Basecamp Generator

[Twowheels]

Should have a brand new basecamp in next month ( ordered late last year) and have been reading the forum with excitement and enjoying the threads of your experience. I wondered if a 2000 watt generator will suffice for the basecamp air conditioner to start up and run. Any feedback back would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[overlander63]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. It is generally accepted that 2400 watts is pretty much the minimum for running an air conditioner.

[Piggy Bank]

So to further expand on the answer above, you will need (2) 2000 watt gennies in tandem, or a larger 3000 watt model.

Many choose the tandem smaller units as they are not as heavy (about 45 pounds) so easier to move and store.

There are a lot of good videos on Youtube showing how these setups work and how loud these are.

That being said, if you stay at most campgrounds and state parks, there will be electric hook ups.

On the contrary, most national parks, and rustic areas, friend's lake houses, music festivals, and game day tailgates will not have electric available. If you won't really need the AC in these instances, then the smaller size generator will be great to run the lights, microwave, tv, etc. So you also may want to take a wait and see approach since these are an investment.

[Shiny16]

You could get one Honda 2000 and a micro air easy start for the ac.

[Twowheels]

Thanks for the feedback and good advice, I think I'll do just that "wait and see"

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

You could get one Honda 2000 and a micro air easy start for the ac.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f37/should-i-keep-my-2-x-honda-2000i-generators-153360.html

[Rg416]

I also have a Basecamp on order, and have been hoping someone who knows would figure this out. Not sure if this helps, but all the other Airstreams have larger BTU a/c units than the Basecamp. The 16' Sport has 11,000, 22' Sport is 13,500, and many others are 15,000 BTU's. The Basecamp a/c unit is only 9200 BTU's and I'm hoping the Honda 2000 can handle it. I seem to remember somewhere here someone with a new Basecamp saying that it should work (on paper at least), and they were going to test it. Hoping to hear.

[Mrjkq]

Anything over a 2000w generator creates a handling & weight issue. Buy one, either Honda or Yamaha brand as they are without a doubt the best and both have parallel capabilities meaning if needed you can purchase a second one & connect them for 4000w total.

[OTRA15]

FYI on p. 8-16 of the BC Owner's Manual [p. 78/86 in the PDF]:

https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...ers-Manual.pdf

it says the A/C draws 16 amps, which is near the limit of the Honda 2000 I believe. This is a starting amperage of course. Not sure if the circuit breaker for this circuit is the kind that can accomodate motor start up.

Good luck.

Peter

[Rg416]

Hi, from what I've been able to find searching around the internet it looks to me like the a/c on the Basecamp is a Coleman Mach 8 Cub (9200 btu) with a black shroud? Maybe someone who has a Basecamp with a/c can confirm this? The pictures I've seen online match the Airstream pix. If this is the correct unit, it looks like the standard operating wattage is 1270, and 1550 watts for desert (full power I guess). I know when the a/c kicks on there's a surge, but it looks like there are a few hundred watts to spare. The Honda is 16.7 amps, so it's near the limit to start it, but should work. On paper anyway. Here's a link for the a/c, I think...

http://www.airxcel.com/docs/default-....pdf?sfvrsn=12

[OTRA15]

BC AC draws 16 amps per info in Post #9.

[Rg416]

Hey I was at the RV show in Atlantic City this weekend and an Airstream rep was at the Colonial Airstream area. I asked him if it is true that a 2000 watt generator can run the 9200 btu a/c, and he said yes, that's the way they planned it. But don't use much of anything else electric at the same time.
By the way, it was striking to see the dramatic quality difference between Airstream and any other travel trailers that were there. They're totally awesome. And there was a lot of buzz around the Basecamp!

[harveyd396]

Check the specs on this one. They claim the lowest DBA. Looks great with many features.

https://www.amazon.com/Generac-6866-.../dp/B0128KR4EE

[Twowheels]

Have a Basecamp on the way, the 1600 running watts is what concerns me. A article I read stated 3.4 btu will consume 1 watt, if this is true the math puts this on the edge under the best conditions for either the A/C or the heat strip .
1600 watts x 3.4 btu = 5440 btu.
2000 watts is 6800 btu.
Am I over thinking this ? I am open to feed back if anybody has a different calculation.[emoji4]

[Twowheels]

Good news! Just answered my own concern another article on Google states the average 10000 btu RV Air Conditioner will use 2000 watts for start up and 700 average watts once running . That if accurate will make a lot of people happy including myself!!!

[Rocinante]

If Colonial Airstream says you're good with a single EU2000i, then I'd say you're probably good. If you're still unsure, you can also call the customer service line at Airstream to ask them.

[nwcamper]

Thanks to all for the research!

[Jazgrass]

Ok, I know nada about generators, but I asked for help from the A/C manufacture and they were good enough to send me this...


The actual model number is 47201A879,

Here is the data sheet for your unit.

http://old.rvcomfort.com/rvp/pdf_doc..._sheet_114.pdf

The compressor pulls 8.9 amps at 95 degree outside air temp.

The inside fan motor is .7 (low) and 1.2 (high). The outside fan motor runs at 1.6 amps.

In order to figure out the starting amps we will take the amp draw on the compressor, multiply it by 2.5 and add the motors. This gives us 24.55 amps in low and 25.05 in high.

The watts are the same way to figure out. The running watts at 95 degrees is 1270, multiplied by 2.5 is 3175. So you would need a generator that can handle an onrush (for a few seconds) of 3175 watts.

Hope that helps, and hope that you had a great Easter Weekend!



Mike Dickey
Technical Assistance Coordinator
RV PRODUCTS, a division of Airxcel, Inc.
3050 North St. Francis
Wichita, KS, 67219
Office: 316.832.4357
Fax: 316.832.3417
www.airxcel.com

I need to find 2 that are the smallest, best performance ones made so I can pick them up. I would def. take suggestions on that. Additionally I don't fully understand the info above

[switz]

We already had the matched pair of Honda 2000 watt generators to run our 15,000 BTU air conditioners installed on both the 2013 25FB International Serenity and our 2014 31' Classic. Both have been converted to propane only using the GenConnex conversion kits.

We installed five 100 watt solar panels and a hybrid Magnum MSH-3012 inverter in/on our 2015 23D International Serenity. There is also a 300 amp-hour lithium battery inside. A single 2000 watt Honda can readily run the 13,500 BTU air conditioner, but the starting in-rush can be an issue. The Magnum will take the in-rush current needed from the lithium battery and then continue charging the battery to replenish for the next cycle. If the sun is out, our solar panels are contributing about 375 watts to refilling the battery, too.

We retrofitted a power inlet on the front of the 23D and a real automatic transfer switch for the two 120Vac at 30 amp input sockets. We can plug into the front propane outlet of the 23D and connect with a custom 30 amp rated six foot power cable. Works well.

[Rocinante]

The Magnum hybrid is a sweet solution, though expensive. We went another direction, adding the Micro Air EasyStart 364, which manages that inrush (e.g. Locked rotor amps) such that our 15,000 BTU heat pump will easily start and run on a single 2000 watt generator. That said, I suspect you will not need either of these to run your BaseCamp's air conditioner on a 2000 watt generator.