Honda EU2200i and 9k A/C Good Idea???

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by pbrockmeyer

Hondas website has info for different wattage air conditioners and wattage of gen needed. See link. I have a 11,000 btu ac in my 2020 truck camper.

I researched and read many reviews on the Westingtonhouse brand and decided to get this one. Westinghouse iGen2200 Super Quiet Portable Inverter Generator - 1800 Rated Watts and 2200 Peak Watts. The wattage is fine for start up of A/C and cost $450.00 on Amazon. It is very quiet and burns one gallon of fuel in eight hrs. I feel it is as good as a Honda.
https://powerequipment.honda.com/gen...timation-guide

Thank you for that info pbrockmeyer, and the link too!

While I have no complaints about the Honda EU series generators themselves I found that forcing a little EU2000 to constantly carry the (near max) load of a 9000 BTU air conditioner was stressing the limits of both the Honda and the AC unit...

* But most of all it was stressing the sanity of anyone camped within 100 feet of me that had to listen to that Honda screaming is lungs out all night trying its damnedest to carry that load.

Moving up to a (more properly sized) 3500 watt inverter generator was the answer. It is respectfully whisper quiet.

Thanks for the lead on that Westinghouse iGen2200. I'm going to look into it!
Best regards,
-Jake-

[Ssgritton]

Now this is a cool idea, how did you remote start from inside????


I did a full disassembly of the Predator 3500 and it showed a quality build and the practicality of installing the 'guts' form the generator into my TC's existing generator box for a permanent installation.
No more yanking on a cord or having to go outside in inclement weather to start or stop the noisy old EU2000i

The Predator also has a great full function control panel that is fully remotable.

Couple pics of the Predator during the tear-down for the build quality inspection. . .

[Mtn. Lion]

Originally Posted by Ssgritton

Now this is a cool idea, how did you remote start from inside????


I did a full disassembly of the Predator 3500 and it showed a quality build and the practicality of installing the 'guts' form the generator into my TC's existing generator box for a permanent installation.
No more yanking on a cord or having to go outside in inclement weather to start or stop the noisy old EU2000i

The Predator also has a great full function control panel that is fully remotable.

Couple pics of the Predator during the tear-down for the build quality inspection. . .

I've seen the Predator here and there. So inexpensive. People swear by them. I paid about double for my Yamaha. I have wondered about the Predator output quality. Can you put it on an oscilloscope to verify the sine wave quality?

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by Ssgritton

Now this is a cool idea,
how did you remote start from inside????

Most inverter generators at 3000 watts or above have remote start kits you can buy off eBay. There is even a guy that devised an electric start kit for the little Honda EU2000. I saw a demo of it on Youtube a year or two ago.

As for the two generators I use with my truck camper...
My EU2000 runs on propane and has a direct feed piped into the Camper's gen-box (a Northstar Arrow-U) so it runs in place. There is no need to ever remove it from the camper to run it.
The only thing I remoted into the camper on the Honda was the ECO Throttle On/Off switch so I can control the speed from inside, but I still have to go out to my camper's gen-box to start & stop it. Obviously since the EU2000 is a 'pull-start'



As for the 3500 watt Predator. . .
The entire front panel is on a large mulit pin connector and is completely removable. Very simple to mount the entire thing (or just the Start/Stop and metering) inside the camper.
Generators at 3000 watts and above are usually key start so they remote rather easy.



Also note that the Predator 3500 comes in a multitude of variations according to which version you buy and what your needs are.
See below. . .



Note that generators that use a carburetor need a choke solenoid or choke cable added to be remoted (which can be a bit of a PITA), but fuel injected generators are 100% remote control ready.
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Originally Posted by diginomad

I've seen the Predator here and there. So inexpensive. People swear by them. I paid about double for my Yamaha.

I have wondered about the Predator output quality.
Can you put it on an oscilloscope to verify the sine wave quality?

I did some testing on these generators side by side.
Please keep in mind my goal here was to get the most quiet machine possible so I can run it at night in the summer, but I did check the following with the Honda EU2000i, EU3000i, EU6500i, and Predator 3500. . .

1.) Full disassembly down to the engine/generator & electronics blocks.

2.) Paralleling tests between the various models.
I found that any inverter would 'sync' with any other inverter almost instantly.

3.) Sound tests at Zero load, 750 watts, 1500W, 2250W, and 3000W.
Obviously the EU6500 was the quietest, with the Predator 3500 a close second.

4.) The output wave forms were also observed & compared on a four trace oscilloscope for any signs of distortion in the sine wave at each of the load settings.

Note that although I have a power quality analyzer I did NOT do a power quality survey since my load boxes are 90% resistive and I was not about to use my camper as a 'test load' for a garbage power source like a small generator.

Additionally, I know for a fact that the power quality from an EU2000i under full load will deteriorate as heat in the electronics builds and the output voltage starts to sag. Note that an EU2000 will not drop its load until is gets under 90 VAC. That's death to your AC unit by the way.

But on a more positive note...
The Honda EU2000i is an amazing unit and it has proven itself in many an RV getting pushed to its breaking point for hours & hours in hot weather.
The 120 volt equipment inside your camper may be getting getting beat to hell by it, but the generator itself is almost impossible to kill.

If you install a MicroAir 364 on your AC unit, and you honestly dont mind the loud noise of the EU2000 running, then I would say the Honda EU2000 should be a plausible option for your camper.
The new EU2200 would be even better, but alas, its LOUDER still.



Happy shopping & keep us posted!
-Jake-

[Rockies]

Originally Posted by Ssgritton

I can order my camper without the 2500 watt onan gen and have a spot to put the 2200 Honda, I will not order the 11k AC because I hear the Honda will not run it. Does anybody have experience with Honda EU2200i and a 9k AC working ok?

What I'm trying to avoid by doing it this way is noise and vibration, I could put the gen chained to a tree aways away from the camper and run it dry camping.

Or does the Onan not vibrate or make a lot of noise anymore?, new Host Mammoth camper.

Our Honda EU2200i will start/run a 10k BTU Dometic Penguin II (640310Cxx1C0). The a/c draws about 10-11a--sometimes 12a with very high ambient temps. The EU2200i is rated at 15a/1800w of continuous output. Even though the Honda could start this a/c without too much drama, we still went ahead and installed a Micro Air Easy Start to reduce wear and tear on the Honda on start-ups. On one occasion we used the Honda to power this a/c in 114 degree temps for an entire afternoon with no issues. As for noise level, the EU2200i is very quiet up to about 8a (960 watts) of output. Noise level ramps up quite a bit from 9a up to its rated output of 15a.

FWIW, our Honda EU2200i struggled to start a 13.5k Dometic Penguin II. Started it effortlessly with a Micro Air Easy Start.

BTW, the Micro Air Easy Start only reduces inrush current when the compressor starts. It does nothing to reduce the continuous current draw after the a/c compressor has started.

Curious if anyone has had success getting small, individual parts for the Harbor Freight 3500 inverter generator. Our local HF store says individuals parts are not available. Their only option in the event of problems is to replace the entire generator. That's free for the first 90 days. If you want any kind of replacement warranty after 90 days you do have the option of purchasing "one-time" free replacement coverage.

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by Rockies

Curious if anyone has had success getting small, individual parts for the Harbor Freight 3500 inverter generator. Our local HF store says individuals parts are not available. Their only option in the event of problems is to replace the entire generator. That's free for the first 90 days.
If you want any kind of replacement warranty after 90 days you do have the option of purchasing "one-time" free replacement coverage.

At $779 (on sale) I consider the Predator 3500 a disposable item.
Some parts, carbs, engine gasket sets, etc... are available on-line from small engine repair.

The entire Predator engine is also available, (that's just the gas engine part) as a replacement unit.

As for the Predator's electronics parts... I've never tried to acquire them but for longevity a Honda is certainly the best way to go.
That's especially true for 'full-timers' that dont have access to their own shop for repairs.

During my experiments & testing I had run one of my my Honda EU2000i units to the point that output voltage was down to 90 volts and the generator was so hot you couldnt pick it up, yet after cooling down and re-starting there were no detectable problems.

That Honda still ran great!
(Just painfully loud, which is normal when trying to hold an 11+ amp load with a small 13 amp generator).

[ThirdSpaceCO]

My little WEN inverter generator would barely run my 4 cup coffee maker. My electric griddle tripped the overload switch and never did work on the generator. I didn't even try the AC but then again, we didn't really need it camping at 9000 ft. elevation.

[ROUGHRIDER3]

My Honda eu3000ise inverter generator has run my 13,500 btu a/c for years with no problems at all.

[twinboat]

This post is from 9/2019. I think he found his answer.

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by twinboat

This post is from 9/2019. I think he found his answer.

Let’s revive this old thread.
We can start a Honda war… which is nowhere near as much fun as a payload war.

[LETMGROW]

The new Honda "2000's" are actually 2200's now.
Moot discussion now.

[ThirdSpaceCO]

Originally Posted by Electrojake

Let’s revive this old thread.

We can start a Honda war… which is nowhere near as much fun as a payload war.

Or a DRW v SRW war [emoji1787]

[Electrojake]

I’d have to agree with both those above statements.
We could also throw in diesel vs. gas.
Happy camping!

[Joyce M]

The A-1 with the Yamaha engine would not power my Coleman 15K A/C..With the micro-air..My pal 2 houses over loaned me his Honda 2000 so I could see what was up..It ran the A/C swell..
Good for me Costco took the A-1 back and I got a refund...
The only question was what was wrong with it from the young lady at the counter.
I told her it did not have the 2300 watts advertised....Whew!