Operating instructions for a mitsubushi generator states that the 12 volt outlet is designed for operating 12 volt DC appliances only. "Do not attempt to charge batteries with this Outlet." The generator has one 12 volt dc cigarette lighter type plug and two 120v ac plugs. My plan is to use this generator to push the smallest a/c unit i can find, and at the same time, keep the batteries fully charged. I plan on using CO monitors, and keeping the unit outboard of the stern, with the bow to the wind, when in use. I would really like to be able to use the generator to recover from a dead battery situation, the a/c is of secondary importance. Any information would greatly appreciated. Thanks D.Patrick
CHARGING BATTERIES W/1000 WATT GENERATOR?
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If you have a charger on board
use the AC (current, not A/C air conditioner
)) output from the generator, buy or makeup an electricla cord form the geenrator 120 Ac output and plug it into your shorepower inlet, which goes to your battery charger.
use the AC (current, not A/C air conditioner
)) output from the generator, buy or makeup an electricla cord form the geenrator 120 Ac output and plug it into your shorepower inlet, which goes to your battery charger.I have a Yamaha 1000...
I hook it up as Stu states. It runs a truecharge 40 amp charger with no problems. I also purchased a 5000 btu window unit (for hurricanes) at the house. I found the Yamaha 1000 will power it, but it has to be on "full" power (eco mode off) to get past the A/C start. The A/C will fit in my companion way opening so I could possibly use on the boat. I haven't tried to run both (A/C and charger.) The A/C came from Sears ($109). Good Luck, MArc
I hook it up as Stu states. It runs a truecharge 40 amp charger with no problems. I also purchased a 5000 btu window unit (for hurricanes) at the house. I found the Yamaha 1000 will power it, but it has to be on "full" power (eco mode off) to get past the A/C start. The A/C will fit in my companion way opening so I could possibly use on the boat. I haven't tried to run both (A/C and charger.) The A/C came from Sears ($109). Good Luck, MArc
AC Units
AC units have a big current surge when first turned on. You may or may not have enough current capacity to start a small unit - Marc was lucky. We found an 8000 BTU AC unit that fitted the companion way of our Pearson 422 (42 ft), for use at the dock. It just didn't make it. On a hot day (95 deg. F.) it only dropped the cabin temperature by 10 degrees and made us prisoners on board because it was difficult to climb over the unit! I think we need at least 16,000 BTU. As indicated on your generator's label, you should not (cannot) use the 12v dc outlet for charging. First, if it only has a cigarette lighter socket, it should be limited to about 10 amps max, second there will be no current limiting regulation on the dc outlet, and third you need more than 12v dc to charge a battery - typically 14.5 volts or so during part of the charging cycle. A fully charged battery will register about 13.6 volts. Stu's suggestion is the right one.
AC units have a big current surge when first turned on. You may or may not have enough current capacity to start a small unit - Marc was lucky. We found an 8000 BTU AC unit that fitted the companion way of our Pearson 422 (42 ft), for use at the dock. It just didn't make it. On a hot day (95 deg. F.) it only dropped the cabin temperature by 10 degrees and made us prisoners on board because it was difficult to climb over the unit! I think we need at least 16,000 BTU. As indicated on your generator's label, you should not (cannot) use the 12v dc outlet for charging. First, if it only has a cigarette lighter socket, it should be limited to about 10 amps max, second there will be no current limiting regulation on the dc outlet, and third you need more than 12v dc to charge a battery - typically 14.5 volts or so during part of the charging cycle. A fully charged battery will register about 13.6 volts. Stu's suggestion is the right one.
Honda EU2000i
Most of the cruisers I know that use portable generators have switched to the 2000w Honda unit. The secret of fast battery charging with this is to get at least a 100amp charger. If you're down 200amps it'll take all day with a 20 amp charger but with the 100amp charger it takes a few hours. I have a wind generator and opted for the Honda as back-up because it was a lot cheaper than an array of solar panels. So far it's worked flawlessly. I just use a short extension cord and a 15/30 amp pigtail and plug it into my shorepower receptacle.
Most of the cruisers I know that use portable generators have switched to the 2000w Honda unit. The secret of fast battery charging with this is to get at least a 100amp charger. If you're down 200amps it'll take all day with a 20 amp charger but with the 100amp charger it takes a few hours. I have a wind generator and opted for the Honda as back-up because it was a lot cheaper than an array of solar panels. So far it's worked flawlessly. I just use a short extension cord and a 15/30 amp pigtail and plug it into my shorepower receptacle.
honda 2000iu
Over memorial weekend I stayed on the boat on the hook not far from home. (actually Ft. Myers Beach) I was anxious to use the Honda generator and test the high output alternator etc etc on the boat. I was disappointed to see that when I hooked up to the boat input from the generator it went into overload and kicked off the output. I have a 30 amp charger. output on the honda 13.3 A.?? WhenI was at my dock at home I tried this and it worked fine. ? The generator was running rough then the generator stopped and refused to run. I have taken it in for service. Upon returning home I plugged into shore poweer and heard a loud POP. The charger was blown. I checked fuses etc , all ok. Light on charger ok. Called MFR who said return it for replacement. So either the generator screwed the charger or vice cersa. Any ideas? Next week I ahould have both back? Then what? NB.. the alternator worked but seems to defy logic in the operation of it and the indications of the gauges.
Over memorial weekend I stayed on the boat on the hook not far from home. (actually Ft. Myers Beach) I was anxious to use the Honda generator and test the high output alternator etc etc on the boat. I was disappointed to see that when I hooked up to the boat input from the generator it went into overload and kicked off the output. I have a 30 amp charger. output on the honda 13.3 A.?? WhenI was at my dock at home I tried this and it worked fine. ? The generator was running rough then the generator stopped and refused to run. I have taken it in for service. Upon returning home I plugged into shore poweer and heard a loud POP. The charger was blown. I checked fuses etc , all ok. Light on charger ok. Called MFR who said return it for replacement. So either the generator screwed the charger or vice cersa. Any ideas? Next week I ahould have both back? Then what? NB.. the alternator worked but seems to defy logic in the operation of it and the indications of the gauges.
Honda load
Terry, Did you have your hot water heater or other high draw items (air, microwave) on during the run of the Honda? This might account for the overloading but it should handle a hot water heater and a thirty amp charger. It would be useful as to what you had on at the same time. When I use mine I get 90 -100 amps out of my inverter/charger. I do not have the charger and the hot water heater going at the same time. What make charger do you have and as far as the alternator goes what was the problem.
Terry, Did you have your hot water heater or other high draw items (air, microwave) on during the run of the Honda? This might account for the overloading but it should handle a hot water heater and a thirty amp charger. It would be useful as to what you had on at the same time. When I use mine I get 90 -100 amps out of my inverter/charger. I do not have the charger and the hot water heater going at the same time. What make charger do you have and as far as the alternator goes what was the problem.
Your generator should not stall
when overloaded. It will simply trip the overload protection and the panel indicator will show this. I have used the eu2000 on a houseboat and ran a 5000 btu ac, 45 amp charger, and 700 watt microwave at the same time. as others have stated you need to disable eco throttle for the ac to operate properly due to the high starting load. I would suggest having your generator checked out if it ran poorly and then stalled.
when overloaded. It will simply trip the overload protection and the panel indicator will show this. I have used the eu2000 on a houseboat and ran a 5000 btu ac, 45 amp charger, and 700 watt microwave at the same time. as others have stated you need to disable eco throttle for the ac to operate properly due to the high starting load. I would suggest having your generator checked out if it ran poorly and then stalled.
For the record, you can't use the 12v dc outlet
to charge your batteries PRECISELY because it puts out 12v dc. Your lead-acid batteries, when fully charged, have a potential of about 12.8v dc, and as you discharge them, their voltage drops gradually, untill at about 10.8 volts they are fully discharged. In order to CHARGE them, you must apply a higher voltage in order to force current to flow towards the battery. In general terms, this is done at about 14 volts, which is higher than your generator will provide. If your batteries are at 50%, their voltage will be about 12.05 volts, which is higher than the nominal output of your generator. Luckily, the generator has a 'blocking diode' to prevent current from flowing FROM the batteries into the generator, which would otherwise be a messy and potentially destructive affair. And just in case you are thinking you can just drain your batteries fully, then get SOME charging out of the 12v DC output of your generator, you face 2 problems: first, discharging your batteries all the way is NOT good for them, and second, your generator probably only provides 25 or 50 amps at 12 volts DC, and a fully discharged battery will want to draw much more than that, which will either blow a fuse in the generator, or overheat its wiring, once again with potentially destructive consequences. REAL battery chargers have circuitry that varies the voltage in order to avoid excessive current flow - your generator does not. Far better to go Stu's route. Cheers, Bob s/y X SAIL R 8
to charge your batteries PRECISELY because it puts out 12v dc. Your lead-acid batteries, when fully charged, have a potential of about 12.8v dc, and as you discharge them, their voltage drops gradually, untill at about 10.8 volts they are fully discharged. In order to CHARGE them, you must apply a higher voltage in order to force current to flow towards the battery. In general terms, this is done at about 14 volts, which is higher than your generator will provide. If your batteries are at 50%, their voltage will be about 12.05 volts, which is higher than the nominal output of your generator. Luckily, the generator has a 'blocking diode' to prevent current from flowing FROM the batteries into the generator, which would otherwise be a messy and potentially destructive affair.
And just in case you are thinking you can just drain your batteries fully, then get SOME charging out of the 12v DC output of your generator, you face 2 problems: first, discharging your batteries all the way is NOT good for them, and second, your generator probably only provides 25 or 50 amps at 12 volts DC, and a fully discharged battery will want to draw much more than that, which will either blow a fuse in the generator, or overheat its wiring, once again with potentially destructive consequences. REAL battery chargers have circuitry that varies the voltage in order to avoid excessive current flow - your generator does not. Far better to go Stu's route. Cheers, Bob s/y X SAIL R 8
Terry - generator and charge current are different
Terry, your generator puts out a max of 13.3 amps but you are confused why your charger puts out 30 amps. I saw the question marks in your posting ?? Your generator puts out 13.3 amps at 120 volts - alternating current(AC). Your battery charger puts out 30 amps at 12 Volts - direct current (DC). There is a transformation between ac and dc inside your charger and it also steps down the voltage as well. Unfortunately, you cant look at current and get the whole picture - you need to know if it is AC or DC and also what the voltages are. It definately is possible that the generator damaged the charger. I have seen many modern switch mode power supplies(really light weight battery chargers) get damaged from generators. Especially when you are running the generators capabilities to the max.
Terry, your generator puts out a max of 13.3 amps but you are confused why your charger puts out 30 amps. I saw the question marks in your posting ?? Your generator puts out 13.3 amps at 120 volts - alternating current(AC). Your battery charger puts out 30 amps at 12 Volts - direct current (DC). There is a transformation between ac and dc inside your charger and it also steps down the voltage as well. Unfortunately, you cant look at current and get the whole picture - you need to know if it is AC or DC and also what the voltages are. It definately is possible that the generator damaged the charger. I have seen many modern switch mode power supplies(really light weight battery chargers) get damaged from generators. Especially when you are running the generators capabilities to the max.
Thinking cheaply
Sounds like we are kindred spirits. Some things to think about though, any time you go from one form of energy to another there is a loss. If you can use the energy once and not have to convert it with some machine to make it usable you will have more energy to play with. Air conditioning units that are belt driven are widely available at junkyards everywhere. They even come with their own electric clutches that run on 12 volts. Stock alternators can be rewired with a new stator winding (re bolted actually as all the winding are the same size) to increase their output. 120 amps is not uncommon for a luxury car. These are also avalable at junkyards. While you have the alternator appart be sure to grab the diods as you will need 120 amp rated ones not the stock 53 amp version. AC compressor/clutch and evaporator/condenser $300 new crankshaft pulley and bracket for compressor $100 Freon recharge $??? I always do my own so I don't know new alternator parts $45 installation $0.00 but you might want to have the kids be somewhere else as there will no doubt be lots of "salty talk" You can save a lot of $$$ if you know your systems. Who says a boat is a hole in the water where you throw money?
Sounds like we are kindred spirits. Some things to think about though, any time you go from one form of energy to another there is a loss. If you can use the energy once and not have to convert it with some machine to make it usable you will have more energy to play with. Air conditioning units that are belt driven are widely available at junkyards everywhere. They even come with their own electric clutches that run on 12 volts. Stock alternators can be rewired with a new stator winding (re bolted actually as all the winding are the same size) to increase their output. 120 amps is not uncommon for a luxury car. These are also avalable at junkyards. While you have the alternator appart be sure to grab the diods as you will need 120 amp rated ones not the stock 53 amp version. AC compressor/clutch and evaporator/condenser $300 new crankshaft pulley and bracket for compressor $100 Freon recharge $??? I always do my own so I don't know new alternator parts $45 installation $0.00 but you might want to have the kids be somewhere else as there will no doubt be lots of "salty talk" You can save a lot of $$$ if you know your systems. Who says a boat is a hole in the water where you throw money?
eu2000i is a very popular unit
I really appreciate all of the positive input. Hot water had not crossed my mind. That truecharge 40 amp sounds like a good shot. I have to confess, I found this mitsu 2.4/1000 at harbor freight. It is sale priced right now for $299, and if you have a coupon you can get 2yr free replacement for $45 off of the regular $49.99, which is less than $5. Ideally I would prefer the honda 2k hands down, but for now I would like to see what I can get out of this unit. Again I appreciate the info from people who have been there and done that, to hear what works and what doesn't saves a lot of time, and helps to put a good system together. D.Patrick
I really appreciate all of the positive input. Hot water had not crossed my mind. That truecharge 40 amp sounds like a good shot. I have to confess, I found this mitsu 2.4/1000 at harbor freight. It is sale priced right now for $299, and if you have a coupon you can get 2yr free replacement for $45 off of the regular $49.99, which is less than $5. Ideally I would prefer the honda 2k hands down, but for now I would like to see what I can get out of this unit. Again I appreciate the info from people who have been there and done that, to hear what works and what doesn't saves a lot of time, and helps to put a good system together. D.Patrick
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