Looking at table on CW website it suggests that the 2000 can run everything except the AC.Does that mean it can run everything all at once or just come combination of all those things?To jump to the 3000 is an extra 1000$.What can the 2000 handle at home during black outs?

It can't run appliances whose wattage total exceeds the capacity of the generator. With that one rule you can do the math.

Hi,The Honda 2000 is actually rated at 1,600 watts all the time, but 2,000 watts for short time.Your '1500' watt microwave is the output rating, the input is a little higher. Your battery charger / converter will always draw a little power. Up to 3 amps if you are dry camping and need to charge the batteries quickly, but less once the battery is over 2/3 full.If you try running a 1,200 watt coffee maker and 850 watt toaster at the same time, it will overload the generator. You have to run them one at a time, and remember that the battery charger might be using 100 - 300 watts at the same time, depending on how low the battery is.You might want to compare prices here. Mayberrys.com They even package a pair of generators and a 30 amp RV cord, so that you can plug into two of the 47 pound portable generators and run the A/C unit as well as up to about 3,800 watts, about 32 amps at 120 volts.By the way, someone reported that a 3000 watt generator is not powerful enough to start their air conditioners once it had been running on a hot day, cycled off, and tried to restart.So you are probably better off with the pair of 'lightweight' 47 pound generators, and the cord to connect both of them together (so they load share), than a larger generator. My 4000 watt built in Onan generator is much more noise, so would a generator from Costco. While less expensive most air cooled portable generators are really noisy. The Honda 2000 is on of the quietest on the market, including specialty generators, such as those used my a movie studio to film nearby. Good Luck,Fred.

300-400 watts for the converter only leaves 1,200-1,300 for everything else. The Air conditioner, microwave, hair driers, and electric heaters often require 1,500 watts or more. Therefore, plan on following the advice to get two EU2000i's or one larger unit. Campgrounds often provide 30 amp service which is about what two EU2000i's will do. If you only want to charge batteries then a 1000 is cheaper and lighter.

So a pair of 2000's gets me 4000 for the same price as a 3000?My only negative thought is that if I get a generator(s) I have to load them back into the trailer every time I walk away from the campsite to keep them from being stolen. Or do you guys just leave it outside the trailer, locked with a cable, the whole time?

Are you really going to run the air all day or night? I recommend hookups.For everything else: Solar, Battery, Inverter.

honda eu2000i | Good Sam Community

djousma
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
SoundGuy wrote:

(snip)

As for house back up, about the only thing I care about is being able to power the house furnace in the winter during a sustained power blackout so rather than interface to the house breaker box with a transfer switch I added a couple of standard 15 amp connectors to the 120 vac line feeding the furnace, which in turn allows me to disconnect from the house entirely and plug directly into the EU2000i parked in the backyard.

(snip)

I was going to go the route you did, but stumbled across this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Reliance-Controls-Furnace-Transfer-Switch-TF151/202216476

Installed it at the furnace, and made for a nice clean install.
RJsfishin
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
Most the campers I know use their 2000 for no more than I use my 1000 for.
And my 1000 is smaller and lighter, I love it.
dclark1946
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
RJsfishin wrote:
Most the campers I know use their 2000 for no more than I use my 1000 for.
And my 1000 is smaller and lighter, I love it.

X2

Dick
TomG2
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
RJsfishin wrote:
Most the campers I know use their 2000 for no more than I use my 1000 for.
And my 1000 is smaller and lighter, I love it.

X3
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Oct 21, 2015
And the honda 2000 is NOT rated for 2000Watt output, but 2000VA. For resistive loads like a toaster, lights, absorption fridge 120V element etc. VA and WATTS are for all practical purposes the same.

Yes, the advertising says 2000W, easy for marketing to say, but not always the case, especially for RV use.

For loads like microwaves, converters etc. they are NOT the same. The VA draw can be as much as 30% or more higher than the Watts consumed. What that means is that the 1200Watt microwave may draw 1600-1800 VA pushing the limit on the honda if a few other things are turned on as well. (like the 300W from the fridge on electric).

Just something to keep in mind if the generator goes into overload and you think your well within the output spec's of the generator.
Donnoh
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
ktmrfs wrote:
And the honda 2000 is NOT rated for 2000Watt output, but 2000VA. For resistive loads like a toaster, lights, absorption fridge 120V element etc. VA and WATTS are for all practical purposes the same.

Yes, the advertising says 2000W, easy for marketing to say, but not always the case, especially for RV use.

For loads like microwaves, converters etc. they are NOT the same. The VA draw can be as much as 30% or more higher than the Watts consumed. What that means is that the 1200Watt microwave may draw 1600-1800 VA pushing the limit on the honda if a few other things are turned on as well. (like the 300W from the fridge on electric).

Just something to keep in mind if the generator goes into overload and you think your well within the output spec's of the generator.

I'd like for you to explain your logic on this. VA is volts*amps which is watts. Yes, a microwave may have a rating of 1000 watts output and with losses require 13-1400 watts input, but what does that have to do with anything?
time2roll
Nomad
Oct 21, 2015
Donnoh wrote:
I'd like for you to explain your logic on this. VA is volts*amps which is watts. Yes, a microwave may have a rating of 1000 watts output and with losses require 13-1400 watts input, but what does that have to do with anything?

Xantrex white paper on Power Factor.

Basically many loads are reactive and do not use the full sine wave.
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Oct 22, 2015
Donnoh wrote:
ktmrfs wrote:
And the honda 2000 is NOT rated for 2000Watt output, but 2000VA. For resistive loads like a toaster, lights, absorption fridge 120V element etc. VA and WATTS are for all practical purposes the same.

Yes, the advertising says 2000W, easy for marketing to say, but not always the case, especially for RV use.

For loads like microwaves, converters etc. they are NOT the same. The VA draw can be as much as 30% or more higher than the Watts consumed. What that means is that the 1200Watt microwave may draw 1600-1800 VA pushing the limit on the honda if a few other things are turned on as well. (like the 300W from the fridge on electric).

Just something to keep in mind if the generator goes into overload and you think your well within the output spec's of the generator.

I'd like for you to explain your logic on this. VA is volts*amps which is watts. Yes, a microwave may have a rating of 1000 watts output and with losses require 13-1400 watts input, but what does that have to do with anything?

volts x amps= Watts is a special case condition for determining power and only applies to a pure resistive load connected to a DC source or a pure resistive load connected to a sine wave AC source (power to your house or from inverter generator) where the voltage and amps are expressed in a RMS value.

Determining power draw for all load cases is a 1 semester course in Jr. or Sr level college power engineering. And it involves lots of calculus and vector math. (giving volts and amps a amplitude and phase)

That 1000W microwave that consumes 1400Watts of power may actually consume around 1800VA. so instead of drawing 1400/120= 11.6A it will actually draw 1800/120=15A.

Power companies HATE loads like this, they need to supply you with 15A but only can charge you for drawing 11.6A.

And your/my little honda hates it as well since it has to deliver 15A, right near it's rated current, instead of 11.6A.

and then you scratch your head when the generator overloads with the 1400 watts from the microwave and 300 watts from the fridge element, and you say, well that 1700 watts, should run ok, but it trips right away. Well your actually drawing 1800+300=2100VA above what the honda 2000 can deliver at peak output.

Unfortunetely, few mfg state what the VA draw is on devices, so it is often hard to figure out actual load.

but the handy Kilo-watt meter will give you the VA and Watts for a given load. handy device to have.
LaunchnRetrieve
Explorer
Oct 22, 2015
Some great ideas. Now I'm torn between 2 2000's, or 1 1000, or a 3000.
Yes, I am most likely going to use hook up to power AC. I feel better about leaving the gen in the truck, but only if I get a cover to keep it out of sight, otherwise I would expect it to disappear within minutes of parking.
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Oct 22, 2015
LaunchnRetrieve wrote:
Some great ideas. Now I'm torn between 2 2000's, or 1 1000, or a 3000.
Yes, I am most likely going to use hook up to power AC. I feel better about leaving the gen in the truck, but only if I get a cover to keep it out of sight, otherwise I would expect it to disappear within minutes of parking.

personally we went with a pair of 2000's over the 3,00
1) cost is virtually the same
2) I can lift a 2000
3) only need one most of the time
4) slightly more total power

3,000 advantage is slightly quieter and electric start.

for me, the 1000 wasn't in the picture since it won't run my converter, it needs around 1200VA, 1000 costs almost as much as a 2000, but is enough lighter to make a difference when carrying it

What works for you is really dependent on what your needs and priorities are.

BTW since I added 240 watts of solar, the generators seldom get used. about the only time I need them is for the AC. I can run my microwave on the battery bank and inverter. Solar will keep me charged up longer than I can go w/o water & dump. I used the generator for powering tools in the backyard more than with the trailer this year.