Battery charging with Honda

[rseagle]

Originally Posted by peegreen

I was looking at a yamaha 2400 propane powered model and wondering if that would have the capacity to start and run the AC with no other loads. The yamaha web site says it will operate most 13500 btu units. Is that their form of a disclaimer? The price and weight are certainly appealing.

Peegreen,

The gasoline version of the Yamaha EF2400 may just start a 13.5K AC unit, but propane models provide slightly less rated power. You may cross over the threshold with the propane model to where it won't start the AC unit and then you'll have a pretty expensive battery charger! Check it out real carefully.

[enduroryda]

Originally Posted by Pick

peegreen, when you are "on the edge" a lot of variables come into play. Sometimes my EU2000i will start mine, sometimes it won't. Depends on how hot it is. As a rule, I do NOT use my Honda to run the A/C. Hondas are expensive to buy and repair and so are A/C units. Therefore, I would recommend you NOT run the A/C with the Yamaha unit.

I am "on that edge"....Is there any way I can check to see if my AC is in fact running from my home power?? I am no electrical guru but I don't think enough power is getting to the unit to jump start the compressor. When plugged in to my house power I'm just getting a hummm. Bad news?? I'm at the point were we are looking at a generator just to see if it will fire up.

Yesterday my husband and I went and checked out the Honda's..love the 2000's as they are so light but are leaning toward's the 3000...super quiet. Everything I have read here on the forums makes me want to go with the reliable Honda's name...alot has been said in here about the new Yamaha w/ boost but I haven't really read any real feedback from actual users....especially after rseagle said it would not get the AC fired up on propane and Pick sounds like he's deff not recommending it. Thanks for any info..Ann

[OpenHigher]

Hi all: Just a Honda 2000 camping experience to share with the microwave convection oven. Sherry is learning to use the micro/conv oven, so she thought she would make a quiche. Ok, so turned on the Honda 2000 and we fired up the oven to preheat, oven strugged to stay on, but then kicked in, and warmed up fine. Honda power raised and lowered depending upon the heating process. Went to actually cook the quiche and honda would not power enough to keep the oven on. Solved the problem. If I would have read manual (duh) it says to turn the eco throttle off when powering energy items such as the microwave. Tried that and it worked fine. Only thing is, that Honda sure is working (and a bit loud too) so the engine is running smooth but hard.

Quiche turned out great.

Best, Robert

[Pick]

Yes, I don't recommend trying to start/run a 13,500 BTU A/C unit off of a Honda EU2000i generator.

Enduroryda, you should be able to start/run your A/C off of your house power, IF you are not using a long, undersized extension cord. Plug your A/S power line through an adaptor without extension cords.

[Killo1]

Two EU2000's sound like the way to go!

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Pick

peegreen, when you are "on the edge" a lot of variables come into play. Sometimes my EU2000i will start mine, sometimes it won't. Depends on how hot it is. As a rule, I do NOT use my Honda to run the A/C. Hondas are expensive to buy and repair and so are A/C units. Therefore, I would recommend you NOT run the A/C with the Yamaha unit.

I had a Yamaha 2400 that I used for 10 days solid after Wilma hit us last year. It ran a portable room air conditioner rated at 12 amps and some lights and a fan or two. It ran solid for those 10 days, only stopping to re-fuel and change the oil. No problems what so ever! Didn't even breathe hard .

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by lewster

I had a Yamaha 2400 that I used for 10 days solid after Wilma hit us last year. It ran a portable room air conditioner rated at 12 amps and some lights and a fan or two. It ran solid for those 10 days, only stopping to re-fuel and change the oil. No problems what so ever! Didn't even breathe hard .

Running on propane? How many BTUs was the A/C? Reason I ask is cause I am still saving for the Yamaha propane unit and though I doubt it'll power a 15k BTU Penguin, I figured if one person knew, who had one..... it'd be Lew!

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

Running on propane? How many BTUs was the A/C? Reason I ask is cause I am still saving for the Yamaha propane unit and though I doubt it'll power a 15k BTU Penguin, I figured if one person knew, who had one..... it'd be Lew!

Hey Twink,

It's not the BTU rating per se, as there are 'high efficiency' units out there now with equal BTU ratings but less amp draw. That is the key...the amp draw and consequently the corresponding watts the unit will need (P=IE) part of Ohm's law. The Power in Watts equals the voltage (120 X Current (amps)). I've seen 13,500 BTU units rated from 10.5 to 15 amps. Depends on the compressor and blower motor specs.

You can find the amp rating of your 15K BTU unit. There should be a data plate on the upper section under the shroud, might be in theh mannual, or you could just call Dometic (or whoever made it) annd give them the model and serial # and they will have the info for you.

[TIMEMACHINE]

Hi all,

Regarding the Yamaha 3000 w/boost, I have had good luck with mine in starting and running my 13,500 A/C in all conditions. And yes it is heavy, so I would not recommend it for those who don't have a place to store and use it without moving it. I keep mine in the bed of our truck, and it has always been within reach of our Airstream power connection. When I do have to move it, the wheels are very useful.

I decided on the Yamaha 3000 w/boost because of the long running time per tank, very low noise level, and of course the capability for getting the job done. Yamaha has an excellent reliability record.

Another side reason I chose this unit was the electric start which allows me to use a remote start in the future if I so desire.

[solitairenc]

. I solved my generator problem with one 3000 watt Coleman. I had the rear bumper removed and 2 ft. added to the frame and then had the generator mounted there. It just has to have 18 inches of the cord to plug in and it's always onboard and ready to go when we are. I do run it occasionally and always till the float bowl is empty. I use Sta-Bil also. Wonderful Product. It was just part of my making my 1972 International mine.

[solitairenc]

If it's not running from your house current you have a problem with the A/C unit itself. Your house current should be at least a 15 more likely a 20 amp. breaker. If it's not tripping the breaker out then there is a unit problem and there may be a bad fuse in the unit itself or the compressor is bad. Need to have that checked before looking for a generator. Most normal generators are rated at least 500 watts below what they will produce on start-up. Look on the plate on the A/C unit and it will tell you how much wattage it pulls. It will take 500 more to start it. It will fall back to the published wattage as soon as the compressor cranks in.

[87MH]

Originally Posted by Cracker

....decided to exercise my two generators. The last time I ran them was in November, 2005. Long story short - they cranked and ran smooth as silk...

It's been a few months since I ran these two - hooked them up in parallel and they took on the load of the fridge and a 15K BTU AC with nary a whimper.

I can still easily carry the two of them with full gas at the same time - one in each hand - truthfully could not hear them run inside the trailer (with the AC running).

[peegreen]

Dennis, Can you explain how you made the parallel connection? The Honda parallel kit looks like it has a few extra wires (control circuit?), but yours appears to just be connected just to the AC outputs. What are the extra connections for on the generator if you're not using them? Thanks, Pete.

[87MH]

Originally Posted by peegreen

Dennis, Can you explain how you made the parallel connection? The Honda parallel kit looks like it has a few extra wires...but yours appears to just be connected just to the AC outputs.....

I DID just connect to the AC outputs - joined the outputs together at the 30 amp plug.

The two ports on the Honda used for the Honda supplied co-generation circuit are safety devices - Lord love the US Lawyer inspired legal system.

THe Honda connections (in the "extra" ports are fully encapsulated plug-ins designed such that should the "safety" connections fall out (they have a habit of doing that, according to posts on other Forums I visit) some idiot will not be able to come along and burn his tongue should he (or she) put the exposed live lead in his (or her) mouth. The "safety" plugs are on the same circuit as the 110 house sockets on the front of the Hondas.

Now, having said what I did about idiots and lawyers above, the main safety drawback on this hookup is that it IS possible to have a "hot" 110 plug exposed should one fall out - or not be plugged in - a managable risk, in my opinion, if just a little bit of common sense is utilized. The "factory" pigtails (with a protected internal connection) are reported to be prone to falling out during operation - the standard 110 volt plug in connection I used does not seem to have that problem. Of course, there is always the possibility of pulling out a plug by tripping over the cord on a late night bathroom excursion - in which chase one would REALLY need to watch just what he is doing and where he is doing it. Anyone with any electrified fence or lawn mower sparkplug experience knows what I am talking about.

One other safety item that the factory unit has which mine does not, the factory unit also comes with an internal 30 amp breaker. I did not install this item, relying on the Airstream electric panels and the internal 20 amp protectors in the generators instead.

It is very simple to link the two together. Below are some pics of a pigtail I made - total cost about 50 bucks.

Remember, you HAVE to purchase similar generators which are designed to "synch-up" together....don't try this with a couple of Home Depot cheapies.

[Mod-Streamer]

[quote=TIMEMACHINE]Hi all,

Regarding the Yamaha 3000 w/boost, I have had good luck with mine in starting and running my 13,500 A/C in all conditions.

TimeMachine,

I was under the impression that the AC unit in our 25' FB SE was 11,000 btu's. This fact has me leaning toward the Yamaha 2400. I'm really on the fence between the 2400 and the 3000 w/boost. If I go with the 3000 I too was thinking about keeping it in the truck bed. I can imagine lifting it into the truck be but then I also imagine the Chiropractor bills. Aside from the AC, what else are you running? I'm thinking that the generator mostly is charging the batteries durring the day and runs the AC if neccessary. A little TV in the evening maybe. I don't use a microwave, am I missing something?

Thanks Neighbor,

Mod-Streamer

[TIMEMACHINE]

Mod Streamer,

Right you are, the Safari 25 does come with a 11,000 AC as standard, our unit is equiped with the "LS" package which includes the upgrade to 13,500.

It's funny you are considering the 2400 and 3000 Yamaha. I had the same decision tree after thinking about the twin Honda 2000s. Although the Honda 2000s are very light and quiet, I prefered more power in one unit to make life a little more simple. I first tried the Yamaha 2400, but was not pleased with the noise level, mostly due to the fact that it does not have the econo throttle feature like the Yamaha 3000 and the Hondas. It was definetly quiet, but the RPMs stayed at a constant somewhere above 2500 RPM, which is considerably higher than the Yamaha 3000 at idle with the econo switch on. It did however fire up my AC just fine with a short burst of increased RPM, no other items in the AS were on except the main overhead lights which are halogens. I was also concerned about the fact that it has the same motor in it as the 3000. So I figured with a fuel tank half the size of the 3000, the 2400 will not have a long run time (the 3000 runs about 20 hours on econo with one tank). The specifications tell the story.

It was the lazy guy in me that made the final decision, I wanted an electric start so that in the future I can add a remote start function.

I am very pleased with the 3000 w/boost and its performance. I was able to run the AC and Micro/convection oven along with a few overhead lights without and hickups, just a slight increase in RPMs for about 5 seconds. Although a lot is discussed about the worst case scenarios regarding generators performances, I am most pleased with its performance with light loads that we have about 80% of the time. It just purrs along sipping gas at a rate that would make a weed wacker jealous.

It is HEAVY, so as long as you put it somewhere and don't have to move it every time you use it, its no big deal. I leave mine in the truck bed and it works for me just fine. I will eventually build a housing with an exhaust port and cooloing fan to decrease the noise level to next to nil.

Dont hesitate to ask if I can help any further.

Did I see Costa Mesa?

[Mod-Streamer]

TM,

I too have the LS SE. Didn't realize the AC unit is larger.

Well, I just read your posting with a smile on my face. It only confirms my purchase on Sunday of the Yamaha 3000 with Boost. Just this minute completed the battery install, oil and fuel. She started right up! I'm very satisfied with the noise level with econ switch on and off. My wife, who is very sensitive to noise, came out a gave her approval. (Phew!) Now off to the Eastern Sierras over the 4th for the field test.

Thanks for your input. You helped me with a decision I have been struggling with for months. I think I've made a good choice.

Yes, Costa Mesa, just down the street. Let's connect sometime.

Mod

[safarijim]

Ok, I have read everything and I am looking at the EU2000i for my 2007 Safari SE/LS. I want to charge batteries, run the lights, and use the T.V. when boondocking. I the think it will be enough, though I need to add all the amps up on the items I am looking at. Can I buy an adapter for my 30 amp service and plug it directly into the generator? I am totally new and learning as fast as I can. Some old timers have talked to me about cheaper generators, but none are as quiet as the Honda or as light. Since I am a little old fart I need light and quiet.
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[Cracker]

Originally Posted by safarijim

Ok, I have read everything and I am looking at the EU2000i for my 2007 Safari SE/LS. I want to charge batteries, run the lights, and use the T.V. when boondocking. I the think it will be enough, though I need to add all the amps up on the items I am looking at. Can I buy an adapter for my 30 amp service and plug it directly into the generator? I am totally new and learning as fast as I can. Some old timers have talked to me about cheaper generators, but none are as quiet as the Honda or as light. Since I am a little old fart I need light and quiet.
__________________

Well doggone - I'm surprised that this thread is still active! I use an adapter all the time to maintain my batteries over the winter when plugged into the house. The results should be the same using an adapter with the Honda.

As an aside, I once again forgot to use StaBil this past winter - but I'm happy to report that both Hondas fired right up, just last weekend, and ran smooth as could be!

[Dwight]

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