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Old 06-10-2015, 06:48 PM   #1
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Generator Question

Hello Everyone
The DW and I are headed to a State Beach this weekend with no hook ups. This is the first time we will not have hook ups and will need to use a generator. I am wondering.. do I just need to turn it on when using larger stuff. (Hair Dryer, toaster, TV? ) I am assuming you just plug it into the power cord from the TT and fire it up when needed. I have a never used Honda eu2000i.

Couple of things I think I already know is that the fridge will work on propane and the lights off the battery. Also the AC is out of the question, but not needed. Is there any definitely do or don't do advice I can use.
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Old 06-10-2015, 07:36 PM   #2
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First, to answer your question. Yes. Just plug the generator in. A good safety procedure would be to start the generator first, then plug the trailer in and then turn the circuit breaker on the generator on.
Yes, you only need to run the generator when using the television, toaster, microwave, etc.

However, consider this. DW and I and three teenagers recently spent 6 days over memorial day weekend in a dry camp. Being careful with light usage and etc. we spent an outstanding six days dray camped, and managed to live comfortably on the onboard water, and batteries. No generator needed. No cell phones, no television, etc. we made toast in the frying pan, played card games and other board games (Beat the DW 6 games in a row of Mancala). Kids had a great time, so much so, we headed back out the next weekend to the same location and did another four day weekend.
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Old 06-10-2015, 07:46 PM   #3
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Some quick points:
1. When running on the genset, the batteries will be receiving a charge.
2. Disconnect the cord, let the genset cool (idle) down for a minute before shutting the engine off.
3. Be mindful of your total load. 2000 watts will run a toaster, microwave, hairdryer or a/c. But no two at the same time.
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Old 06-10-2015, 08:15 PM   #4
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Depending on the size of your battery and your DC demand habits, you may want to let the generator run for a while to charge the battery up, vs only running it for the 15 minutes to make the coffee and toast
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Old 06-10-2015, 08:49 PM   #5
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Some quick points:
1. When running on the genset, the batteries will be receiving a charge.
2. Disconnect the cord, let the genset cool (idle) down for a minute before shutting the engine off.
3. Be mindful of your total load. 2000 watts will run a toaster, microwave, hairdryer or a/c. But no two at the same time.
Not to hijack this post but what is the ideal generator size? Running AC at all times is a must. Would like to be able to support AC, fridge, two phone chargers, and an appliance at the same time if possible.

(PS: it took me a solid dozen times of seeing your profile picture before a realized it was you wearing a welding mask...and not a boat engine. )
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Old 06-11-2015, 01:06 PM   #6
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Not to hijack this post but what is the ideal generator size? Running AC at all times is a must. Would like to be able to support AC, fridge, two phone chargers, and an appliance at the same time if possible.
(PS: it took me a solid dozen times of seeing your profile picture before realized it was you wearing a welding mask...and not a boat engine. )
That avatar is my idea of a selfie!

Running a portable genset 24/7 = bad idea. We used to do that when the grid was taken out by hurricanes. Burned up 2 of them. Now it's 2-4 hours around mealtimes. Top up the oil and gas before each-and-every restart.

If you have diesel power, then runs of 2-3 days are possible, with downtime of an hour or 2 to refuel, check the oil and coolant levels.

A 5KW genset will keep an A/C running well along with the microwave, toaster and fridge.

I will ask why you won't run the fridge on propane?

If you can reconsider running the A/C only during the hottest part of the day, you could run the genset only during those times.
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Old 06-11-2015, 06:38 PM   #7
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You may need an adapter to connect trailer to generator. The RV plug is different than the generator outlet
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Old 06-12-2015, 07:56 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by charliebravo View Post
Not to hijack this post but what is the ideal generator size? Running AC at all times is a must. Would like to be able to support AC, fridge, two phone chargers, and an appliance at the same time if possible.

(PS: it took me a solid dozen times of seeing your profile picture before a realized it was you wearing a welding mask...and not a boat engine. )
There is no real good answer to your gen needs as defined. If all of that including A/C 24/7 is a must, then you would probably be best served staying in CG's with full hookups. You could do it with a generator and a modern Class A or better MH with an onboard gen could handle most of your needs, even the big rigs have restrictions on what you can run at the same time. Gens to run all that you describe are probably 5-6kw in size and come with a big price tag, lots of noise, and are very thirsty. Folks who do a lot of boondocking usually are more practical in their needs for a generator.
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Old 06-12-2015, 08:08 AM   #9
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That avatar is my idea of a selfie!

Running a portable genset 24/7 = bad idea. We used to do that when the grid was taken out by hurricanes. Burned up 2 of them. Now it's 2-4 hours around mealtimes. Top up the oil and gas before each-and-every restart.

If you have diesel power, then runs of 2-3 days are possible, with downtime of an hour or 2 to refuel, check the oil and coolant levels.

A 5KW genset will keep an A/C running well along with the microwave, toaster and fridge.

I will ask why you won't run the fridge on propane?

If you can reconsider running the A/C only during the hottest part of the day, you could run the genset only during those times.
When going to NASCAR races we used to sit Honda eu3000s, as many as three in a row, in one spot to run different campers and electronics. They were started on Sunday and shut off the next Sunday or Monday without any issues. Just keep them full. I have also done that with two eu2000s in parallel by converting them to run from a boat tank. It is possible to run them nearly all the time for periods of time.

The other thing in your camping location to look at is the hours you can run the generator and if they require a certain decibel limit. If you need to run the generator to charge batteries, I would carry a battery charger. The converter's trickle charger won't do much.
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Old 06-12-2015, 08:14 AM   #10
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When going to NASCAR races we used to sit Honda eu3000s, as many as three in a row, in one spot to run different campers and electronics. They were started on Sunday and shut off the next Sunday or Monday without any issues. Just keep them full. I have also done that with two eu2000s in parallel by converting them to run from a boat tank. It is possible to run them nearly all the time for periods of time.
How many gensets did you go through in a season? Or just buy new ones each year?


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The other thing in your camping location to look at is the hours you can run the generator and if they require a certain decibel limit. If you need to run the generator to charge batteries, I would carry a battery charger. The converter's trickle charger won't do much.
Very good point. Neighbors!
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Old 06-12-2015, 08:23 AM   #11
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"Originally Posted by djtho1 View Post
The other thing in your camping location to look at is the hours you can run the generator and if they require a certain decibel limit. If you need to run the generator to charge batteries, I would carry a battery charger The converter's trickle charger won't do much."

Not really the new WFCO convertors that are in most newer Jaycos have 3 way charging capabilities a boost, nominal and float mode. the convertor will adjust voltage based on the batteries state of charge.
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Old 06-12-2015, 08:46 AM   #12
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We didn't buy every season. With those units we ran like that year after year. I have sold mine because we now fulltime in a fifth wheel, but the others are still running along fine, a couple of which are 7-8 years old. I also have run a Honda eb11000 for a week solid during a power outage (talk about gas consumption!) as well as 8 hours a day, five days a week for a month (started building a house without electric on site). I sold it when we went fulltime 7 years later and it now is backup for a guy's shop.

For charging the batteries, I would need to see the amp output on these new three stage converter chargers. If you are dry camping a lot you probably have more than one battery and maybe six volts in series. Those can take quite a bit of juice to charge well and I am not sure a standard converter charger will do that very well in the described situation.
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Old 06-12-2015, 10:32 AM   #13
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...snip...
For charging the batteries, I would need to see the amp output on these new three stage converter chargers. If you are dry camping a lot you probably have more than one battery and maybe six volts in series. Those can take quite a bit of juice to charge well and I am not sure a standard converter charger will do that very well in the described situation.
The $(*&()(&*$%^$ manual says nothing about charging current during the different charging phases. The charger raises the output voltage, which increases the current into an equal load (I=E/R, increase E and leave R alone, I increases).

They are trying to give a fast charge when needed and trickle/float charge when the battery is 'full'.

It's not perfect, but a vast improvement over the older 2A charger that was part of the older converters.
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Old 06-13-2015, 08:41 PM   #14
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That avatar is my idea of a selfie!

Running a portable genset 24/7 = bad idea. We used to do that when the grid was taken out by hurricanes. Burned up 2 of them. Now it's 2-4 hours around mealtimes. Top up the oil and gas before each-and-every restart.

If you have diesel power, then runs of 2-3 days are possible, with downtime of an hour or 2 to refuel, check the oil and coolant levels.

A 5KW genset will keep an A/C running well along with the microwave, toaster and fridge.

I will ask why you won't run the fridge on propane?

If you can reconsider running the A/C only during the hottest part of the day, you could run the genset only during those times.
Thanks for the reply! I expected an answer like that but wanted to ask out of pure ignorance re: generators and their usage. 99.9% of the time we'll be at a CG but if we wanted or needed to boondock it's good to know what is realistic. I'll definitely be doing in-depth research before purchasing AND using one!
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Old 06-14-2015, 04:06 AM   #15
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We didn't buy every season. With those units we ran like that year after year. I have sold mine because we now fulltime in a fifth wheel, but the others are still running along fine, a couple of which are 7-8 years old. I also have run a Honda eb11000 for a week solid during a power outage (talk about gas consumption!) as well as 8 hours a day, five days a week for a month (started building a house without electric on site). I sold it when we went fulltime 7 years later and it now is backup for a guy's shop.

For charging the batteries, I would need to see the amp output on these new three stage converter chargers. If you are dry camping a lot you probably have more than one battery and maybe six volts in series. Those can take quite a bit of juice to charge well and I am not sure a standard converter charger will do that very well in the described situation.
I just paid 2k for a honda eu3000is. Good to know I can run it as long or often as I like. I always thought that was the idea of a high quality gen. as compared to Chinese.
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Old 06-14-2015, 05:08 AM   #16
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Rick, we just recently (like last year Sept - Dec.) kicked our whole house remodel into high gear. What started as a 4-6 week stay in our Pup, ended up being a 4 months stay in the pup while the electrical, hvac, drywall and kitchen cabinets were completed. Kitchen cabinets and dry wall extended the schedule. Anyways, during that time, our sole source of power were two Honda EU2000 running parallel 24/7 (for the AC) and for the power tools during the day. The last month it finally cooled off enough to eliminate the AC, so the only loads during the day were the power tools. I would say the last month we could get by with just one gen running 95% of the time and then they were alternated in use. Conservatively, I would estimate they have somewhere around 15-19K hours on them both. Every other week I changed the oil and used Sea Foam in both the oil and the gas. Today they will start with 2 pulls of the cord and the output is as good as the day they were bought. 4K for both of them was worth every penny...saved us at least twice that much or more in temporary housing, we got to stay on site to guard materials and installed items (mainly the copper) and we now have two dependable units for camping when we need them. The local utility wanted $3800 for a temp service. The key is maintenance and preventivity care.
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Old 06-14-2015, 04:00 PM   #17
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I use 2 Honda EU2000i generators for a Jayco 23RB. One is a companion to connect to the trailer. When I am running AC, I use parallel cables to connect the 2 and an adapter on the companion to plug the trailer power cable into. Typically, if not running AC, I only use one generator.

I also purchased the steel handle deterrent accessories so that the handles can't be cut when chained to the TT.

The power outlets and TV run on 120v and need the generator.
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Old 06-19-2015, 02:06 PM   #18
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I just bought a 2009 Jayco Grayhawk 30GS the on board generator runs fine, but when I start the vehicle engine the generator power output goes off even though the generator is still running. I've been told I can run the roof AC when driving. Is there a switch somewhere or am I missing something.
You may want to start a fresh thread in the Motorhome Section rather than attaching to a dying thread.


I did google-up the sales brochure for your RV and it mentions an "Energy Command Center". Look for a switch or configuration setting there?
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