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Old 05-02-2016, 07:07 PM   #21
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I have an Onan 2.5kw and figured out a way to to run the AC (even on high) and some LED lights etc.

It ate at me that me AC would not start even with "hard start" setups (( tried 6 different models each on guaranteed to start my Coleman AC) none of them worked.

But I am a (retired engineer) and this gnawed at me and I would wake up at 3am thinking about it. One morn at 3 am I GOT IT!!! Jumped up and headed to the barn.

There are 3 sources of power:

Battery

genset

shore

I implemented my plan: Disconnect the shore power, shut everything down and force the system (if you have a converter) to use the battery. The battery will fire up the AC, it just won't run long. Now fire up the genset, turn off battery power and the genset will run the AC for a cool nights rest...
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Old 05-03-2016, 05:11 PM   #22
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Honda 2000 was my choice a few years back. Got a deal at just under $900. It's light, quiet and sips the fuel. I line the fact that I can link it to the companion generator for an additional 2000 watts. Haven't gone that route yet cuz I don't need to run my air.
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Old 05-04-2016, 09:46 AM   #23
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Sounds like a quick trip south of the border might be a plan. Just a ??, if you did buy a Honda 2000 on a trip into the US, I guess you are expected to declare it when you head home. How does anybody know when and where you picked it up. Do they take inventory when you cross on the way south or is this an honor system??
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Good feedback, just that your prices are not the same north of the border. Honda 2000W are close to the 2000$ mark!!
The difference in the dollar does not explain the discrepancy in the cost of Honda products in the U.S. and Canada which is why we picked our 2 X 2000i's at Camping World in the U.S. They were $1000 and we had a $100 off one item coupon with our membership renewal which paid for our trip down. You can mail order them but I like the idea that I could start them both just outside of CW and make sure they were working before I took them home. Declared them when we crossed and wife and I each used our 48 hour $800 exemptions and did not have to pay duty on the remaining $100.

Really like the light weight and ease of using one 2000W for charging batteries, lights, etc. and if we need the AC to cool it down before sleep, we can hoot the 2 together for 4000W peak power. You can't beat the reliability and quietness of the Honda's.
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Old 05-05-2016, 11:48 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by 17 Oaks View Post
I have an Onan 2.5kw and figured out a way to to run the AC (even on high) and some LED lights etc.

It ate at me that me AC would not start even with "hard start" setups (( tried 6 different models each on guaranteed to start my Coleman AC) none of them worked.

But I am a (retired engineer) and this gnawed at me and I would wake up at 3am thinking about it. One morn at 3 am I GOT IT!!! Jumped up and headed to the barn.

There are 3 sources of power:

Battery

genset

shore

I implemented my plan: Disconnect the shore power, shut everything down and force the system (if you have a converter) to use the battery. The battery will fire up the AC, it just won't run long. Now fire up the genset, turn off battery power and the genset will run the AC for a cool nights rest...
I fail to see how this can work. A converter is used to charge your batteries from AC and provides a 12V source for the other items in the trailer. You would need an inverter to do this and would have to specifically wire your air conditioner to it.
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Old 05-05-2016, 12:31 PM   #25
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I fail to see how this can work. A converter is used to charge your batteries from AC and provides a 12V source for the other items in the trailer. You would need an inverter to do this and would have to specifically wire your air conditioner to it.
Rusty,
Its OEM, no rewire or add ons just the way it came and it works, just as I thought it would. The problem was getting the AC to start. The genset would not start it, but will keep it running if already running. It will start and run the fan on low/high but not the AC, so you fire up the AC from the battery then transition to the genset. In fact the electrican I paid to much $$ to run a 30 am circuit out to the barn did not, he ran a 20 amp and it will not start my AC out there, so I use the same approach, fire up off battery the switch over to my 110/20 amp.

I have an inverter and a converter both

Works for me every time.
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Old 05-05-2016, 12:38 PM   #26
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Rusty,
Its OEM, no rewire or add ons just the way it came and it works, just as I thought it would. The problem was getting the AC to start. The genset would not start it, but will keep it running if already running. It will start and run the fan on low/high but not the AC, so you fire up the AC from the battery then transition to the genset. In fact the electrican I paid to much $$ to run a 30 am circuit out to the barn did not, he ran a 20 amp and it will not start my AC out there, so I use the same approach, fire up off battery the switch over to my 110/20 amp.

I have an inverter and a converter both

Works for me every time.
It is the inverter that makes this possible. I did not know they were shipping the Eagle with an inverter. That's a nice plus. What model is it?
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Old 05-05-2016, 12:42 PM   #27
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Rusty the AC will run on both low and high settings, not sure how long as its a bigger draw, but I can run everything off my internal batteries (2 Grp 31 Odyssey Marine batteries)
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Old 05-05-2016, 02:03 PM   #28
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Rusty the AC will run on both low and high settings, not sure how long as its a bigger draw, but I can run everything off my internal batteries (2 Grp 31 Odyssey Marine batteries)

That's a nice little bonus, especially to be able to get away with the smaller 2000 series generator. Do you happen to know which converter/inverter combo that Jayco put in your unit? Is you AC the 13,500 or the 15K?

Did you get the residential fridge option by any chance?
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Old 05-05-2016, 03:04 PM   #29
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That's a nice little bonus, especially to be able to get away with the smaller 2000 series generator. Do you happen to know which converter/inverter combo that Jayco put in your unit? Is you AC the 13,500 or the 15K?

Did you get the residential fridge option by any chance?
This is not on my Jayco, its on my other RV.

If I remember its a Xantrex 2000?

No on the residential fridge, just have the 8 cu ft unit. Good enough for us...
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Old 05-05-2016, 03:45 PM   #30
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I have 2 Yamaha EF2000is generators. carry 2 when boondocking in the summer or spending the night in wallymart. Otherwise 1 EF2000is serves my purpose. Runs everything in my trailer except the AC. I like the Yamaha's because they have a fuel shut-off and a fuel gauge. Noise level is the same as the Honda's.
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Old 05-05-2016, 03:49 PM   #31
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I fail to see how this can work. A converter is used to charge your batteries from AC and provides a 12V source for the other items in the trailer. You would need an inverter to do this and would have to specifically wire your air conditioner to it.
I read somewhere that there was a large capacitor you could add to your AC somewhere and that would store enough power to allow the AC to start from the generator.
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Old 05-06-2016, 09:24 AM   #32
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This is not on my Jayco, its on my other RV.

If I remember its a Xantrex 2000?

No on the residential fridge, just have the 8 cu ft unit. Good enough for us...

The reason I asked about the residential fridge in your Jayco (the implied trailer in your signature) is that is the only option that you can choose to get an inverter installed from the factory. I called them to verify as I am in the process of ordering a new unit for myself and looking at all the options.

The reason I point this out is that inexperienced users are going to read your post and think that they should be able to run their AC off of their batteries and an underrated genset. Especially someone who has little or no experience with the electrical systems in a modern RV. That is simply not the case. The best they will get is the fan.

Unless you have modified the electrical system or added an inverter to your Jayco (you know the one with two grey water tanks and the missing blind) you will not be able to start the AC in the manner in which you described. Even if you had ordered the residential fridge (which I do not believe is an option in the HT series anyway) the inverter would only be on the circuit to run the fridge off of batteries. Again, I just got off the phone with Jayco to verify this.

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not picking on you. I'm sure your a smart man. I just feel that it's disingenuous to give information about an unrelated situation and make it sound like it will work for everyone especially considering this is a Jayco forum and it's implied your talking about a Jayco product.
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Old 05-06-2016, 09:52 AM   #33
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I see lots of discussion about off the grid or boondocking and the inability to run AC with the smaller gensets. I know I could not and it kept my boondocking to the cooler months. This bother me a lot as the specs of the small units certainly produced enough power to drive the AC unit or at least the <11k Btu models. But it won't start it. But a battery with its high starting amps will and then you switch over to the genset which keeps it running.

I don't think the make or model of your unit makes a lot of difference here. If you are equipped for off the grid, meaning you have battery(s) and converter/inverter and genset I would think you could do as I have done. As I stated my setup is 100% OEM, I have made no mods at all to accomplish this. Yes its a Jayco forum and after owning 3 different makes and models of RV's I have learned a few things, but don't guess they apply here...
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Old 05-06-2016, 10:12 AM   #34
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If money is no object, Honda 1000, and 2000 inverter gen-sets are hands down the best (the inverter is a must if using sensitive equipment).

The Champion is a Chinese knock-off... we've had two and found them noisy, smelly, and prone to power fluctuations. When they wouldn't allow ours into a National park (noise and spark arrestor issues), we gave it away and got the Honda 2000. Our other Champion had the low oil shutdown fail and the engine seized up.

You might also look into Generac... 799.00 at Amazon, and is an inverter ultra quiet model. Supposed to be made in the USA.

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Old 05-06-2016, 10:20 AM   #35
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I read somewhere that there was a large capacitor you could add to your AC somewhere and that would store enough power to allow the AC to start from the generator.
You're correct... It's called a "hard start kit", and allowed us to run our AC from the Honda 2000. Just don't run any other induction loads at the same time, or a breaker will trip!
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Old 05-06-2016, 12:54 PM   #36
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I read somewhere that there was a large capacitor you could add to your AC somewhere and that would store enough power to allow the AC to start from the generator.

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You're correct... It's called a "hard start kit", and allowed us to run our AC from the Honda 2000. Just don't run any other induction loads at the same time, or a breaker will trip!
After ordering 3 hard start kits and none of them worked to start it I tried another approach. I contacted the manuf and what they told me was that as the AC unit gets older it requires more and more amps to start it just due to wear and tear over time. OK, makes sense to me...
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Old 05-06-2016, 01:15 PM   #37
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Came across this:

RV Generator Buyer's Guide - How to Pick the Perfect RV Generator
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Old 05-08-2016, 12:13 PM   #38
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Lot's of info to study. But I have one of those " can you " questions. Some of you use two generators to bump up watts. Do the two generators have to be the same size? If I use a 2000w Honda but need just a little more juice can a 1000w be added or must it be another 2000w. Yes , I understand the cable kit needed to do this ; but I like the small and lite part of these units! Also the 1000w would be handy for the single item use everywhere.
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Old 05-08-2016, 01:04 PM   #39
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Generac iq2000

I purchased a Generac iq2000, quieter than the Honda 2000 and has some nice features. Purchased in Canada at a price of $1050. Generac have been in the generator business for a long time and have a proven work history although this is a new unit first out in November 2015.
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Old 05-08-2016, 01:23 PM   #40
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Lot's of info to study. But I have one of those " can you " questions. Some of you use two generators to bump up watts. Do the two generators have to be the same size? If I use a 2000w Honda but need just a little more juice can a 1000w be added or must it be another 2000w. Yes , I understand the cable kit needed to do this ; but I like the small and lite part of these units! Also the 1000w would be handy for the single item use everywhere.
If I'm not mistaken, I think you would need equal watt rated units as well as the same mfg. in order to combine them with the cable. I plan on using one of my Yams. to run lights, micro., and such as well as run the refrigerator on gas while the HW heater is left on. Of course, the second Yam will be hooked together for running the A/C and the same config. by running the refrigerator on gas and or the HW heater.
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