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Looking to purchase generator


Sherri  B

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Good morning,  so I've been looking at inverter generators.   I have the 7100 mini Mach coleman ac unit so I'm thinking a 2000 watt will work fine.  

My question is this, and I have no experience with generators so it may be a stupid question.   Some have the 30 amp plug and others have two 120 plugs.  I'm thinking I have to buy one with the 30 amp plug, but I know alot of you have the Honda and they look to only have the two 120 outlets.  

Thank you again for any knowledge you can inspire me with :)

Sherri 

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For an AC that small no need for a 30 amp plug. Just get an adapter 30 amp to 110. A 2000 watt genny with 2 11p outlets would be perfect! I have the Honda 2000i but you can buy much cheaper units @ Harbor Freight. Not sure about their warranty or service availability. 

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hey there sherri B, a popular generator is the Honda 2000i. many use some similar gensets from harbor freight. HF sells a Honda clone. others like champion brand. and there are many others on the market.  I have a Honda 2000i. I like the Honda for the following reasons, quiet. the Honda is one of the quietest gens on the market for it's size. some camp grounds, state/fed parks, limit the use of generators to certain times. and some forbid them totally. your fellow campers appreciate a very quiet genset. durability and parts availability are key, and Honda has an excellent reputation for both. my Honda will run my coleman roof top air on my 1992 Winnie warrior, as long as I am not using another major draw device(like a coffee pot , electric skillet, etc.). your shore power cord can be plugged into the genset 110/120 outlet (s)  with a commonly found "plug adapter", hope this helps, joe from dover.

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I use a Honda EU2000i and there is no need for a 30 amp outlet.  It would be nice to have one, but a simple 20 to 30

amp adapter is all that is needed with any generator.   Almost any 2000 watt generator should run your 7100 btu roof air.  My mighty little Honda runs an 8000 BTU window unit with no issues on the hottest, humid days.

 

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Thank you, so I figured as much and I also came across an adapter that was already in my toy from 30 amp to regular 110 outlet   :)  Home Depot has a 2000 watt Lifan on sale until 8/24 for an incredible low price of $319.  Costco has one that has a Yamaha engine for $499 but I'm concerned about how quiet it will run as it says 65 dBC where the Lifan says 57 I think.  And it's hard to beat that price but a lot of times you get what you pay for. Hondas are very expensive

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Like Joe said you pay extra for durability, quietness, to easily find parts and even service centers for repairs. Where can you find parts or service for the Honda knockoffs? There's a reason the Honda has so many clones. My rational for spending the extra $$ on the Honda was it should last @ least 3 X as long as a Chinese knockoff. That makes everything even in the long run. Another member Totem has had good luck with his HF genny. Champions, etc. are all made in China under various names. Not saying they're bad but nowhere as good as a Honda (my opinion!) As far as being quiet my Honda is pretty loud when running my roof AC (11k unit) as it is running full throttle. How much louder the other genny's you listed are on full load or throttle would probably scare you. They never list the dbs on full load! 

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11 minutes ago, markwilliam1 said:

They never list the dbs on full load! 

The almost never give details of the conditions for their dB numbers. Idle? Half load? Full load? What distance? (Industry Standard is, I believe, 20' or 21'.)

Correction: Standard distance is 7m (23').

 

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Yep! You pay for quality and quietness. No way around it!

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I went with the honda 2000 - no regrets.  It has NEVER failed me. At about 800 hours now.  If you into the higher elevations you do need to change the main jet - fairly easy to do.   Also a word of caution - some of the converter plugs (3 prong/rv to regular wall outlet) can bite you.  After running a while feel the plug for heat - if it is rather hot.....    Note that the regular wall outlets are generally rated no more then 20 amp which should be fine for you. 

My honda is very quiet - I get about 8 hours on a gallon at low idle, 1/2 that at high idle. Most of my runs are low idle. I have an electric heater (rated 1500btu) - When I run it at lowest heat setting the generator revs up just a little. My microwave puts a load on it.  My roof air is 13,500 and that really makes it groan - overload light etc.

 

 

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Dan when you run your microwave, heater or roof AC do you have ECO on or off? I can run my roof AC with ECO on but it strains when the compressor kicks in but it works. I'm afraid of long-term damage to rhe Honda with ECO on. When the ECO is off my 2000i never skips a beat running the roof AC. I have an 11K unit. Glad I don't have a 13.5K unit! 

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Honda makes a 2000 with a 30 amp plug just for RV's. No that won't make any more powerful but more convenient and the 30 amp won't fall out on rough roads. 

 

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8 hours ago, markwilliam1 said:

Dan when you run your microwave, heater or roof AC do you have ECO on or off? I can run my roof AC with ECO on but it strains when the compressor kicks in but it works. I'm afraid of long-term damage to rhe Honda with ECO on. When the ECO is off my 2000i never skips a beat running the roof AC. I have an 11K unit. Glad I don't have a 13.5K unit! 

I leave it in eco for the microwave and for the heater.  It grunts for the microwave but revs up and does not seem to hurt anything. As to the heater, on the low setting, it revs up just a bit. If I run it the heater on the middle setting I will put it into high idle (eco off).  I do not run my AC on it.  In your situation, I would turn off eco mode for the AC. An 11k unit should be maxing it out, especially at start up.  The 2000 I have is rated for 2000 watts for 30 minutes and then 1600 watts after that. At high elevation it should be losing a lot of horsepower too since it a normally aspirated engine (no turbo charging - forcing air into unit to compensate for altitude).

 

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1 hour ago, Maineah said:

Honda makes a 2000 with a 30 amp plug just for RV's. No that won't make any more powerful but more convenient and the 30 amp won't fall out on rough roads. 

 

I think they spec that with a parallel generator.  To get the 30Amps, you need 2 honda 2000's

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Thanks Dan I installed a Dometic brand hard start capacitor (better quality than the supco cap.) for my Dometic Penguin Duo Therm 11K AC. Before installing the new capacitor my Honda wouldn't run the AC. Now it barely strains when the compressor kicks in and works perfectly! This is in Ohio though not the higher elevations. 

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The Yamaha 2000W is also very good generator I heard. I use a Honda 2000W and happy with it

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I actually tested the yamaha , champion , and honda all side by side (all 2000). Only the honda was able to run my 13.5 AC. The others died when the AC compressor kicked in. My suspicion is higher torque. The honda has the highest engine displacement among the three......

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Your Very fortunate that the Honda 2000i will run a 13.5K AC! Just not enough power as it only puts out 1600 watts continuous!  Have you tried it when it's around 90 degree and high humidity? 

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