Single Honda 2000 ,Airstream 50 amp- 13.5 AC- Micro Air fail.

[Life is a Highway]

Before a trip I did a test run in our storage unit outside temps 90 and high humidity in Florida . This is on a 2021 Flying Cloud with 2 AC units. Which on a 50 amp Airstream the rear bedroom is a 13.5 and the front a 15,000 with Heat Pump.

I had both equipped with Micro Air Easy starts. Disappointing that one Honda 2000 will not run even the 13.5 in Hot weather. The Unit starts then trips off shortly. I had everything shut off even the converter. Fridge on propane. My Surge Guard blue tooth reported line 1 voltages low. And that Honda sure does start screaming for mercy. So either the micro-Air is not installed properly which I doubt because the AC it works fine. And I can run the 13.5 AC on a 15 amp house plug mooch docking.

The Honda just is on the edge of amps. Which I think a 2000 only produces 13 amps I have a 2d Honda companion and together they work well just hate hauling and hooking both up. Mood point as I will soon have a Victron Multiplus 50 amp and 600 amps of lithium to assist the gen if and when I might need it.

I have hesitated to ask on this as it seems many are having no problems it works just fine. I am a STRONG supporter of Micro - Air not blaming them- Your thoughts appreciated.

[richard5933]

If that generator is producing only about 13 amps constant, then you are trying to run it at its max. A 13,500 BTU a/c unit will draw about that much just running, even more to start. The Micro Air is there to help reduce the compressor startup load, but it doesn't totally do away with it. I don't believe it helps at all with the a/c run load.

When the source (generator in this case) can't produce the amount of current that the a/c unit is producing, the result will be a voltage drop. The formula is amps x volts = watts. The number of watts the a/c unit is trying to draw remains constant, meaning that the amps & volts will adjust as hardware dictates. Raise the amps and the volts go down. When the volts drop low enough your generator screams an alarm. Low voltage is very hard on devices like a/c units.

The Victron system you're installing will be able to help in these situations. I've got that installed in my coach and it does allow an a/c unit to start with the battery assist. The idea is that once it helps the a/c start it will return to charging mode to top off the batteries again. If you're generator is at the upper end of its limit, the Multiplus might not see enough extra power present to ever switch back from assist mode to charging mode, or it may only be able to send through a very low-amperage charge.

If your generator is on the edge of being able to run that one a/c unit then you might find that the Multiplus is not able to keep the batteries charged while running it, meaning that after helping the a/c unit compressor start up for a few hours the batteries might become run down.

Hopefully you've got some solar on the roof to augment the generator while you're running the a/c unit so the system will have enough incoming juice to keep the batteries charged up while it helps you run the a/c unit.

[s1000pre]

As mentioned, you might be pushing your H2000. I ran my 15k unit for three days at a music fest using my H2200. The temps were in the mid 90’s with 86% humidity. I do have the easy start installed on my 15k unit, not my 13.5.

[Bill M.]

My older Honda 2000 will put out 15+ amps and will run my 13,500 AC with an Easy Start. But....that does not mean that all of them will do that, I expect. Maybe you shout borrow and try a new 2200 and see it it will do the job. If so you could sell one of your 2000. My understanding is that you can still pair the old 2000 and the new 2200.

[jamieb1086]

In addition, watch your elevation. Once you get up around 2000 feet your Honda won't power your AC with an easy start. If you're going high bring 2 gennies.

[Hermes]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

My older Honda 2000 will put out 15+ amps and will run my 13,500 AC with an Easy Start. But....that does not mean that all of them will do that, I expect. Maybe you shout borrow and try a new 2200 and see it it will do the job. If so you could sell one of your 2000. My understanding is that you can still pair the old 2000 and the new 2200.

Good suggestion. I don't have any trouble running the 15K AC unit with the Easy-Start and a H2200.

[JohnTF]

In todays world , not sure where to emphasize the blame ?
The schools not teaching simple math .
And the general media telling us not to go by science / math --- but go by what / who you choose to believe .

Honda EU2000 - surge 2000 watts , continuous .
13,000 BTU AC - between 2,800 - 3,500 watts start .

Not endorsing the site , just the top of search list , these numbers are approximate https://www.ramsond.com/wattage-chart/ .

The add-on starting systems , typically just some capacitors , some that alternate the AC compressor & fan starting - or not starting at the same time , these store a limited amount of energy to help [ not really - over the long run , running things on the ragged edge / near & past THE NUMBERS ] .
Just because your speedometer says 120 mph , how long do you think your engine & transmission will last - with your foot all the way to the floor .

Sure lots of people have done this or that , but how long does running equipment at / past there limits / NUMBERS --- last ,
as compared to having things run in the midrange ?

Just saying , for those that have open minds / want to know [ not believe ] - it's just number & simple math .

Some will get pissy , that's their problem - show your math ?

[DCPAS]

Perhaps you should call Micro Air and see if they have any troubleshooting suggestions.

[Silverminer]

I think John TF about sums it up. I just bought a brand new 2022 international with 2 AC., and had two Easy Starts installed for each AC. I ran one AC on it with no problem but with the newer EU 2200i. I'm told their more efficient.
At Colonial they did say for me that to run both AC's I would need a bigger generator. bBut for me having two Micro Easy-starts is more for backup if one AC goes out. My guess is that running one AC with a Micro Easy-start is more to just help the thing start up but that's about it. So it's a little more piece of mind when having other things on without realizing it. Which is often the case. I have still yet to try the bluetooth function that's on the generator.

[gypsydad]

I have the propane powered H2200 and 1 Easystart on my 15000AC...no issues so far. I run the 15000AC alone or the 13500AC alone when using the generator. If I was boondocking more, I would consider a second H2200 for running both AC's, like when in FL in the summer...but you must consider the load for sure. In very humid climates, we also run a dehumidifier...have to even with the AC running to get the moisture out, so in those situations, we bite the bullet and stay where we can get shore power.

[dsatwork]

Single Honda 2000 ,Airstream 50 amp- 13.5 AC, I have had the exact same experience on my 30RB 50amp system, but I don't think the way you described it and what i experienced is a Micro Air Fail.

It sounds like you said it started up and was running and then stopped, that's what happed to me with both my Honda EU2200i companion and the UE2000i and I tested on both the 13,500 and the 15K ACs and I tested at sea level and about 2200'. If the Mirco Airs are doing their job if you can start the AC. However, the Honda needs to be running at peak performance to keep the AC running and my ACs run at 16amps according to my Watchdog 50AMP EPO Bluetooth readings.

Come to find out that the Honda generators are pretty susceptible to power loss due to not being serviced properly. The air filter, dirty oil and fouled or dirty plugs can all add up to loss of power.

Once I cleaned the air filters that didn't look that bad, changed the oil on the EU2200i companion that I use all the time (did look pretty dark) and pulled out and cleaned and set the gap on both plugs that weren't the worse plugs I've ever seen, I had a much better result.

Once serviced, I was able to start the 13,500 with the EU2200i companion and run it for about 15 minutes and this was at 6800' in Show Low AZ.

I am traveling with both generators because I can and I created a slide to make it easier to access them, but I don't necessarily need to run both if I don't need to.

[Wazbro]

Doing required maintenance is a good tip.
Also try setting the fan speed to low, this can reduce load by about an amp.

[LilPeanut]

Also check power cords. This is one time when short and fat would be good. Long cords=worse than short. Skinny cords=worse than fat. And don’t coil it if possible and keep it out of the sun. Heat=added resistance in the line (just like long =more resistance).

[Dennis C]

I might be somebody who would kill a fly with a sledge hammer, but it works well for me. I bought a Champion 4500 W inverter generator for my trailer. It runs everything, always, easily, at any altitude. No problems. I simply didn't feel like trying to make a smaller unit work and worrying about what to run, when to run it, etc.

[ttrout]

Buy another, you need two

[Life is a Highway]

Funny thing is on our 2019 30 amp Airstream with a Micro Air I had no problems . Generator is a older unit but if it has 20 hours in that about it. Makes me wonder about different compressors manufacturing? etc. I might put it up for sale and look at a 2200.

Originally Posted by Bill M.

My older Honda 2000 will put out 15+ amps and will run my 13,500 AC with an Easy Start. But....that does not mean that all of them will do that, I expect. Maybe you shout borrow and try a new 2200 and see it it will do the job. If so you could sell one of your 2000. My understanding is that you can still pair the old 2000 and the new 2200.

[Life is a Highway]

Yes with the two of them it’s 4000 and no problem! Other than packing them LOL

Originally Posted by Dennis C

I might be somebody who would kill a fly with a sledge hammer, but it works well for me. I bought a Champion 4500 W inverter generator for my trailer. It runs everything, always, easily, at any altitude. No problems. I simply didn't feel like trying to make a smaller unit work and worrying about what to run, when to run it, etc.

[Life is a Highway]

I tried this and very interesting both of our AC units only run on the Auto Speed I cannot reduce fan speed from Hi on either unit.

Originally Posted by Wazbro

Doing required maintenance is a good tip.
Also try setting the fan speed to low, this can reduce load by about an amp.

[Dennis C]

Originally Posted by Life is a Highway

Yes with the two of them it’s 4000 and no problem! Other than packing them LOL

Indeed. The 4500 is big and heavy compared to the 2000 or 2200. Every choice has a trade off.

[Life is a Highway]

Math man. Wow

Did I not say the micro air reduces the amps or your wattage by dithering the ramp up I have run a previous unit on that generator. Now I guess I should have got out my inductive amp meter and measured better. But hey was keeping it light.