Generator on a $1000 budget

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Jey

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Joined
Mar 16, 2019
Posts
146
Good evening guys.

I?m now in the market for an inverter generator.
It?s on my list of things I've never purchased before so I don?t know which one could be right for me.

My main wants are:

To power my 13500 btu air conditioner
Not be extremely loud al
And light enough that one person might be able to lift it into the bed of a truck.


I think all three in the same unit are unrealistic but hey you never know.


I?m hoping to stay in the $600 range but I have about $1000 I could realistically use towards this. The only other things that would be powered on besides the ac are some lights and maybe a USB outlet.

Thank you

 
At close to sea level a 2200w inverter generator will run a 13.5. If you check Amazon there are several at $1000 or less
 
If you want to lift it into a truck, you are better off shopping for a pair of 2000 watt inverter generators that can be linked together to get 4000 watts of output, as all of the ones I know of that can handle running a 13,500 btu air conditioner reliably weigh more than the typical person can lift into the back of a truck alone.
 
Isaac-1 said:
you are better off shopping for a pair of 2000 watt inverter generators that can be linked together
Click to expand...


A pair of 2000w will exceed OP's budget. A single 2000-2200 weighs about 45-50 pounds if I recall, and will run a 13.5 (but not much else)
 
Jey said:
Good evening guys.

I?m now in the market for an inverter generator.
It?s on my list of things I've never purchased before so I don?t know which one could be right for me.

My main wants are:

To power my 13500 btu air conditioner
Not be extremely loud al
And light enough that one person might be able to lift it into the bed of a truck.


I think all three in the same unit are unrealistic but hey you never know.


I?m hoping to stay in the $600 range but I have about $1000 I could realistically use towards this. The only other things that would be powered on besides the ac are some lights and maybe a USB outlet.

Thank you
Click to expand...

I just installed the Micro-Air EasyStart on my 13,500 btu Dometic Brisk II Air.  I have (4) 100 ah Battle Born batteries hooked to a Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 inverter.  After the start-up procedure for the EasyStart, I thought I'd try running the AC on the inverter.  It worked with not so much as a hiccup.  The DC amp draw was quite high, 130 amps, but it ran just fine.

Monday I have a Yamaha EF2200iS 2200 Watt Inverter Generator being delivered from National Supply.  I went back and forth for months contemplating which generator to buy.  All of them, from the cheaper ones to the high priced name brands, all had good reviews and some bad ones.  For me it finally came down to the 30 amp RV plug on the Yamaha... ok, the dart board helped also.  Although I obviously haven't tried the generator yet, I am confident that it will have no problem running the AC with the EasyStart installed.  I will post an update after I give it a try.

 
Any generator sized as needed will be quite difficult to be loading and unloading out of the tow vehicle.

Buy a mid priced two wheel dolly and modify to accommodate the generator. Use a ramp to load and unload. Either make a ramp or buy one. Those two additional items (ramp and dolly) can be surely used for many other needs.

Now choose your generator based on more important functions.
 
Harbor Freight currently has a 3500 W inverter generator on sale for $699.99. It is rated at 57 db, but weighs in at 99.2 lbs.

They have a 2000 W inverter generator for 499.99. It is rated at 65 db, but is only 47 lbs. Two in parallel would run the AC.

Joel
 
Here is an $819, 83 lb, 3100 watt model that would handle the a/c nicely and even do a couple other small loads. Not so easy to get up and into a truck, but probably as good as it gets for a 3000W genset.

https://smile.amazon.com/Champion-3100-Watt-Portable-Inverter-Generator/dp/B00BBDCE1S/

You can get 2200-2400 watt gensets that might work consistently and those usually weigh in around 50 lbs.  Some a/c units do ok on that wattage, but others may fail to start the compressor each & every time. That can be a real nuisance. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Westinghouse-iGen2500-Portable-Inverter-Generator/dp/B07895QYMT/

Adding a "hard start capacitor" to an A/c unit that doesn't already have one can be a big help.  Most older a/c or lower priced modes do NOT have the hard start feature.
 
They have a 2000 W inverter generator for 499.99. It is rated at 65 db, but is only 47 lbs. Two in parallel would run the AC.
Click to expand...
Yes, but that's pretty loud, 65 dB. It's a logarithmic scale, with a 3 dB change being twice or half as loud, though not quite THAT obvious to the ear, but still a big difference compared to the 53-57 dB range of some others.

Also, the less expensive units tend to be measured at a longer distance from the units, thus adding to how loud it is.
 
TheBar said:
https://www.harborfreight.com/3500-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-63584.html?_br_psugg_q=generator

Read the 1st 3 reviews. People are using it to run 15K RV A/Cs.
Click to expand...

I have this one and it runs everything. Yes it's a little heavy but it's a good reliable generator.

I did/do the following to help it last
10 hours - changed oil
25 hours - changed oil
50 hours - change oil to synthetic (Will use synthetic from now on)
100 hours -changed oil
Next oil change 200 hours

I never leave it out in the weather and I'm planning on having a welder fabricate a mounting plate with a locking cover so I don't have to remove it from the RV.
 
I was able to get a Honda 2800 inverter generator for the same price as the 2000 series. Had them run back to back. Very similar. It has a 3 gallon tank and guage. 30 amp plug, and 2 regular plugs. Just an fyi.
 
Yes. The 5w30 synthetic has been good to my car so far and 125 k. I buy it at wally world for $25 a gallon.
 
Jey said:
Thank you everyone

Here is what I ended up purchasing


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-3150-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Wireless-Remote-Start-Inverter-Generator-with-Champion-171cc-4-Stroke-Engine-100477/304491678

Now I need to read up on oil changes and what not

I found the online manual for it as it hasn?t actually arrived yet. It says when using synthetic to do 5w30

Would I just use regular car oil or a different type?
Click to expand...

Great call. Better than others mentioned here.
 
Jey said:
Thank you everyone

Here is what I ended up purchasing


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-3150-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Wireless-Remote-Start-Inverter-Generator-with-Champion-171cc-4-Stroke-Engine-100477/304491678

Now I need to read up on oil changes and what not

I found the online manual for it as it hasn?t actually arrived yet. It says when using synthetic to do 5w30

Would I just use regular car oil or a different type?
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that choice..I would still recommend changing the oil as I did with our generator. Also make sure you run it once a month to give it a little exercise. I tried to give it a least half a load for a hour run time. 
 
Good choice! Champion makes a good generator, and that is a good price for a remote start model!
Looking at getting one of those myself when my budget allows!
 
I meant to post "Mobil 5W30 Synthetic) at Walmart. Been using that for 125K in my car and it runs strong and still doesn't need oil in between changes
 
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