Hi,If I am going to run a Yamaha 3000 Sieb generator, is it more efficient to use it at nearly the maximum output, or is it better to stay at 50% or below?I want the most watts per gallon I can get.Anyone have test results or figures?

I checked this out on the eu2000i a couple of years ago. I was careful with the measurements but wouldn't claim lab-quality results, or that only one pass gives highly reliable data. With all those disclaimers, the general result was that the load level didn't make a whole lot of difference in fuel consumption. Too bad I didn't test at more power levels. My purpose was to compare reality against Honda's fuel consumption claims which, are at 25% power and rated power. (That result was that at rated power fuel consumption was worse than Honda's spec, and at 25% power it was better). I didn't run a gallon of fuel at each power level. It was something like 8 ounces.1,600 watt load: Run time 2.97 hours/gallon. 4.75 kWh/gallon, RPM = 4,300465 watt load: Run time 8.92 hours/gallon. 4.15 kWh/gallon, RPM = 3060555 watt load: Run time 8.06 hours/gallon. 4.47 kWh/gallon, RPM = 3150

At FULL IDLE and no load any fuel powered generator is running at zero percent (No power delivered, still burning fuel)At some point it peaks, With inverter generators this is fairly fast,, From there on increasing load will increase fuel consumption in a near linear fashion, that is double load, double consumption. With traditional generators.. I varies depending on who designed and tuned the thing.

As a rule of thumb, I've found generators tend to be most efficient at half a load.With my Yamaha iSE (similar to the SEB but sans battery): If I run just the 55 amp excuse for a converter, I can get 15-20 hours from one tank of gas on econ throttle. If I use my 15,000 watt A/C, I end up with about eight hours of generator life.With more than a 1/2 load, econ mode is pointless, so I click it off.So, those are two data points... 550 watts for 15-20 hours, 1500 watts for about 8 hours. Not perfectly linear, and not really that accurate, but just rough guesstimates of what I end up using. Were I to say what gives the best bang for the amount of fuel used, I'd go with the 1500 watts, which seems to be at the best performance point.

From the website: " It will run up to 19 hours at ¼ rated load on a tank of gas. "

Hi,I get 7 hours 55 minutes when I'm running mine "flat out". I.E. running the fridge (325 watts), air conditioner (1200 watts), and converter (max 725 watts).Interesting that a on a 1500 watt load fuel only lasts 8 hours.That implies I may as well grab as many watts as I can while the air conditioner is running.I can't run the water heater (1200 watts), the air, the converter and the fridge, at least not in the Rocky Mountains. Mind you, at that time the generator had only 20 hours of run time on it.I also use the inverter to run the water heater when I'm needing to air condition. Sounds as if that is a good approach.

efficency and inverter generators | Good Sam Community

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Wayne_Dohnal
Explorer
Apr 22, 2014
I checked this out on the eu2000i a couple of years ago. I was careful with the measurements but wouldn't claim lab-quality results, or that only one pass gives highly reliable data. With all those disclaimers, the general result was that the load level didn't make a whole lot of difference in fuel consumption. Too bad I didn't test at more power levels. My purpose was to compare reality against Honda's fuel consumption claims which, are at 25% power and rated power. (That result was that at rated power fuel consumption was worse than Honda's spec, and at 25% power it was better). I didn't run a gallon of fuel at each power level. It was something like 8 ounces.

1,600 watt load: Run time 2.97 hours/gallon. 4.75 kWh/gallon, RPM = 4,300
465 watt load: Run time 8.92 hours/gallon. 4.15 kWh/gallon, RPM = 3060
555 watt load: Run time 8.06 hours/gallon. 4.47 kWh/gallon, RPM = 3150

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efficency and inverter generators

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