oyarsa wrote:
I was looking at a generator that could power the A/C as well as tend to all those other items.
Is a hybrid generator really that much louder than an enclosed inverter of the same wattage? It appears that for Champion it's only a difference of 59 vs 64 dBA for a similar wattage inverter.
Maybe what I should do is to get a power inverter first, then decide if I truly need a generator. Maybe I wouldn't need one if I just forego the A/C.
When and where will you be camping? The AC is the biggest energy user and requires about a 3000 watt generator as a rule of thumb. People claim to run a 13500 BTU air conditioner on 2000 watts after adding hard start capacitors.
It may work for them at times but for the most part you're not running that air conditioner on 2000 Watts. People have added a device called micro air to 13.5 btu AC unit and been able to run it with a 2000 watt generator. The micro error device cost about $350.
I have a Honda EU3000SI powering a 13.5 BTU and runs fine with ECO mode off. I can run it on eco mode but when the AC compressor kicks on it hits sort of hard.
So again the big dividing line is whether you need the AC or not. If you are staying in one area say during the summer and it gets very hot you don't have any choice. In my thinking if I go somewhere local to me and I have to stay inside with the air conditioner running all the time i pretty much shouldn't go. I'm not being a smart A about it, I'm just saying it's not a very good way to do it and everyone around you is going to be annoyed too if the Genny is loud or even if a quiet one is run all the time.
Running a generator is very expensive compared to shore power. I don't remember exactly but I would say roughly my Honda 3000 will use about $18 worth of fuel in 24 hours plus oil changes. After 4 days of that it would need the oil change.
The other issue is those open frame type generators are not going to get the fuel economy of some of the inverter generators. You can look at the specs of all of them and see how much fuel they consume.
During my first year with a fifth wheel I ran the Honda in the back of my truck I also built a metal enclosure for it that had a 10in fan on one end and vents on the other end of the enclosure. People go out to camp to enjoy it and not sit and listen to some loud generator. Some don't know about the issue and buy a cheap generator and then end up hating at themselves. They didn't have a cheap generator that they're probably going to get about half price for on Craigslist.
I have heard stories of people smashing loud generators or tipping them over or doing other damage around peoples campsites. Obviously that's very wrong but people probably get disgusted with the behavior of some people who don't care about others. So I'll tell you over and over don't start out building your plan with a cheap loud generator.
People on here can guide you through building a system but the first issue is knowing about running an air conditioner or not so that will primarily be determined by where and when you are camping. When I say where I primarily mean elevation. Sorry if some of this wording is messed up I'm talking to text on my phone.
