Honda 2000 runs my A/C

[f150camper]

I borrowed a friends Honda 2000 generator to test if it would power my A/C.
Plugged it in, turned on A/C - and sure enough, the Honda runs it just fine, both in Lo and Hi cool modes. Fridge was turned on also, nothing else.
I had my kill-a-watt plugged in - voltage went from 127V to 122V when turning the generator on.
Honestly, I was a little surprised that it works. Thinking of getting the 2,000W generator from Costco now for $600 or so, hoping that this one will work also. Worth a try - Costco will take it back if it doesn't work.
What do you guys think?

[bikendan]

gwh1bass wrote:
Camping here at the Sand Lake Campground in the Manistee National Forest in Michigan
Cuzin Campin 2014-6 by glennwh, on Flickr

someone ran a generator the whole time they were at their site, all morning, late afternoon and all night. Now it was a Honda 2000, but at night you can hear it a long way off. Felt sorry for the tent campers nearby.

why didn't anyone report them? i'm sure running the generator all night, is against the rules.

[gwh1bass]

RoyB wrote:
You also should consider where you may be using your generators. This is really a big problem for alot of of campers. On the east side of the US most public camp grounds including the Natl Forest sites all seem to have generator run time restrictions in place. Most we see here on the East side of the US is from 8AM-10AM in the mornings and then again from 4:30PM to 7:30PM. Never see anywhere that allows the generator to run in the evening hours let alone all night long. Most East side Natl Forest areas have the short hours as well and some may allow from 8AM to 8PM. Out west you have alot of dispersed camping where you can do whatever you want I guess.

I see everyone wants to have the generator to run the air conditioners but it amazes me where they think they can run them at public campgrounds. Just doesn't happen where we go camping...

Roy Ken

Camping here at the Sand Lake Campground in the Manistee National Forest in Michigan
Cuzin Campin 2014-6 by glennwh, on Flickr

someone ran a generator the whole time they were at their site, all morning, late afternoon and all night. Now it was a Honda 2000, but at night you can hear it a long way off. Felt sorry for the tent campers nearby.

[Mr_Beebo]

I have the 13.5 unit. Not sure why it is surprising. I noted I would not take just one unit if I were off the grid and needed ac, I only mentioned that it did work in my situation. As far as noise, the Champion puts out 53 db; not sure why you think that isn't as quiet. I owned a Honda E3000 and my experience was that the Honda and the Champion were equally as quiet but they did have a different sound "signature".
I was in my shop yesterday working and had one running on a workbench charging a 12 volt battery. It was not noticeable thru ambient noise such as traffic, a fan or the radio.

[Oasisbob]

That surprises me as well. What size AC do you have? Unless you exclusively boon dock away from people I would spend the extra and buy a Honda or Yamaha gen set as they are much quieter.

[Mr_Beebo]

There are always variables involved, ie age/condition of the ac unit, your elevation, etc. Several threads have dealt with the minimum gennie needed to run a 13.5 unit and there have been posters with 2400 and 2800 watt Yamaha units that could not do it. I've owned a Honda 3000 and current use a Honda Black Max for my home backup, so I know their quality. But I picked up the Champions plus a parallel kit for right at $1100, and that was that.

[f150camper]

Thanks, Mr. Beebo!
That was the info I was looking for. I agree that two 2000's paralleled would probably be the better choice if one wanted to use the generator(s) extensively for A/C. But that's true whether or not it's a Honda or Champion.
I would use the generator(s) maybe 4-5 times per year, plus any recreational use around the house, so I think the Champions would do. Especially considering the significant difference in cost, plus the ability to buy from Costco.

[Mr_Beebo]

Yes, I did. I manually shut the air off as well as let it cycle. However, I was only running the one Champion as an experiment. Knowing the capabilities of the product doesn't mean I intend to run it to it's limits. Any camping done without hookups and I bring the two paired together.

[M_GO_BLUE1]

Ok it ran your AC but did you leave it on long enough to see if it can handle the cycling of the AC?

[Mr_Beebo]

f150camper wrote:

bikendan wrote:

a Honda or Yamaha 2000w is much more capable handling the a/c surge, than the Champion 2000w.
i've never heard of any Champion 2000w running any 13.5 a/c but i can attest that my Honda 2000w runs my Dometic 13.5 a/c and even ran it in Yellowstone.

Dan - any data to back that up?
I will report back if I get one of those costco generators.

First thing I did after purchasing my Champion 2000s in 2013 was to hook one (1) up to my Rockwood. Started the generator, turned it off of "econo" and kicked on the 13.5 ac. Temps outside were low 80's and humid. Generator surged and then leveled out. AC ran for 20 minutes or so with no problems. I kicked it off manually, let the compressor cool off for another 5 minutes give or take and turned it back on. AC restarted without issue. That was the only time I have used only one of the Champions to power the ac, and it confirmed to me that they were more than capable of handling what I needed them for. Since then I have used them together as intended. If they had not been up to the task I would have returned them.

[bikendan]

suggest you read through the hundreds of posts in the long running thread on the Champion 2000w inverter generator, in the Tech Issues Forum here.

i'm not about to glean all that info for you, sorry.;)

[f150camper]

bikendan wrote:

a Honda or Yamaha 2000w is much more capable handling the a/c surge, than the Champion 2000w.
i've never heard of any Champion 2000w running any 13.5 a/c but i can attest that my Honda 2000w runs my Dometic 13.5 a/c and even ran it in Yellowstone.

Dan - any data to back that up?
I will report back if I get one of those costco generators.

[bikendan]

sleepgsr wrote:

phoneguy1212 wrote:
You can always change out that juice hog capacitor yourself and be amazed at the difference.

Please explain. I'm interested in doing something that would make my champion 2000 watt run our ac.
Thanks 🙂

a Honda or Yamaha 2000w is much more capable handling the a/c surge, than the Champion 2000w.
i've never heard of any Champion 2000w running any 13.5 a/c but i can attest that my Honda 2000w runs my Dometic 13.5 a/c and even ran it in Yellowstone.

[f150camper]

Hybridhunter wrote:
Don't assume the humorously surge INcapable Champion 1700 watt generator sold as a 2000 watt generator is even in the same league as the Honda, in any respect.

The Champion is more honestly a 1600 watt generator, with very modest surge abilities. I have owned 3 of these, and even after the upgrades done under warranty, they were at best a 1600 watt generator.

None of the 3 Champion "2000's" could even handle the initial surge from my, or my parents WFCO 55amp converter when the 2 batteries were discharged. They struggle with loads with a high "Power Factor".
Caveat Emptor.

Yeah, you could be right. Worth a try though. If it does not work, then there are two options:
- return (it's Costco, right?)
- get another one and the parallel kit. All for the price of about one Honda.

Not much to lose IMO. 4kW would also be a good backup for a power outage at home.

[kevden]

I have melted a 110vac to 30 amp shore power cord adapter when running the ac. Now I only run the AC when plugged into a 30 amp outlet.