Honda Generator Question

[Rivercityjeff]

Jeff, how is the noise level on your Champion 200977 open frame. I have been focusing on the traditional enclosed inverter and haven't researched the open frames. Seems light weight and a manageable size to move around.

John, we received the generator last week and I am trying to run it with various power sources to get to the 5 hour oil change. If you believe the Champion marketing, the 200977 is "50% quieter than traditional open frame." Indeed, it is fairly quiet. https://www.championpowerequipment.c...fuel-inverter/


Advertised noise level is (64dBA). A bit more than the Honda 2000 (53dBA) and Westinghouse iPro2500 (also at 53dBA) but much less than my old open frame Champion (claimed 64dBA, not!) or our DuroMax XP13000EH. at a loud 72dBA.

Bottomline: the 200977 is quiet enough to be neighborly in a campground.

We paid $724 delivered from Our Generator and got a 3 year warranty vs. buying a $2000 Honda and voiding the warranty by converting it to dual fuel.

[johndeerefarmer]

I had two Honda eu2000is and the BERG tank for awhile. I got tired of lugging all three pieces out of the back of the truck and placing them on the ground near the camper. Then I had to use a security cable to lock them to the bumper.
For two A/Cs you will probably need to put Microair EZ Starts on both so you can get by with less start up current- or start them one at a time.
For the generator the Yamaha 4500 will work. 4000 watts running is 33A which is just about enough to handle two A/C's but not much else but you will still probably need the EZ Starts.
I have the Honda EU3000is and the Honda EU7000is now. Sold my 4500 to a neighbor. If camping at elevation I would recommend the 7000is because it's fuel injected and doesn't require any jet changes to the carb. We use it if I want to run both AC's as well. I typically just carry the EU3000is as it's on the generator rack on the back of the camper. We just run one AC at a time. If we are in the living room we run that one, then when going to bed shut it off and run the bedroom one. Works for us because we don't camp once it gets much above 90 as the humidity is bad around here

[Txdabj1]

I have the Honda 2200 generator. We use it during power outages to keep the fridge and/or A/C running. That’s about all it will handle especially if the fridge and A/C are running at the same time. I have found I use it for a lot of other things too such as the air compressors and power tools.
I bought the NorthStar 13kw generator. It will handle just about anything. It is heavy. I also bought the SpitzLift crane to hoist the generator into my truck. I can easily load the generator into my truck by myself.

[jkwilson]

I have the Honda 2200 generator. We use it during power outages to keep the fridge and/or A/C running. That’s about all it will handle especially if the fridge and A/C are running at the same time. I have found I use it for a lot of other things too such as the air compressors and power tools.
I bought the NorthStar 13kw generator. It will handle just about anything. It is heavy. I also bought the SpitzLift crane to hoist the generator into my truck. I can easily load the generator into my truck by myself.

I hope you don’t use that while other people are in the same county as you. It is unbelievably loud. About as loud as 10 EU2200s running at the same time.

[Txdabj1]

The ranch is 4k acres so I don’t think it bothers my neighbors.

[LanerC]

A Honda 2200i generator would be just barely enough to run one AC and you would likely need to put in a soft start system. And, while it might power a few things in a house during an outage, it won't power much.

A Honda 3500 would get the job done easily for the RV and could run a few other things (not both ACs dependably tho). And it could run a few more things in the house if necessary. But it's heavy and not likely a one person "portable" generator.

I would not consider a dual fuel generator - it just complicates things. I'll get some gruff about this as others like their's; but you have to decide. Honda doesn't make dual fuel generators; ya gotta' wonder why.

I carry 2 Honda 2000's. I've had them since the late 80's (maybe early 90's - too long to remember). They continue to run great and I carry them with me 'just in case' and have had to use them when dry camping a few nights waiting on a electric site a few times.

This might be a good thread to ask others what they think about their single Honda 2000 or 2200 to see how they get by.

Ive run 2 honda 2000 in parallel and really like them. no trouble running 1 air conditioner. Hondas motor has more horsepower than others so they can run at idle then really kick on to run the air conditioner. Make that 1 air conditioner.

[cstratton73]

2 Honda 2200's and when needed, you both hooked up in parallel and you will never have a problem! Been doing this business for 50 years... Trust me... 2 Hondas that each weigh only 46 lbs... Period... end of conversation!!

[MScott]

I have the 2970RL with two AC units, one 15K and the other 13.5K. I also have 2 Honda 2200is and an aux fuel tank that will run either or both generators for extended run time. I picked this system due to its reliability, weight and being relatively quiet. I did install the micro air soft start on each AC unit. One Honda will run either AC or the microwave or coffee maker or electric hot water heater, etc. Two Honda's in tandem will run any two of the items listed, including two AC's simultaneously. What you need to be mindful of are other loads when using one Honda to run one AC. As an example, if your house battery is low, the stock converter will draw up to 6 amps to charge and run the 12 V system. The Honda is rated at 2200 watts but 1800 watts continuous, or about 15 amps continuously. The 15K AC draws about 12-13 amps with little room for another load. Even the absorption refrigerator uses about 2-3 amps AC when on 120v power which is about 20ish amps 12V DC thru an inverter but much less when on propane, just enough 12v power to run the circuit boards and solenoids in the refrigerator. So you must monitor your loads. Generators with more capacity gives you more flexibility but are larger and heavier. At nearly 70 years old, I am not interested in hefting a 100# generator (my choice) but I am able to heft two 45# generators and the auxiliary 6.5 gallon fuel tank should I need extended run times, again just a matter of personal preference and choice. The Hondas paralleled give me just over 30 amps of continuous power with surge capability of about 6.5 amps beyond that. Each time I shut them down, I turn off the fuel and let the carburetor run dry. I keep the tanks full and add PRI-G fuel additive. With Covid, I did not use my generators last year so they sat in my garage for over a year and a half until I recently needed one for a charity event. After sitting over a year and a half, I turned on the fuel and it took two pulls to start, the first pull provided just enough vacuum to allow fuel into the carburetor and start the second pull. So, for me, weight and reliability are significant factors. The Hondas are also very quiet, although somewhat noisier under heavy load. One of my Hondas is the Companion model with the 30 amp twist lock plug. I made a 10 AWG power cable to connect the Honda to the 50 amp trailer power plug. I also made a bonding plug that I plug into the Honda to bond the neutral and ground so my electrical management system does not trip. With this setup, I can run my trailer on shore power or generator power but not both at the same time so there is only one place the neutral and ground are bonded at any particular time. I like the Hondas and am very happy with them, the down side being their initial cost. However, there are many fine inverter generators out there including those mentioned in this thread. Good luck.

[lfytsmith]

I know I am repetitive and different stable. We are very pleased with our Predator 3500 as we just did four boondocks at four different Harvest Host locations. It was our second maiden voyage with the Predator. First was a 70 hour run with no AC in Freeport TX. Gas consumption was minimal. These last four trips we used AC a lot and I could count on 14 hours on a full tank of gas (2.3 gal) with the Predator. It never failed and we are happy. I have a single AC pulling 11amps which is easy for the Predator 3500. It weighs about 100 and we store it in the bed of our truck.

Good luck.

Hondas are great machines. But I am a fan of this HF device.

If I can ask, what size is your AC unit to draw only 11amps? I have a Micro-Air easy start on mine and still use 14 amps. I use a champion 2500w and found that on days in the 80's the AC will pull 1510-1650 watts but when in the 90's the draw is still under 16amps but pulls over 1700 watts. To understand exactly what you are using or what you need install a power meter to see what you are drawing both amps and watts. It was a real eye-opener for me.

[stroguy]

Sure, it is a Coleman Mach 13.5 unit.

The amperage number came from our Watch Dog surge arrestor.

Without AC running.



With AC running.