New Honda generator ?

[hmalaga]

I've purchased a Honda 2000 Companion. Is there anything I need to be aware of or cautious of in its operation? Is it just start it up and plug it in. I have 2005 Holiday Rambler 5th. I'm not talking about oil levels etc in the generator, more about the operation of it with the trailer. thanks

[Me_Again]

aruba5er wrote:
Don't do like I did. I shut off the unit and then I sometimes turned the on/off switch back ON. Why? don't know, maybe be ready for next start. Anyway. the on/off switch also turns off the gas, so the gas was on to the carb. Now when we are done for the weekend/whatever I shut off the switch AND drain the bowl. Little narrow screw on the bottom of the bowl. drains into a little clear hose. Never hard a starting problem since. It does (did) not say anything about that in the manuel.

I removed the on/off circuit from the fuel switch on my eu1000i years ago and installed a separate on/off switch. That way I can run the carb dry.

Chris

[driveandfish]

Any chance you have an Electrical Management System installed in the fifthwheel? If you do, it will detect an open ground fault when plugged into the generator. There are fixes for this but the first time I tried to hook up my generator to the shore power plug, no power would get past the EMS.

[aruba5er]

Don't do like I did. I shut off the unit and then I sometimes turned the on/off switch back ON. Why? don't know, maybe be ready for next start. Anyway. the on/off switch also turns off the gas, so the gas was on to the carb. Now when we are done for the weekend/whatever I shut off the switch AND drain the bowl. Little narrow screw on the bottom of the bowl. drains into a little clear hose. Never hard a starting problem since. It does (did) not say anything about that in the manuel.

[Me_Again]

Ethanol gas runs leaner, and small engines do not have a means to adjust for that without rejecting the carb. Really bad for hard working snowbile, heavily loaded generator, pressure washer, outboard and/or chain saw engines. Chris

[2oldman]

It occurred to me that ethanol gas may not be a big problem for those of us in low-humidity environments, like the desert. I've never had an issue with my 2 Hondas.

[Me_Again]

hmalaga wrote:
I've purchased a Honda 2000 Companion. Is there anything I need to be aware of or cautious of in its operation? Is it just start it up and plug it in. I have 2005 Holiday Rambler 5th. I'm not talking about oil levels etc in the generator, more about the operation of it with the trailer. thanks

Find a marina that has straight NON alcohol gas. I walk down the ramp and get 6 gals every so often. I use it in my Honda eu1000i, golf cart, pressure washer, chain saw and Honda 50HP dinghy motor.

Chris

[neal10a]

Marina's make a lot of money on gas engines when they are not used frequently. Ethanol collects water that corrodes the fuel system. Always excise the engine frequently (no more than monthly) and use Stabil or equivalent in the gas.

[RollandB]

X3 on non ethanol and Stabil. I use them in all my small engines all year.

[Okie1]

Great units, I have two of them that are about five years old. Just be sure to run them every month or so. If your carburetor does happen to give you problems don't worry it only takes about ten minutes to clean it out, very simple. I have a six gallon extended run fuel tank and they seem to run forever without needing to refuel. I only use Non-Ethanol gas, regardless of cost.....

[notruffinit]

I have a 3000is. Love the Honda machines for dependability and noise. You get what you pay for. As far as the fuel, I use non-oxy fuel and I treat every tank with Seafoam. I had problem with mine in second year and dealer suggested running Seafoam and then check back if I still had problems. I am in year 6 and other than changing the oil I've not done anything to it. I am considering adding a kit so that I can use propane for my extended run and get rid of the plastic bomb in the back of my truck (gas can).

[Jerrybo66]

Those little carburetors can get quite picky. I suggest you use Stabil in the gas and run it to warm-up about once a month...They're good little units but can be hard to start if not run frequently.....

[rjf7g]

I rigged up a marine tank as my extended run tank. I have a nice long chain lock I use and lock it to the rear bumper of my camper when in use. Of course, I point the exhaust away from the camper!

I have found that mine needs to be close to level to run in cold weather, so I have a little wooden platform I set it on. I have another piece of wood I can use (tucked between the top of the bumper and the bottom of the trailer) to shelter it from rain or snow.

I use ethanol free gas now that I paid to have the carb cleaned. That's the only maintenance I have done except changing the oil and replacing the spark plug in the 7 years I have owned mine.

When I pack it up for the season (I only use mine in the winter), I run all of the gas out, drain the remaining gas from the carb (there is a screw for doing this), and then put a little Sea Foam in it, start it and let it go until it cuts off.

[Fishinghat]

enblethen wrote:
You bought the companion.
Do you have the other Honda 200 to go with it?
The companion is only good for about 1750 watts.
The standard small twist-lock adapter puts a little twist on mine that causes it to vibrate out. Suggest getting the dog bone style 12 inch adapter.
Start genset, allow it to stabilize before putting load on it. Same with shutting down. Turn off load then let genset idle for a few minutes before shutting off.
Make sure you secure your genset. I use a 20 foot stainless steel dog tether with pad lock to secure to a non-movable object.

X2

(If a dog tether doesn't look substantial enough, use a HEAVY chain and a HEAVY padlock. You'd be surprised how many generators get legs in the middle of the night.)

[enblethen]

You bought the companion.
Do you have the other Honda 200 to go with it?
The companion is only good for about 1750 watts.
The standard small twist-lock adapter puts a little twist on mine that causes it to vibrate out. Suggest getting the dog bone style 12 inch adapter.
Start genset, allow it to stabilize before putting load on it. Same with shutting down. Turn off load then let genset idle for a few minutes before shutting off.
Make sure you secure your genset. I use a 20 foot stainless steel dog tether with pad lock to secure to a non-movable object.