Does anybody have the HarborFreight 2500 Inverter Gen?

JiminDenver wrote:
The Champion 2000i is listed at 53 db at 23 ft but that doesn't say at what load. I'm wondering what two of them sound like running a 13,5 AC unit.

I'm guessing that 53 db is at 25% load, similar to the Honda.

I've heard these two generators side-by-side on a number of occasions. The Champion 2000i is almost as quiet as the Honda EU2000 when powering very small loads.

However, for my ears, two Champion 2000i's are much louder than two Honda EU2000's, when paralleled, under load, powering a 13.5k a/c.

The Champion 2000i is listed at 53 db at 23 ft but that doesn't say at what load. I'm wondering what two of them sound like running a 13,5 AC unit.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Replacement part? Heemoneez! One time I priced a voltage regulator from Honda. I left the parts counter with my knees knocking.

From all the Bashing you are doing of HONDA..........If YOU have a Problem Paying More , For Quality that will LAST......Why not come right out and SAY IT.??????..:h


I Have a Expensive Honda EU3000 .That Runs, And Runs, and Runs...........Sure it was Expensive....But , I got .what I Paid for.:W

For the Topic.You will need at least 2800----3000 Watts to start your AC.from my Expierence.:C

Gdetrailer wrote:
. . . . . If you don’t like noise then perhaps you might want to skip camping in any campground.. Pretty much every campground I have been around even with commercial power IS NOISY . . .

JiminDenver wrote:
It doesn't take long for any, and I do mean any generator to become annoying. Once they drive you into the rig they all become hums. It could be my champ or the quietest made, all that matters is that you can hear it.

I hear ya.

Gotta clarify. I don't have a personal aversion to "noisy" campgrounds. I've worn ear plugs to get to sleep in noisy places before and have no problem wearing them again for any unexpected special occasions--lol!

However, one of our favorite dry-camping spots uses db meters to enforce their generator noise levels. It's a two edged sword. Sure, it keeps things quieter, but for those who want to stay cool and/or keep their batteries charged for longer stays, there's definitely pressure to invest in quiet generators to keep off management's radar. At this and other campgrounds we stay at, we certainly get the impression the Honda EU2000 or EU3000 have informally established themselves as the defacto noise standard to meet. Use of any other generator (blue, yellow, etc.) and it appears you're more open to scrutiny if any noise complaints come from your area of the campground. Agreed, it's not fair, but it's not all that surprising given the popularity and reputation for quietness the Hondas have established. For us, spending the additional money for a pair of EU2000's was worth the overall "price of admission" to one of our favorite campgrounds. Some spend $100k plus on their TT/motorhomes/TV, some spend considerably less. Some spend $2000 on their generators, again, some spend quite a bit less. It is what it is.

I'm trying hard to not come across with a completely biased, pro-Honda theme. However, there is a certain aforementioned reality to deal with. Yamaha has the specs and reputation to go head-to-head with Honda. Unfortunately, in terms of marketing strength, Honda has the upper hand by far. Champion is starting to establish a foothold in the RV market with their parallel capable 2000 watt inverter and their newer 3100 watt inverter generator. IMO, if Champion can manage to get their sound levels under 60 db (in the realworld) while powering heavier loads like a 13.5k a/c, they'll place themselves in the thick of competition with Honda and Yamaha's core market.

The Honda 2000 was never intended to run a 13,500 BTU AC. Do the math, on a really good day, at sea level, with absolutely nothing else on.... maybe. We do get the occasional "mine did it just fine" post but the numbers say otherwise. If you want to screw up your AC run it with less than the ideal voltage.

When the 13,500 btuh air conditioner plus whatever else is on draw less than the eu2000i rated load, and the voltage is over 120, the numbers are perfectly happy. In my case, the 13,500 Brisk Air pulled 1,415 VA, comfortably below the eu2000i continuous rated load, allowing the power converter to also run if the battery wasn't heavily discharged.

That generator appears to be the same generator marketed by Eastern Tool, and Generac. Parts are available if one knows where to look. I have the ETQ 2500 version. It does have the eco mode. I have a 13,500K a/c and it will not start it in either mode. I have also tried shutting off all the breakers to everything but the a/c, but the start up surge pushes the generator into overload. I love my generator as it does everything else I could ask it to do. In eco mode, it is pretty quiet. Got it Wise Generator Sales.

The answer to the OP's question depends on three main factors:

Altitude.
The amperage rating on the generator.
The locked rotor amps coming from the A/C.

There are other factors as well, such as generator fuel quality (I've found Chevron Premium + Star-Tron quite effective), and length of the power cord.

2500 watts for a 13.5k BTU A/C is iffish. An Onan 2800 watt model can start a 13.5k BTU A/C with 300 watts to spare (as per Onan's documentation.) An Onan 2500QG can start a 13.5k BTU A/C with 0 watts to spare. So, officially, Onans can do the job.

Does it mean a 2500 peak generator fresh off the boat from China made as cheap as possible have the ability to do this? There are a lot of fudge factors such as measuring load capacity in volt-amps, or finding that the constant load is a few hundred watts than what the item is rated for. Combine this with a tendency for no-name Chinese over-ratings of generators (saying an ET800 rattletrap can handle 1000 watts, for example), and unless the maker puts out specs similar to Onan's, nobody here on rv.net will know. They won't know on irv, or any other forum, almost certainly.

Without the manufacture's statements, the only way you can know for sure is to take the generator and A/C, attach an oscilloscope and other tools, and get measurements of the generator's output under load, temperatures on the compressor, and other measurements by expensive, specialized equipment, and find out by oneself. However, can one save a log of a generator's exact phase changes from when it starts to the A/C clicking on, to power down, and looking for bad sine waves and voltage surges/spikes? Not many people have these instruments to do this.

As a rule of thumb with a 2500 watt A/C and a 13.5k BTU A/C, not knowing how high in elevation the OP is... I'd say no just to be safe, so the OP doesn't wind up burning out both his generator and his A/C compressor.

Yes, I can point to people happily running 13.5k A/Cs from a 2500 watt Yamaha unit or even a 2000 watt Honda... but anecdotes don't help much... either measurements from an oscilloscope and other meters on the test bench or hard numbers from generator and A/C makers are the only thing one should go on if one is in doubt, and forums show that there are mixed results.

If in doubt, buy a notch bigger in generator, or see about pairing... and the generator the OP mentioned cannot be paired.

I am the OP.
So... maybe yes, maybe no, on running my 13.5 AC.

I am enjoying all the dialogue and input, so please keep it up.

Gdetrailer wrote:

otrfun wrote:

gmctoyman wrote:
The original question ... Remains unanswered !

FWIW, I posted a quote of an online HF review in which the reviewer commented that he was not able to run a rooftop a/c with his HF inverter generator. Post date/time: 03/26/14 05:28pm.

:R

ONE "sour grapes" review does not tell the full story . . .

That's a given. No one said it did. Ideally the OP will take in all the good, bad, and ugly responses and form his own opinion. Gotta start somewhere, right? As far as I know, this is the *only* realworld response so far that comes close to addressing the OP's question. Just because every test parameter is not provided doesn't mean the response is worthless. IMO, I'd give 20 simple "didn't work on my rooftop a/c" realworld responses more weight than one detailed test report somewhere that said it did.

The Honda 2000 was never intended to run a 13,500 BTU AC. Do the math, on a really good day, at sea level, with absolutely nothing else on.... maybe. We do get the occasional "mine did it just fine" post but the numbers say otherwise. If you want to screw up your AC run it with less than the ideal voltage.

I am a Harbor freight fan, have lots of their cheap tools but unless they are different then every other generator retailer once you run it.... it's yours forever. Good luck trying to return any motor that has swallowed oil and fuel. A local storefront might take it but forget about shipping it anywhere.

A trip to the internet will produce lots of very unhappy Champion owners, with service, or rather the lack thereof as the number one complaint on a generator line with a very checkered, albeit short term history. If one more person posts about how quiet they are I might just scream... but rest assured it will not be as loud as a 3000W Champion. :B

As always.... Opinions and YMMV. :C