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JiminDenver's avatar
JiminDenver
Explorer II
Feb 19, 2017

Home brew hybred inverter generator set up

Home Depot had the tiny Sportsman 800/1000w inverter generator on sale for $157 right before I left Denver. Normally I'd stick to one of the big three but at that price I took the chance. I broke it in at home up to the point it could handle a 600w heater at 5000 ft, a friend at a rally finished the job using it to run a work light while he outfitted his box truck in Quartzsite.

I knew better than to think it could handle starting the little 5000 BTU A/C and sure enough it couldn't. My solution was to plug the shore cord into the generator with the converter on, and then plug the A/C into the inverter. That way the batteries took the surge and the generator then had no issues with the 450w running load. Normally I run the A/C off of the solar and batteries but it's nice to know I can use the generator should the need come up.

I know it will be asked. Noise wise the Sportsmans eco mode is barely quieter than not having it on. Under load it is comparable to the Honda 2000 under load that was in the next site.
  • landyacht318's avatar
    landyacht318
    Explorer
    Feb 20, 2017
    Of course, but here we have two extra conversions. It adds some wear and tear to inverter and converter, and the Genny has to make up the minimum 30% losses to conversion.

    BUt it works.

    My point is it would be great to bypass the converter powering the inverter after it gets going.

    Hard start capacitor perhaps?? Outside my comfort zone.

    How to get this AC to start on a small generator without overloading it? We now know it, powering a converter, powering an inverter works as the batteries powering inverter become the buffer to handle the start up surge.

    How about a way to make it handle the start up surge where no converter or inverter or battery need be used, and possibly eliminate 30 to 40% of conversion inefficiencies?
    Less gas consume, less heat generated, less wear and tear on Inverter and converter and possibly battery.

    I don't know if this is possible, or worth the effort if it is, but I can't be the only one curious about why it might be possible, or why it is not.



    Worthy of discussion?
  • JiminDenver's avatar
    JiminDenver
    Explorer II
    Feb 20, 2017
    I have seen a you tube on adding a hard start to I believe the same little A/C so that a Honda 1000 would run it, it may be possible with the Sportsman too.
  • MrWizard's avatar
    MrWizard
    Moderator
    Feb 20, 2017
    the expense of the parts and conversion, will most likely cost more than the A/C
    and the sale price of the generator combined, an unlikely to worth all the effort
    and take some time for the $$ involved to be recouped in fuel savings
    depending on how often the A/C is actuality needed when carrying the small genny versus a bigger one
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Feb 20, 2017
    landyacht318 wrote:
    How to get this AC to start on a small generator without overloading it?

    How about a way to make it handle the start up surge where no converter or inverter or battery need be used, and possibly eliminate 30 to 40% of conversion inefficiencies?

    I don't know if this is possible, or worth the effort if it is, but I can't be the only one curious about why it might be possible, or why it is not.

    Worthy of discussion?


    Maybe I'm missing something here but would it not be simpler to just use any one of a number of soft starter kits designed for this purpose?

    Micro-Air Easy Start Soft Starter Kit

    Hyper Engineering Soft Starter Kit

    I've always used a Supco SPP6 hard start cap on any A/C unit I've owned and while it does help some it doesn't ease A/C start up compressor load anywhere near as much as claimed for these soft starter kits.
  • landyacht318's avatar
    landyacht318
    Explorer
    Feb 20, 2017
    Not having a need for such a thing, I have remained ignorant of Such a product, and now am trying to figure out how I could employ one even without an immediate need for one.

    A giant hard start capacitor simply sounds impressive. Next time I choose to impress women in a Bar, I am going to portray myself as the mosest bested richest hard start master capacitor purveyor west of the Mississippi.

    Well babe, you see it all comes down to Microfarads, for those lesser types, I however, am all about the mega farad.

    Buhawahahwhahahwahahwahaaaaaaaa
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Feb 20, 2017
    BillyW wrote:
    SoundGuy, both your links go to the same place...


    Sorry, fingers got ahead of me :W ... fixed now. :)
  • JiminDenver's avatar
    JiminDenver
    Explorer II
    Feb 20, 2017
    Soft start was what I was thinking for mine, I tend to get them mixed up. I am also thinking of looking for something larger as this unit was fine for 10,000 ft and dry conditions. Here in the southwest with 40% humidity it is a bit overwhelmed trying to cool the trailer.
  • SCVJeff's avatar
    SCVJeff
    Explorer
    Feb 20, 2017
    It would be interesting to install a DPDT switch on the A/C, one side on the inverter, and the other on the generator. There is likely a phase difference but the motors are already running so no start-up kick, and moving around 1/2hz between the sources isnt going to bother anything, the generator likely isn't that stable anyway.

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