Generator

Hello all,

I have been toying around with purchasing a generator for the handful of times I camp with no power. I have read everything I can, but want your opinions on the subject.

Here are my concerns:

• I have 2 small children who love to camp, but need distraction
• If possible I would like to run A/C. I camped last weekend and it was smoking out. I don't need it on continuously but I want to take the stuffiness out of the trailer.
• I have a travel trailer that needs about 2200 to start the ac
• Although quieter is better, I don't necessarily need silent. I would mainly run it to charge my battery and maybe let kids watch TV for a bit
• I am looking at this one, for 2 reason 1.) I can return it to Walmart easily & 2.) Its fairly cheap.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Generac-5982-GP3250-3-250-Watt-Portable-Gas-Powered-Generator/15773633


What do you all think?

Those generators are what are commonly called a 'contractor' generator. Although you say a little noise won't bother you, you will bother anyone nearby as there are quite a bit noisier than say a Honda or Yamaha as they run at top speed while in use. (Also a lot cheaper!!) Silent  doesn't exist of course but the others mentioned have a variable speed depending on the load requirement and thus are much more quite most of the time.

This model has become very popular with RV'ers. http://www.championpowerequipment.com/generators/46533/.
You can read all about it http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15131645.cfm.

The open frame "Contractor" models should be sold with ear plugs.

There are some smaller enclosed generators that are not too loud, but they are not big enough so that's all I will say about them.

Inverter Generators (I did nto follow the champion link above but suspect that is what it is) or the Honda EU-N000i serries (2 or 3 for you) or the Yahaha EF-NN00i series For you that would be the EF-3600i

Well let me tell you a story.. I was with anothr forum member at Quartsite and we stopped at the yahama display booth.  The EF-1200i was running, I know it was running because I could feel the exhaust on my leg,  The 2400 was running too, no load.. now I could hear it,,, My friend could not.  I have a quarter century of workign as a radio operator and so long as I can hear it, yes, I can pull a voice, or other sound, out of a higher noise level (The crowd's babble).

The 3600 we both could hear    And when he put a half load on the 24 we could hear it as well.  but we did not have to raise our voices till he hit around 2,000 watts on that 2400.

Some inverter generators can be "paired" The Honda EU-2000i for example  In fact if you can find one Honda made a special "Companion" 2000 just for that.

The standard 2000i has a 15/20 amp Duplex outlet, and a basically useless 12 volt outlet. (Terminals)  The companion dumps the 12 volt connection and switches to a single 15/20 plus a 30 amp twist lock.  It can be used "Stand alone' or with a regular 2000 and a parallal kit to make up to around 3500 watts continous or 4,000 surge.  This is a good idea since you only run one (half the noise) when you don't need the extra wattage.. Don't even matter which one you run

You really can't beat the price of the Generac and they are good units.  The problem is if you decide to use this thing you will definitely not make friends with ANY of your neighbors.

Unfortunately if you want a generator that is actually compatable with RVing you are going to have to spend some bucks.  On the other hand, if you're boondocked out in the forest somewhere and your nearest neighbor is nothing more than the occasional deer then the Generac will work but believe me when I say that even you will get tired of the racket VERY soon.

After doing a lot of research, I just bought the 4000/3500 watt Champion generator. When I looked at Camping World's website, there were 7 pages of glowing reviews about the generator. In my area of Chicago, our local electric company experiences more outages than we like so I decided to get a generator to run my 5er, which is sitting on my driveway for those times when we expect long outages. While my 5er is 50 amp, the 30 amp plug on the generator will give us a/c, tv and other electric needs while at the same time powering my 2 house refrigerators and my sump pump. I also have a 2000 watt Honda so I'm good for most anything.

Bob

The Champion and Generac models that have been suggested will do the job for you if you (and your neighbors) can tolerate the noise. I had one of the Champions and got rid if it.

The 2000 watt Honda and Yamaha inverter generators that have been mentioned are much quieter and also much more expensive. Expect to pay $1000+ for either. Champion, Generac, Boliy, and several other manufacturers now have models of inverter generators with exactly the same noise levels as the Honda. I bought two 2000W Champions for $498 each. I can stand next to them and hold a conversation in a normal tone of voice. When using them to run the AC, I can't hear them at all. The AC is too noisy. They can often be found on sale for around $500. There are sometimes manufacturer refurbished Champions for under $400 .

There are two additional advantage of the inverter generators. The first is that they only run as fast as needed for the load being drawn. When lightly loaded, they can go around 10 hours on a gallon of gas. The other advantage is that you can buy a parallel kit that will hook two of them together. That would enable you to run your AC. The kit is under $100 for the Championhttp://www.amazon.com/Champion-Equipment-73500i-Parallel-73536i/dp/B004BB9MGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344705245&sr=8-1&keywords=inverter+generator+champion or under $200 for the Honda. Here is a pair of the refurbished Champions and the parallel kit for $859, with free shipping http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-73531i-Champion-2000w-Inverters-Generator-Manufacturer-Refurbished-Kit-/251107806119?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a77310ba7

I had a generac, different model, and it was so loud hearing the TV was difficult and made no new friends at the campsite.  Bought 2 Honda EU2000i's and would recommend you do the same (or the Yamaha).  Also, 115 lbs is a lot to handle, the Honda's are about 50 lbs each and easy to handle.

Great Horned Owl said:

The Champion and Generac models that have been suggested will do the job for you if you (and your neighbors) can tolerate the noise. I had one of the Champions and got rid if it.

The 2000 watt Honda and Yamaha inverter generators that have been mentioned are much quieter and also much more expensive. Expect to pay $1000+ for either. Champion, Generac, Boliy, and several other manufacturers now have models of inverter generators with exactly the same noise levels as the Honda. I bought two 2000W Champions for $498 each. I can stand next to them and hold a conversation in a normal tone of voice. When using them to run the AC, I can't hear them at all. The AC is too noisy. They can often be found on sale for around $500. There are sometimes manufacturer refurbished Champions for under $400 .

There are two additional advantage of the inverter generators. The first is that they only run as fast as needed for the load being drawn. When lightly loaded, they can go around 10 hours on a gallon of gas. The other advantage is that you can buy a parallel kit that will hook two of them together. That would enable you to run your AC. The kit is under $100 for the Championhttp://www.amazon.com/Champion-Equipment-73500i-Parallel-73536i/dp/B004BB9MGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344705245&sr=8-1&keywords=inverter+generator+champion or under $200 for the Honda. Here is a pair of the refurbished Champions and the parallel kit for $859, with free shipping http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-73531i-Champion-2000w-Inverters-Generator-Manufacturer-Refurbished-Kit-/251107806119?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a77310ba7

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Do you believe the two refurbished Champion Generators are worth 856.00?  We are looking at generators and it looks like a good price to us. 

We have one battery in our fifth wheel.  If we buy a generator or generators do we need anymore batteries to dry camp?

Robin

Roadhappy said:

We have one battery in our fifth wheel.  If we buy a generator or generators do we need anymore batteries to dry camp?

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The fast and easy answer is "No", but....

If you're going to do a lot of boondocking you might want to consider some upgrades.  They don't have to be done all at once but they can and will make your boondocking experience easier.  The first thing that I would consider would be dual batteries, personally I use marine deep cycle 12v batteries from China-Mart and they work just fine but there are plenty of folks who swear by the 6v golf cart batteries.  Do the 6v perform better??  That's not a question that I'm prepared to answer but for my money the 12v do a more than adequate job.  Be aware that adding a "new" battery beside your "old" battery might diminish the life span of both however, it's best to start with two new batteries but if you can't afford to do that adding one isn't forbidden, it's just not the best way to do it.

Once you have a second battery you can then install an inverter (at least 1,000 watts) to operate things like the entertainment system, computer or even your coffee maker if it's big enough.  Make sure that it's installed as close to the batteries as possible but isolated from them to prevent an ignition source, DC doesn't like to travel over a distance without losing voltage, but AC will make the trip back to whatever you are going to power much easier.  I installed ours inside the genset housing (not the best place because of the heat but it isolated it from the batteries) then ran a 20amp rated line back to the rear.

Additionally if you are looking to extend the life of your batteries you can install LED lighting in your most often used light fixtures like kitchen, dining area, bathroom and vanity etc.  The little buggers are expensive and they probably WILL NEVER pay for themselves but they don't eat power and you can forget and leave one on overnite and not drain your batteries.

If you really want to go nuts spending money you can install solar but for us that's just not something that I want to mess with.  None of these things are necessary for a boondocking experience but they do enhance the whole package you could say.  Currently we've been boondocked for over a month, we have all of the above installed and did it ourselves over the course of a year or so.  We average less than a gallon of gasoline per day and believe me when I say we aren't doing without just because we up in the woods with the cows.

Boondocking is an "aquired taste" for many but if your initial experience is pleasant then the subsequent learning curve will be much less painful.

Robin: I paid $299 for my 3500/4000 watt Champion generator NEW with no delivery charge from Camping World. How would $856 for 2 used units be a value?

Bob

Bobandpamlemay said:

Robin: I paid $299 for my 3500/4000 watt Champion generator NEW with no delivery charge from Camping World. How would $856 for 2 used units be a value?

Bob

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The two used ones are inverter style, not the open frame like yours.  They a bit more quiet and easier on fuel.

I have a 20 ft 1995 Weekend Warrior. Any recommendations on a generator?

Citti34 said:

I have a 20 ft 1995 Weekend Warrior. Any recommendations on a generator?

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Actually, they are a lot more quiet, as in less than half the volume. That is a very good buy.

Joel

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Seeing as we are nearing the end of the camping season, well mine anyways, I am going to do my homework on everything everyone suggested. Realistically I don't think I can afford the near silent Honda's. I have read up on the Champion 4000 watt and it might be my ticket. The most recent time I camped without power, everyone ran a generator. My neighbor's was very quiet but the trailer 2 away was so loud that we could barely talk over top of it. It was a very large industrial model. I didn't get very close to it, so I can't tell you make/model. I do know the person next to us had a champion.

I guess if your's is silent but everyone else's is very large whats the difference?

Thanks again.

Mike

Mike: The Champion 4000 I bought is rated at 68 decibels......far quiter than others I have looked at but not as quiet as my Honda.

Good Luck on your search.

Bob

Thanks for the info.

Just cause I am curious and couldn't find it anywhere, do you know what the Honda's are listed at?

Thanks

The price of a Honda EU2000 has stayed pretty stable over the last decade at right around $1,000 retail.  If you search you "can" find them for less.  I paid $800 for mine in 2002 when everybody else was putting out 1k for one.  Check Amazon and don't be afraid to look at little Honda dealers, they don't necessarily sell them for MSRP.

By the way, price is relative of course but mine currently has over 1,600 hours on it.  I've never heard a champion run and they may be just fine but it's not a bargain if it doesn't last more than two seasons.

I'm sorry I typed that previous one poorly. I meant what are the Honda's DB rating? I know the Champions are around 68.

Thanks

The db rating on a "New" Honda EU2000 is I believe 54 at full power (they seldom run on full power).  Also if I recall they weigh 34 pounds.

After way over a 1,000 hours I can tell you that the noise level is not appreciably louder than when I purchased mine.  I had a friend stop by last week that has one with less than 200 hours on it and mine is just as quiet as his although mine is a lot uglier from use.