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01-13-2016, 10:44 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Golden
Posts: 178
Colorado
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Yamaha EF2800i generator
Hello All,
Does anyone out there have the Yamaha EF2800i generator? I'm thinking of buying one. I would be interested in your experience with it as well as good and bad assessments using it.
Thanks,
Dale
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Dale & Deb
2009 Silverado Crew Cab 2500 HD
2014 Dutchmen 275BH TT
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01-13-2016, 11:24 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
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Can't go wrong with the Yamaha. Do you plan to run your A/C with it? It may not have enough power for that. For basic power needs you can get by with 2,000 watts. Most people seem to prefer (I know I do) using 2x2,000 watts for warm weather, then they only need a single one for colder weather. I ran the Honda combo for several years and it worked great. Sold them a while back and haven't bought a replacement yet.
Aaron
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There is madness to my methods
2015 Coleman CM16FBS(traded) 2016 Concord 300DS
2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid following along
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01-14-2016, 12:03 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
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Dale,
Mine is a Yamaha 3000W inverter, my only complaint with it is the weight.
The only down side is I can't run 2 high draw appliances at the same time, just have to turn of the A/C to use the microwave.
If I were to buy a generator today I would go with the 2 X 2000W set up. I like the way Champion has done the stackable model, they would fit nicely in the place where I want my generator, the Yamaha won't.
As Aaron said, there are times when you need one but not both.
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01-14-2016, 02:40 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ridgway
Posts: 312
Colorado
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We just down sized to the Yamaha EU2000 and it runs great. It can run everything we need (TV, microwave, etc) just not AC. I'm fairly certain the 2800 would not handle the AC either.
We originally had a Honda EU3000 and it was a heavy and large beast. I had to put it in a cargo basket off the back of the camper (receiver hitch) to transport it and could not move or lift it alone. What I found is we rarely if ever needed the AC when boon docking and that's the only reason we needed something that large.
I can easily carry and store the 2000 Yamaha myself and best of all it fit's right in the storage compartment at the front of my TT. We looked at the Yamaha 2800 but it's a bit larger and heavier and IMO won't do anything more than the 2000 could handle for our needs.
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01-14-2016, 02:51 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Golden
Posts: 178
Colorado
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The way I read it is the altitude loss at 10,000 ft is 35%. That would put the generator amps at 15.16 amps available from the 2800i. That's not enough to start or run the compressor plus there is the AC fan motor. I'm not even sure 2 Yamaha 2000i compressors will work. When linked I don't think they have double the power. I read that there is some power loss. Anyone have thoughts on that?
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Dale & Deb
2009 Silverado Crew Cab 2500 HD
2014 Dutchmen 275BH TT
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01-14-2016, 03:59 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Desert Hot Springs
Posts: 1,761
California
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I had the EF2400i which did better then the Honda 2000 I had before it. Got a good deal on a Champion 3100 so bought it & sold the Yamaha here at work. Champion will run my one A/C unit. The Honda & Yamaha didn't. I also liked that the Champion has a 30 amp plug.
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Mike
2002 42' Monaco Signature Triple Crown tow 2014 F-150
2014 Voltage V3605 Sold 5/3/17
2012 F-350 6.7l CC 4X4, Sold 10/10/17
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01-14-2016, 04:41 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fdhealy4
The way I read it is the altitude loss at 10,000 ft is 35%. That would put the generator amps at 15.16 amps available from the 2800i. That's not enough to start or run the compressor plus there is the AC fan motor. I'm not even sure 2 Yamaha 2000i compressors will work. When linked I don't think they have double the power. I read that there is some power loss. Anyone have thoughts on that?
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The best thing for you to do is take your trailer to a Yamaha dealer and get the generator hooked up to see if it would do what you need it to do.
That's how I choose the 3000i (2800W running), I started with a 2000i and worked up from there. The newer A/Cs don't need as much power to fire up as the dinasour that was in our old Airstream. It's very noticable how fast the gen drops back from the surge to running speed.
The 2 - 2000W setup must work, there's a lot of folks running them and I will be joining them if I can get a reasonable $ out of my 3000W generator.
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01-14-2016, 06:02 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Memphis
Posts: 1,616
Michigan
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Also consider installing the hard start capacitor on your AC unit - makes start up very easy - I was able to run my AC on my last rig with a 2800W generator using the capacitor.
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2019 Ram 3500 Limited w/ Max Tow pkg
2005 Cardinal 33LX
2014-3950, Full Paint, 17.5" tires, 370W solar, 3100W Magnum inverter w/ AGS, 7500w diesel generator, Micro-Air Easy Start 364 (x3) SOLD!
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01-14-2016, 06:30 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: allentown
Posts: 246
New Jersey
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Hi Dale,
Being a very newbie, I'm looking for inverter gens myself.
Since the AC will be your biggest single load, I would check the manual to see how many starting watts it will draw.. Dometic recommends a minimum of a 3500 watt generator to start MY AC.
So If the Yamaha can handle the loads it could be a winner.. If not, Jim's just about got me sold on a pair of 2000 watt Champions , and the majority of on-line reviews are very good.. I expect the same for the Yamaha gens as well.
A lot of this was covered in this thread: Paralleling marine type battery... The input really helped me consider factors for sizing batteries, and just as many selecting a gen set..
All the best
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Pat & Barb
2019 5.3L ECOTEC3 V8 Chevy Silverado 1500
2016 Aspen Trail 1900RB
Allentown, NJ
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01-14-2016, 08:36 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Golden
Posts: 178
Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstime RVer
Hi Dale,
Being a very newbie, I'm looking for inverter gens myself.
Since the AC will be your biggest single load, I would check the manual to see how many starting watts it will draw.. Dometic recommends a minimum of a 3500 watt generator to start MY AC.
So If the Yamaha can handle the loads it could be a winner.. If not, Jim's just about got me sold on a pair of 2000 watt Champions , and the majority of on-line reviews are very good.. I expect the same for the Yamaha gens as well.
A lot of this was covered in this thread: Paralleling marine type battery... The input really helped me consider factors for sizing batteries, and just as many selecting a gen set..
All the best
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What size AC do you have? I call Dometic and they told me that the amps required for my 13,500 AC was 15.3 amps, that's about 1836 watts. I asked what the starting amps needed to be and they said they didn't have that info. They emailed me the spec sheet and it doesn't say either. At 10,000 ft you lose about 35% efficiency. That means I would need a minimum of 2825 watts just to run the AC once it got started. Where did you get the 3500 starting watts required figure from? If you also have a 13,500 AC that 3500 watts figure would be very helpful in figuring things out. Seems high for a 13,500 btu AC though.
Dale
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Dale & Deb
2009 Silverado Crew Cab 2500 HD
2014 Dutchmen 275BH TT
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01-14-2016, 09:11 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Desert Hot Springs
Posts: 1,761
California
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Dale
My Champion 3100 will start my 15000 BTU A/C with no problem. If at 10,000' why would you need A/C.
__________________
Mike
2002 42' Monaco Signature Triple Crown tow 2014 F-150
2014 Voltage V3605 Sold 5/3/17
2012 F-350 6.7l CC 4X4, Sold 10/10/17
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01-14-2016, 09:22 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Golden
Posts: 178
Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertRat
Dale
My Champion 3100 will start my 15000 BTU A/C with no problem. If at 10,000' why would you need A/C.
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I just picked 10,000 ft as a max range for knowing I could power the AC. It does get hot enough at 8,500' to use it in a July heat wave as a convenience for taking a nap or getting out of the sun. I don't like the heat. Lived in Tucson for 44 years and that was more than enough. At altitude the sun's rays are pretty intense for the temp. For the most part you are right though.
Dale
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Dale & Deb
2009 Silverado Crew Cab 2500 HD
2014 Dutchmen 275BH TT
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01-14-2016, 10:19 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: allentown
Posts: 246
New Jersey
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Hi Dale,
Here's the spec sheet from the Dometic manual that I got with
my RV. It looks like the starting amps can be pretty high.
The minimum recommended generator size is in the last column..
Hope this helps
All the best
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Pat & Barb
2019 5.3L ECOTEC3 V8 Chevy Silverado 1500
2016 Aspen Trail 1900RB
Allentown, NJ
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01-14-2016, 10:26 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Golden
Posts: 178
Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstime RVer
Hi Dale,
Here's the spec sheet from the Dometic manual that I got with
my Rf. It looks like the starting amps can be pretty high.
The minimum recommended generator size is in the last column..
Hope this helps
All the best
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Well I think there is no solution for 8000' altitude unless I go with the 2 - 2000i gens setup in parallel. Bank account won't handle that for now so I'll keep dreaming.
Thanks for the chart.
Dale
__________________
Dale & Deb
2009 Silverado Crew Cab 2500 HD
2014 Dutchmen 275BH TT
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01-15-2016, 12:03 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fdhealy4
What size AC do you have? I call Dometic and they told me that the amps required for my 13,500 AC was 15.3 amps, that's about 1836 watts. I asked what the starting amps needed to be and they said they didn't have that info. They emailed me the spec sheet and it doesn't say either. At 10,000 ft you lose about 35% efficiency. That means I would need a minimum of 2825 watts just to run the AC once it got started. Where did you get the 3500 starting watts required figure from? If you also have a 13,500 AC that 3500 watts figure would be very helpful in figuring things out. Seems high for a 13,500 btu AC though.
Dale
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Dale,
Your just gonna make me go test mine to see if it'll run the A/C at 10000 ft aren't you.
Just wondering why the 10000 ft is such an issue. If that is the altitude that you would normally be camping at, the Yamaha dealer should be setting the generator up to run at that altitude.
I certainly understand the effect of altitude on a sea level tuned carbureted gas engine. Been there on my Glide, glad I only had to go up hill one way.
Jim
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01-15-2016, 12:09 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: allentown
Posts: 246
New Jersey
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__________________
Pat & Barb
2019 5.3L ECOTEC3 V8 Chevy Silverado 1500
2016 Aspen Trail 1900RB
Allentown, NJ
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01-15-2016, 01:01 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: allentown
Posts: 246
New Jersey
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I think because the air density is reduced by 35% at 10,000 ft and the engine displacement is fixed, that means, you have to cut the fuel flow by the same amount to get the stoichiometric ratio (x lbs of fuel to y lbs of air) necessary for support proper combustion. ie: tune it for that altitude. That results in a 35% reduction in power output, unless you use a turbocharger to increase the air density, in the combustion chamber according to DEMA standards...Same applies to diesel and gas turbine gen sets...
Used to sell diesel engine gen sets.. had to learn this stuff..
All the best
__________________
Pat & Barb
2019 5.3L ECOTEC3 V8 Chevy Silverado 1500
2016 Aspen Trail 1900RB
Allentown, NJ
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01-15-2016, 03:00 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ridgway
Posts: 312
Colorado
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I'm certainly no expert on this but will relay my experience. We had a Honda EU3000 and a 13,500 AC hit. It would fire the unit up but we had to make sure EVERYTHING else was off or it would overload and disconnect. Once it was on the generator still carried a consistent load, you could hear it working. This ate a lot of fuel as well. In the end we decided it wasn't worth it for us. Of course we live in Colorado so we can just sit outside under the awning and be reasonably comfortable. If we were in AZ or other hot locations it would be a larger issue i'm sure.
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01-15-2016, 04:05 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstime RVer
I think because the air density is reduced by 35% at 10,000 ft and the engine displacement is fixed, that means, you have to cut the fuel flow by the same amount to get the stoichiometric ratio (x lbs of fuel to y lbs of air) necessary for support proper combustion. ie: tune it for that altitude. That results in a 35% reduction in power output, unless you use a turbocharger to increase the air density, in the combustion chamber according to DEMA standards...Same applies to diesel and gas turbine gen sets...
Used to sell diesel engine gen sets.. had to learn this stuff..
All the best
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Pat,
I understand the air density bit and having to tune to the altitude. But I don't think it is as simple saying 35% reduction in air preasure = 35% reduction in power, when properly tuned to altitude.
When I bought my from a dealer at sea level I asked about the altitude issue, as I live at 3600ft and we go up from here to camp. They PDI the generator to run at 5000ft for me and it's done the job from home to about 7500ft.
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01-15-2016, 11:11 AM
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#20
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
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I have done a lot of research and talked to people I see using a variety of generators. You won't go wrong with Champion, Yamaha or Honda. The only caveat with the Champion is that it does not have a fuel pump, it is gravity feed only. Honda has a fuel pump and I am pretty sure Yamaha does too. If you need to use an extended run tank, you are going to have to get very creative with the Champion to make it work. I have not seen any high hour Champion generators yet. I have seen both Honda an Yamaha with thousands of hours on them. Most RV'ers don't put that kind of hours on a generator.
Aaron
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There is madness to my methods
2015 Coleman CM16FBS(traded) 2016 Concord 300DS
2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid following along
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