Generator/s

[Kalait]

The wife and I are considering some dry camping, currently we have a trailer which uses 35 Amps, but are considering to upgrading to 50 Amps. What generator should I get? Hoping to keep it as quite as possible, noted the Honda 2000i are only 57 db loud at 27 feet. Any ideas, thanks in advance.

[Fredzo]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

Kalait wrote:
I would love to go without generator, however my wife is an asthmatic and is controlled with cool air. Yes, we do some winter camping, however in the summer months we do need more than my 12 volt will handle, this is why I am asking. thanks for your thoughts

You will find most generator topics (of all kinds) on the *Tech Issues* forum.

Suggest you try a few searches there. Lots of good info available.
If you decide to post a Q there, start with a new title for your question/s (as no duplicates are allowed) - or ask the mod to move this one.

~

Lake Diaz, near Bishop, is a good example. Nice little lake with no svcs, and my wifey needs A/C.

When we had the fiver, we ran twin Hondas eight hours a day to keep her cool, while the rest of us played in the water.

To each his/her own, depending on circumstances!

[colliehauler]

Champion makes a quiet 3100 watt that would run a A/C for around $899.

[MPI_Mallard]

My Honda 3000 does a great job, it's quiet, doesn't vibrate too much and is good on gas, I hang it permenetly on a rack on tne rear of my fiver.

[Itching2go]

Kalait wrote:
I would love to go without generator, however my wife is an asthmatic and is controlled with cool air. Yes, we do some winter camping, however in the summer months we do need more than my 12 volt will handle, this is why I am asking. thanks for your thoughts

Sounds like you're wanting the ability to run your air conditioner. If so, the minimum you'll need is 3,000 Watts for a single air unit. For this, my favored configuration is a pair of 2000 inverter generators, running with a parallel kit, which I use on our 50 Amp fiver. Or, you could get a single 3000 Watt inverter generator, but the advantage for two in parallel is ease of carrying around, and the ability to fire up only one if all you need do is charge your batteries and run a few appliances.

As for brand, I have Champion 2000i's as they are significantly less expensive, quiet, reliable, with good service available from Champion. Others will swear by Honda, which is a great unit, but twice the cost of Champion.

[time2roll]

50 amp RV? That is 12,000 watts... May as well get a built in generator or trade for an RV that has one.

Considering the small size of your set up and objective I recommend a pair of Honda 2000, parallel kit and an extended run fuel tank.

http://www.wisesales.com/eu2000i-companion-package-honda-generator.html

http://www.wisesales.com/bergs-dual-feed-extended-run-tank-for-honda.html

$2,300 and you are good to go all day and night.

Do verify generator hours (if any) at your place of interest.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Kalait wrote:
I would love to go without generator, however my wife is an asthmatic and is controlled with cool air. Yes, we do some winter camping, however in the summer months we do need more than my 12 volt will handle, this is why I am asking. thanks for your thoughts

You will find most generator topics (of all kinds) on the *Tech Issues* forum.

Suggest you try a few searches there. Lots of good info available.
If you decide to post a Q there, start with a new title for your question/s (as no duplicates are allowed) - or ask the mod to move this one.

~

[coolbreeze01]

Kalait wrote:
The wife and I are considering some dry camping, currently we have a trailer which uses 35 Amps, but are considering to upgrading to 50 Amps. What generator should I get? Hoping to keep it as quite as possible, noted the Honda 2000i are only 57 db loud at 27 feet. Any ideas, thanks in advance.

Do you really plan to dry camp where you will need two AC units?

[whjco]

I purchased a Yamaha EF3000is that is extremely quiet (53-60db) and it will run in econo-mode for 19 hours at 1/4 load. I previously had a cheaper Chinese Magna 3000 that did okay but constantly leaked oil. It's nice to finally have a nice trouble-free quiet generator.

When I first got it, I filled it with oil (it's shipped dry) and added gas. I was sitting in a chair next to it and pulled out the choke and gave the starter a gentle pull and it fired right up! My wife can start it with no problem, almost always on the first pull. It's got enough output to handle a 13,500 btu air conditioner with room to spare.

Note: This unit requires an adapter to convert the 30 amp twist-lock receptacle to a standard 30A RV receptacle.


http://www.yamahagenerators.com/EF3000iS-p/ef3000is.htm?gclid=CLuMmIWEzsECFQyMaQodt3gAIQ

[Sandia_Man]

Difference in a 30 amp rig and 50 amp rig is a 50 amp rig has 2 or more AC units. You still will be plugging your shorepower cord and whatever appropriate adapter no matter the size of genny you get. If you need to run 2 AC units you are looking into a 5K watt or larger genny, one AC unit will require at least 3K watts for reliable service at varying elevations.

If you don't plan on running any AC units a 2K watt genny will run most everything in your RV including most microwave ovens. We prefer camping off the power grid and would never leave home without a generator. We didn't buy a camper to have all the amenities of home just to scrimp on our DC usage, we want to be able to use our rig and all it's amenities.

We use an inverter and a battery bank to power our HD tv and HD satellite, dvd player, Bose sound system, laptop pc, and for charging our portable electronics. We have solar as well and it is effective for charging our battery bank, but in many cases weather or trees cause less than stellar charging performance. In those cases running the genny every other day for an hour or two allows our Iota IQ4 converter to quickly restore consumed amphours.

All generators make noise. Inverter generators produce less noise, but can be pretty loud when providing power under heavy demand. You can pair a couple of units to gain enough wattage to run a 15K AC unit and you could leave one home if AC usage will not be required for the trip at hand. Honda and Yamaha build high quality units and they are available in a variety of sizes.

A popular choice for those that don't want to over spend on an item that in most cases will get little use are Champion generators, and they come in both inverter and open style models. Most report dependable operation and good customer service when the need arises, these units can be had for a fraction of what the red and blue units are currently selling for.

Figure out the max watts you will need at any given time and go a bit bigger as elevation can reduce total wattage capabilities. Determine your budget and use the internet to view the many options available. Generators can be a useful item to have when RVing but they must be used within whatever rules are in force at the campground should they have them. They do require a bit of maintenance and should be exercised occasionally if not being used often. Enjoy your new generator, it has saved the day on many an occasion for us.

[muelldawg]

A few weeks ago I bought a AP 2000 iQ from Costco for $599. Spec's are comparable with $1000 generators. It works very nicely.

[Kalait]

Thanks all for your information.

[Sprink-Fitter]

pnichols wrote:
The Honda 2000i is rated at 59 dB at full power. This spec doesn't mention at what distance.

I believe the low-noise reputation that Hondas have comes from running them at very low power levels, so noise output is less than 59 dB at lot of the time they're being used.

I've heard 2000i Hondas at full power and they do seem to make a lot of "racket" running at full power (over 4000 RPM).

Maybe you heard one that had problems, we have a EU6500IS for our BBQ vending trailer and I am constantly getting customers, mostly guys, amazed by how quiet it is.

[Kalait]

I would love to go without generator, however my wife is an asthmatic and is controlled with cool air. Yes, we do some winter camping, however in the summer months we do need more than my 12 volt will handle, this is why I am asking. thanks for your thoughts

[korbe]

You may find that you can enjoy some dry camping without a generator at all. Understanding the 12-volt system helped me conserve and dry camp for up to 6 days without a battery recharge.