Best high altitude generator?

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rebar

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My local motorsports shop is selling left over Yamaha EF2800i for $1200 and I almost bought one seeing online prices about $300 higher.  But after some research, have found the EF2800i to be to marginal for my 05 13500 Coleman A/C and microwave.  I imagine at a high altitude of 10,000 feet, the EF2800i wouldn't perform well enough for my needs..

So I'm back to researching for a better solution since picking to small of a generator would be a expensive lesson.
I know two Honda EU2000i's together shouldn't have a problem at 10,000 feet. Or would they?  Are they easy to rejet?  I paid a mechanic to rejet my motorcycle and dont want to have to hire someone every time I change altitudes..

Thanks!

 
I know two Honda EU2000i's together shouldn't have a problem at 10,000 feet. Or would they?  Are they easy to rejet?
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I live in the Denver area, and the Honda 2000 I used to have was re-jetted by the dealer when I bought it, with the old jet left  with me and instructions on how to change it back. He threw that in as part of the deal. I don't know if other dealers work that way or not. A pair would do fairly well at 10K, but you'll still find they lose power with altitude -- re-jetting doesn't give all the benefits of turbocharging, just a bit of efficiency improvement. Still, the 4K combined might do fine with your A/C, so long as you don't run microwave, etc. with it.

I do wonder how often you'll need that A/C at 10K, though -- perhaps in southern Mexico or Central America?
 
Larry N. said:
I do wonder how often you'll need that A/C at 10K, though -- perhaps in southern Mexico or Central America?
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That's a good point Larry..  I might not ever need A/C at 10,000 feet.  I remember though once I got back down to Denver it was 95 degrees plus.

Do you need to rejet every time you leave Denver for the Rockies Larry?  Its funny because I borrowed my friends Honda EM5500S here in Iowa last season and it worked OK at pitkin CG at 9,242 feet but was loud.  Now I want something quiet and I cant decide if I should rent a Honda EU2000 in Denver for $125 per week or buy my own setup.

How do I check the actual A/C load?  I can read the spec sheet and the yamaha 2800 says it will power it..  But I want a actual number to determine.
 
I don't need to re-jet, as the high altitude one seems good for anything around 4K and above. The 2000 I had would sort of run the A/C (13,500 BTU) on my Trailmanor several years ago, right here at the house (5230 feet), but there was no margin and I'm not sure it was good for either the gen or the A/C, so I only did it the one time. The 2800 should handle it just fine in Denver. Keep in mind that continuous capacity of the 2000 is actually 1600 -- the 2000 watts is for a brief peak. so the 2800 should give you somewhere around 2200-2300 watts continuous with 2800 for a brief peak.

As to numbers, I'd use the lower wattage values for each gen and I'd get the starting current and running current (and/or watts, depending on how they spec it) for the A/C, either from the manual or from a data plate on the A/C itself. If they provide current in amps, you can multiply by 120 (for the 120 VAC) to get watts.
 
I run a Champion 3500/4000 both here in Denver and up between 9-10,000. In Denver it runs our 13.5 AC but at altitude I have to shut off the converter to run the AC with ease. You do lose power even if rejetted due to lack of oxygen.

Last year we had a heat wave up there, (105 in Denver) and ran the AC in the afternoon a few times. It's cooler most of the time luckily.
 
I can not tell you the best generator but I can tell you this.. UNLELSS the thing is big and expensive enough to have an engine control computer..... A good technician can "Re-tune" most any generator to perform better at high altitude.. Some (Like my ONAN) have a very simple adjustment... Others..> Well, I know how to adjust MINE, but I'm not comfortable playing with yours.
 
JiminDenver said:
I run a Champion 3500/4000 both here in Denver and up between 9-10,000. In Denver it runs our 13.5 AC but at altitude I have to shut off the converter to run the AC with ease. You do lose power even if rejetted due to lack of oxygen.
Last year we had a heat wave up there, (105 in Denver) and ran the AC in the afternoon a few times. It's cooler most of the time luckily.
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Yea, I was in denver last year when I realized my 1" walled featherlite in the sun was like a tin can when it comes to R value..  That's the biggest disadvantage's of all aluminum trailers IMO.

That's surprising a 3500/4000 couldn't power a 13500 A/C at altitude.. Makes me wonder if the EF2800i I'm looking at for $1200 would power my 13500 at altitude.  I'm wondering about swamp coolers now but not sure if Colorado is dry enough.  Iowa isn't.

John From Detroit said:
I can not tell you the best generator but I can tell you this.. UNLELSS the thing is big and expensive enough to have an engine control computer..... A good technician can "Re-tune" most any generator to perform better at high altitude.. Some (Like my ONAN) have a very simple adjustment... Others..> Well, I know how to adjust MINE, but I'm not comfortable playing with yours.
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Well, thanks for the ONAN info John.  I have the opportunity to acquire a free older ONAN installed in a cube van.  But I would have to modify the exhaust and mount it on a wagon to use it.  It was quiet considering it must have been 20 years old.  Sure would be cheaper than a few new 2000's though.
 
A 3500 looses around 30% of it's output where we camp. It will run the AC fine by it self. It was a issue last year when I needed charging too, now I have solar and the converter doesn't need to be on.

Swamp coolers work well here most of the time. I used one for 12 years at our house. Unfortunately swamp coolers use water and we boondock with 60 gal at best. It's cheaper to fun the generator than go for more water.

I don't know how big the Onan is or what it will cost to convert it but a Champion 3500/4000 is $300 new and less on craiglist. It'll be ready to go and likely quieter than the Onan. Great for boondocking.
 
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