Bloodhound01 Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 (edited) Good evening, I purchased my first camper trailer (2021 coachmen clipper 12.0 TD XL Off-road) and will primarily be using it for boondocking. While I’ll be using solar for the most part to power small things such as lights or the stereo I know that once it gets hot I’ll need to use my AC. The camper has a 5,000 btu AC unit in it and my mind is spinning trying to figure out what size of inverter generator I should be looking into. Honda and Yamaha are running to the front but I have no idea how big I really need to go. Any advise? Thank you all!! Edited for spelling errors Edited March 16, 2021 by Bloodhound01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 A 5000 btu AC is a small unit. It should be able to run on a 2000 watt generator. I know of people running 13.5 k AC’s with the Honda 2000 watt generators (of course an AC that large needs a soft start adapter to allow the generator to get past the initial surge of the AC’s start up). I don’t think a 5000 btu AC will have that issue, but I have never specifically tried it. Quote 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 (edited) Further to what Chad said above, a typical 5000 BTU a/c will draw about 500 watts and will surge to a about a max of 1500 watts on initial startup and then surge to about 1000 each time the compressor kicks in. So, yes, a 2000 watt generator will be adequate. Might I suggest that if you want to save some money you look at the Dewalt DXGNI2200 for about half the price of a Honda and it gets 75 points on Consumer Reports compared to 76 points for the Honda. Edited March 16, 2021 by Chalkie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodhound01 Posted March 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 Awesome thank you guys so much!!! I’ll for sure look into the dewalt. Hope to cross paths with y’all someday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 My Honda 2000 can run the Coleman Mach 8 on my camper, how ever many btu it is. Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packnrat Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 possible to have a number of batteries on board? i do not know your rv so i must ask. as one can run a small ac unit off solar and batteries, just not for very long. but yes to the honda eu 2000. it could start my 13 btu ac on a cold day, but never in the summer. (i do not understand the how, what, or why, ask a ac guy for this answer), so a eu2000 should be no problem for your needs, and might even look into one of the "easy start systems". sure hondas co$t, but look at all the facts of all brands before having to buy twice. as not all "2000" watts are the same, this is the surge number but in reality the lesser units are much lower then the hondas, (up to 300 watts less surge. but still say 2000 watts surge) and how long can it last doing this? then total life of the units? fuel usage? portability? service? spare-parts? sound? etc. i will always put my moneys on quality first. sure hurts, but only once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemsteadc Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 (edited) Advise is correctly spelled but you want advice. Air con's have a pretty big surge need at startup so I'd get a Honda 2200. Edited March 16, 2021 by hemsteadc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, hemsteadc said: Advise is correctly spelled but you want advice. Or someone to advise. Good grief, it's a tag! Edited March 16, 2021 by Chalkie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodhound01 Posted March 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 Lol thank you all for the replies I think I’ll go with the Honda for sure. The proven track record is well worth the extra coin for sure. as far as batteries onboard there is only one battery on this unit so there’s not a snowballs chance in hell that it’ll run my ac. At least not for long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Bloodhound01 said: At least not for long. You do seem to be approaching this in the right way. Just keep us posted as you progress and we will help as much as possible. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NamMedevac 70 Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 (edited) I have had very good luck so far with a Firman 2000 I bought at Costco for 359.99 complete with RV socket that can be used for 15 amp plug with adapter and parallel cables. Also has a USB socket and 110 to 120 Volt socket. Sound level around 49 to 57db. Oil port easy to access. Spark plug on top of unit. May soon buy another at same price. 9 hours run time on .9 gallon at 25% power usage. As others said lots of options. Good luck to you. https://www.facebook.com/CaptBillPerkinsUNRescuePilot Edited March 17, 2021 by NamMedevac 70 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_M Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 A lot of folks have had good luck with Champion generators. I know two people that have recently purchased the 2500 watt inverter generator. It sells for $479 at Home Depot or Lowe's. If you are a veteran you can get a 10% discount at Lowe's. Champion 2500 watt at Lowe's Quote Tom—————————————————2005 Born Free 24' Rear Bath Towing 1978 VW Bug convertible Minneapolis, MN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 3/16/2021 at 3:08 PM, packnrat said: possible to have a number of batteries on board? i do not know your rv so i must ask. as one can run a small ac unit off solar and batteries, just not for very long. but yes to the honda eu 2000. it could start my 13 btu ac on a cold day, but never in the summer. (i do not understand the how, what, or why, ask a ac guy for this answer), so a eu2000 should be no problem for your needs, and might even look into one of the "easy start systems". sure hondas co$t, but look at all the facts of all brands before having to buy twice. as not all "2000" watts are the same, this is the surge number but in reality the lesser units are much lower then the hondas, (up to 300 watts less surge. but still say 2000 watts surge) and how long can it last doing this? then total life of the units? fuel usage? portability? service? spare-parts? sound? etc. i will always put my moneys on quality first. sure hurts, but only once. Honda 2000 has an actual sustained output of 1,800w. Quote 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemsteadc Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 You'll likely only find the 2200 watt model Hondas anymore. I have two of them, and wow, I can run a 13.5 air AND another high-wattage device like MW or a toaster at the same time. That's very nice at dinner time in hot weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyretired Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 If you camp at higher elevations the generator will need to be sized for the loss at those elevations. Quote Randy 2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NamMedevac 70 Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 I camp often at the 7000' elevation and will search for such a chart to check for degradation of gen output. Tom I use to have a champion 3000 and it was great and powerful. sold it about 4 years ago along with other TT accessories due to family health issues. Wish now I had kept it but I like my little firman so far. Cheers from the rear. P.S. As idiot Mel Gibson once said in one of his movies "being nuts pays well" https://www.facebook.com/Pilot-Bill-Perkins-Exotic-Living-And-Travels-in-Far-East-and-SE-Asia-1425108021122523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodhound01 Posted March 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 Thank you all for the continued input, I really appreciate it. I have been looking at the champions as well, specifically the dual fuel models. The ability to switch over to propane if needed (or run it exclusively) is a very tempting feature. They also get some really good reviews. This is a deep rabbit hole!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyretired Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, NamMedevac 70 said: I camp often at the 7000' elevation and will search for such a chart to check for degradation of gen output. Tom I use to have a champion 3000 and it was great and powerful. sold it about 4 years ago along with other TT accessories due to family health issues. Wish now I had kept it but I like my little firman so far. Cheers from the rear. P.S. As idiot Mel Gibson once said in one of his movies "being nuts pays well" https://www.facebook.com/Pilot-Bill-Perkins-Exotic-Living-And-Travels-in-Far-East-and-SE-Asia-1425108021122523 Naturally aspirated engines lose about 3% for every 1000ft in elevation. Quote Randy 2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodhound01 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 5 hours ago, Randyretired said: Naturally aspirated engines lose about 3% for every 1000ft in elevation. That’s going to be a lot of loss at 10,000 feet up in Leadville, CO. At that stage I’ll probably be thinking about picking up a companion generator. Thankfully our Wyoming and walsenburg properties are between 4-6 thousand feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 12 minutes ago, Bloodhound01 said: That’s going to be a lot of loss at 10,000 feet up in Leadville, CO. I'm not so sure that the loss is really that bad, although I have read those same numbers. If you are going to push the limit of capacity on your generator it wouldn't hurt to have two that parallel as there will be a noticeable loss when up that high. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodhound01 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, Kirk W said: I'm not so sure that the loss is really that bad, although I have read those same numbers. If you are going to push the limit of capacity on your generator it wouldn't hurt to have two that parallel as there will be a noticeable loss when up that high. Very true, I suppose I can always start at a baseline and see what I can run at the house before blowing a breaker on the unit and then test it out little by little once I start climbing in elevation. Baby steps is a hard one for me to keep in mind as I’m used to jumping in head first on everything that I do lol. Mount Everest isn’t climbed in an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 1 minute ago, Bloodhound01 said: I suppose I can always start at a baseline and see what I can run at the house before blowing a breaker on the unit and then test it out little by little once I start climbing in elevation. That would be a good plan. Where in WY? We lived in Cheyenne for 18 years when our sons were in school. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodhound01 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 46 minutes ago, Kirk W said: That would be a good plan. Where in WY? We lived in Cheyenne for 18 years when our sons were in school. Our property in Wyoming is just outside of gurnsey. Overlooking greyrocks reservoir. Pretty neat when the big C-130s and blackhawks fly over to land at fort gurnsey during their training runs. Really nice to go do some walleye fishing over at the reservoir when the boat ramp is only about a 6 minute drive too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packnrat Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 5:17 PM, Bloodhound01 said: That’s going to be a lot of loss at 10,000 feet up in Leadville, CO. At that stage I’ll probably be thinking about picking up a companion generator. Thankfully our Wyoming and walsenburg properties are between 4-6 thousand feet. i think i will run-out of breathable air before a honda 3000 will at 10 K feet. maybe even just a cheap air compressor to supply a bit more air pressure into the intake port at higher altitudes? like how my c-pap gives me a pos pressure while i sleep? but yes honda now sells the eu2200 as the honda eu 2000 is no more, but from the testing i have seen the honda eu2000 has the highest surge ability (real time usage that is) than any of the "other" brands. sound does tend to be a couple db's lower on the hondas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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