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

[mfifield01]

My main reason to use econ is to cut back on noise. The fuel efficiency is also a plus.

[MrRchitty]

zuterbru wrote:
Why do you have to start your big AC unit in Econ mode? Econ mode is not there for that, it is for when you are running a small load so the engine does not run at high RPM unnecessarily. Saving fuel and being much quieter.
FYI, I found out the Spark Arrester needs to be cleaned quite frequently. You can get the manual online and it tells you how to do that. I used Carb Cleaner to clean it out, don't forget to clean the end cap. If you start seeing black smoke, clean the arrester.
Steve...

I know that the manual states to not use econo mode when running larger loads. There really is no solid definition as to what is a heavy load outside of common sense. I use mine in econo mode all of the time with a pancake aircompressor and an electric power washer. I've had these generators for about 5 years. After replacing the modules on an unrelated incident early on, I've had no issues.
I did post, also, about cleaning the screen. I ran into a repair shop who had one that was about 4 years old on a lunch cart. That screen was nearly blocked 100%.
Yes, frequent cleaning helps.

[zuterbru]

Why do you have to start your big AC unit in Econ mode? Econ mode is not there for that, it is for when you are running a small load so the engine does not run at high RPM unnecessarily. Saving fuel and being much quieter.
FYI, I found out the Spark Arrester needs to be cleaned quite frequently. You can get the manual online and it tells you how to do that. I used Carb Cleaner to clean it out, don't forget to clean the end cap. If you start seeing black smoke, clean the arrester.
Steve...

[Unyalli]

Check out 5-2-1 compressor saver.

[mfifield01]

MrRchitty wrote:
Yeah, don't touch the mixture screw. Then your smaller air conditioner must be right at the line for the generator. What are the possibilities of putting a hard start capacitor in?

I was thinking about it. I couldn't find anyone who put one in a portable air conditioner. It should be the same general concept as an RV or Window A/C.

[MrRchitty]

Yeah, don't touch the mixture screw. Then your smaller air conditioner must be right at the line for the generator. What are the possibilities of putting a hard start capacitor in?

[mfifield01]

I need to adjust it to fix the burping.

[Angus_NB]

Don't touch the mixture screw. It won't help the problem.

[mfifield01]

Unfortunately it didn't start the AC with ECON ON. I moved it 1/4, 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, and then 2 turns. I could definitely tell it was idling higher. Sometimes the generator engine would die and sometimes it would almost die (power cut out for a second and reset the AC). The only other thing I could try would be the mixture screw under the cap.

[MrRchitty]

mfifield01 wrote:
Is this the screw:

That looks exactly like it. With it running, just kick it up a pinch. Then test it. Also, as an added note, check your exhaust screen on a regular basis.

[mfifield01]

Is this the screw:

[MrRchitty]

mfifield01 wrote:
Where is the Idle screw located on this carb? Is it the screw with a spring behind it just below the stepper motor? Last time I adjusted a carb was about 10 years ago (motorcycle carb).

Thanks for your help.

If you take the back cover off, the screw is literally right behind the center support. You can force a screw driver into the area or drill a small hole through that support for better access. If you operate the throttle with the motor off, you can see the stop tap the screw which you are going to adjust. If you mess with the throttle while the generator is off, just return it back to its open position. When turning the generator off, it opens the throttle to aid in starting it. There is a tension spring under the head of the screw.

Let me know. This info was provided by the professor some time ago when attempting to address another issue. I have made use of the adjustment to address harder start applications.

[mfifield01]

Where is the Idle screw located on this carb? Is it the screw with a spring behind it just below the stepper motor? Last time I adjusted a carb was about 10 years ago (motorcycle carb).

Thanks for your help.

[MrRchitty]

mfifield01 wrote:

MrRchitty wrote:

mfifield01 wrote:
I bought an 11,000 BTU Portable AC. It will start and run with ECON mode OFF. I can start it with ECON mode OFF and then flip ECON mode ON. If it cycles, it kills the generator. The watt meter shows around 950 when running. It read 21A as the max pull and about 8.9A running. I'm not sure how long it run on a tank. My other concern is that the Portable AC is large.

I turned the idle screw up just a pinch. It might give it just enough to start the air conditioner. I did that to both of mine and each starts a pancake compressor and an electric power washer on eco mode.

How many amps do they pull? I might try that.

It's been awhile, the pancake air compressor has an in-rush current of approximately 30 amps. I can check in a couple of days. Work schedule is tight.

[mfifield01]

MrRchitty wrote:

mfifield01 wrote:
I bought an 11,000 BTU Portable AC. It will start and run with ECON mode OFF. I can start it with ECON mode OFF and then flip ECON mode ON. If it cycles, it kills the generator. The watt meter shows around 950 when running. It read 21A as the max pull and about 8.9A running. I'm not sure how long it run on a tank. My other concern is that the Portable AC is large.

I turned the idle screw up just a pinch. It might give it just enough to start the air conditioner. I did that to both of mine and each starts a pancake compressor and an electric power washer on eco mode.

How many amps do they pull? I might try that.