Generator questions

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

re that 2nd regulator thing... someone offline, who doesn't want to post for personal reasons, informed me...

That makes sense - if the final stage regulator maintains a pressure below atmospheric, to work with a carburetor, you wouldn't want it open without the engine running. This also goes with the "safety valve" description in the discussion linked earlier.

[HABBERDABBER]

Get the generator. You'll need it, sooner or later. And 2500 Watts is noted to be adequate for our Escape AC's. Others may provide better info on this topic. What I've seen and read, 2KW is a bit too low for start up without the modifications.

75 lbs is a lot. Go as light as you can go.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Florida's hurricane tax holiday starts tomorrow and runs through June 10. Among the items exempt from sales tax are portable generators, so I might take the opportunity to buy one.

Amazon has the Champion 2500W inverter generator for around $550, but it also lists a larger Champion 4250W inverter generator for around $500 in a "limited time deal". I presume with this larger generator I wouldn't need the easy start gizmo on my trailer's A/C. It is heavier, though, at 75 lbs. Comments?

While the Champion 4250W inverter generator uses inverter technology to reduce engine speed under light loads, it is an open frame generator, and will be quite a bit louder than the typical 2000W - 2200W sealed inverter generators, particularly under heavy load. It lists 64dBA in the description, but I suspect that is at no or light load.

I'm not a fan of open frame generators in campgrounds...

[hugh]

Good discussion here. I'm also interested in buying the Champion 2500W dual fuel (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L45W2V9) that seems like a popular option. One thing I haven't been able to find, is how noisy the generator is at a higher load, like when running the A/C.


Can someone here who owns this generator comment on how much louder it gets when running A/C vs. when idle, or at a low load? Is it very noticeable inside the trailer? Also, would it be very annoying to neighbors?


Thanks!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Those Champion gens are overrated, the "2500" is actually more like 1800 watts sustained on gas, and 1600 watts on propane.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I grew up without a/c and I know the feeling. Air conditioning is mainly used here in the middle Atlantic states to dehumidify vs cooling, which is an indirect benefit of dehumidifying. Air conditioning inside a home all sealed from outside does not appeal to some, feeling the air on your skin is one of the benefits of sitting around a campfire.

You probably grew up without power steering and power brakes too... I bet you have them now in your TV... or using a computer in your everyday life but thats the world we live in....

[hugh]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

Those Champion gens are overrated, the "2500" is actually more like 1800 watts sustained on gas, and 1600 watts on propane.

Yeah, the 2500 is "starting watts", which I guess means that the generator can provide 2500 watts for some unspecified time interval shorter than infinity, but longer than zero. It's really a meaningless number without knowing how they define "starting".

[John in Santa Cruz]

Re that hybrid trailer with tents... Those tent walls have zero insulation. An escape with the insulation package will keep cooler.

[DT6]

Last summer we were in Yellowstone when the temp got up to about 103 F. We had never run the AC (except for a test) and we had just purchased a Honda 2200i. We were in Three Mile Campground which is at 6700 feet in altitude and the Honda was able to start the stock Dometic AC without a Soft Start installed on it.

However, the generator would only run for about 20 to 30 minutes, then it would start to sputter and then would stop. I'd leave it off for 30 to 60 minutes, then go through the cycle again. It was enough to keep us and our animals cool on the days in camp, and allowed us to stay and finish up all of the Yellowstone items on our check list. We did not need it at night (good thing since you have to shut them down at 10PM) as it cooled down enough for the MaxFan to take over.

My guess is that altitude was the cause of it stopping as the generator will run through a full tank of gas without shutting down when I run it at home here in Salem, OR (elevation about 500 feet). We were amazed we could get the AC started without a Soft Start installed, and it was a life saver for those few days and will likely be adding one before we get into summer.

Hope this helps those considering a larger generator. Our experience (which may or may not apply to others) is that the Honda 2200i is a perfect match for any Escape, is light enough to carry if there is a need, and it runs very quietly, especially using some of the previously mentioned techniques posted earlier in this thread.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Re that hybrid trailer with tents... Those tent walls have zero insulation. An escape with the insulation package will keep cooler.

[Iowa Dave]

The Dometic AC unit on our 21 would not run when we attempt to use the Honda 2200i for a power source. The factory installed EMS kicked out immediately. We installed the micro air soft start and the AC runs beautifully. There is no loud “klunk” when it is first switched on, or it when it cycles. I’m glad we installed the micro air soft start. YMMV.

Like many folks, I worked in very hot environments over the years and could take the heat pretty well when I was younger. Now, I don’t have to work, don’t like it real hot and adjust my environment to my liking. It’s why I worked a lot of years.
Iowa Dave

[Mike Lewis]

I got an email from Costco saying this Firman generator is on sale. Come to think of it, anyone with a Costco account would have gotten the same email. Anyway, here it is:


https://www.costco.com/.product.1008...Savings_Weekly

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Like many folks, I worked in very hot environments over the years and could take the heat pretty well when I was younger.
Iowa Dave

I left work one hot summer day about a dozen years ago to walk across a large parking lot to my vehicle. I thought "when I was seventeen I could sit on a tractor all day in heat like this and not bat an eye. Today I'm wondering if I will make it to my car." I did, but it was a struggle.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I left work one hot summer day about a dozen years ago to walk across a large parking lot to my vehicle. I thought "when I was seventeen I could sit on a tractor all day in heat like this and not bat an eye. Today I'm wondering if I will make it to my car." I did, but it was a struggle.

I worked three summers out of high school in a grey iron foundry. In the afternoon we knocked the castings out of the sand molds swinging sledge hammers. I like a ten but could do more work with a twelve. My partner was a robust gentleman recently released from incarceration where must have enjoyed the weight room. He used a sixteen. When we finished our floor one afternoon we headed for the water fountain. There was a thermometer on the post above the fountain and it read 136F. That’s the hottest continued environment I’ve ever worked in. However pouring iron out of the bucket suspended by an overhead crane was hotter. But only for as long as the molten iron held out. Couldn’t do it now I’m afraid. Scalding hogs on the night kill was not as hot but was steamy and stinky.
Iowa Dave

[ksitte]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

The Dometic AC unit on our 21 would not run when we attempt to use the Honda 2200i for a power source. The factory installed EMS kicked out immediately. We installed the micro air soft start and the AC runs beautifully. There is no loud “klunk” when it is first switched on, or it when it cycles. I’m glad we installed the micro air soft start. YMMV.

Iowa Dave

I echo Iowa Dave's comment re: the EasyStart from micro-air. Our Honda 2200i never has a problem starting the AC and we only use propane as the fuel source, simplifying fuel storage and transportation.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I got an email from Costco saying this Firman generator is on sale. Come to think of it, anyone with a Costco account would have gotten the same email. Anyway, here it is:


https://www.costco.com/.product.1008...Savings_Weekly

I have never heard of that brand but very cool. Not liking the 110 lbs though

[Mike Lewis]

Ideally I'd like to carry a generator on the bed of my pickup, hidden by its tonneau cover, as others have done. But my Tacoma has a vertical space of 18.0 inches beneath the bed cover. I haven't seen a generator that will fit under it. Does anyone know of one?

Given this limitation, is is practical to carry a small generator on the rear of my Escape 21 somehow?

[Mike Lewis]

Answered my question: there are a couple of Pulsar generators that will fit under my truck bed cover. Example:

https://www.amazon.com/Pulsar-Genera...4049563&sr=8-8

Anybody have one?

If a dual-fuel generator is used solely with propane, is it safe to store it inside the cab of a vehicle? This is in case my next tow vehicle is a 4Runner or something similar instead of a full-size pickup. I'm trying to plan ahead here.

[gbaglo]

I carried my Honda 1000 in the back of my SUV or in the trailer. It has a fuel cap with a vent that can be closed for transport and to keep fumes from exiting the gas tank.

[Shon414]

Just the generator in the vehicle. No propane tanks in enclosed vehicle. No gasoline in the generator and you will be good to go.