The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread

[pritch272]

8/1/2010 edit: Thread renamed at the suggestion of the Professor.
Renamed from: Champion Inverter and Remote Gens Promo on CPE's web site)

3/22/2011 edit: Thread renamed ...
Renamed from: Official CPE 2000 Watt Inverter Generator Thread

3/23/2011 edit: Thread renamed at the suggestion of the Professor.
Renamed from: (Un)Official CPE 2000 Watt Inverter Generator Thread

Inverter Available August 2010



Remote Available July 2010

[MrWizard]

yeah it was the A/C model number, I was thinking of
wondering about the LRA of the compressor

[bondebond]

MrWizard wrote:
age/year and model numbers please
then we can check the specs of the ones that start against the ones that won't

bondebond wrote:
My pair of Champions have started and successfully run two different 13.5k ACs. Not sure the difference. One was a Carrier and the other a Coleman. Both were stock.

My generators are both model 73538i (Red) with a fabrication date of 2011-05. The A/C I have is a Carrier Air V that is original to the 2006 pop-up camper and is 13.5k. The other A/C I don't have access to as it was a friend's camper that was the Coleman but I would say it a 2008-9 model. Sorry nothing more specific.

[PrivatePilot]

Good news, another option to the usual SPP6 / SPP6E cap.

Fwiw, my earlier recommendation of the Chinese knockoff SPP6 capacitor that I found on eBay is recinded - we boondocked last night, running AC on generators, and after a half hour or so the generators suddenly overloaded and shut down.

No amount of fiddling could get the AC to restart without overloading the gennies....even 20 minutes later when the head pressure should have dropped.

I wondered if it was the new start cap, so I went up on the roof (a wonderful experience in the dark, humidity, light rain, and threatening thunder storm) and removed the new cap.

Sure enough the AC started right up afterwards so long as the gennies were not in Eco mode.

I guess the cheap knockoff cap was worth what I paid for it.

[toprudder]

eBay - Diversitech DST-5

[MrRchitty]

I just got my twin Champion 2000 watt inverter generators to start my air conditioner which is a 13.5k btu unit. in previous forums I had stated that I had a dometic unit but I am wrong I have a coleman mach unit.

After much research on the internet I decided to call a local r v repair and parts dealer. They recommended a boost capacitor that they use themselves. It is model number DST-5 and made by diversitech. It is easy to install, it goes in parallel with the run capacitor and has a built in relay to remove itself from the circuit when no longer needed.

I turned the eco mode off and started the air conditioner with no problem at all. It is about 85 degrees here and it's humid and the camper is very warm inside.

This component came very highly recommended from this dealer and it is a repair that he does often himself.

If you are having hard start issues, this is why I recommend it worked very well for me.

Because it was a local dealer I paid a lot of money for this, it cost me $ 39.99.

I am thrilled, right now!


:C

[MrWizard]

age/year and model numbers please
then we can check the specs of the ones that start against the ones that won't

bondebond wrote:
My pair of Champions have started and successfully run two different 13.5k ACs. Not sure the difference. One was a Carrier and the other a Coleman. Both were stock.

[bondebond]

My pair of Champions have started and successfully run two different 13.5k ACs. Not sure the difference. One was a Carrier and the other a Coleman. Both were stock.

[MrWizard]

I like champion gensets
my 3000w open frame has been very good

but inverter generators all brands, don't have the rotating mass of a heavy generator head to absorb the shock , provide impetus, to start an A/C compressor
its iffy at the best of times even with Honda's it takes the right combination of a/c components

the little champs have a smaller engine and ramp up speed seems a tad slower than other brands
so in some cases they just don't have the oomph needed to kick start the A/C compressor

in these situations its a choice. of different a/c or different generator

I agree whole heartily that 4000surge 3400 running watts should be able to start the. a/c, but in many cases using inverter gensets it just won't happen

[nitrohorse]

Beachums wrote:
Yea, I thought about replying to the rhetoric from hybrid ........but then I realized that doing just about anything else imaginable on the planet would be more important..... What does he have to gain posting something a 10 y/o kid can see through???...... About as much as I would have to replying to it. I almost feel as though I am wasting my time now but this is all just commentary and it doesn't mean anything.

If you're ever bored to death, go back and read some of his old posts. I like his classic where he states that he has an open frame Champion 1200/1500 and he made it as or nearly as quiet as a Champion inverter by throwing a 3/4" thick rug over it. I don't remember the wording verbatim, but that's basically the flavor of the post. When I read that, I knew that his universe and mine were two different places.

[Beachums]

No matter what the outcome is, I promise to update the facts about the issue with the genset/ac I am having

[Beachums]

Yea, I thought about replying to the rhetoric from hybrid ........but then I realized that doing just about anything else imaginable on the planet would be more important..... What does he have to gain posting something a 10 y/o kid can see through???...... About as much as I would have to replying to it. I almost feel as though I am wasting my time now but this is all just commentary and it doesn't mean anything.

[PrivatePilot]

Hybrid hunter has been one of the anti-Champion naysayers in this thread for a long, long time, so keep that in mind.

"Go buy a Honda/Yamaha/Whatever" blah blah blah is the usual cry from the naysayers.

You won't have problems they say.

They'll start your AC all the time everytime they say.

Their customer service is better, they say.

My personal experience, as well as the posts from the Honda/Yamaha/Whatever owners here often point to the contrary.

[nitrohorse]

Hybridhunter wrote:

Beachums wrote:


Okay, so I installed the spp6 across the compressor. It still goes into overload. I have it isolated. I have the gens out of Econ mode...... Trips it every time. I am pulling my hair and kicking the neighbors dog over the money wasted on this...... Any other ideas? Fwiw..... The ac unit is a dometic.

There is likely one of 2 problems, but I doubt the AC is to blame.
1) Defective generator
2) first generation "module" is overloading prematurely

Call CPE.....


Edit - Humorous how many folks have been in contact with CPE for issues. ;-0

I find it even more amusing how you can narrow it down to two problems, both having to do with the generator, by only reading this thread.

[Hybridhunter]

Beachums wrote:


Okay, so I installed the spp6 across the compressor. It still goes into overload. I have it isolated. I have the gens out of Econ mode...... Trips it every time. I am pulling my hair and kicking the neighbors dog over the money wasted on this...... Any other ideas? Fwiw..... The ac unit is a dometic.

There is likely one of 2 problems, but I doubt the AC is to blame.
1) Defective generator
2) first generation "module" is overloading prematurely

Call CPE.....


Edit - Humorous how many folks have been in contact with CPE for issues. ;-0

[PrivatePilot]

I'd jump into one of the AC threads and ask the experts - the fact that your AC unit appears to be sharing one start cap for double duty could be your problem - I know mine had 2, and I only piggybacked on the start capacitor.

I'm not an electrical tech (at least 120V, I can do 12V stuff in my sleep) so what's what under the hood of the AC isn't exactly clear to me, but the guys in the AC threads will be able to tell you for sure.

Just be prepared to ignore the "Oh geez, sell those pieces of junk and go buy a Honda/Yamaha" people who rush to the conclusion that it's the generators fault, not the AC. There are lots of people here who are quick to spend other people's money.

Solving your problem could be as easy as adding a second capacitor somehow. I suspect that the second trailer you tried had the 2 capacitors. which is why you were able to start the AC on it....probably even without the SPP6 upgrade, which would then likely have allowed you to start it on Eco mode. 😉