Portable Gen Wireless Start Questions

[BFL13]

Friend wants to run her RV air cond (13 or 15?) at times this summer and not with a recoil start cord. Seems to want remote start too. She knows little about the topic--I am not much better. So asking here in case somebody knows right off about the starter options, before I dig into it (lazy!). I assume she needs about a 3000w gen based on how we needed our Honda EU3000i for the 5er a/c we had.

Looking at the Champion 3100, I see locally they come with a recoil start and at a decent price. However, I see on the US sites they come with a wireless remote start for the same gen.

I see there are "wireless start kits" you can get in the States for any brand (?) portable gen that has the "port" in its control panel for plugging the kit into. Does the kit use the gen's electric start battery or its own?

I don't know if the Champion 3100 with recoil start has that port, or which gens do, and what the deal is with the US version of the 3100.

Can anybody post a general idea of how the wireless remote starter works compared with electric start, and how you can tell from the specs if a gen has the required "port" for a wireless start kit?

Also--Our Honda 3000 with electric start had the battery in it die the first year so it was all pull cord start for the next 15 years. If she did get say a Champion 3100 with electric/wireless start (if available "up here"), is there a trick to keeping its battery charged if she doesn't use the gen very often?

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/100262-3500-watt-wireless-start-inverter/

https://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-install-a-generator-remote-start-kit

[pianotuna]

Hi BFL13,

I added a positive and negative "post" external to the generator. That way I could use a "boost" box for starting after killing the battery. The first time was my fault, the 2nd time some one else was being "helpful".

The SiO2 was cheaper than an AGM from Canadian Tire.

[BFL13]

With the Honda 3000 and its dead battery, I had it for a while with #8 short pigtails to the pos and neg for its battery passed through to the outside where I could attach pos and negs from a different battery. I could start the gen with its key same as if it had its own battery.

If you can do that with other electric start gens, then you could set it out with jumpers to the RV's house 12v left hooked up out there and use the wireless start from inside the RV.

If the gen is on the back of the Class C, maybe we can rig jumpers as a sort of permanent set-up from some 12v to back there, so no fear of the little gen battery running down.

[TurnThePage]

My Champ 3400 has been awesome for running my 13.5k A/C and other RVing gear. Just a minor blip when the compressor kicks on. I also killed my battery in the first year despite trying hard not to. I now top charge it monthly when in storage and just remember to leave the switch off when I'm not actively using it.

[BFL13]

Thanks all, still looking where to buy the black 3400 (or near that size) Champion with wireless start in Canada. Usual places still selling the yellow ones with recoil start looks like.

EDIT--waiting to hear back from CanTire about when they will have the 3400 with wireless. Will report what they say-expect it will be a while.

I figure it is better to find the new black model with wireless than try to modify the recoil start model with a kit.

I assume the wireless key fob means you don't need to leave the "real" key in the on position and run the battery down???

With the wireless key fob for the electric start, what about the choke control? Might not need choke in summer?

She plans to mount the gen on the back of her Class C with some extra support rigged--don't have the details on that-- and be able to start it from inside. I don't know why not just use a pull cord, but that's her plan.

Usually has shore power but going to be where it is hot off-grid later this year, so looking at gens. Her C has no built- in gen.

That 4500 Westinghouse is the same as the PowerMax one and some other brands. Looked into that before, and there is a factory in China that makes them for several different brands and has something to do with Ford, forget the details. She only needs a 3000, but I can see how you might need the bigger size to get more features looking at the choices.

[routeforty]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
Westinghouse also has one. i-gen
Like the champs and others, it's a chinese knockoff of honda or Yamaha equipment.

I have this model. To use the remote start you have to turn the battery switch, or button on(the red one at the top left on the panel). If left on too long, like overnight, the battery goes dead. So then you have to start it manually. So whenever I want to start it remotely I have to go out and flip the battery switch on. Kind of defeats the purpose of a remote starter. I think I saw some place where you could replace the original battery with a larger one, but I haven't had time yet to look into that. Gary

[Gdetrailer]

Grit dog wrote:
Unless your friend is not in a normal typical RVing scenario, I'm not certain how someone who is "wanting" remote electric start (either due to their physical limitations or propensity to not leave the camper) would handle/ transport/move a 3-4kw generator without great effort.

:R



There is lots of ways to get around the "weight" factor, that is one solution, lots of other ways, heck I use my front loader to load my 4Kw gen :B ..

And personally, I cannot condemn or blame anyone that wants electric start. Getting a electric start gen is one of the reasons I ended up buying a larger gen than I needed for my home backup power system. I wanted to make sure my DW was able to get the gen running if I wasn't home.

Pull starting any engine can be difficult for some people, not everyone has the upper body strength to pull over a engine fast enough.

[Grit_dog]

Unless your friend is not in a normal typical RVing scenario, I'm not certain how someone who is "wanting" remote electric start (either due to their physical limitations or propensity to not leave the camper) would handle/ transport/move a 3-4kw generator without great effort.

[Grit_dog]

BFL13 wrote:


Also--Our Honda 3000 with electric start had the battery in it die the first year so it was all pull cord start for the next 15 years. If she did get say a Champion 3100 with electric/wireless start (if available "up here"), is there a trick to keeping its battery charged if she doesn't use the gen very often?

Same as any other battery. Maintain/charge it. Not a trick, just normal preventative maintenance.

[wanderingaimles]

Westinghouse also has one. i-gen
Like the champs and others, it's a chinese knockoff of honda or Yamaha equipment.

[Skibane]

That series of Champion models is getting a little long in the tooth.

They have a new series that will probably eventually supersede it.

It has a battery shutoff switch to disable the remote receiver when the unit is in storage - otherwise, the receiver would eventually discharge the battery.

[pianotuna]

Hi BFL13,

I installed a Pinella unit on the Yamaha.

Yamaha does make a remote start--but it doesn't control the choke--the Pinealla unit does.

https://www.pinellaspowerproducts.com/

It works well BUT for the remote to work, the key must be turned on. That discharges the generator starter battery.

I added one of the 13.5 volt relays that you sourced on another thread. So now, my solar charges the generator battery too. I deliberately used thin wire as I don't want a lot of amps going to the generator.

I'm using an SiO2 battery in the generator now.

I wish when my generator developed wings, that I had simply gone to the Champion 3400 with remote electric start.

[bgum]

Some of the remote start kit sites offer the generator for sale also. I have a Honda 3000 and my battery also died quickly. I plan to hook a 2 watt solar maintainer to it to keep the battery charged.