Honda EU2000i generator at Camping World

[ShrimpBurrito]

Apparently there is a filter screen in the intake tube leading up to the gas tank, so I cannot siphon gas from the car......easily anyway. And the 1 gallon of gas I do have in a can is mixed with oil for a 2-stroke engine.

We don't have alot of unscheduled outages that last more than 5 minutes, either. But if "the big one" ever hits, we could potentially be without power for days....maybe longer.

Dave

[Bill]

Each fall I put a gallon of 89 octane gas in a one-gallon red plastic container, and add some Sta-bil. Put it in a corner of the garage. Use it if I need it - and a gallon lasts a long time, as Wayne points out. In the spring, I dump it into the gas tank my car. Cheap and easy.

Bill

ShrimpBurrito,

You say the recharging of your two 6 deep cycle batteries depends on your charger and it's output. Don't you recharge those batteries via your EU2000i generator using added Positive/Negative clips or even plugging in TM 30 amp cord right into generator? Or do I need some something else as well. Great, tell me I have to buy something else.

Actually I have a Kindle. (Merry Christmas to Me) But I need the noise to go to sleep !!! (Don't tell me to get a portable radio) I have mp players with audio books on them. I just want all options available for long trips. I am a political news junkie, and go into serious withdrawal without it.

Incidentally, I never had a shrimp burrito, just shrimp tocos, deep fried on the streets of Mexico. Yum, my favorite thing down there.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Bill - That's a good suggestion, but I want simplicity. If I buy a generator, I am going to test it, so it's going to have fuel in it which I am going to have to worry about gumming the carbs. I could drain the bowl, but that doesn't get everything out. Stabil is nice, but isn't perfect....I've had carbs gum up using it (have had better luck with Sea Foam). And I have to store it in my already maxed out garage. Plus, it's 2x the price of the inverter, and I don't anticipate ever using it except in an earthquake. Now knowing the 1000W version will run the fridge, I'm getting closer to justifying it to myself, but if a cheaper and less-maintenance-required solution came about that does the trick (the inverter), I'd probably do that instead. I know it's not ideal like a genny, but I'm thinking it would work.

modhatter - Nope, I don't even have a generator, as you probably just read above. The way I was describing was simply with a battery charger, which you would plug into your genny. If you have a later model TM, it may have a converter in it that has a high charge current capacity already, so you wouldn't need anything else.

Someone else here may be able to comment on what that generator outputs through the battery charging ports.

And by the way, although this is probably obvious to you already, if you are boondocking, you're not going to have cable TV. So all this may be a mute point if you don't get a good reception of over-the-air channels, which incidentally does not include CNN or MSNBC.

Dave

[MudDog]

Re: Emergency Power for home use

That was my thought as well when I bought a Honda 2000i and added an after market tri-fuel conversion kit. I've run the generator on gasoline once (after installing the tri-fuel conversion to make sure it still worked) and have run it on propane whenever needed since then...including to power my home fridge when Edison had a schedule outage for maintenance).

I can also run on natural gas. No guarantees that I'll have gas after an earthquake, but I've never not had natural gas service...whereas the electric is much less reliable and went out in both the Northridge and Sylmar quakes...and numerous random times in between.

As long as my garage doesn't collapse on my trailer and the sun is shining, I can now also pull the trailer out and use the solar panels and inverter to get some power (not the most efficient power, but power none the less).

[mjlaupp]

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

Bob - Well, the sticker on the inside of the fridge says it takes 8.3A at 120VAC, which is 996 watts. I presume that is normal operation (not starting), but I haven't measured it. I haven't tested running it on a genny, as I don't even have one, but I have thought about getting one for earthquake preparedness. I believe the Honda 1000 is 1000W peak, and 900W rated, so the fridge would take it to the max during normal operation. But I'm not sure the fridge could even get started without making the genny die.
Dave

The starting load for a compressor type appliance is 2.5 to 3 times the running load. Your fridge will pull between 2490 - 2988 watts at compressor start-up. I had a 980 watt conventional Colman generator and it could not start my fridge. I could hear the compressor humming bur not running and the generator was almost stalled. This condition leads to early replacement of the fridge or the fridge compressor after it burns out.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Mike,

That should be 2.5-3 times the running load of the compressor, right? According to Bill, the only other part of the fridge I can't turn off -- the defrost heater -- won't be on at the same time as the compressor, and I measured that the compressor only draws 175W. Three times that load is 525 watts.

But your first hand experience is good to know. Do you know what the rated current draw for your fridge is (on the sticker inside the fridge)?

Dave

[mjlaupp]

Don't have that fridge anymore, the utility company brownouts took their toll. Also sold the gen set to a neighbor. I think the fridge was a side by side 21 cu. ft. GE circa 1997.

Re: Fridge Start-Up

A Kill-A-Watt meter should tell you the peak startup watts.
Some models have a MIN/MAX feature such as P4320 power strip http://www.killawattplus.com/?gclid=...FQK87Qod93bEOg
You will also learn running watts needed and savings of shutting off icemaker and light.

To replicate you typical outage or emergency, unplug fridge for 4 to 10 hours, then plug back in thru the meter. You normally wouldn't get your generator out for several hours after an outage. Add an extention cord to make reading meter easier.
Maybe store the Kill-A-Watt meter with your generator to measure everything you want to use in the future.

For models without MIN/MAX feature - just stare at the meter (to read biggest number) while plugging in the fridge.

Then post some results numbers for us...
.

I ran my fridge on my old 1000i. Little strain to get going, but did not trip overload then ran fine,. Only time I had a problem was when I shut it down to refuel and restarted before the head in the compressor was equalized. Have a whole house auto gen now as power always went out when I was camping. Used on neighbors fridge last summer with no problems.