Generator Observation

[hohenwald48]

We spent last Thursday thru Sunday dry camping at the Auburn, AL football game. We stayed in an area called the "hayfields" with what I estimate to be about 1,000 other dry campers. People were in all kinds of rigs from A-frame pop ups to Marathon coaches. Everybody had a generator and some had several. They all ran for the whole 3 days due to the heat.

Anyone who says another brand (including Champion and Yamaha) of generator is as "quiet as a Honda" simply doesn't know what they are talking about. All it took was a short walk thru the field and it was very evident that Honda's (EU1000 up to EU7000) were by far the quietest generators running. No doubt about it.

Folks can quote specs all they want but a long walk in the park convinced me. If "quiet" is important to you then there is no other way to go than with Honda.

Also, I saw all kinds of stupid while there. I guess the best example was a generator about 6" from a TT being refueled, in the dark, by a guy smoking a cigarette, probably drunk, while it was still running. Lots of crazy stuff. But we had a good time.

[SoundGuy]

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
So if you start seeing them pop up in campgrounds, you can thank me for starting the trend. 😉

Sure hope that never happens. :R

[tragusa3]

I've camped many times next to the Hondas. My Yamaha 2400 is just a split of a hair louder than a red 2000. Until, of course, you use a pair of 2000's at full bore to run an A/C. Then, my blue is quieter running my A/C.

[dave54]

New generators are quieter than ones with a few thousand hours. I know my Hondas are not as quiet as they once were despite regular and meticulous maintenance. So on the strolls through the campground be careful not to compare a brand new one to a ten year old and 5000 hour gennie.

Although my ten year old hondas running in parallel were still quieter than a single brand new champion in the next campsite. He also had it sitting in the bed of his pickup on bare metal. His whole vehicle was vibrating and acting as an amplifier.

[time2roll]

hohenwald48 wrote:
Yeah, I think a lot of these "why do you need a generator" folks on here don't get down south too often. Maybe they'll invent a solar powered 15K BTU catalytic air conditioner some day but for now I'll hang on to my 3000is.

We ask why because often it is just charging a cell phone or watching a show.

Some day solar air conditioning will change the world but we are not there yet at least not with an RV.

Of course there was life before air conditioning... just not as comfortable.

[hohenwald48]

jake2250 wrote:

hohenwald48 wrote:


Also, I saw all kinds of stupid while there. I guess the best example was a generator about 6" from a TT being refueled, in the dark, by a guy smoking a cigarette, probably drunk, while it was still running. Lots of crazy stuff. But we had a good time.

Ha,, you should attend a NASCAR Event!! Allot of drunk functions going on! Generators run all hours if it is warm!! Try being in Vegas on black top camping!! Stays hot sometimes,, quiet hours not really enforced! Some of those Onan generators in the class B and class A motor homes have auto start and run when ever and they are loud!!
The Phoenix race,,, seems if you can get a ratty contractor rattle box generator going its best to let it run all the time because I guess they may not start again!!
Quiet time????? The race cars don't have mufflers why should your generator have one???

Yeah, I think a lot of these "why do you need a generator" folks on here don't get down south too often. Maybe they'll invent a solar powered 15K BTU catalytic air conditioner some day but for now I'll hang on to my 3000is.

[OBSPowerstroke]

SoundGuy wrote:

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
Sometimes I even run a small inverter for a laser show.

Interesting behaviour from someone offended by others running gensets for what they view as their own legitimate purposes. Can't imagine many would appreciate a laser light show while camping. :R

A laser show pointed in the trees directly above my campsite that doesn't move and instead makes it look like stars in the tree canopy is much less intrusive than a 5K+ watt contractor generator blaring away all hours of the day. A propane lantern is more annoying to fellow campers than this laser show.

Not to mention that I usually only set it up when boondocking or staying in a big group. On the rare occasion I've run it in campgrounds, I've gotten nothing but compliments usually followed up with an inquiry as to where to buy one. So if you start seeing them pop up in campgrounds, you can thank me for starting the trend. 😉

[jake2250]

hohenwald48 wrote:


Also, I saw all kinds of stupid while there. I guess the best example was a generator about 6" from a TT being refueled, in the dark, by a guy smoking a cigarette, probably drunk, while it was still running. Lots of crazy stuff. But we had a good time.

Ha,, you should attend a NASCAR Event!! Allot of drunk functions going on! Generators run all hours if it is warm!! Try being in Vegas on black top camping!! Stays hot sometimes,, quiet hours not really enforced! Some of those Onan generators in the class B and class A motor homes have auto start and run when ever and they are loud!!
The Phoenix race,,, seems if you can get a ratty contractor rattle box generator going its best to let it run all the time because I guess they may not start again!!
Quiet time????? The race cars don't have mufflers why should your generator have one???

[chr_]

My Honda EV4010 is louder than my old flathead Onan 6K powerDrawer. The Honda runs higher RPM's.The Honda does have air cooled exhaust cowling, this helps with heat a lot. These are both RV built-ins.

However, I'm sure this thread is more about Honda Portable generators, and I will chime in about those too. My camping buddy has two EU2000i's. They are quiet, until the AC kicks on, or the Microwave kicks on, then they are as loud as anything else...

When it was 103* out in the desert, He had to turn eco-throttle off. A while later, one of them would stall occasionally at AC startup. It was random as to which one. They are both brand new. One is a Companion, so has the 30A plug.

At that point I knew that spending $900 on a used EV4010 with 80 hours on it was the better choice... At least for me, camping in the desert.

As for Forest Camping. The genset rarely gets used and never at night. People keep the darn things running so the kids can stay inside and watch tv. Drives me nuts. I run two 6V batteries and have 400W of solar on the roof. All I need.

I get that sometimes a furnace may run the batteries down. If that is the case, charge them with the genny during the day.

[Sgeorge]

OBSPowerstroke - I agree with you completely, I jumped into this thread just to play devils advocate against the big red machine. I have solar on my trailer and I rarely run the genset other than for the AC and that is few and far between. The most important aspect to any generator is to be a responsible camper and respect others around you. Too many people now have forgotten that rule. Solar was by far the best investment I have made to my trailer and it was cheaper than the cost of my generator. (installed it myself)

[SoundGuy]

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
Sometimes I even run a small inverter for a laser show.

Interesting behaviour from someone offended by others running gensets for what they view as their own legitimate purposes. Can't imagine many would appreciate a laser light show while camping. :R

[OBSPowerstroke]

What really gets me is the people that come out for an extended weekend (2-3 nights) and feel they need to run their generators for hours on end both day and night. We spent last weekend camped at a Forest Service campground and were greeted with the sounds of generators all weekend long. The group that ran theirs the most often also happened to have one of the cheap open-frame construction generators that was obscenely loud.

All these people had nice trailers, so why not invest a little money into LED lighting and a catalytic heater so you can leave the generator at home for a short weekend trip and enjoy the sounds of nature? I run 2 6-volt Trojan golf cart batteries and can last at least 3 full nights without concern of my batteries going flat, and that's using all the lights as needed, watching a movie or two on the TV, charging phones, and playing the stereo. Sometimes I even run a small inverter for a laser show.

I like my Honda 2000, but I rarely find the need to actually use it. If I invested in some solar it'd probably stay home for all but the really long trips.

[Sgeorge]

I guess I didn't word it very well. It would have taken two Honda's to get the same results at a cost of $2000.00 (IE paralled) or one 3K Honda at approximatley the same cost. Either way a heck of a lot more than the 3100 Champion, for not much difference in noise.

[Ductape]

Sgeorge wrote:
Maybe the noise from some of the very cheap open frame gensets had an impact on your observations. I ran a Honda 2000i for 15 years until it finally bit the dust. I replaced it with a 3100 Champion and I nor the wife could tell the difference in the sound coming from the Champion vrs the Honda. A few months later we went camping with a friend who has a Honda 2000 and we did a vey unscientific sound test, walking away until the generators could not be heard. It was essentially the same distance. I paid $650.00 for the Champion (Costco) which could run my AC as well has everything else, it would have cost me over $2000.00 in a Honda product for the same output and essentially the same noise. I was a true Honda believer until I made the switch. FWIW

You just compared a 3k champ to a 2k Honda. The 3k Honda would be the appropriate comparison. And is much quieter.

[Sgeorge]

Maybe the noise from some of the very cheap open frame gensets had an impact on your observations. I ran a Honda 2000i for 15 years until it finally bit the dust. I replaced it with a 3100 Champion and I nor the wife could tell the difference in the sound coming from the Champion vrs the Honda. A few months later we went camping with a friend who has a Honda 2000 and we did a vey unscientific sound test, walking away until the generators could not be heard. It was essentially the same distance. I paid $650.00 for the Champion (Costco) which could run my AC as well has everything else, it would have cost me over $2000.00 in a Honda product for the same output and essentially the same noise. I was a true Honda believer until I made the switch. FWIW

[time2roll]

hohenwald48 wrote:
We spent last Thursday thru Sunday dry camping at the Auburn, AL football game. We stayed in an area called the "hayfields" with what I estimate to be about 1,000 other dry campers. People were in all kinds of rigs from A-frame pop ups to Marathon coaches. Everybody had a generator and some had several. They all ran for the whole 3 days due to the heat.

I would be more worried about the CO levels more than the noise in a situation like that.