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Engineer Guy · 10-05-2015, 09:52 PM

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This ex-Ham Radio Dude researched this Topic to death a few years ago.

The A/C start-up In-Rush Current is what trips Circuit Breakers. Moderate that initial In-Rush Current, and the issue is removed. Full stop. Then, it's a question of how many Amps Steady State the A/C needs.

As one can read in numerous Amazon Customer Reviews linked below, with all sorts of Scenarios and Brands mentioned, adding a 'Soft Start' Capacitor almost always provides a Root Solution. These are also known as 'Hard Start' Capacitors.

- Soft Start Capacitor Kit + Reviews -

Carrier got out of the RV A/C Business. I had one of their 13,500 BTU A/Cs on my lil Play-Mor Trailer. It had a Soft Start Circuit on a Panel Switch. Turning it on avoided Circuit Breaker Trips. I've not yet rigorously tested various Scenarios on my new Nash 23d with 13,500 BTU A/C. However, I run it w/o incident at Home on a 20 Amp - 120 Volt GFI Circuit [2,400 Watts]. I'm confident that Testing will show it drawing ~13 Amps steady state.

Just to drive Home this point, I have successfully run my 13,500 BTU Carrier A/C w/integral Soft Start on a 15 Amp Circuit [1,800 Watts].

The Frigidaire House 8,000 BTU A/C is spec'ed at drawing 7.4 Amps Steady State after initial In-Rush Current surge. 7.4 Amps x 120 Volts assumed = a conservative 888 Watts req'd.

The Westinghouse WH2400i is spec'ed to supply 2,400 Watts for Start Up. 2,100 Watts thereafter.

- Westinghouse WH2400i Specs -
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tuffr2 · 10-06-2015, 07:45 AM

I was at a campground and was always tripping the 30amp breaker. Had the maintenance person at the campground look at it. He used a gizmo that measured the amperage draw. With the refer. on electric and A/C running he measured less than a 4 amp draw. (The A/C unit was already running). Now I was really surprised by the 3.8 amps that he measured. Actually I don't believe it...lol.
Home Depot has a chart of electric appliances. What I remember is start-up uses almost twice the amps as the running amps.

edekgb · 10-06-2015, 08:20 AM

Are the Westinghouse genes just not very good. Have people had them poop out on them after a short time of use? Do they have an overall bad rep? Please help before I buy because the reviews (several) on amazon and home depot sites are very good. I am starting to listen and lean towards Champion but I don't want to discount Wesinghouse inverter gens cuz they seem so quite (you tube sound tests), light, and overall nice but I don't want a small gen that only lasts me a couple of years. Experiences with them??

edekgb · 10-06-2015, 08:23 AM

Im starting to wonder if this is just a case of nobody using or trying them (wich can be a bad thing also) or that they have been tried and did not perform well or last.

tuffr2 · 10-06-2015, 09:20 AM

One thing that was not talked about is the weight of a generator. My Yamaha 2400is generator is as much weight as I can handle.

Also the noise level...the Yamaha and Honda are very quiet generators that a very easy to start.

Having a generator w/o remote start I would never buy another one w/o it. Nothing worse than leaving a nice warm camper on a cold drizzly night to go start the generator because the DW wants to warm up hot chocolate in the microwave before bed.

Good luck

edekgb · 10-06-2015, 09:57 AM

I like the idea of remote start on a cold night tuffr2 that sounds real nice. Oh no - now I have something else to think about!! Just kidding (kind of).
It's a lot and very interesting, I have already learned a lot and Im just getting started out there. It is a big decision for me because 700 to 1400 dollars is a lot of money to me and I don't want to get the wrong one. Im sure this subject has been thrown around many times here on forums and out in the real world amongst the rv veterans but I think that the forum has become interesting because of the new "tweener" 2400 watt Westinghouse. In my little bit of research it was hard to find something in between the 2000s and 3000s watts gens. I do overall agree with everybody's take on sound and pitch for every different person. I just don't want to end up with a monster out there.

1bigmess · 10-06-2015, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuffr2

With the refer. on electric and A/C running he measured less than a 4 amp draw. (The A/C unit was already running).

That was your refer. Your AC fan might have been running, but the compressor wasn't running a that time. The amp measurement would have been much higher if both of those items including the AC compressor were all running.

1bigmess · 10-06-2015, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edekgb

I like the idea of remote start on a cold night tuffr2 that sounds real nice. Oh no - now I have something else to think about!!

Actually, you really do need to think about it. Remote start or electric start adds weight of the battery and the starter to the entire package. If you have to lift it, it will matter.

tuffr2 · 10-06-2015, 01:27 PM

How much boondocking will you be doing? Here in the east and mid-west even State Parks have electric sites. You will only need a generator if you plan to boondock. Then it depends Ion how much boondocking you will do. If you are going to be doing a lot of boondocking then yes you will good generator.

You can use your truck as a short term and limited generator. It will only keep the 12v system working. The main thing this time of year is your furnace blower motor. Your trailer battery will run the furnace blower for maybe 8 to 10 hours. Then the battery will need to be charged. The truck can probably charge the battery in 3 or 4 hours. This is by no means a perfect solution but short term could work.

But as you know the A/C unit will need either shore power or a generator.

Engineer Guy · 10-07-2015, 12:20 PM

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In Web Surfing around the other day on this Topic, I saw one 'Headline' mentioning that the Westinghouse 2 KW Genny - for sale at Home Depot - was being discontinued. I did not verify this. The WH2400i Genny under discussion here was taking it's place. Meanwhile, the much larger Westinghouse Genny seems to get good Reviews on line FWIW.

Mebbe this Product Line change is why you're not seeing much Info or Press about the WH2400i. 'Too' new...

- Westinghouse 2 KW Genny -
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edekgb · 10-07-2015, 10:19 PM

Yes the 2000i was discontinued for the wh2000i xlt which is now able to be paralled with another wh2000i xlt. The 2000i was the older model that was unable to run in tandem. The "explorer" series wh2400i is just released (which may not be a good thing) and can be run in tandem with another of the like. Its rated at 300 more max watts and 300 more running watts for 75 dollars more. With the good reviews i have read about the wh2000i xlt on home depot website and amazon i thought the extra few hundred watts would make up for the altitude i live at (5280 ft.) To power up my 8k ac. I dont know how they squeezed the extra wattage out of the same quiet 79cc motor, maybe magic but thats what their claiming

edekgb · 10-08-2015, 11:48 AM

So I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Westinghouse wh2400i this morning.

Inverters | Westinghouse

will let you all know how it goes - should receive it in a about a week.

meeeeoooowy · 10-16-2015, 11:18 AM

Heya! I'm working on part 3 of my video review for the WH2400i. Trying to get some feedback on what people would like to see.

So far I've done an unboxing,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24MXsl41P1Q

And a sound test,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qs81YDC2T4

So far the only request I have is trying to run a 13,500 btu ac on it (going to give that a shot this weekend if I can find one).

1bigmess · 10-16-2015, 12:06 PM

It looks like there is some good competition not only in the inverter gennie market, but also in those that can be tied together to run higher loads.

The WH unit looks to me to be a variant of the Yamaha. Maybe you could get them side by side and take the covers off to see if they are similar?