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wayner1239 · 02-26-2003, 12:42 PM

I am looking for the smallest generator available that will run a 11,500 btu duotherm air conditioner. The honda eu2000i looks good to me and I am hoping that someone has tried it on a 11,500 btu unit. (I have read that it will not run the 13,500 btu unit). I pull a 21' sovereign with a Ford Expedition and have very limited space for a generator. If the honda will work I plan to put it inside a plastic box and store it in the expedition to use only when electricity is not otherwise available.
Wayne

RoadKingMoe · 02-26-2003, 01:09 PM

Dunno about the AC, but keep in mind these are air-cooled engines. Make sure that plastic box is louvered or otherwise well ventilated.

COArgosy78 · 02-26-2003, 01:13 PM

I don't know the answer either, but this company keeps coming up as best for sale of the EU2000i in price. Maybe they can answer the ????

http://Mayberry sales & service, Inc. Leigh

wayner1239 · 02-26-2003, 02:48 PM

Thanks. I sent an email to Mayberry but I am not optimistic that they will know for sure. I plan to use the plastic box just for storing the unit in the Expedition. I will take it out when it is running.
Still hoping someone has tried the honda on the smaller, 11,500 btu, a/c.
Wayne

RoadKingMoe · 02-26-2003, 03:44 PM

Check this out.

Pick · 02-26-2003, 06:18 PM

In the low 80's with the fan on low. But to know the whole story, you need one of these:

wayner1239 · 02-26-2003, 06:24 PM

That link was just what I was looking for. Thanks. I figured someone had tried the 2000i on a smaller a/c. Appears that it may run my a/c for a while under certain conditions but should not be relied on for that purpose. I have never been to an airstream rally but hope to in the future. From from what I read there is not enough electricity to power air conditioners at some of those rally locations. I wonder if most people just suffer through the heat or if they have generators that will power their air conditioners.
Wayne

Pick · 02-26-2003, 06:37 PM

Wayne, "Rally Power" as it is known is only 3.25 amps! A 15 amp quad outlet is split between 4 Airstreams. Folks with generators have to go to a seperate areas, I am told.

RoadKingMoe · 02-26-2003, 06:50 PM

Something to keep in mind. The motor in the compressor is wound with very thin wire with ultra-thin insulation coating on it.

During startup, there's a LOT of current going through it, and it's heating up rapidly. The more it heats, the more that insulation breaks down. Slow startups, due to inadequate power, extend the time that high current is heating the windings, so it gets hotter, for longer. Slow starts can lead to premature death of a compressor.

APB · 02-26-2003, 09:43 PM

According to my '78 service manual the current varies with temperature, fan speed and voltage. The TRH 25-12 (12k btu?) shows compressor amps @13.6A for 115degrees F ambient and total watts of 1945 @ 115v. This is running power and it dosen't discuss starting current. Same conditions but 105v results in 14.6 compressor amps.

There are not figures for low cooling range or indications of starting current. Starting current can be 3-4x the operating load.

wayner1239 · 02-27-2003, 08:31 AM

Well, what you all say makes sense. It stands to reason that low current will cause heat build up that could destroy the a/c.
Pick, I like the picture of the honda with some sort of device showing the "whole story" but don't know what it is. Can you explain? You can tell I'm green.
APB, I like your "bluegrass" signature. Have you heard the U.S. Navy Band (Country Current) play? I heard them at Ocean Lakes Campground at Myrtle Beach last fall and they are great!
Wayne

APB · 02-27-2003, 09:34 AM

Yeah Wayne I have heard of them. They are playing at Parker next weekend but I won't be able to see them. Too bad I hear they are very good.

cljackson · 02-27-2003, 11:12 AM

We live in Texas, and it gets ,really hot here, so we're thinking a generator may be a necessity, not an option, during the summer.

We're also considering having Fantastic Fans installed. How much good will these do? Should we go ahead and start shopping for a generator now?

Thanks,
Cheryl
Montgomery, TX

femuse · 02-27-2003, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Have you heard the U.S. Navy Band (Country Current) play?

We sell music at Bluegrass festivals, and have been seeing them for a long time, several times a year. They do not charge promoters anything to play, only their traveling expences. So I guess, the taxpayers are paying for that. For years, they were not allowed to have a recording for sale to defray their expenses. (they were telling the audience to borrow it from the library and tape it. Really smart move from who ever was in charge of this Budjet !!!).
They now (in 2001 I think) have a recording available under the name Country Current called "Navy Blue Bluegrass" (they had an older recording under the name: "Appaloosa"). You should hear them when you have a chance. Very clean sound, a lot of original songs well liked by their audience.

I guess this had not much to do with generators. To make up for it: we have the Honda 3000i & the 1000i too. Really great machines. The 3000i weighs 135Lbs though (5 times the weight of the 1000i). You can link a 1000 and a 2000 Honda, quite costly but that would work.

Chantal

Pick · 02-27-2003, 12:14 PM

The device in the pictures is a clamp on ammeter, available at any electrical supply house, HD, Lowes, etc. To operate it has to be clamped around ONE of the conductors. It will NOT work clamped around the ENTIRE CORD or CABLE. This device will tell you exactly how much current you are pulling, be it from a generator or grid power. AC current will vary depending on how hard the compressor is working. The hotter the outside temperature, the harder the compressor works to keep the inside of the AS cool.

Les Gilliam · 02-27-2003, 05:15 PM

Hi Pick

Do they make a clamp on ammeter for DC as well?

Pick · 02-28-2003, 06:17 AM

There is no such thing as a clamp on ammeter for DC. You have to use something inline, or with a shunt.

Les Gilliam · 02-28-2003, 06:27 AM

I was afraid of that. Thanks for the info.

74Argosy24MH · 02-28-2003, 06:42 AM

Hall effect sensor clamp meters will measure dc current. The ones that measure ac only use transformer input.

John

wvmiller · 02-28-2003, 08:25 AM

I ran the 2001i all last summer on my 1979 Excella 31. It did fine as house power when the A/C is not running; when it is, it cannot keep up with the load.

They make a cable so that two can be run in tandem, and that is attractive. The unit is easily manage by my petite spouse, is very easy to start, quiet, and miserly on fuel. I'd rather have two of these in tandem than one big unit. Mayberry's price has terrific, and I'm planning to get the second one from them this summer.