Honda EU2000.....

Maine Sail · Apr 13, 2014

woodster said:
ok just got a Honda EU 2000 this week end..... its the companion model.....it seems to put out the same power that the one that is usually bought first with the battery charge feature on it ...i got this model because it has the same plug as my shore power cord and i just plug it in......so after all this bragging about my good fortune ......i would like to hear for all that have one and if they think i did the right thing by getting the companion model .....by the way it is used and i made a very good trade for it so i have very little cash in it ...my trade was labor..

regards

woody

The battery charge feature is useless. The real benefit on an EU2000 is its ability to drive an AC shore charge up to 60+/- amps, depending upon the chargers efficiency..

njsail · Apr 14, 2014

I hate to be the one to tell you but it is called a companion because in order to use that plug you need another EU2000. They can work separate or as 'companion' generators with a bridge wire.
from the Honda companion description:
"Built in 30A outlet for easy parallel capability with another EU2000i "
It is still a great generator and works great for running an AC unit without the 30A plug.
I could be wrong but the honda dealership by me recently told me that gem of information. You can still buy a converter plug to go from the 120v outlet into your 30A shore power outlet on the boat.

It is a great little generator that will last you for many years if you care for it.

gettinthere · Apr 14, 2014

Wrong.
The 30 amp plug works normally without a second genset added on. I use the 30 amp plug to feed my boat inlets and get the 13 amps out of it.

Ron20324 · Apr 14, 2014

njsail said:
I hate to be the one to tell you but it is called a companion because in order to use that plug you need another EU2000. from the Honda companion description:
"Built in 30A outlet for easy parallel capability with another EU2000i " I could be wrong but the honda dealership by me recently told me that gem of information. .

I hate to be the one to tell you, NJ, but that gem of info is wrong in my book. IF what you have in quotes is correct, it means that the unit CAN be used with another unit, but if they are still made like mine, there are two "parallel operation outputs" for that pupose.

But, yeah, I bought the one with the charger thinking it would be good for the cars, but I have not used it that way in 5 years, but still can, if needed.

Benny17441 · Apr 14, 2014

Running specs are all the same, the difference lies in the output connector which provides a ready installed option to connect to a 30A plug. The same can be achieved by a converter plugged in to one of the 20A receptacles. The difference is in the variety of connectors that can be used. The amperage marking on the receptacle is inconsequential as the unit does not produce but under 14A all which could be accessed through a single 15/20A receptacle. Honda sells a combiner kit to run two 2000eu units in tandem to access around 27A and it is then when you would want the 30A connector.

Barnacle Bill · Apr 14, 2014

I own the original (i.e. not the companion), but they are essentially the same units with the same output, just different hook ups. I use it on my boats when I need a back up A/C (not at the dock) and it works fine. I have an adaptor that marries up the 110 outlet on the unit with a 30A shore power cord and it works fine. If you want the FULL potential of the 30A output, then you run both the companion and the other together. I have used the battery charger supplied cord and it works great. I think it is a hell of a nice unit. You can buy the same output for cheaper, but they are noisier and don't have the Honda quality, which one has come to expect from that company.

njsail · Apr 14, 2014

if the info I provided was wrong (and I hope it was) that is great news. I just bought a second EU2000 a few weeks back (not for the boat) and the honda dealer was the one that told me that it needed a second EU2000 to produce the 30amp feed. I do not plan on running them in parallel but was curious so I asked. I was told one EU2000 produces 15amps and only with a second unit running in parallel will it produce a true 30amp output. You can still hook it up via a 30amp shore plug but you only get 15amps running through it. There is also a contractor version of the EU2000 which I'm told the only difference is a GFIC outlet vs a standard 110 outlet.

I did a quick query to check what the honda dealer told me was true or not. here is a link that seems to support it. Again i hope I'm wrong in this case but I don't think the EU2000 produces 30amps.

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=56045.0

The kit to link the two
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200333654_200333654

Either way a great unit.

Ron20324 · Apr 14, 2014

You don't even have to read the book on this one. My 2000 says right on the connector panel it puts out 13.2 amps.

gettinthere · Apr 14, 2014

Your orig comment said you need 2 generators to make the 30 amp plug work. That is incorrect, the 30 amp plug works all the time. What I think the dealer is trying to say is that IF you want 27 amps out you can only get that from the 30 amp twistlock.

My 30 amp outlet puts out voltage with only one unit. Of course it is only the max of 13 amps.

Gabor15908 · Apr 14, 2014

Price??

gettinthere said:
Your orig comment said you need 2 generators to make the 30 amp plug work. That is incorrect, the 30 amp plug works all the time. What I think the dealer is trying to say is that IF you want 27 amps out you can only get that from the 30 amp twistlock.

My 30 amp outlet puts out voltage with only one unit. Of course it is only the max of 13 amps.

Lots of Honda Generator owner out there ...so here is the question, what is the best price out there?
It seems that Honda doesn't allow price advertisement on the web.
I am on the market for one and I think the "best" price in WA. State is around $950.00.

Ron20324 · Apr 14, 2014

Gabor15908 said:
Lots of Honda Generator owner out there ...so here is the question, what is the best price out there?
It seems that Honda doesn't allow price advertisement on the web.
I am on the market for one and I think the "best" price in WA. State is around $950.00.

A few years ago I took the advice of these forums and dealt with Wisesales.com. You'll have to call to get the price, but it was the best I'd seen at the time. 800-916-9473 . shipping was included, and was at my door in three days.

RECESS · Apr 14, 2014

Another that bought from wisesales.com

woody, you have to pull into a secluded area that has four or five sailboats in it, crank that baby up, wave to everyone who just climbed into their cockpits to give you stink eye, go down below with the AC and TV on for four hours...........BAM five new besties!

just lucky · Apr 15, 2014

Gabor $950 sounds like a deal to me. I just purchased a EU2000i at the Toronto boat show (Ontario, Canada) for $1299. The "i" stands for inverted power which is suppose to be clean power for computers etc.. And as Main Sail said, the internal battery charger might work for your phone or computer but hardly enough power for your starting or house batteries. you should use the same charging system you use at the dock and power it with your new generator.
premium price for the Honda but clean, quiet and most important reliable.

Lee Hadjiosif · Apr 17, 2014

The real question is ...will it start a 16K BTU A/C? How about a 12K?
Lee

RECESS · Apr 17, 2014

Mine does not handle my 16K BTU. I installed a 9K BTU stand up unit that my EU2000i plays nice with and use it on anchor in the summer. I run it a couple of hours to cool the boat off before we sleep and then turn it off.

gettinthere · Apr 17, 2014

There are "soft start" kits for most A/C units that should allow an 18000btu A/C to run on a Honda 2000i.

Terry in Naples · Apr 17, 2014

My honda 2000 starts and runs my flagship 16000 btu AC at anchor