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Old 08-09-2015, 08:24 PM   #1
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generator choice

Just doing my home work on generator choice. Honda 2000 or Honda 3000 for powering air conditioner and battery charging. which one is adequate. Thank you.
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:04 PM   #2
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Although I probably won't get a generator until next year, from what I have read the 2000 might be marginal but 3000 probably would power everything. When you get into the bigger sizes, weight becomes an issue and I would like to keep it at no more than 80 pounds. I have been considering a Yamaha. And you have to spend the big bucks to get the quiet ones. Loren
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:10 PM   #3
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The pull-start Honda Handi 3000 is 77 lbs dry. I own one and love it. As far as generators go, there's Honda, and then there's everything else.

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Old 08-09-2015, 09:16 PM   #4
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Honda has a great reputation, but I don't know if there is any real difference in quality or performance with Yamaha. There is a Yamaha 2400 which may be an optimal size for this purpose; it was most recently mentioned in Honda EU2000i and Dometic Penguin A/C with SmartStart
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:43 PM   #5
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What can you pick up and move? I really like what I've "heard" about the 2000 Hondas, the 3000s not so much... pay attention to the weight of your desired generator.
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:44 PM   #6
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I have a Honda 2000 it's about as heavy as I can lift but I have never used it to run the air conditioner .
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:46 PM   #7
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Some report being very happy with getting two smaller ones and paralleling as needed.
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:51 PM   #8
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Some report being very happy with getting two smaller ones and paralleling as needed.
This particularly applies to the Honda 2000 watt and larger generators; Honda endorses parallel operation and sells parts to make connecting them easy.
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Old 08-09-2015, 10:02 PM   #9
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The Yamaha 2400 is the unit you want. I've used it with our air conditioning with great results. Some people on the web argue that the Yamaha generators are a better design than the Honda units. Friends of ours have 2000 Yamaha, and another have a 3000 Yamaha. All are very happy with their units!
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Old 08-09-2015, 11:13 PM   #10
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The Yamaha 2400 is the unit you want. I've used it with our air conditioning with great results. Some people on the web argue that the Yamaha generators are a better design than the Honda units. Friends of ours have 2000 Yamaha, and another have a 3000 Yamaha. All are very happy with their units!
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Old 08-10-2015, 12:49 AM   #11
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The quietest are Hondas - period. Noise level is VERY important to us. Reace tested the Honda 2000 at the factory and he was able to run the AC, but not much else. If you want reliable power to run AC and perhaps a few other items simultaneously, I'd suggest a more powerful generator. The quietest of these is the Honda 3000. Much heavier and larger however.
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Old 08-10-2015, 03:02 AM   #12
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I'm not very knowledgeable about this but couldn't you run the air conditioning on the 2000 Honda and still run small stuff like lights TV etc on your battery?
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Old 08-10-2015, 06:09 AM   #13
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I've owned a Honda 2000 for a few years and it is a fine piece of equipment, reliable and quiet. I've recently acquired a Yamaha 2400 because the price was right (don't always believe there is no such thing as a free lunch!). Noise level is about the same; it would take a db meter to differentiate. Yamaha says 54.5-61; Honda advertises 53-59. They both sound very quiet when running, to me. I like the extra capacity of the Yamaha, especially since marginal wattage can be detrimental to air conditioners and other electrical items. What I don't like is that it is approximately 30 lbs heavier than the Honda, and the Honda is bulky enough that I do not want to carry it long distances. I won't even pick up the Yamaha. If I need to move it by myself, I use a handcart. For that reason, I would not take it camping although if it stayed in the bed of the truck I would be OK with it. As far as capacity, the only reason I would bring the Honda with me would be to run the A/C. During the day lights aren't needed and at night we are sleeping so if the A/C is all it will handle, that does not create a problem for me.
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Old 08-10-2015, 09:41 AM   #14
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The quietest are Hondas - period. Noise level is VERY important to us. Reace tested the Honda 2000 at the factory and he was able to run the AC, but not much else. If you want reliable power to run AC and perhaps a few other items simultaneously, I'd suggest a more powerful generator. The quietest of these is the Honda 3000. Much heavier and larger however.
If I wanted to run A/C, I would just use the 2000, quite easy to carry and runs the A/C fine. Everything else can run off 12V. We have a 3000 out at our land, which is in a bin behind a tool shed, so we don't even hear it on the rare occasion it runs, which is mostly for construction and powering the cookhouse, we don't use it for our trailers at all, as it in a few hundred feet from them. The 3000, though portable, is not as easy to get around. In my advancing years I am struggling more to load it by myself, and it is only 150 lbs (dry), so you might likely need a friend to load it.
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Old 08-10-2015, 10:42 AM   #15
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One of our future goals is an emergency generator (we're in seismic zone D; earthquake country). High on my list of possibilities is a Honda 2000 or 3000 with the propane/natural gas conversion.
We'll be able to run it on natural gas at the house, or use propane from the Escape tanks or the backyard grill tanks.


Honda Propane Generators by GenConneX
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Old 08-10-2015, 12:09 PM   #16
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We have the Yamaha EF2400iS, converted to tri-fuel operation: propane, gas or natural gas. It works great running right off our Escape quick connect. And it's still portable enough to move around by an an old goat like me. Of course, it runs the AC as well.

Yamaha EF2400iSHC Generator
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Old 08-10-2015, 12:12 PM   #17
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We have the Yamaha EF2400iS, converted to tri-fuel operation: propane, gas or natural gas. It works great running right off our Escape quick connect. And it's still portable enough to move around by an an old goat like me. Of course, it runs the AC as well.

Yamaha EF2400iSHC Generator
I think the Yamaha would be my choice as well if I was to go the generator route. So far, our solar capabilities have been such that we have had no need for a generator, although having capabilities to run the A/C while boondocking could be nice.
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Old 08-10-2015, 12:17 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by ksitte View Post
We have the Yamaha EF2400iS, converted to tri-fuel operation: propane, gas or natural gas. It works great running right off our Escape quick connect. And it's still portable enough to move around by an an old goat like me. Of course, it runs the AC as well.

Yamaha EF2400iSHC Generator
Thanks for posting that link, Klaus. I had lost track of that company that does the tri-fuel conversion well.
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Old 08-10-2015, 01:27 PM   #19
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I have a Honda 2000, bought for charging the batteries although it is rarely used. I have tried the A/C and it does indeed work although I had to disable the surge protector. I've heard it takes more power if it's really hot out or at altitude, so that should be verified. If I were buying one for the purpose of running the A/C I'd go for the Yamaha 2400.

To me, even the Honda is too loud.
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Old 08-10-2015, 01:40 PM   #20
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To run the generator off of the propane quick connect, that would be sweet. Loren
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