Yamaha 2400I generator

[CBTraveler]

I'm considering a Yamaha 2400I generator, but I'm not sure it will start the Air Conditioner on my 2006 Montana 3400RL. The specs say the A/C on the 3400RL is a Dometic 15,000 BTU unit. The amperage requirements per the Dometic brochure are within the output ratings on the 2400I, but I'm concerned about the ability of the 2400I to survive the compressor startup surge.

Has anyone used the 2400I successfully on their Montana A/C?

[sfish]

Last summer I purchased the Honda Handi 3000iu for my SOB (previous rv) and frequently when start up surge the breaker on the genny would pop. I took it back to the dealer and bought two 2000iu companions and never had the problem again.

Steve

[Art-n-Marge]

For most, including me I would not try using a single Honda EU2000. I have heard of a couple of people being able to use their A/C with a single unit, but I never heard if their A/C was lower rated than what I have on my Monty. The Yamaha might have a little more power being a 2400. In these units I believe the number implies the surge wattage and the running wattage will be less than that. Therefore the EU2000 supports 2000 watts which may not support the surge of an A/C. And a Yamaha has 2400 surge watts and its run time might support that A/C unit but I would not bank on it because if anything else is running it could have problems keeping up.

I am concerned that sfish's Honda Handi 3000 did not support his RV's A/C, I have numerous friends who use their Honda 3000 for theirs (but they didn't have the "Handi" version).

I have parallel EU2000s, and have 4000 watts of surge and about 3600 watts running and can run my rig in 30 amp mode including A/C. You'll hear there are many boondockers at the Quartzite rally in January that use these as their daily power source. I have never run no more than 6 hours.

One of these days when I get a 2nd A/C for my rig, I know of a triple parallel connector so I can add a third EU2000 and get 6000 surge watts and about 5000 running watts. I wonder if this thing actually works.

I have hoped to provide the possibilities and probabilities and hopefully you can decide for yourself (I think the Yamaha has a parallel cable or companion, but I can't remember for sure.)

[Tom S.]

To answer your question, you have know how many amps the compressor requires at start up and then convert those to amps. For example 1 amp x 110 volts = 110 watts. If your A/C draws 15 amps, then the equation is 15 amps x 110 volts = 1650 watts. So on the surface, it sounds like you have plenty with the 2400 watt generator but... that is assuming nothing else is drawing power. What a lot of people overlook is the 12 volt system, which includes the refrigerator when you are running it on gas. You are also powering the converter to keep the battery charged to run all those 12v items. So you need to figure out two things: how many other AC items will be running and how much power you will need to ensure the 12 volt items will operate. I'm not sure how you can determine how much the 12v system / converter will need, short of putting an amp meter in the inverter's line and measuring it under a typical load. If under my example, your A/C uses 1650 watts, that leaves you with 750 watts, or 6.8 amps(750 watts / 110 volts = 6.8 amps). So, using this example, at the instant your A/C kicks on, you can't have more than 6.8 amps or 750 watts being used elsewhere.

Don't forget either that the 2400 watt rating is a peak rating, not a constant power rating. So you also need to look at how many watts/amps the a/c and the rest of your electrical system will require during normal operations and compare that against the normal operating output of the generator.

[sola123]

the yamaha 2400 will run one a/c just fine...you'll ave to turn the a/c of to use the micro...but it will run one a/c just fine...have done it many times

[8e3k0]

We have a Yamaha 2400I and run our A/C with no problems at all and this is in a 09 3400RL. as stated earlier; one must not try and run the micro wave or any other high wattage appliance. The A/C will also run just fine on a 110 15 amp circuit.

[clutch]

I have a friend with a Yamaha 2400I and it runs his AC with no problem. He cannot use any thing else or it will blow the breaker.

[KTManiac]

A few more tips for powering your A/C with "just barely enough" generator is to:

1. Set the thermostat low, so the A/C compressor is not cycling on and off, thus minimizing start-up amperage demands.

2. If your generator has a fuel economy switch, turn that feature off so there is no time lag for peak power supply, as the generator motor is at it's operating RPM already and doesn't have to ramp up to speed.

3. Keep an eye on your generator's overload LED the first few times you are powering your A/C, and heed the manufacturers warnings and limits as to overload events.


My pair of Honda eu2000 generators can sustain 30 minute periods of marginal overloading (anything between the rated 13.3 amps/1600 watts and peak 16.7 amps/2000 watts), but frequent or longer episodes of marginal overloads can reduce the life of its inverter or damage it. Gross overloads trip the circuit protection in the generator and the generator must be shut down and restarted to reset & continue using. These ratings are doubled when the two of them are hooked up in parallel(26.6 amps rated / 33.4 amps peak).

A Yamaha 2400 may run your A/C, but I think that it is at the very edge of not being able to be up to the task, let alone powering anything else. If you don't want to bother with switching everything else to propane operation and having to turn off the breaker for your rigs converter, I would look at other options if I were you. A Honda 3000 would be a little better.

I chose to go with two Honda eu2000's because of the flexibility of using only one of them for low demand needs (saves on fuel consumption too), and pairing them up for the A/C plus other appliances at the same time. Plus, at 50 lbs each or so, they are easier to handle than the heavier 3000 watt unit.

[RCN.Stoker]

The 2400 is rated at a max of 20 amps and running load at 16.7. A 15000 btu A/C will need between 14-16 amps running depending on model. The starting load for the compressor is higher. This should be specified on the A/C electrical specification plate affixed to the A/C. It sounds like the 2400 is just enough for your A/C and nothing else. Remember your converter is drawing a load even when you are not using 12 volts lights etc. Personally I would opt for a bigger generator or a parallel set-up as mentioned above.