1000W Generator Capability

[tradmer]

Hello

I have a Jayco 29MV motorhome and intend to do a lot of "boondocking". I want to buy an Inverter generator to take along that will run the lights, fridge and furnace. The furnace and fridge will run off LP so the only electrical requirements will be for ignition and blower. My question is will the Honda EU1000 be enough for this? I had a Honda EU2000 in the past but the EU1000 weighs and costs less. If I need to run anything else in the motorhome that requires more power, I can always start up the main generator.

Thanks!

[BFlinn181]

A 1000 watt generator is good for watching TV, or up to 10 100W lightbulbs. You probably can't brew coffee, power your converter/charger, or even a space heater. A generator that small is really limited as to what you can power with it.

[Mr_D]

from WA State!

Agree with Bob, not much, but then you may be fine if you have another generator. But personally I'd just use the inverter and fire up the main gen when needed.

[okcnewbie]

Originally Posted by tradmer

. My question is will the Honda EU1000 be enough for this? (run the lights, fridge and furnace)

It will be perfect for your needs. Obviously solar and more batteries would work as well..... they would just cost more.


edit; If you couldn't even have the converter on then like others have said I'm wrong and it's too small.

[ej1144]

Watts divided by volts gives you 8.333 amps to play with

Sent from my LG-H910 using iRV2 - RV Forum mobile app

[JGrosman]

I have a 40 footer motorhome. I use my Honda 1000 and plug in a battery charger into it and not the motorhome. That way the generator charges the batteries and I use 12 volts in the coach. I also have an 2000 watt inverter that I will turn on if I need 120 volts but the generator only keeps the batteries full. Been doing that for 30+ years.

[Sweetbriar]

I think it will work fine to keep the batteries charged up and a few other low power AC items. The appliances mentioned, fridge and furnace do operate off propane but need 12VDC for control power and the furnace blower is 12VDC also. Same for the water heater. As long as you don't need 120VAC for heating or cooling either air or water the EU1000 will support your intending usage.

[Vette Racer]

If you want to plug the MH into it and use the converter or inverter/charger to charge the batteries you need to see how many amps you will need to power it. As an example I have a 2000 watt inverter/charger that will charge the batteries at up to 100 amps if they are down a ways, it takes every bit of a Honda 2000 to power that until the batteries come back up some. Bottom line, it depends on your amperage need.

[89sandman]

Your 1000 watt will do everything you want. Just plug it in to your shore power, it will run your converter to charge your batteries and still have enough juice to run your furnace and lights, tv, ect. We have done just that with the 1000 watt. I'd spend the couple of hundred extra for 2000 watt, that's what we use now. With the 2000 watt you can run your microwave also if you want to. The only time we run the big generator is if we are using the convection oven or a/c. We run our fridge/furnace/hot water on propane. You can run the Honda for probably 8 hours for what it will cost to run the onboard gen. for 1 hour.

[twinboat]

The eu1000i is a 900 watt unit, so it will produce 7.5 amps at full load.

You want to run 12 volt items, so your only concern is enough power to run your converter for battery charging.

A typical 35 amp converter will draw about 7.5 amps, at full output.

In most cases, starting out with full charged batteries, the eu1000 will keep them charged. If the batteries are low or you have enough stuff on to equal a 35 amp draw, it may overload and shut down.

I run 2 chargers on my eu2000, a 55 and a 20 amp, together. At full output the generator is running at max speed and anything else will overload and fault it out.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by tradmer

Hello

I have a Jayco 29MV motorhome and intend to do a lot of "boondocking". I want to buy an Inverter generator to take along that will run the lights, fridge and furnace............. If I need to run anything else in the motorhome that requires more power, I can always start up the main generator.

Thanks!

My question..(mebbe I'm dumb or sumpin) You have a 4k gennie, If you were worried about exhaust gasses you can use a "GenTuri" to route the exhaust up and away (also makes it quieter)
So why would you want to deal with the hassles of toting the Honda around & refueling the honda every 3 or 4 hours when you have a generator that is far superior and with an auto-start/auto stop to charge the batteries when needed?
I know that those pulling TT's or 5ers most likely will not have a "built in" gen set ..but you have a generator built into your coach, so why not use it all the time? and not have to deal with the extra weight & have to carry a extra tank of gas?

[OLYLEN]

You can run a 1000 for 8 hrs on a gallon of gas the 4000 will use 4 gallons. Do that for a month and with the 1000 you just put $225 in your pocket. Now two trips at minimum to the gas station for fuel. In Q every year you see many large MH's with the little honda ALMOST SILENT purring away, some say fugal some say cheap.

LEN

[Reed Cundiff]

I think Olyen is correct, a 1 kW auxiliary generator uses a lot less fuel than a larger one for just topping off batteries. You note that you do have a larger (probably built in) generator for other purposes such as air conditioning, microwave etc. The Honda 1kW weighs 29 pounds and runs for 3.8 hours. we have one in a box on the back of our 34' fifth wheel. We have only used it every few months to run for half an hour as per the manual. It has been good for peace of mind in case we ever did need it in cases of extended rain/snow/cloud.
Reed and Elaine

[brucev]

Originally Posted by OLYLEN

You can run a 1000 for 8 hrs on a gallon of gas the 4000 will use 4 gallons. Do that for a month and with the 1000 you just put $225 in your pocket. Now two trips at minimum to the gas station for fuel. In Q every year you see many large MH's with the little honda ALMOST SILENT purring away, some say fugal some say cheap.

LEN

Another plus for the smaller generator is noise. I have a Yamaha ef2400I and unless I need AC, I prefer the Yamaha, but it is a pain to haul around. Will run for 8 to 10 hours on a tank of gas and is much quieter than the onboard 4000.