Community Forums

Newbie71 · 07-10-2016, 01:00 PM

After months and months of trying to narrow down why my honda EU3000is will not run my AC I had it checked out. The AC unit is the original unit on the 2000 Mallard, it is drawing 12 to 15 amps instead of 9 to 12 amps. One repair shop recommended a bigger genie, another said new AC. When asked how long will the larger genie work before it could not power the AC as it aged amd was told a year or two. To me it seems asinine to purchase a new genie and end up purchasing a new AC a year later. My thoughts were to just change the AC unit. This has turned out to be more work than I thought.

There is so many different units to choose from. Im turning to the forum in hopes of getting the right unit. What are recommendations for an efficient 13.5k btu AC that can be powered by the honda EU3000is genie?

The TT is a 2000 Fleetwood Mallard 29F.

Thank you in advance.

MtnTrek · 07-10-2016, 06:07 PM

Probably not what you want to hear but.
Firstly you didn't mention the make and model of your current A/C unit. Can we assume it works fine on shore power? Not sure I buy the 9-12A total rating.
It's clean as a whistle, no loose connections anywhere?
Bear in mind that your current A/C is probably using R-22. Many feel these units offer slightly more cooling effect on a given charge/wattage input.
Your new unit will be R-410A which is a blend, enough said.
Your generator's max rating (2800W) although believed to be ample under ideal conditions if those exist would probably not allow for much overhead in addition to the A/C. Don't forget about the other latent parasitic loads present in all RV's. Warning devices, sensors, lights, controls, fans, radio, tv cell chargers, laptop, to name a few. Coach battery charging and converters use a lot more wattage than are usually estimated.
Have you isolated everything else?
Tested the generator's output? altitude? Mods.? You're using the twist lock 30A? Tried powering a different coach?
Do the breakers trip, engine stalls?
"why my honda EU3000is will not run my AC " means exactly?
Probably the hands on assessments are more accurate than us keyboard techs. Everyone's wants and needs are different.

good luck.

09 harley · 07-10-2016, 06:40 PM

Generator is too small. Get a larger one and then your problem will be solved. You are too close to the upper limit right now. I would bet that you AC will last for a long time.

jayman_1975 · 07-10-2016, 10:47 PM

Does it kill the breaker on the gen while powering up the AC? If so, try getting a capacitor that plugs into the AC unit. This was the case on my '93 Dutchmen. It would even blow the breaker on shore power. I installed the cap and voila! No more blowing the breaker.

Newbie71 · 07-10-2016, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnTrek

Probably not what you want to hear but.
Firstly you didn't mention the make and model of your current A/C unit. Can we assume it works fine on shore power? Not sure I buy the 9-12A total rating.
It's clean as a whistle, no loose connections anywhere?
Bear in mind that your current A/C is probably using R-22. Many feel these units offer slightly more cooling effect on a given charge/wattage input.
Your new unit will be R-410A which is a blend, enough said.
Your generator's max rating (2800W) although believed to be ample under ideal conditions if those exist would probably not allow for much overhead in addition to the A/C. Don't forget about the other latent parasitic loads present in all RV's. Warning devices, sensors, lights, controls, fans, radio, tv cell chargers, laptop, to name a few. Coach battery charging and converters use a lot more wattage than are usually estimated.
Have you isolated everything else?
Tested the generator's output? altitude? Mods.? You're using the twist lock 30A? Tried powering a different coach?
Do the breakers trip, engine stalls?
"why my honda EU3000is will not run my AC " means exactly?
Probably the hands on assessments are more accurate than us keyboard techs. Everyone's wants and needs are different.

good luck.

I have no idea what type, style of make of the current AC. The only thing I know is that when my parent handed it over everything was original. It was permanent shore power and the AC worked fine.

The info I shared about the amps was given to me by the repair shop. The first diagnosis was from an RV repairman that was brought in. The had the genie too. As for the genie, it is brand new and only has 1 tank of gas run through it. As for the honda, it powers up the rest of the RV without issue. In fact I can run the fan on the without issue. Its only when I flip over to AC is when the AC goes into overload and cuts power off all together. Btw, when I attempt to click over to AC, that is the only thing turned on.

Newbie71 · 07-10-2016, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayman_1975

Does it kill the breaker on the gen while powering up the AC? If so, try getting a capacitor that plugs into the AC unit. This was the case on my '93 Dutchmen. It would even blow the breaker on shore power. I installed the cap and voila! No more blowing the breaker.

It pops the overload breaker on the genie immediately upon flipping over to AC.

1bigmess · 07-10-2016, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newbie71

Btw, when I attempt to click over to AC, that is the only thing turned on.

Are you sure? Is the fridge switched to "GAS" only?

Newbie71 · 07-11-2016, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1bigmess

Are you sure? Is the fridge switched to "GAS" only?

Yes and I also made sure the water heater is off

1bigmess · 07-11-2016, 10:31 AM

It's sixteen years old, and if it was used in AZ full time, then it could be worn out. Probably a good idea to replace it if you know you are going to want to have AC.

As far as which ones are most efficient, if you are going to be using it in dry places, there are also swamp cooler models available for RV cooling if that is something you'd be interested in.

plasma800 · 07-11-2016, 10:45 AM

How about just adding a hard start capacitor! You can do this for like... a hundred bucks... and will solve your problem??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHgXGlYNYkQ

Installing Hard Start Capacitor into my RV Air Conditioner

plasma800 · 07-11-2016, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1bigmess

It's sixteen years old, and if it was used in AZ full time, then it could be worn out. Probably a good idea to replace it if you know you are going to want to have AC.

As far as which ones are most efficient, if you are going to be using it in dry places, there are also swamp cooler models available for RV cooling if that is something you'd be interested in.

Or this....

jayman_1975 · 07-11-2016, 10:49 AM

Yup, that hard start capacitor is exactly what I was talking about. Mine would do the same thing even when hooked up to shore power. Soon as I installed that capacitor it ran like a top.

MagnaPilot · 07-11-2016, 04:25 PM

Your running amps are fine for the Genset's ratings. It may be higher than the AC was originally rated at, but those numbers are in line for many 13k AC units. Like they said before, if it's lugging out and not starting, then a new capacitor or a hard start cap would possibly help. If the unit starts and runs fine, but the generator can't keep up, you've likely got a problem with the GenSet, or less likely, a wiring problem.