portable generators

[Barry]

Guy's, moved this to products section. And thanx for all the great info. A friend of mine gave me a 4000 Coleman Powermate last week. Takes 3 Go-rillas to handle it. I knew I was'nt going to keep it but I also did'nt know what to buy. Thanx to y'all, I now know... ... ... ... ... . Honda!

 

[JohnE]

The longest lasting and quietest engines will be the overhead valve models with a silencer muffler. Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Subaru, Kohler, Onan, B&S, Tecumsah, Generac, etc. all make good overhead units.



MHO here:

The BEST is the Onan or Kohler 1800 RPM twins cylinder units. Heavy and expensive, but they are quiet and extremely reliable.

The next best is a Honda powered unit due to the variety of models, reliability of the engine and silencer muffler.

I rarely use a generator so I have the third option. A flat head Tecumsah powered Generac 5kW unit. It will run a gas furnace, freezer, fridge, lights, TV, and microwave with power to spare. It also loudly tells the neighbors I got power while they shiver in candle light! It is 1/3 the cost of a comparable Honda powered unit and 1/2 the cost of a Generac with an overhead valve engine



Unless you are contractor with cycling usage, do not get an idle back option. If the generator is running you will usually be drawing enough current to make the idle circuit useless. Gauges are nice to balance your loads.



-John

 

['956Wheel]

The EU's are D. C. to A. C. units (inverter) and are "computer friendly" due to the electricity being so "pure" with little fluctuations. The 3000 weighs 150 or so. It revs only as high as it needs to as opposed to other auto-throttle, hence the fuel efficiency. If you shop you can find one for 12 or so. Micro and air on 3000 not likely, if so you will ruin the genset in record time. I went with 3000 as I can turn off the A/C for the couple of minutes to make popcorn! Beer and popcorn... they're not just for breakfast anymore!



Mike

 

[The patriot]

I was just on a site that said an A/C uses 3250 watts running, and 5000 surge to start. Didnt mention anything about how many BTU's theyre talking about though.

http://www.allworlddieselgen.com/custom.shtml#kwcomputation



HTH

Eric

 

[PRout]

3250 watts at 115 volts is about 28 amps.

5000 watts at 115 volts is about 43 amps.



Those numbers sound like they are for a pretty large a/c unit.

 

[Roger rodbolt]

Quote: I was just on a site that said an A/C uses 3250 watts running, and 5000 surge to start. Didnt mention anything about how many BTU's theyre talking about though.

http://www.allworlddieselgen.com/cu...l#kwcomputation



Patriot,



I suspect that the 3250 watt power useage is for a larger A/C unit then most RV's use. Most 5th wheel trailers will operate the A/C and refrigerator on my home electrical outlet which is a 20amp circuit. I've successfully used a Honda 2500 watt generator Jayco and Holiday Rambler trailers, but I limit other power use while the A/C is on. The EU3000 very quiet compared to the other (nonEU) Honda models and the EU3000 should have a small reserve. I have a EU1000 for light power use and highly recommend it. Would love to have a EU3000 instead of carrying two generators but the $'s have kept it on my wish list.

 

[JFitzgerald]

If I remember right, my 13,500 BTU A/C unit on my camper pulls about 13 amps @ 120VAC. I believe this is the most common size of roof top A/C unit used on campers.



13 x 120 = roughly 1560 max. running watts, but as mentioned before, it is the surge draw that'll kill an undersized generator. The compressors draw a huge surge current to start.



Hope this helps.

 

[Cummins Corvette]

3250 WATTS!! The AC on my house doesn't use that much!! My duo therm 13. 5 uses 14 amps on high. That is 1680 watts. The eu 3000 handles that easily, even through a 50 foot extension cord with the eco throttle on.

 

[Blu-meanie]

Anybody figure out the parallel harness yet? That is an outrageous price for a crummy harness. Does it have gold wire? For that price it should catch and clean fish too.

I tried to see one at my local Honda place, they didn't have any in stock. I can see why, it would need a locked display case to store them.

 

[ET]

got one

thanks for all the great advice. i bought one two weeks ago at the farm show in louisville. I found a 4500 watt w/5500 surge

with a honda motor. here is a link to the guys i bought it from. they have some great prices. generators

 

[Goddard]

quiet camping

all things have just about been covered-but my 2 cents. bought a new onan marque gold 7000 last end of last year. all you hear when it is running is the cooling fan! extremely quiet! this unit runs both of my roof air units off of one side of the generator. it has [2] - 30 amp breakers. anyone wanting a permanent mount generator for their camper-this is the one. this unit is around $4000. I agree with the honda for a portable generator and don't care for a generac-yes they are way too noisy. !!!

 

[Cummins Corvette]

Who dug this thread up?

 

[JohnE]

ET, the originator of the thread, Chris.



A few words of caution for the great pricing at Small Engine Warehouse, <em>factory serviced</em>! Not all, but most of the generators alone are not &quot;new&quot; units.



-John