Smallest generator for the 2720

What is the smallest generator required to run the AC in a 2720? Which generators are the quietest/best?

Thank you.

We ran the AC on our 2720 with a Yamaha EF2400is. As a precaution, I would start the AC fan beforehand, and also not have any other electrical loads when the AC starts. The overload light on the genny would come on for a second, so I think a 2400 watt generator is about the smallest unit that will run a 13,500 BTU AC.

The Yamaha is quiet, an inverter style that has "clean" power, and weighs about 74 lbs.

Ran mine with Yammy 2400is as high as 6,500 ft without problems. The Yamaha ramps up to about 3KW for 10 seconds to handle the startup current.

You cannot run the electric side of the hot water tank (must be on gas) and the AC. If you have a microwave and the microwave is on when the ac switches in, its 50/50 on whether the 2400 will overload or not. Hair dryers are usually a full KW by themselves, and we always switched off the AC when the pardette dried her hair.

Beyond that, the 2400 will run everything else just fine (including the refer).

I found the Yamaha about as quiet as the Hondas. A Yamaha generally can run the AC cold from 10PM to about maybe 6-7AM on a tank of gas. It depends on how cold you want the trailer, additional loads, and how warm the night is.

It is a simple task to add a "boat tank" to a Honda, its much more difficult to do the same to Yamaha...

agree, 2400 is about the lowest and as others have said, you need to be careful that you don't trip it on overload. Unfortuneately going up to 3000W not only add quite a bit $$ wise but gets pretty large and heavy as well but if you can get a good deal on one and have the room to transport it, having the extra capacity will definately make life easier.

I pay a lot of attention to this topic.

Some people report success with the Honda 2000 under some circumstances. 2000 watts is just not quite enough.

3000 is overkill.

I have the Honda 2000. As far as I know, the Yamaha 2400 was not available in March 2005 when I bought my Honda.

I have seen the Yamaha 2400 at a show since then. I could not use it if I had one. The Honda has a single handle and I carry it on my side. The Yamaha has two handles and you carry it in front of you. I have had to many back problems to attempt carrying a generator in front of me.

I think you will find the 3000 watt generators are on wheels.

If I ever need to run the a/c on a generator I will buy a second Honda 2000 and connect them together. This will give me 4000 watts. Way more than I would need, but at least I would be able to carry it.

BTW, this topic is not specific to the Trailmanor. All travel trailers have the same situation. The only difference between different trailers is the size of the a/c.

...3000 is overkill...

Well 3KW is not exactly overkill, but it does give a decent cushion...

[Brittany Dogs]

I agree with all the above threads. I also think that several other conditions come into play such as the condition of the generator, cord length, outside temperature, sea level and probably a few others.

Even the same model number of AC unit made over a few different years might be a different start-up current level. The manufacturers change capacitors and motors as they attempt to perfect the unit or make it cheaper to manufacture. So what works for one owner might not work for another if you cut it to close for generator capacity.

I also remember seeing a message on the Wise Guys generator sales web site on the Yamaha 2400. The simple note said something along the lines of "this generator will not work with a 13,500 BTU AC unit" or words to that effect.

That scared me into getting a second Honda 2000. I owned one Honda 2000i already, plus I owned a Yamaha 1000 to use when I only need to charge the battery during cooler camping trips. So I got another Honda 2000i and I built the parallel kit. This arrangement offers me a fair amount of margin for when the compressor kicks in without the worry of doing any brown-out.

I will say that both the Honda and Yamaha inverter type generators are great units. I do not care much for other manufacturer's units that are also inverter type generators since I discovered that most of the non Honda and Yamaha units do not have the economy circuit on them to lower the engine speed for lower loads. That is a deal-breaker for me. Sure it lowers the price but the economy circuit is well worth it and I won't do without it.

Although, knowing what I just said, when I parallel the two Honda's to run the AC unit, I have to run the generators without the economy switch on because of the time it takes for the gen-sets to come up to speed. A Honda at full bore is still quieter than nearly all other non-inverter or "industrial" type generators.

But if I don't need the AC unit to run, it is nice to charge the battery on a nice, quiet generator purring away in the woods. It also saves a ton of gas on economy.

Bottom line is, strongly consider only a Yamaha or Honda inverter type generator, then decide on the power level you might need keeping in mind that when the AC kicks in, it really wants a ton of current for the first few milli-seconds.

I am so sold on these inverter type generators that I sometimes think the parks should forbid the other types of generators that are so loud that 30 sites away, you still can't hear yourself think.

Although.... A loud generator comes in handy when an argument starts between you and the better half.

Yeah the Yammy 2400is will run the 13.5s without issue, but not a 15K. That might have been what Wise Sales said. Actually, it may start a 15K, but its a lot like running the 13.5 on one Honda 2000.

The original poster also asked "best." If I had to say best, after owning both the Honda 2000s and Yamaha 2400, still being impressed by each I would vote for the Hondas.

Here are the reasons why:

1. 4KW will take you all the way to a bigger trailer.
2. It is very easy to add auxillary fuel tank to the Honda. You can do it to the Yamaha, but it is not nearly so easy.
3. With the dual Honda setup, you can run just one when you don't need AC.
4. If you are tight with money you can buy one now to get you through winter. In the spring you can buy the second one.

+1 for a pair of Honda 2000's. Where we camp we only need the AC about 3 months a year. That means that 3/4 of the time we are taking a lighter generator to support our needs. But if your choose a different solution, I would stick with either Honda or Yamaha. Others will work, but reliability, service and parts are much better with these two.

[hillbillyhotel]

Hello
i know i am new here, just my thoughts, have a honda 3000 inverter,some say over kill, and mybe so,but pops allways said it's better to have and not need, then to need and not have,had it 3 seasons now and has never missed a beat, yes somewhat pricey but you get what you pay for,but when you are a race track and it's 95 outside,it is well worth knowing ac will work well.