Portable Generator.

[Montana_2230]

Anyone have any suggestions for a generator that I can use just in case of an emergency due to a power outage. We would only use the generator if we lost power during a hurricane or other emergency situation where power is lost for a moderate period of time. We don't want to invest a great deal of money in a top of the line system. In case of a hurricane , we would leave home and head for safety and then come back home. The generator would be used to provide power only to the Montana while we are parked at home. I don't wish to buy an expensive generator that could power our house. Because I don't want to buy and install a by pass switch setup to use a generator for my house.

I am thinking of a price range from 5 to 6 hundred dollars. Is there a unit out there at this price that can provide the necessary power to power our Montana's 30 amp system in a emergency situation for a few days. We would of course be selective as to the appliance we would try to use at one time.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for any URL's or brands you might know about.

[stiles watson]

I may not be answering your post, but in my opinion, if you plan to spend $500 to $600, I would spend a little bit more and get something like the Honda EU2000. The additional cost is because of the noise suppression characteristics.

You may only envision using it "after you get back home," but you might want to consider having the flexibility of taking the thing with you in the event you got hung up somewhere in transit. It is light enough to struggle with and can be used in tandum with another Honda unit so you can expand without discarding what you have.

I have stayed in or ran from every hurricane that hit the Texas Central Coast since 1942. Currently, in case of a storm, I would have to climb over about two million people to get out of town while about a half million paople are trying to climb over me from the Galveston area. My logic says, "Have a contingency plan for being caught in the flow." This factor alone (hurricanes) without any other mitigating factors being considered is why we are selling and "getting out of Dodge".

If you are determined to get something cheaper and more powerful, they are available. Do a little shopping on the internet or consider looking at a used unit by checking with an industrial equipment outlet.

[Montana_2230]

Thanks Stiles I will consider your comments...When I say we will leave during a hurricane, I mean at the first warning we are out of here. We learned our lesson last year. We can be pretty well out of harms way in 3 to 4 hours north of us. We are on the west coast of Florida near the big bend area. If we leave early as planned we will miss outgoing traffic we think.

I have no plans to use the generator except here at my house awaiting restoration of loss electrical power. We don't camp any where else other than camp grounds , no boonie camping.

As far as noise I would build a permanent housing for he generator with noise damping.

Thanks

[mallardjusted]

For 5 to 6 hundred bucks you could get the Honda eu1000i, which gives you over 900 watts. The unit only weighs about 26 lbs, and is very quiet. For emergencies this does well, but you would be limited to what you could run (i.e., not the microwave). The Honda eu2000i costs a little more (about 880 bucks mailorder), but gives you power to run quite a few things.

I originally had the 1000, and really liked it's light weight. But I like having a little more capacity, so I've had the eu2000i for 2 or 3 years now. It does weigh a little more (approx 50 lbs), but I love it. It is very quiet, fuel-efficient, and allows me to run anything in our 3255.

There are some cheaper models, but they usually weigh a lot more and are a lot noisier!

Being so portable, I use mine in the house, the 5th wheel, the boat, and have it as a backup with a small air compressor in case I need air in my truck tires!

[Montana_2230]

Thanks Mallard, Does the Honda eu2000i have a 30amp outlet plug? I have just looked at a few cheapies on the net, but most only had 115 volt 15 amp outlet plugs. I think I would need at leat a 30 amp plug. I see , based on my first scan on the net, my cost has to go up a few hundred bucks to get the minimum voltage and amps I need. I am building a case to break the news to my wife who is the chief bean counter here. I have got to build a tough case to spend some of her retirement funds. She just retired on Friday...('')

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by stiles watson

[font=Comic Sans MS][size=4]I may not be answering your post, but in my opinion, if you plan to spend $500 to $600, I would spend a little bit more and get something like the Honda EU2000. The additional cost is because of the noise suppression characteristics.

I agree. The Honda 2000i weighs about 43 lbs. One of the other characteristics is that its built in inverter provides as close to a pure sine wave that you can get from a generator. If you use high end computers and all the peripherals, this is the way to go. We are outfitted with plenty of solar power for charging our batteries and operating our electrical in our rig, but when there are 3-4 days without sun, the generator comes in very handy.

You can probably pick up a standard generator for around $350 but generally they are heavy and bulky. I place our Honda 2000i in the back seat of our extended cab pickup. Works for us.

[OntMont]

I can't argue against the Honda EU's for quietness. You do pay for "quiet" though!

We have a Generac 4000xl that we use for much the same purpose as you describe, although we do sometimes take it with us on boondocking trips.

It is not as quiet as the Honda EU's, but it is quieter than some other cheaper generators I have heard. It does have a 30 amp outlet that runs the trailer handily. It also has a 220v outlet that can run most of the house if necessary. It starts very easily. I bought mine at Home Depot. I paid in CDN$, and I don't remember the exchange rate at the time, so I won't get into the price.

But, if you can swing a Honda EU of appropriate size - Go for it!

[HamRad]

Floridanomads,
You've gotten some great advise here. If you NEVER EVER plan to take it on the road then I'd do what OntMont has suggested. If you have any thought of ever using it on the road then it's hard to beat the Honda EU series. Yamaha also has some comparable units.

I have one of the Honda 2000 EUs and absolutely love it.

Good luck,

HamRad

[Montana_657]

You can buy an adapter to convert the Honda to a 30 amp plug, but the Honda 2000 will not put out 30 amps so, the electrical code does not allow a 30 amp plug to be installed on the generator. You need at least a 4000 watt unit to have a 30 amp plug from the factory, and you'll find the weight 3 times or more then that of the 2000i ... that extra power has to come from somewhere...right?

[Montana_2230]

Gruffy, I might have misled you by just refering to a 30 amp plug. I know that the unit must be able to supply 30 amps of power to meet my minimum requriements.

I have found out one thing in my search, the supply of generators is quite low or non existent. Most sources I have looked at do not have any in stock and are awaiting new shipments. Maybe the prices will be lower once the demand dies down a little.

[palebluedot]

There are about 4 pages of generators on Ebay right now. Don't know if you would be interested in buying from that source. I bought a 6000 watt Yamaha in 2002 from a dealer 100 miles away on Ebay for under $900. This was just after Y2K and he was stuck with a bunch from that scare. Gruffy is correct in stating you will need at least 4000 watts (120V X 30 amps = 3600 watts) to get your required 30 amps. I bought mine for dry camping and power outages (hurricanes). It is heavy and noisey, but it does a great job.

[Mr Zip]

I bought the Honda 2000 from Mayberrys.com for $899.00 shipping included.

[azstar]

Hi Folks,

I wanted to buy the EU 2000 but I understand that it won't power my 15 K a/c unit. Is this true? Anybody know for sure?

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by azstar

Hi Folks,

I wanted to buy the EU 2000 but I understand that it won't power my 15 K a/c unit. Is this true? Anybody know for sure?

That's right. The EU2000i WILL NOT power any a/c. It has a maximum surge output of 16 amps but only 13.3 amps in normal operation. The a/c has a startup requirement of about 15 amps so if you try to operate the a/c from the 2000i you will burn up the a/c. Don't try it. You need two EU2000i generators operating in parallel in order to run the a/c. That makes it way too expensive.

If you must have the a/c running when you are dry camping, suggest you get one of the cheaper ones designed for that kind of output. Before you buy, make sure that you get it in writing exactly what the generator will handle.

When we dry camp, we use two Fantastic fans (one in the bedroom, one in the living room) and open a window on the cool side of the rig. Keeps the inside temperature at a comfortable level (comfortable for us at less than 90°.

[azstar]

Thanks Orv,

I knew I could count on you for reliable Elect. info.

Happy Camping

[Montana_657]

If you put as meter on it the instantaneous surge is more like 25 amps. I did start the AC on the 2000i, turned the fan on first, then started the AC compresser. That way one motor started and got up to speed before the second motor tried to start. It turned out to ba a pretty ugly low altitude start. Didn't try to run it long, but I suspect the 2000i would trip it's breakers on a hot day.

Put the whole thing in the "don't try this at home" category to be attempted only in dire emergency .... can't imagine what that would be...

[NJ Hillbilly]

The 2000i will operate a 13,500 A/C. Friends have been doing it for a while, You have to make sure all other things are off including the converter.

John

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by NJ Hillbilly

The 2000i will operate a 13,500 A/C. Friends have been doing it for a while, You have to make sure all other things are off including the converter.

John

Honda doesn't recommend that. There's a good chance that the generator will be burned up. It can't handle the initial surge brought about by the start-up of the a/c. If your friends are doing it, they're begging for trouble.

[Montana_2635]

I have a Yamaha 2800 inverter type generator that is every bit as quite as the Hondas are. I have run my 15,000 A/C with this unit and it seems to do a great job. I even used my micro wave while the A/C was running. I don't know about trying that while the A/C is starting up though. Also I've only tried it on the low cool setting. I don't know how you could ruin the generator, I'm sure if it is overloaded the breaker would trip. Now the effect on the A/C may be a different story. I'm pretty sure my A/C unit doesn't quite draw 20 amps at start up, because it doesn't trip the 20 amp breaker in my shed. And I can run it continually on the low cool setting. But, if I turn it to high cool it will trip. These yamahas are not cheap though. I had to give $1200 for mine. But, it would cost close to $2000 for two Honda 2000's.

Don

[Montana_657]

Replace your breaker with a fuse and watch it pop. Fuses are almost instantaneous, breakers allow at least a 100% overload for a short time.... measureable with a modern storage type peak reading ammeter.... but to quick for a breaker to react.