Portable Gen Question

[wayne nichols]

Here is my question. I have a 2008 cardinal. I have 2 15000 btu AC one in bed room one in living area. I want to buy a good genny to run one AC at a time my TV and satellite of course, also the refrigerator. The water heater I will run on gas. maybe the microwave if I shut off the AC oh cant forget the coffee pot. what would be the minimum watt genny I would need?

[TitanMike]

Some will say you can get by on a 2kw generator but probably only after a several hundred dollar modification to the A/C unit. Even then you'll be working the generator to the max.

I would suggest a 3500 watt Inverter type generator and then you won't have to switch off the converter so you can also take advantage of some battery charging while running the AC. Ditto for the coffee pot.

Lots of good choices among the 3500 watt inverters. I have one installed on my back bumper so no lifting or bothering with two small generators I have to unload separately, connect in parallel, and then have to refuel two instead of one. Mine's dual fuel and will run up to 15 hours on a 20# tank of propane.



Total cost of inverter, carrier platform, and bumper reinforcement struts, was a lot less than the price of two Honda 2kw inverter generators with parallel kit. (about $500 less).

[wayne nichols]

I was also wondering about the inverter type gen set. thanks for the info and suggestions.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by wayne nichols

I was also wondering about the inverter type gen set. thanks for the info and suggestions.

The inverter gensets is what you should have for clean power. Clean sine wave power is essential for componets in the RV as well as personal electronics. Not to mention the peace of mind of your CG neighbor.

I agree. A 3000 - 3500 watt genset will be more that sufficient to run 1 A/C and other stuff without overworking the genny. And they hold more gas than the smaller ones.

For the amount of times we boondock (not many) or in case of a TV breakdown and we're stranded for awhile, I went to Harbor Freight and bought their Predator 3500 watt inverter generator. Just as quiet as Hondas 3000 at one third the price. Last price I saw on sale was $689.

I put in the bed of the truck behind the cab in front of the FW hitch and chained it (my toneau cover also hides it when not hitched). Broke it in in the bed of my truck and with cover open & tailgate closed, I could hardy hear it run while sitting under the awning!

[bigmurph]

I bought the twin to the harbor freight 3500 inverter type. I bought the Powerhorse from norther tool. Camping at the nascar track and my old (15 years) wen power pro couldn't handle it. I have a lot of hours on that generator but I was using more oil than gas and could sustain the voltage under a load anymore. I'm super impressed with the powerhorse. I bought it Friday night and it has only been off to fill it with gas. The guy beside me told me I could run it all night long. Said he couldn't hear it in his camper. I'm running the outside and inside fridge, 15k AC, and a couple TVs. I shut the air off to run the microwave.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Some will say you can get by on a 2kw generator but probably only after a several hundred dollar modification to the A/C unit. Even then you'll be working the generator to the max.

I would suggest a 3500 watt Inverter type generator and then you won't have to switch off the converter so you can also take advantage of some battery charging while running the AC. Ditto for the coffee pot.

Lots of good choices among the 3500 watt inverters. I have one installed on my back bumper so no lifting or bothering with two small generators I have to unload separately, connect in parallel, and then have to refuel two instead of one. Mine's dual fuel and will run up to 15 hours on a 20# tank of propane.



Total cost of inverter, carrier platform, and bumper reinforcement struts, was a lot less than the price of two Honda 2kw inverter generators with parallel kit. (about $500 less).

I like that setup, can you tell me where you got that bumper mount? I probably won't need the reinforcements because I don't plan on leaving the genny there while underway.

Thanks!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by DavidBo

I like that setup, can you tell me where you got that bumper mount? I probably won't need the reinforcements because I don't plan on leaving the genny there while underway.

Thanks!

I got the bumper mount on Amazon. One I ordered included a 24" x 24" platform but the company that builds these sells only mount arms and they can be finished with plywood decks for less money.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by rracer5

The inverter gensets is what you should have for clean power. Clean sine wave power is essential for componets in the RV as well as personal electronics. Not to mention the peace of mind of your CG neighbor.

I agree. A 3000 - 3500 watt genset will be more that sufficient to run 1 A/C and other stuff without overworking the genny. And they hold more gas than the smaller ones.

For the amount of times we boondock (not many) or in case of a TV breakdown and we're stranded for awhile, I went to Harbor Freight and bought their Predator 3500 watt inverter generator. Just as quiet as Hondas 3000 at one third the price. Last price I saw on sale was $689.

I put in the bed of the truck behind the cab in front of the FW hitch and chained it (my toneau cover also hides it when not hitched). Broke it in in the bed of my truck and with cover open & tailgate closed, I could hardy hear it run while sitting under the awning!

OK....Finally got a chance to put the Predator to the test in a "real life" situation. Power went out at our home resort due to a thunder storm. Power rarely goes out here so I waited about 45 minutes before deciding it wasn't a simple resetable breaker on the power company grid. Still being warm, humid & getting dark, I decided to put the genset to the test. Fired it up, plugged in the RV and she ran one 15K A/C (cycling off & on), fans, lights, 2 Tv's, satellite receivers etc. without a hitch producing a steady 121 volts for 3 hours & 45 minutes when the power came back on.
So, I can say the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 passed its' first test with flying colors!