Generator
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I was going to get a 1000 Honda or Yamaha until I talked with the rep for my inverter/charger who told me that for MY charger, the 2000 would be much more efficient. My charger is 130 amps DC which is all the 2000 can handle at a regulated 20 amp AC input at the inverter control panel. He was right and the charging time for my 500 amp bank is way less. Rick D.
I was going to get a 1000 Honda or Yamaha until I talked with the rep for my inverter/charger who told me that for MY charger, the 2000 would be much more efficient. My charger is 130 amps DC which is all the 2000 can handle at a regulated 20 amp AC input at the inverter control panel. He was right and the charging time for my 500 amp bank is way less. Rick D.
2000 For Hot Water
Rick makes a good point. You may find that some chargers greater then 75amps usually found in inverter / charger combos will draw more amps then a 1000 watt generator can deliver. If you have the remote panel to the inverter / charger you can customize the charging rate to overcome the limitation of the generator. This of course then extends your charging time. My decision to buy the 2000 watt Honda was I wanted to run my hot water heater. The heating element draws 1500 watts and will not work with the 1000 generator. Something to consider. Good Luck
Rick makes a good point. You may find that some chargers greater then 75amps usually found in inverter / charger combos will draw more amps then a 1000 watt generator can deliver. If you have the remote panel to the inverter / charger you can customize the charging rate to overcome the limitation of the generator. This of course then extends your charging time. My decision to buy the 2000 watt Honda was I wanted to run my hot water heater. The heating element draws 1500 watts and will not work with the 1000 generator. Something to consider. Good Luck
Think about a Kipor
I have the Honda EU2000 it is a great little genset. It will even run the Airmarine A/C unit on my boat. It wont run everything at once mind you, but will take on any electrical item onboard my boat, even though it might be one at a time. That said, The EU2000 cost me $850 including shipping two years ago on Ebay. The Kipor runs about $650 todays price and from what I hear is a pretty good unit also. Not as quiet as the Honda but close. The First sez her hair dryer is louder than the Honda. Fair Winds Cap'n Dave
I have the Honda EU2000 it is a great little genset. It will even run the Airmarine A/C unit on my boat. It wont run everything at once mind you, but will take on any electrical item onboard my boat, even though it might be one at a time. That said, The EU2000 cost me $850 including shipping two years ago on Ebay. The Kipor runs about $650 todays price and from what I hear is a pretty good unit also. Not as quiet as the Honda but close. The First sez her hair dryer is louder than the Honda. Fair Winds Cap'n Dave
My take...
I borrowed a friend's 2000 for a recent run north and it was nice to have, but it was just too big for my boat (H37.5) and me. Took up too much room in the cockpit (I was afrad of tying it on the transom because it wasn't mine), and just heavy enough that I got tired of moving it around before we returned. I'm eager to borrow/try out a 1000 and see how it does. I primarily use it for the microwave, charging, etc. Nothing except a big one is going to run my 19k btu a/c unit and hot water is easy...just run the engine for a few, so I'm thinking the 1000 is my pick.
I borrowed a friend's 2000 for a recent run north and it was nice to have, but it was just too big for my boat (H37.5) and me. Took up too much room in the cockpit (I was afrad of tying it on the transom because it wasn't mine), and just heavy enough that I got tired of moving it around before we returned. I'm eager to borrow/try out a 1000 and see how it does. I primarily use it for the microwave, charging, etc. Nothing except a big one is going to run my 19k btu a/c unit and hot water is easy...just run the engine for a few, so I'm thinking the 1000 is my pick.
get the 2000 Honda it shows you got money
I got the 2000 honda and it almost croaks when the microwave is used. Anything smaller may run the charger but not a 1500 watt micro.
I got the 2000 honda and it almost croaks when the microwave is used. Anything smaller may run the charger but not a 1500 watt micro.
Get the 2000
The cruising standart is a 2000EU. We run AC, battery charger, TV, DVD, anntena, and 40 watt lightbulb. Separately it will power a microwave oven and an electric coffee pot. The 1000 will not do all this. The difference in cost and weight are minor compared to the added power. Yes, the 1000 will run a battery charger but why stop there when you can have much more.
The cruising standart is a 2000EU. We run AC, battery charger, TV, DVD, anntena, and 40 watt lightbulb. Separately it will power a microwave oven and an electric coffee pot. The 1000 will not do all this. The difference in cost and weight are minor compared to the added power. Yes, the 1000 will run a battery charger but why stop there when you can have much more.
Yes and Yes and No
Got a EU1000iA2 a couple years ago (or so) and it was very, very nice an portable (this is as compared to a Coleman Sport 1850+ and an older Honda EM650 that I used to have). Easy to start - just a little jerk on the pull starter with the choke on and it would take off almost every time. A bit easy to over-choke so gota play it by feel if it doesn't start the first time. Charging procedure is to not use the Honda DC for charging but to use the 115V via an inverter. The type of inverter is critical because it shouldn't "demand" more than the capability of the generator. Some inverter/chargers create more of a "hard start" situation than others and, unfortunately for me, the Heart Freedom 10 that I have is one of these. There are 115V battery chargers out there that don't have the "hard start" issue but the trick is to find one that is properly sized with the generator. According to Xantrex their TrueCharge 40A is just a tad too large and according to their tech rep the proper size for continuous operation (the EU1000i is rated at 900W continuous) would be about 33.5A. The dilemma is the next smaller TrueCharge is only 20A so you're leaving a lot of capacity on the table. What to do? There are some chargers out there where one can regulate their demand. If one would buy one of these from the get-go it wouldn't be so bad - maybe a couple hundred bucks with control panel. Saw one at the boat show that would allow me to get within a couple amps of max for this amount (got the info "somewhere"). Back to my situation. Working with a Heart Freedom 10 requires a bit of juggling if the 50A DC charge setting is on. It won't do 50A but it'll do around the low 40Amps on four golf-carts. The Freedom 10 and panel allows the inverter to ramp up to 50A DC when it is turned on and then seek a charge level – this is bad because it causes the Honda circuit breaker to trip. One can adjust the Freedom panel via the dip switches to a reduced setting but then when you hood up to shore power you have to re-set it. And – the reduced setting is way too low. Something like 10 to 20A. Starting with fairly discharged batteries the work-around is to run the engine at fast idle for a bit (Balmar alternator) to get the bulk charge in then at a point one can turn on and run the generator. Provided the Freedom 10 says it's 40A or flicking between 40 and 45A it's stay running and one can gradually reduce engine RPM to idle and turn the engine off. At this point the generator is doing all the charging. This procedure bothered me and I really didn't like lugging the generator around and still have to use the diesel for helping with the charging - so, what to do? Plan A was to buy a new charger and keep the generator; Plan B was to sell the generator and buy a 2000; Plan C was the "do nothing" option which was discarded out of hand. After advertising on Craigslist for a week I found a willing buyer for the 1000 and promptly ordered a new 2000 - reluctantly. I will really miss the little 1000. Microwave: The 1000 worked the ELECTRONIC microwave at a REDUCED power setting just fine. Granted, the microwave is rated at something like 700W but when reduced to the 50% power level it would do okay. It might be able to do more but I'd rather be safe than sorry so we never really checked it. Water heater: Nope - too much load. It'd trip and go off line. The 28-pound EU1000i is a little dream – or was. Not really looking forward to the EU2000 but it will do double duty at home so that is a major reason for making the switch. Also, I’m not quitting there. I’m pricing out a pair of 130W solar panels http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-panels.html and controller so I just might be able to leave the generator at home. I’m thinking about all the extra gas I have to lug along in addition to the generator. And the solar panels are q-u-i-e-t and require NO gas and won’t rust! Something else to consider is the Honda is not marinized and in a few years will start showing signs of deterioration. It’s all a compromise so good luck.
Got a EU1000iA2 a couple years ago (or so) and it was very, very nice an portable (this is as compared to a Coleman Sport 1850+ and an older Honda EM650 that I used to have). Easy to start - just a little jerk on the pull starter with the choke on and it would take off almost every time. A bit easy to over-choke so gota play it by feel if it doesn't start the first time. Charging procedure is to not use the Honda DC for charging but to use the 115V via an inverter. The type of inverter is critical because it shouldn't "demand" more than the capability of the generator. Some inverter/chargers create more of a "hard start" situation than others and, unfortunately for me, the Heart Freedom 10 that I have is one of these. There are 115V battery chargers out there that don't have the "hard start" issue but the trick is to find one that is properly sized with the generator. According to Xantrex their TrueCharge 40A is just a tad too large and according to their tech rep the proper size for continuous operation (the EU1000i is rated at 900W continuous) would be about 33.5A. The dilemma is the next smaller TrueCharge is only 20A so you're leaving a lot of capacity on the table. What to do? There are some chargers out there where one can regulate their demand. If one would buy one of these from the get-go it wouldn't be so bad - maybe a couple hundred bucks with control panel. Saw one at the boat show that would allow me to get within a couple amps of max for this amount (got the info "somewhere"). Back to my situation. Working with a Heart Freedom 10 requires a bit of juggling if the 50A DC charge setting is on. It won't do 50A but it'll do around the low 40Amps on four golf-carts. The Freedom 10 and panel allows the inverter to ramp up to 50A DC when it is turned on and then seek a charge level – this is bad because it causes the Honda circuit breaker to trip. One can adjust the Freedom panel via the dip switches to a reduced setting but then when you hood up to shore power you have to re-set it. And – the reduced setting is way too low. Something like 10 to 20A. Starting with fairly discharged batteries the work-around is to run the engine at fast idle for a bit (Balmar alternator) to get the bulk charge in then at a point one can turn on and run the generator. Provided the Freedom 10 says it's 40A or flicking between 40 and 45A it's stay running and one can gradually reduce engine RPM to idle and turn the engine off. At this point the generator is doing all the charging. This procedure bothered me and I really didn't like lugging the generator around and still have to use the diesel for helping with the charging - so, what to do? Plan A was to buy a new charger and keep the generator; Plan B was to sell the generator and buy a 2000; Plan C was the "do nothing" option which was discarded out of hand. After advertising on Craigslist for a week I found a willing buyer for the 1000 and promptly ordered a new 2000 - reluctantly. I will really miss the little 1000. Microwave: The 1000 worked the ELECTRONIC microwave at a REDUCED power setting just fine. Granted, the microwave is rated at something like 700W but when reduced to the 50% power level it would do okay. It might be able to do more but I'd rather be safe than sorry so we never really checked it. Water heater: Nope - too much load. It'd trip and go off line. The 28-pound EU1000i is a little dream – or was. Not really looking forward to the EU2000 but it will do double duty at home so that is a major reason for making the switch. Also, I’m not quitting there. I’m pricing out a pair of 130W solar panels http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-panels.html and controller so I just might be able to leave the generator at home. I’m thinking about all the extra gas I have to lug along in addition to the generator. And the solar panels are q-u-i-e-t and require NO gas and won’t rust! Something else to consider is the Honda is not marinized and in a few years will start showing signs of deterioration. It’s all a compromise so good luck.
Honda 2000
allsail; I use a Honda 2000 and love it! I hate running the diesel for ANY amount of time since no matter which way the wind is blowing the exhaust always comes right into the cockpit. The 2000 isn't heavy, (I can move it myself) and doesn't take up that much room (I keep mine in a cockpit locker on a Beneteau 40) I put mine on the foredeck and run a shorepower cord back to the AC input and use a Freedom 20 charger. One hour charges my 440 A/H battery bank and 30 more minutes heats hot water in the electric heater. I have the charger configured to run the charger and the heater separately so when I turn on the heater the charger cuts out. When the generator runs I can barely hear it and there's virtually no smell.
allsail; I use a Honda 2000 and love it! I hate running the diesel for ANY amount of time since no matter which way the wind is blowing the exhaust always comes right into the cockpit. The 2000 isn't heavy, (I can move it myself) and doesn't take up that much room (I keep mine in a cockpit locker on a Beneteau 40) I put mine on the foredeck and run a shorepower cord back to the AC input and use a Freedom 20 charger. One hour charges my 440 A/H battery bank and 30 more minutes heats hot water in the electric heater. I have the charger configured to run the charger and the heater separately so when I turn on the heater the charger cuts out. When the generator runs I can barely hear it and there's virtually no smell.
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