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Old 07-30-2017, 11:04 PM   #1
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Which Generator??

We have a new 2017 Jay Flight SLX 245RLSW, what size, brand, etc., portable generator would you folks recommend. We have a small Honda EX650 but it's apparently only strong enough to "just" power the refer and lights, but not the A/C unit which draws too much juice.

So what Gennie can provide 35 amps of juice? Sorry if this is a lame question, but I'm not even sure where to start.

So THANKS!!
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Old 07-30-2017, 11:58 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Ironbeard View Post
We have a new 2017 Jay Flight SLX 245RLSW, what size, brand, etc., portable generator would you folks recommend. We have a small Honda EX650 but it's apparently only strong enough to "just" power the refer and lights, but not the A/C unit which draws too much juice.

So what Gennie can provide 35 amps of juice? Sorry if this is a lame question, but I'm not even sure where to start.

So THANKS!!
I have a Champion 3100 inverter generator and it runs the Coleman AC unit on my TT, weighs about 85 lbs. I also have a 120 watt Go Power Solar suitcase to charge the battery outside the allowed gen run times. I saw the gen at Costco for $899.00 today
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Old 07-31-2017, 05:23 AM   #3
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You will get plenty of recommendations about the Honda and Yamaha inverter generators. They seem to be good solid choices.
I went a different way. I saw the Champions also well reviewed and got a hell of a deal on this one:
Champion Power Equipment 3,400-Watt Dual Fuel Push-Button Electric Start Portable Inverter Generator with Parallel Capability-100263 - The Home Depot
HD is selling it now for $1085, but when I bought it it was ~$870 and I had a 10% HD coupon.
It works great for our needs. Loads pretty easily in the TV and powers the whole TT including the AC.
It generates more power on gasoline, but will run all night on propane.
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Old 07-31-2017, 06:16 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by BCx213 View Post
I have a Champion 3100 inverter generator and it runs the Coleman AC unit on my TT, weighs about 85 lbs. I also have a 120 watt Go Power Solar suitcase to charge the battery outside the allowed gen run times. I saw the gen at Costco for $899.00 today
X2 on the Champion
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Old 07-31-2017, 06:18 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by BCx213 View Post
I have a Champion 3100 inverter generator and it runs the Coleman AC unit on my TT, weighs about 85 lbs. I also have a 120 watt Go Power Solar suitcase to charge the battery outside the allowed gen run times. I saw the gen at Costco for $899.00 today
Another vote for Champion. I went for the Dual Fuel version figuring I've got propane in a pinch in case my gas runs out.
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Old 07-31-2017, 07:37 AM   #6
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I went with the Yamaha 2400ei. To me it was the sweet spot. Light enough to lift and carry, but just enough power to run my air conditioning.
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Old 07-31-2017, 09:20 AM   #7
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+1 on Champion 3100

We scored non-remote start for under $600 on sale to power a 13.5kW AC unit. The genny does get noisy when that AC kicks in though... I suspect all of them do

https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Powe...pion+generator
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Old 07-31-2017, 05:44 PM   #8
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2 yamahas

i just ordered 2 yamaha 2k's from costco.com. they come with the parallel cable and should power whatever I need, and I can just run 1 when I don't need AC, and hook up both if/when I need it. with their return policy, it was a no brainer and I got 2 for the price of 1 honda, cuz costco rocks.

i tried moving around the 3k gennies and they're a bit too big and heavy for my taste. If you can leave it in your truck all the time, that might be the way to go. built in theft avoidance since it weighs 100 lbs. the yammies weigh 47 each, i think. very easy to walk away, though.
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Old 07-31-2017, 06:17 PM   #9
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If you want to be able to run those Yamahas in economy mode, install a Micro-Air soft start. Otherwise, running the generators in Economy mode will not power up fast enough to get the AC started.
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Old 07-31-2017, 06:46 PM   #10
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Welcome to the forum, TLF.

We bought a Champion 2800/3100 at a great price and it works well for us. In economy mode, it powers all but the microwave and AC. But, as you said, it is heavy and so it stays in the truck bed when camping.
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Old 08-01-2017, 01:16 PM   #11
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i'm going to give one more option.

instead of one large champion gen we opted for 2 of the smaller champion gens

Champion Power Equipment 1,700-Watt Recoil Start Gasoline Powered Portable Inverter Generators with Parallel Operation Kit-73536K - The Home Depot

this gives us the option of leaving one gen home when we know we have full hookups or we know we are not running the AC during boondocking or for other times we need a smaller gen outside of RV'ing.
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Old 08-01-2017, 02:24 PM   #12
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Lots of options on generators. If you want to know what size generator can provide 120V and 35A which is what you indicated in your original question, then just use Ohm's Law.

120V * 35A = 4200W.

So something in the 4000 range would do everything. You could get a single 4000w or bigger generator or a pair of 2000w that can be run in parallel.

Do you need that much power? Probably not but that isn't what you asked. An AC kicking in needs the most power draw. You would probably be fine with a 3000w if you watched your power usage but some people don't want to have to worry about can I run my AC, TV, Microwave, Indoor and Outdoor Fridge at the same time as making toast.

As for brand, I would look harder to make sure whatever you pick is an inverter generator. It is great to have a generator but it does you no good if it is so loud that they make you shut it off. A 6500w construction series generator provides less power when it isn't running than a 1000w inverter. Now a 1000w inverter probably will never run your AC but you might get by with a 2000w.

Honda is probably the gold standard. Yamaha is up there. Nothing wrong with a Champion and there are other options out there as well that are inverter generators.

Just some things to keep in mind while shopping.
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