Honda Generator

[SCBillandJane]

We need some help understanding how a generator is used and what you have to consider before buying one and doing some boondocking. I think it would be best to describe what we think we want to do so you can make sense of the questions.
We live in the southeast with the very high humidity and temperatures, but if we camp in the summer, we are either out west at high altitudes or at an electric site so we can use the air conditioner. At this time we don't plan to use the generator to run an air conditioner, but we haven't ruled it out.
We have a 2003 3124 KS that has the 20 gallon water tank and one type 27 battery side by side under a kitchen counter. There doesn't seem to be any easy way to increase the size of either one. After reading the electrical and boondocking sections of this forum, we have been worrried about running out of battery power soon after arriving at a site with no electricity. Recently we have been running the refrigerator on battery when towing and arriving at the campsite with so little battery power that the electric tongue jack wouldn't work.
We went and saw a Honda 2000 watt generator as recommended by many people on this forum. There was no 30 amp plug spot on the front of the machine. We realized that we were in major need of help as far as generators and camping were concerned. Here are some questions but please help with any other advice you think is helpful.
Asssuming we buy a 2000 watt Honda generator:
1. How do you plug it in to the Trailmanor?
2. How long does it take to recharge the battery?
3. How often do you need to recharge?
4. What time of day is it socially acceptable to run this type of generator?
5. How much gas does it use? How much gas do take with you?
6. We tow with a truck with a covered bed and plan to run the generator in the bed of the truck. Any problems with this or carrying gas in the truck bed?
7. We think that we will be using the battery primarily for the heater fan and some lights, but what else do you think the generator could work while recharging the battery?
8 What is your experience about campgrounds banning or limiting use of generators?
9. Sometimes a family member who travels with us has to use an oxygen concentrater machine for COPD. Is it possible to connect the machine directly to the generator with an extension cord and run it all night?
10. We understand from reading the forum that you must have two Honda 2000 generators to run an air conditioner. What has been your experience if you have done this in areas of high temperature and high humidity?

1. How do you plug it in to the Trailmanor?
2. How long does it take to recharge the battery?
3. How often do you need to recharge?
4. What time of day is it socially acceptable to run this type of generator?
5. How much gas does it use? How much gas do take with you?
6. We tow with a truck with a covered bed and plan to run the generator in the bed of the truck. Any problems with this or carrying gas in the truck bed?
7. We think that we will be using the battery primarily for the heater fan and some lights, but what else do you think the generator could work while recharging the battery?
8 What is your experience about campgrounds banning or limiting use of generators?
9. Sometimes a family member who travels with us has to use an oxygen concentrater machine for COPD. Is it possible to connect the machine directly to the generator with an extension cord and run it all night?
10. We understand from reading the forum that you must have two Honda 2000 generators to run an air conditioner. What has been your experience if you have done this in areas of high temperature and high humidity?

1. Same as you plug into shore power at a hookup site. I like to turn everything off, then plug in.

2. Will vary based on converter. The old ones, depending on power usage the prior day, will take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to top off. The better ones with three stages (later WFCO units?) will be faster. I usually wait until batts are at 50% then charge about 2 hours. Works great for me.

3. We are economizers and also active during the day and have fires at night. Without the heater or boob-tube running, we can go 3-4 nights easily on a Group 27 charge. 2-3 with heater if used sparingly.

4. Site will have policy for this. I always wonder why people are so needy to run at 8am. But people do have CPAPs and other needs so I don't judge. If you want to be polite, I say 10am. Late hours are usually limited to 8pm and that is fine.

5. In eco mode, the thing will run for a good 3 recharges on a full tank. It's good to have a 1 or 2 gal can for topping off but on a short trip, I'll gas up the genny and leave the tank at home.

6. No. I do like to have air flow to dissipate vapors, such as a cracked window. Common sense and your nose will prevail. I carry gen in a truck with shell. Keep it at the front and it's less accessible for theft.

7. Microwave (a great luxury!), hair dryer, TV time, charge your phones and games.

8. Never seen it. Some national parks have very odd/difficult hours, however.

9. Modern units should be low enough power consumption to run off an inverter all night on a batt. I'd prefer that over a generator. Quieter, less moving parts and less maintenance.

10. Ran a 13.5 kbtu AC with a Honda 2000 with two separate trailers - no problem. Despite popular sentiment, many modern units should be fine but it requires testing first. If trouble starting, turn on the fan, then the gen, then the AC. Make sure gen is not in eco mode. The Honda has an overload warning light and I have never tripped it. This up to 5000 ft elevation. I got a jet kit for higher elevations but I have never needed AC in those high elevations (lucky me). Big YMMV here. It would be cool if you could test it first by borrowing one even if only for a 10 minute test.

Originally Posted by SCBillandJane

Asssuming we buy a 2000 watt Honda generator:
1. How do you plug it in to the Trailmanor?
2. How long does it take to recharge the battery?
3. How often do you need to recharge?
4. What time of day is it socially acceptable to run this type of generator?
5. How much gas does it use? How much gas do take with you?
6. We tow with a truck with a covered bed and plan to run the generator in the bed of the truck. Any problems with this or carrying gas in the truck bed?
7. We think that we will be using the battery primarily for the heater fan and some lights, but what else do you think the generator could work while recharging the battery?
8 What is your experience about campgrounds banning or limiting use of generators?
9. Sometimes a family member who travels with us has to use an oxygen concentrater machine for COPD. Is it possible to connect the machine directly to the generator with an extension cord and run it all night?
10. We understand from reading the forum that you must have two Honda 2000 generators to run an air conditioner. What has been your experience if you have done this in areas of high temperature and high humidity?

1. To use the TM plug you buy an adapter which changes the 30A to a 15A plug that will plug into the generator. By plugging in a 2kW generator you will charge the batteries, use some lights, and run your microwave. You may not be able to heat water on electric while running the microwave. There are threads on the forum that discuss electrical loads of various appliances.

2. Depends on how much the battery has discharged, the ambient temperature, etc. Others will give their opinions. Mine is run the generator when permitted, you won't be discharging the battery then.

3. Once again, dependent on how you use your battery. If you are very frugal you might go a few days between charges. I am not that frugal.

4. More important is when will the campground permit it? If I am stuck with a bunch of Class A motorhomes running A/C, I will run a generator whenever I wish during daylight hours if permitted. Depends on the campground and circumstances.

5. I will defer, since I have only owned a Honda 1K, not a 2K.

6. Generators use a lot of air, make sure you keep the area well ventilated. Never fill your gas cans in the bed of the truck, put them on the ground. Gas vapors can accumulate in the truck.

7. Answered in no. 1

8. Most campgrounds have generator hours. I have not heard of banning. Call ahead and ask when they can be run. I would rather know in advance than be surprised when I arrive.

9. Yes, but once again some campgrounds do not permit generator use at night. My wife ran a CPAP on our boat with a Honda 1K for years.

10. If the generator setup handles the air conditioning, then it does not matter what the ambient conditions are. If it is hot and humid then the A/C will run a lot more. Keep in mind that you may be limited on what other appliances you can run while the A/C is on, but it will charge the batteries and you can run some lights.

If you are running A/C off a generator do NOT put the generator on energy conserving mode if it has one. The starting loads are much higher and the generator will not supply the load change quickly enough, run it in normal mode.

Good luck with your generator decision.

[grill-n-go]

10. Keep in mind that any organized camping area will not allow you to run a generator overnight. After 9 PM or 10 PM it's quiet hour. I'm in South Florida. We don't do any dry/primitive/boondocking camping between May and September. It's just too hot.
We dry camp in the "winter" and use hookups in the summer. fall and spring, depends on destination. I bought a 3000 series Yamaha generator with the idea that I would need to run my air conditioner 24/7. Seven years later i'm still waiting for that ocassion.

So I got an EU2000 which has served us well.

[Bill]

Let me say that I am in a small minority here, and many will disagree with me when I say -

I don't understand the desire for a 2000 watt generator.

I think that a 1000 watt unit will suffice for most everyone, and when it won't, you need a 2400 watt (or more) unit. To me, a 2000 watt unit falls into the sweet (actually sour) spot between.

Why? It seems that a 1000-watt generator will do almost everything that a 2000-watt unit will do. It will charge the battery (15 volts x 30 amps charge current = 450 watts max - add 10 or 15 per cent for efficiency). It will run the lights while you do it, and run the water pump, the furnace, a TV or stereo. In other words, almost everything except the air conditioner.

But for most people, a 2000 watt generator will not reliably run the air conditioner. Some people have not experienced this shortfall, and I respect that, and I agree that powering up the A/C in steps, as described by TM Matt in his Step 10, will help. But as you write the check for more than $1000, you know you are taking a risk, and the odds are against you. If you really want to run the airco, I maintain that you would do well to buy a bigger unit (or a pair of 2000s) right up front.

So OK, if you don't expect to need the airco (as you mentioned in your query), then is there any other critical use that needs a 2000-watt unit? Run the microwave, I guess, or a hair dryer, or an electric frying pan, or a big electric perk. But are these worth the cost? There is a reasonable alternative to each, usually propane.

Just my thought, and I know many disagree. Let's hear it!

Bill

I gotta have that propane hair drier.

[B_and_D]

The only reason we went with a Honda 2000 was that our power at home is constantly going out, sometimes for 24+ hours and we wanted to be able to run the freezer or refrigerator to keep them cold, plus have a camping generator. Otherwise I would have been happy with the Honda 1000. We also have a 3500W Coleman generator but I can't stand the noise even at home (it was a hand-me-down when B's uncle moved to AZ).

There are certain sections of National Parks that are "generator free" zones. They have one in Sequoia National Park here in CA, but from what I understand that is pretty unusual.

We've only used the generator once in a campground; we turned it on after our camping neighbor did in the afternoon, just to try it out. After turning it off and starting to chat with him, he told us (he had a big motorhome) that he had full solar power (which we couldn't see, it was way up on top) and only used the generator to run the microwave, LOL. And then I felt like we were being the annoying neighbors.....for a change....

There must be somewhere where you could install dual batteries in your TM. We have two 6V Trojan T-105's and they really have held up well. I thought they were dying earlier this year, but I think it was just because it was so cold when I measured the voltage. I just checked them this morning and they still showed 12.8V after being charged about a week ago. And they are over six years old, bought in summer 2004.

[YWORRYDOG]

Bill said "Let me say that I am in a small minority here, and many will disagree with me when I say -

I don't understand the desire for a 2000 watt generator."

We use a 1000 Honda also. (less $$ not as heavy, quieter) never thought I would agree with you. LOL

Originally Posted by AstroBruce

I gotta have that propane hair drier.

Heh, just the other day I was kneeling on the floor holding my wet head close to the propane furnace vent. Not too elegant ... but it worked!

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by B_and_D

....................snip............

There are certain sections of National Parks that are "generator free" zones. They have one in Sequoia National Park here in CA, but from what I understand that is pretty unusual. .......................snip.................

Same for some of the CG's along the Skyline Drive. We stayed in the non-generator loop. Didn't do any good. We could hear the gensets any ways. It was the way the loops were laid out. Some guy ran his big 5kw plus all night. Ran into the same thing at North Dickey in Mt. last year; this guy had one of them 5.5kw $500 units in the back of his truck across the loop road. Maybe 50 feet away. After two nights they went to a CG with shore power. The CG host didn't seem to be able to do anything about quite hours that were posted. Some times the USFS doesn't support its CG host on quite hours. NPS does better but then their LEO's usually don't have to chase drugs like on the national forests. I leave both the 1450 watt coleman and the troy built 5.5kw at home.