Best Inverter generator for 30 amp service

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Ah. Ok. Unless folks install an hour meter on these smaller inverter generators, any hour usage statement is a SWAG.

But seeing as how you are so interested, I'll give it a shot

We boondock most of the time, and in the Southwest we RV every month of the year. AVG run time per day is 5 hours unless it's summer. We try to use hookups in the summer due to the heat, but always have at least a couple of trips where we run both generators 24 hours a day.

Before retirement, estimating only boondock trips, I get about 400 hours a year for 8 years. Now most of that is split between the 2 EU2000is, so roughly 1600 hours per generator.

After retirement, it has at least doubled, so 800 hours for 3 years is about 1200 hours per generator.

Grand total of an estimated 2800 hours per generator over 11 years. Again.... a SWAG.

After playing with these numbers, appears I change the oil/plugs about every 200 hours which is double the recommended, but it is synthetic so I figure I'm good. Plus the oil always looks good coming out (not too dark and smells ok). Spark plugs are always clean.

I was getting concerned about the lifetime of Honda 2000s until I read posts of folks in Alaska and on sail boats, using them for 10,000 to 20,000 hours. So I should easily have at least another 11 years on these!

Amen, put that to rest, I personally have always trusted your posts and advice, I couldn't afford it when you told me to get Honda's so I got the HF, should have saved up to buy what you recommended. They were cheap 375.00 each, but then learned it didn't have a fuel pump, after reading on the internet that the Predator was a coloned engine, wrong no pump.

[stormer]

What is the proper sequence when connecting a generator to an rv?

Should I have generator running first? Then plug in RV connector?
Or, connect RV then start generator? Same with disconnect sequence?

Maybe it doesn't matter. But thought I'd ask the pros on this forum what they do or what the standard proper sequence is.

Thanks,

James

[NMWildcat]

If you have an inverter generator, I don't think it matters much. At least in my eleven years of using them, I've probably done it every way possible without any harm. My parallel kit has a 30amp plug with an on/off switch. So I do try to get everything hooked up, turn the switch off, start the generators, then turn the switch on. But usually I forget about the switch.

There are folks who turn off breakers and such, but I'm much to lazy and have never seen the need for it unless you have a contractor style generator.