Champion 3100 - running an AC - how many hrs out of a tank?

Seven hours is what a friend of mine gets with his A/C.

Spes for the genny say 8hr at 25 percent load. Running the AC would be at full load. So assuming a 50 percent duty cycle you would get about 4 hours run time.

We have been 6 hours using our AC but turned it off before generator could run dry. There are variables involved making the exact amount of time hard to pinpoint, we did have converter on and were using tv and satellite but fridge and water heater were on propane. In no way does our Dometic 13.5K AC unit max out our Champion 3100 watt genny, under the above scenario we were camping at over 7K elevation and genny was in eco-mode the whole time never missing a beat.

Boon Docker wrote:
Spes for the genny say 8hr at 25 percent load. Running the AC would be at full load. So assuming a 50 percent duty cycle you would get about 4 hours run time.

Starting the AC would be full surge load, but just running it once its started will be more like half load (ballpark probably 12-1600ish). Ambient outdoor temps will make a difference too with AC cycles, lot's of variables in play here. I would bet more than 4 hours, but I do bet a 7 hour claim is probably not very attainable either lol.

depends on the duty cycle of the AC compressor, among other things. Park your rig out in the sun in Death Vally in August, you'll see a much shorter run time than if you park it in the shade of some big old trees on the shore of Lake Superior.

ryanw821 wrote:

Boon Docker wrote:
Spes for the genny say 8hr at 25 percent load. Running the AC would be at full load. So assuming a 50 percent duty cycle you would get about 4 hours run time.

Starting the AC would be full surge load, but just running it once its started will be more like half load (ballpark probably 12-1600ish). Ambient outdoor temps will make a difference too with AC cycles, lot's of variables in play here. I would bet more than 4 hours, but I do bet a 7 hour claim is probably not very attainable either lol.

When running my 15k AC with two Champion 2000 watt paralleled they ran at full tilt when the AC compressor is running.

My wife likes to stay up all night watching TV. I go outside around 10 and fill up my Champion 3100 inverter generator. I come back in and tell her I'm going to bed you have at least 4 and 1/2 hours before it runs out of fuel but if you get lucky you'll get 6 hours out of it. That's also running the a/c.

You can add an extended run tank using the Pinellas kit and a standard Yamaha connector outboard marine gas tank. The built in tank is 1.6 gallons good for 4 or 5 hours of A/C. I use a 6 gal. External tank that I share with my outboard. With the external tanks you can swap without worry about spilling gas on a hot genny and causing fire.

Depends on the generator. Honda 2000 watt models are easy because of the fuel pump. However, other models will have to have the tank located higher than the generator's fuel tank in order to work.

The Pinellas design for the Champion inverters includes adding a diaphragm mechanical fuel pump that is driven by tapping into the mamifolds vacuum pressure with a 'Y' connector inserted into the standard hose that runs between the airbox and the OHV. There's a detailed youtube showing how to add the options to DIY.

Order parts thru Amazon for about $70 or just buy the Pinellas kit from bottomlinetrading.com $199. This is not a hose-in-the-gas-cap option and the external tank can be on the ground below or next to the 3100. That fuel pump and air drive design is what Honda and others use for riding lawn mowers.

You cannot just drop a fuel line into a modified tank cap on a Champion 3100 and locate an external tank above for gravity feed. By the way, the Pinellas design uses the 3100's fuel selector knob to let you choose between onboard vs external tank. I like leaving my internal tank dry and only using the external. Makes storage and draining a lot easier.