generator question

[slabat]

I was wondering how the other generators compare to Honda generators as far as noise level and power quality. I have a Jayco23j that I want to power up when I am boondocking.

[Jmooney]

I have a Kipor 3000 watt Genset. ( don't know if they make them any longer )

It's a tad louder than the name brands, but has provided excellent service.

The larger power supply, the larger engine, and therefore more noise, but anything under 60 db, at 20 feet is not bad at all from inside your TT! Just annoying to other campers

(60 dbConversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 ft)

[Jmooney]

If you not trying to get the air conditioning unit on the Genset, you could go down to a 2000 watt, and save some money, weight, and noise level

[slaw32]

Stay with a Honda . Either a single 3000 watt or 2 2000 watt hooked together . Nothing quieter than Honda . The 2000 watt is great option , if you run your air , hook both up . If not running air 1 2000 watt will run everything else . Honda may cost a little more , but as the old saying goes , you get what you pay for

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by slaw32

Stay with a Honda . Either a single 3000 watt or 2 2000 watt hooked together . Nothing quieter than Honda . The 2000 watt is great option , if you run your air , hook both up . If not running air 1 2000 watt will run everything else . Honda may cost a little more , but as the old saying goes , you get what you pay for

x2,x3,x4 etc.



Many will recharge the batteries or power up your micro or TV, but then there is that noise thing. Ever wonder why the comparison usually includes something like "noise is not bad if you're inside your TT"? I'm not a Honda retailer, just a proud owner of 2 2000's. They work, they are quiet, and yes they are pricey; but [here we go] "U get what U pay for".

[WVDusty]

FWIIW the Hondas everyone raves about being so quite are inverters not generators that is why they cost so much more. I have used a Honda EU4000 inverter for emergency power at home for years and it is GREAT however for the few times we boondock camp I have a champion 4000 watt generator it is louder but works great also.

[RoyBraddy]

I have the Honda 2KW EU2000i generator. Since it seems like everywhere we went camping here on the east side of the US we always ran into camp grounds with generator run time restrictions which usually would not work out if we wanted to run our air conditioners.

What we did was to beef up of trailer to smart mode converter/charger, added more batteries and heavier batter cables, changed out to LED lights everywhere and installed a low wattage INVERTER. Now we can run all of the 120VAC items from the Inverter, 12VDC items from direct connected to the batteries and do just fine until 8AM the next morning when we are allowed to run out 2KW generator. I planned battery power consumption to drop my battery DC voltage to 12.0VDC (Approx 50% charge state) by 8AM the next morning. During breakfast we connect our 30A trailer shore power cable to the generator 120VAC panel receptacle using a RV30A-15A Adapter (WALMART) which allows the on-board smart converter/charger unit to recharge our battery bank back up to its 90% charge state in just three hours of generator run time. I use a PD9260C converter which does require a 1000WATS to operate it from a generator so I have to have the 2KW generator to power this up.

Getting three or generator run time during the day usually fits the campgrounds that have generator run time restrictions everywhere we go.

Adding solar panels is next for us which will reduce our generator run time down to around two hours of run time and then the solar panels will be able to compete the battery bank to their 90% charge state during the high sun day.

This all makes us blend in very well when camping off the power grid in the Forest areas and public camp grounds.

This is not for just camping off the power grid but also gives us an battery operated power source at home when the commercial power goes OFF during extended storms etc... A great thing to have around for us...

We have been very successful doing this for the past 5 years or so running off the power grid using our batteries. It is totally second nature now...

Roy Ken

[Adk Camper]

Originally Posted by WVDusty

FWIIW the Hondas everyone raves about being so quite are inverters not generators that is why they cost so much more. I have used a Honda EU4000 inverter for emergency power at home for years and it is GREAT however for the few times we boondock camp I have a champion 4000 watt generator it is louder but works great also.

I'm with you on this Dusty, I also have the Champion 4000/3500 generator and I've ran the crap out of it with no issue but lets say it craps out,for the price of two Honda 2000's I can get 7 Champions at $300.00 a pop and I think it's safe to say that they would last for quite some time. Like Bassdogs said "You get what you pay for" and that is true but 2 Honda's for $2000.00 plus... I'll be sure I'll put them at the top of my list.

[Adk Camper]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

I have the Honda 2KW EU2000i generator. Since it seems like everywhere we went camping here on the east side of the US we always ran into camp grounds with generator run time restrictions which usually would not work out if we wanted to run our air conditioners.
Roy Ken

Bingo!!!!! Thank you RoyBraddy, Point proven. So with this said what difference does it make what generator brand you have that is unless your going to try to get a little extra run time in and go against the CG's rules.

Bassdogs,Here's a first hand experience I had just last year. While camping at a State Park here in upstate NY I was camping with a friend who happens to have the 2 Honda 2000 set up and I had my Champion. When generator hrs ended at 7pm he decided to keep his running but hey lets face it their quieter than a church mouse. Around 8pm the ranger was making his rounds and decided to stop at my buddy's site and guess what? It wasn't to say hi or compliment him on how quiet his Honda's were, it was to tell him to turn the damn thing off ,generator hours are over.

So with that case alone why would I buy the Honda's over the Champion when it doesn't make a bit of difference how much quieter they are? It's not like I'm going to get any additional run time.Hmmmmm.

[slaw32]

IMHO quieter is better in all generator applications especially in camping situations . We commonly camp in groups at different rallys throughout the year . Hookups not available . Everyone appreciates a quiet generator in group gatherings . Nice thing about the rallys I go to if your generator is quiet you can run it all night long .

[Adk Camper]

Originally Posted by slaw32

IMHO quieter is better in all generator applications especially in camping situations . We commonly camp in groups at different rallys throughout the year . Hookups not available . Everyone appreciates a quiet generator in group gatherings . Nice thing about the rallys I go to if your generator is quiet you can run it all night long .

In this case then it would make sense.

[Brownie]

Here, here, Adk! I bought the same Champion for two reasons: 1) it's the only gen I could find that has the 30A TT outlet built in - no adapter to forget/lose; 2) Cabela's had them on sale for a ridiculously low price. It will power everything (including my A.C.), and if I'm boon docking and have trouble sleeping while it's running, I have ear plugs.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by Adk Camper

Bingo!!!!!

So with that case alone why would I buy the Honda's over the Champion when it doesn't make a bit of difference how much quieter they are? It's not like I'm going to get any additional run time.Hmmmmm.

Hmmm, and the answer is that I don't recommend Hondas so you can defy CG rules although many will allow you to run the quiet ones longer, but because when they are running during gen hours you aren't driving your neighbors crazy and you can sit outside and actually carry on a conversation.

But then like I said before, there have been hundreds of threads on this subject and they all end up the same. Remember the saying, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity [Einstein]. Buy what you want, but there is a true winner in the genny [inverter] world.

[RoyBraddy]

I have a 2KW Honda Generator verses Ranger story as well...

We was heading for ELKMONT CAMP in the Smokys from NC on one trip and was getting into ELKMONT around 2PM. Got all checked in and pretty much setup with my OFF-ROAD POPUP. I was dying for a cup of coffee so thought maybe I could sneak a quick five minute generator run time to brew up a pot of coffee. My 2KW Generator sits secured in the tailgate corner of my covered truck bed so I got my Cuisinart bean grind and brew coffee maker all setup and started my 2KW generator in the be of my truck. I closed the tail gate back up and had just cracked the other end of the folding bed cover with a stick. My coffee was grinding and then started it's five minute brew when the Ranger walks ups. He was doing his usual greeting for the new check-ins...


We chatted a minute and was leaning on the front of my truck with the generator still running in the covered truck bed. He never said a word... Then I asked what the generator hours were and he replied 8AM to 10AM in the morning and 4:30PM to 7:30 PM in afternoon.

Then I mentioned I was dying for a cup of coffee and didn't have any made up in the thermos so went ahead and started brewing up a pot. Told hi the generator was running in my truck bed now...

He jumps away form the truck and walked around to the tailgate area. I dropped the tail gate and there it was purring away. My coffee brew light has just gone out so I poured him and myself a cup of good ole fresh brewed bean coffee...

He said I can't believe I couldn't hear your generator running...

I shut down the the generator and We chatted until we finished our coffee. Then he handed back my coffee cup and went on his way down the camp site road...

True story a few years back at ELKMONT CAMP inside the Smoky Mtn Natl Park...

Roy Ken

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by slabat

I was wondering how the other generators compare to Honda generators as far as noise level and power quality. I have a Jayco23j that I want to power up when I am boondocking.

IMO Honda and Yamaha generators seem to be about the same when it comes to noise level and quality, both extremely popular brands. There are other "inverter" based brand generators that may provide similar reduced noise levels as well, and may also share some similar quality characteristics. The best thing to do is compare spec sheets.

The non 'inverter' type generators tend to have higher noise levels associated with them, but at the end of the day for basic boondocking needs they get the job done.

A couple of things to consider when looking into generators is weight, and if you plan to run a A/C. I have a Yamaha EF 2400iSCH and weighs in at about 75lbs, I wouldn't want anything heavier because I do move my genny around frequently.
If you want to run a single 13.5 btu A/C, a 2400 watt minimum genny is required for most applications.

Bob

[Adk Camper]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

If you want to run a single 13.5 btu A/C, a 2400 watt minimum genny is required for most applications.

Bob

What would the minimum be for a 15,000 btu A/C ?

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Adk Camper

What would the minimum be for a 15,000 btu A/C ?

Good question...., but last summer I talked to a fellow camper using a Honda 3000 running his single 15k A/C in his FW. This was in the Michigan UP so we weren't at a high altitude but temps were in the upper 80's.

Bob

[Marteau]

I have a Yamaha 2400 inverter. So far so good and it's as quiet as a Honda. I have not used it with the air conditioner yet but many claim it will handle it. It's easy to start and is pretty fuel efficient.

[eldermike]

The air conditioning question is the only thing you need an answer on when deciding on a generator. If you decide you need the air conditioning then you need some head room on the service from the generator. We camped without hookups for 20 years showing dogs and never ran the air. Back in that time we used a 1500watt very quiet generator made by Yamaha. We got by with it.
The Honda EU2000 looks to be perfect for that type use today. 2 of these in parallel would allow you the same service as normal 30amp service but at rated load your fuel consumption goes down to just a few hours (perhaps 4) run time with the air running.

2 gens in parallel with air running at full load -2 gal in 4 hours = $1.75/hr x 24 = $42.00/day cost of fuel.

1 gen running at 1/4 load no air = 1gal in 9 hours = $.38/hr = $9.33/day

Note: Using $3.50/gal

Let me think----------turn the air off and enjoy the shade outside.

[Thinker]

In the Honda vs Yamaha or whatever.. consider that the Honda has a fuel pump and will run off an outboard motor tank. We get 24 hours run time on ours..