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? On quiet generators and size needed for TT ac

luberhill
Explorer
Explorer
I see a few TT’s where we are camping.. two of them have 2000 watt Honda’s and they are pretty quiet,,the other guy has a Champion... that seems to be even quieter. ,,,
Now is 2000 watts enough to power the ac ?? And also what is the quietest ??
Also do you need and invertor generator ?? If so why ?
Thx
2013 Winnebago Sunstar 26HE
32 REPLIES 32

theoldwizard1
Explorer
Explorer
RTCastillo wrote:
Get 4,000 watts to run the a/c reliable, the ref and turn on the microwave from time to time.

IMHO, that is overkill !

3,000W - 3,500W will run most A/C units and a microwave, assuming they do not START at the same time. Stick with an inverter generator.

Rigs with TWO A/C units usually have a 240V/50A power cord. You need a generator that makes 240V. Very few inverter generators make 240V.

George3037
Explorer
Explorer
luberhill wrote:
Do do you need an invertor type ?? Also isn’t a 4000 watt a little large to carry around ?? These guys camping here say they don’t need the ac because it doesn’t get that hot


I recently spent 20 days camping (10 in May, 10 in July). We had many days where temps got well above 85*F. It was nice to run the A/C off my 3500W Predator inverter generator. The generator ran very quite with a noise level around 50-52db @ 30'. My A/C was drawing about 17 amps.

The inverter types are usually quieter than open frame types and more compact / smaller. My HF Predator 3500W is much quieter than my Champion Dual Fuel 4750W which runs about 65-67db @ 30'.

Both are heavy IMO. The Predator as small as it is weighs 117# with a full tank and the Champ weighs about 134#. Those weights weren't a problem in my younger days but not something I want to lift in or out of the truck by myself today.

Optimistic_Para
Explorer
Explorer
Let's go over the fundamentals, and I think that will answer most of your questions.

An ordinary generator consists of a small gas engine direct coupled (no belt or chain drive) to an alternator that puts out ac current. In order for it to put out 120 volts, and more importantly, 60 cycle electricity, it needs to run at a fixed speed, usually 3600 rpm. If the rpms on the genny fluctuates, so will the voltage and the cycles - you might get 105 volts at 57 cycles, or something like that.

Since it has to run at the same speed regardless of the electrical load on it, this would be the same as if your car had to run at 4000 rpm whether it's going 10 mph or 70 mph.

Now, an inverter generator starts out with the same small engine and alternator, but the output of the alternator goes through a bank of diodes to convert it to dc, just like the alternator on your car. A built in inverter takes that dc and changes it back to ac current.

Since the inverter is creating 60 cycle 120 volt ac from the genny's output, the genny no longer needs to race along at 3600 rpm at all times, it can throttle back to low rpm when the electrical load is low. This is why the inverter generator runs quieter, and why it runs longer on a tank of gas. Even though it costs more to add the diodes and inverter to the generator, it will more than pay for itself in fuel savings over it's lifetime.

Now, a few other bits of information

A 2000 watt generator is not capable of putting out 2000 watts CONTINUOUSLY. Usually it's good for 1600 watts continuous, with brief periods of up to 2000 watts to start loads like air conditioners and refrigerators, where the starting load is higher than the running load.

All generators are rated at sea level. As you go up in elevation, all gas engines lose power, including the ones on your genny. A genny that might be capable of running your A/C in Florida might not be capable of running it at 10,000 feet in Colorado.

With Honda, and Yamaha generators, and, I guess Champion and some of the others I'm not that familiar with, you can hook a sync cord between two of them and pull double the output out of the pair via a single power cord. In other words, two 2000 watt gennies synced together turn into a 4000 watt generator. It costs more money to do it that way, but it's easier to handle and move the two separate units than it is to handle or move a much heavier 4000 watt generator.

Finally, Honda is the only one I know of that uses a fuel pump. The rest, AFAIK, all use gravity feed. With the Honda's, you can get kits that let you draw your fuel from a much bigger fuel container. I've seen adapters for 5 gallon jerry cans that let you convert them into fuel tanks for the Honda. With a setup like that, you could easily let the generator run all night while it provides power for an electric heater you are running in you rv to keep it warm.

BTW, Honda has just discontinued their 2000 watt gennies and replaced them with a 2200 watt model.

Hope this answers your questions.

Lantley
Nomad
Nomad
RTCastillo wrote:
luberhill wrote:
Do do you need an invertor type ?? Also isn’t a 4000 watt a little large to carry around ?? These guys camping here say they don’t need the ac because it doesn’t get that hot


We have ours mounted but weight is not really a big issue as me and my wife can lift it had we need to take it in and out of the trailer to run it.

Quiet is also not a big issue since campgrounds have rules to shut off all generators either 7 through 10 every night anyways.

I don't know about not needing a/c but had your trailer been in a treeless or not parked on a shade, you will definitely need one should you want to rest inside during the day and even nights.

Rules or no rules if others are around quiet is a huge issue. No one wants to listen to a loud obnoxious open frame geeny when much quieter inverter models are available
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bikendan
Explorer
Explorer
luberhill wrote:
What’s a “genny” is that slang for ac ?? Sorry im confused.. im aware of campground rules, thinking of it when boomdocking...and again what size would I need to run ac and which isnquieyest


Genny is slang for generator.

Camping in a campground with no hookups, is Dry Camping, not Boondocking. Boondocking is camping in non-developed areas, like the desert, national forest or auto races. In the Boonies.

If you are going to use a generator in a campground, you need an inverter generator, because they usually are much quieter than open-frame contractor-style generators.
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Yosemite_Sam1
Explorer
Explorer
luberhill wrote:
Ok I saw the easy start video, so it sounds like a 2.k watt invertor Honda will in fact run the ac,,, is there any downside to using the easy start ?why don’t the manufacturers just put them in to start with ?


If you only need 2,000, Honda generator is the best of 'em. Honda is topnotch in small engines.

WNYBob
Explorer
Explorer
I recently bought a Ryobi 2300 watt inverter, and to my suprised it allowed my to run the AC in my camper!

luberhill
Explorer
Explorer
Ok I saw the easy start video, so it sounds like a 2.k watt invertor Honda will in fact run the ac,,, is there any downside to using the easy start ?why don’t the manufacturers just put them in to start with ?
2013 Winnebago Sunstar 26HE

Yosemite_Sam1
Explorer
Explorer
luberhill wrote:
Do do you need an invertor type ?? Also isn’t a 4000 watt a little large to carry around ?? These guys camping here say they don’t need the ac because it doesn’t get that hot


We have ours mounted but weight is not really a big issue as me and my wife can lift it had we need to take it in and out of the trailer to run it.

Quiet is also not a big issue since campgrounds have rules to shut off all generators either 7 through 10 every night anyways.

I don't know about not needing a/c but had your trailer been in a treeless or not parked on a shade, you will definitely need one should you want to rest inside during the day and even nights.

luberhill
Explorer
Explorer
Humm pls explain
2013 Winnebago Sunstar 26HE

Bobbo
Explorer II
Explorer II
A 2000 watt inverter generator will usually run an AC if you have the MicroAir EasyStart installed on the AC. Without it, you would probably need two of the inverter generators hooked up in parallel.
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luberhill
Explorer
Explorer
Do do you need an invertor type ?? Also isn’t a 4000 watt a little large to carry around ?? These guys camping here say they don’t need the ac because it doesn’t get that hot
2013 Winnebago Sunstar 26HE

Yosemite_Sam1
Explorer
Explorer
Get 4,000 watts to run the a/c reliable, the ref and turn on the microwave from time to time.

1Wheeldrive
Explorer
Explorer
Genny is slang for "generator". I have a 5.5 kw Onan "genny" in my toyhauler, so I am not very knowledgeable about the smaller portable units, My perception from camping with folks that have (typically) 2,000 watt Honda generators is that they are mostly used for battery charging and running a coffee pot or a hair dryer. A 2,000 watt unit might run a 13,000 BTU AC unit, but I think they would be hard pressed to run a bigger unit for any length of time. As far as which is the quieter unit, you can look at the manufacturer's claims.
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gbopp
Explorer
Explorer
luberhill wrote:
What’s a “genny” is that slang for ac ?? Sorry im confused..

I think Terryallen meant to say air conditioner, not genny.
Inverter generators are quieter than open frame models. And, they supply 'clean' electricity that will not harm electronics, etc..
I don't know which one is the quietest, they all get louder under a load.