Which Generator

[ssemalone]

Boondocking for the first time, wondering which Generator to try, I have a 2014 Forest River Microlite, 23 foot, 13,000 BTU AC, was thinking about renting one. Is the Honda EB3000C viable??

[RooDude09]

We love our champion 3100 with remote start. It's a little loud compared to Hondas but it so convenient when the weather is nasty outside. I run it with the economy mode off so the rps are up a bit but it powers our 15k btu a/c but haven't tested it for a long period of time. It was a little over $1000 at Home Depot.

[firefightersink]

I had a Lifean 5600K inverter and I have to say that I was disappointed. Found out in the long run that very few shops will work on it let alone PM it. It was pretty quiet and ran everything in my camper. Now I have Companion Honda 2000's. The fuel cells are small but they run my A/C and lights no problem all night. I work at a racetrack in the summer and there isn't a noise requirement but I respect my neighbors. Have not had a problem with them. They are a bit more pricy than most but I will pay for a better product. I guess it comes down to what are you looking to power besides the A/C and are you in a campground or regulated state or national park. Check your decibel levels and start up versus running watts. Good luck.

[Samsonsworld]

smkettner wrote:
Why do you need a generator at all? OK you are in TX... are you really going to run the air conditioner for extended periods? 24/7?

Yes...in February.

[Community Alumni]

I have a Champion 3650/4500w that cost me $329. I built a nice box for it for when we're at the campgrounds. Works well even in campgrounds where the trailers are stacked on top of each other.

smkettner wrote:
Why do you need a generator at all? OK you are in TX... are you really going to run the air conditioner for extended periods? 24/7?

We consider ourselves lucky when we don't have to run the A/C for extended periods lol.

[Atlee]

colliehauler wrote:
With the way you use it I would get at least a 4k generation of power. That way if you want to use the microwave to make nachos you don't have to shut down the A/C .

I know we're sort of hijacking the thread, but 1) I couldn't move a 4k generator around at all. I get by with 2 2k Hondas. 2) With our group, we always set up a camp kitchen including two large 3 burner grills, a smoker, and most times a gas fired turkey cooker, plus 6 chafing dishes to put the meat on, plus other veggie dishes. Add in some home brew, and we're set for the football weekend. 🙂

[krobbe]

The Honda EU7000is will run All of your RV loads without any issues. It's super quiet and is extremely useful as a home backup generator. I have the older EU6500 just for home use and when the power goes out, it rocks. For camping, I carry a Honda EU2000 to recharge the batts, coffee maker and microwave. Have ran the AC a couple times with All other loads turned off including the converter/charger. But it was at it's limit. I would rather camp where the temps are cooler.

[colliehauler]

Atlee wrote:
I do, and I'm in Virginia. It gets hot in September. Sometimes we'd die without AC early in football season. Most of my RV friends have and run generators during the day, and sometimes have to at night.

Obviously, not everyone uses their RV's the way we do.

PS: I once had to run the on board generator on my Class B for 36 straight hours while at a season opening gaming against Alabama in Atlanta during Labor Day Weekend.

smkettner wrote:
Why do you need a generator at all? OK you are in TX... are you really going to run the air conditioner for extended periods? 24/7?

With the way you use it I would get at least a 4k generation of power. That way if you want to use the microwave to make nachos you don't have to shut down the A/C .

[Atlee]

I do, and I'm in Virginia. It gets hot in September. Sometimes we'd die without AC early in football season. Most of my RV friends have and run generators during the day, and sometimes have to at night.

Obviously, not everyone uses their RV's the way we do.

PS: I once had to run the on board generator on my Class B for 36 straight hours while at a season opening gaming against Alabama in Atlanta during Labor Day Weekend.

smkettner wrote:
Why do you need a generator at all? OK you are in TX... are you really going to run the air conditioner for extended periods? 24/7?

[firestorm79]

Champion 3100 in 108F had no problems starting or running a 15K A/C. The eco throttle didn't seem to change the RPMs at all so it was running flat out but it didn't surge or flash the overload light. Altitude was 400' AMSL.

[time2roll]

Why do you need a generator at all? OK you are in TX... are you really going to run the air conditioner for extended periods? 24/7?

[TomG2]

What does the OP mean by, "boondocking"? If you are talking about parking lot camping then the Champion 3500/4000 watt units will provide 30 amps of usable power, about the same as most campgrounds, for around $300.00. If you are talking side by side camping in a quiet forest, then no generator is quiet enough for me.

BTW, Internet "reviews" don't mean much. For example what else was running at the time? Converter, refrigerator, water heater, etc.?

[Sandia_Man]

If you are boondocking suggesting no nearby neighbors and are just planning on renting a generator the one you stated should suffice if it can put out at least 3000 watts for reliable AC usage.

If purchasing a generator a 3000 watt or combining two 2000 watt units is needed for running your rig's AC unit under most conditions and elevations. Honda 3000 non-Handi unit is the quietest, the Champion 3100 inverter is the most economical choice. Enjoy your trip!!!

[2oldman]

ssemalone wrote:
Is the Honda EB3000C viable??

No. That's a loud one.

The reality of a/c and generators is that I almost never see anybody doing that. Lots of folks buy one to use it that way, but from my travel experience it's rare. People just go outside.

Point of reference: My 2 Honda 2ks will run my 13.5 air and the MW at the same time.

[Junior30]

I own the champion 3100I. i picked it up at costco about a year ago for sale at $599. i had been looking and thought it was too good of a deal to pass up. I have a 2015 four wind class c with 15,000 btu a/c and the generator handles it with no problem. i have not tried running the microwave and a/c together but it runs the a/c with juice to spare.

My motorhome has the onan 4000 generator but i have the Champion for other needs but it is nice to be able to pull it away from the motorhome and run it. i find its quieter then the onan.

[BendOrLarry]

jaycocreek wrote:
Many generators won't pull a 13,500 btu air conditioner in 95 degree weather.My Yamaha 4kES would not,my Honda 3k will..

Here is a review on the Champion 3100 inverter stating it won't either..Reviews are reviews...

I bought this one last week to take with us last weekend to the lake. I previously owned a Honda 3000i but it was stolen a year ago. Because we don't go near as much as we used to I really didn't want to spend $2,000 + on a generator so I got the Champion. I took it out of the box filled it with oil & gas and it started the first pole. So far so good. My disappointment was that it was no where near as quiet as the Honda. Maybe when there is no load but when the AC kicks in we were all laughing because it was every bit as loud as my buddies $300 Pep-Boys generator. The next disappointment was after running with the AC on for about 45 minutes it kicked off on overload. I shut it down for a short while then tried it again and after only 5 minutes it was useless. I will admit it was 110 dg outside but I had it in the shade not on an extension cord or any of those other mistakes. I did run my Honda all day once on blacktop at a high of 117 dg. The next day it was a little cooler, like 105 dg and it did work fine. I'm assuming that it was the heat and if we are lucky we won't go camping any more in that kind of heat. Overall it is light, easy to move around with the wheels, great having the RV plug built in but I gotta tell ya, It aint all that quiet.

My Champion 3100I handles our motorhome AC just fine. It won't handle anything else at the same time, it is max'd out with the AC.