, but the manual doesn't indicate what wattage that would be. 

I have to echo PXL's complaint about lifting the 50lbs of the 2000i on a regular basis. I used to be able to heft 80lb sacks of concrete without much effort *mumbles, moans and whines*.  Right now, I have my Honda set up and locked to the bed of my pickup where it can run after flipping open my tonneau cover (in addition to locking it to the bed, the cover has a small lock and the tailgate locks as well). 

The 1000W is a good generator, but keep in mind, the fuel tank is smaller and don't know if it has an on-board charger or at what amperage it's set at to charge a battery (the 2000i has a built-in charger). There are probably posts here about batteries and how long it takes to completely charge one based on its amphr rating. 

So if you are waffling between the 1000W or 2000W, it's best if you calculate your power needs (minus the AC if you don't plan to use it), including how long it takes to charge your battery or battery bank.

Nomad

You need to buy a seperate charge cable for the 2000i - I used it in the Black Hills before I got to a place to replace the Jeep battery.

mickietucs

OutbackAZ said:

I just received my Zamp 200w solar kit. VERY easy to set up. Select one of four battery types, plug it in and you're good to go. However, it is BIG and heavy. Plus fragile, so you can't just throw it around. And no way to lock it to the trailer if you leave. I hope I never have to take it, the Honda 1000 and Honda gas on the same trip.

I thought a chain or cable can be run through the legs and then through the hitch. I think that's what Wanderoo did with her Zamp. I realize nothing is 100% but at least a deterrent. I just got the 160w and yes, it's long and a bit heavy (but I haven't set it up yet) - was hoping to use a heavy duty chain to secure it....sorry, just remembered this post is about generators

Nomad

Oh Oh - Another Detour :-(

Nomad

Here ya go...
http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/2267/solar-suitcases-self-contained?new=1

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

Home Depot is listing the Honda EU2000i for $899 online till 12/31/15

Photomom

Check with your local power equipment store too. We saw a Honda 2000i for $800 at a local store this summer. And they'll service it.

Nomad

Both good prices - Honda controls the price very strictly - Usually around $999.

Tabaz

http://www.uscarburetion.com/eu2000i_kits.htm

Here is the link to the company that makes the Honda propane conversion kits.  They also sell a Yamaha 2000W that uses gas, propane and natural gas.  Don't know anyone who actually has either of these.  But since we're on the subject of solar  . . .

Nomad

We know it runs roughly 8 hrs on a gallon of gas - Wonder how much propane it takes. Didn't see anything about that on that conversion site or did I miss it?

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

Does anyone have any experience with the new Generac iQ2000? Tested quieter than the Honda and lists for $799.

Tabaz

PXL - the gas = propane use ratio I mentioned may have come from another Google search link. Didn't save it because I decided against a propane after-market kit.

OzT@b

Don't forget The DC charging output, of the Honda, is not regulated & is really only meant to get you going.

Ratkity

PXLated said:

We know it runs roughly 8 hrs on a gallon of gas - Wonder how much propane it takes. Didn't see anything about that on that conversion site or did I miss it?

I'll look at what Oz posted. I didn't even think about propane running the genny. Around the east coast, there are tunnels where RVs and trailers that have propane tanks of any kind have to stop to get inspected before they are allowed to go through the tunnels. If the genny needs a lot of propane, I'd personally stick to gas because of gasoline accessibility vs propane (places where I go, mind you). I vaguely remember a friend getting a whole-house generator at the beach due to multiple power outages and they opted to run it on propane because the cost in the long run was way cheaper - this was a while ago and things might have changed dramatically since then. Thanks for the link, Oz!!

John_and_Kris

We just installed the Aluminum Platform on our "16Max S for the purpose of securing the Honda 2000i to it .Honda has a kit to make it harder to cut thru the handle. We plan on using the 110 power cord ,attaching it to the T@B and then plugging into the Honda