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Old 01-13-2016, 10:44 PM   #1
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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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Old 01-13-2016, 11:24 PM   #2
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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.

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Old 01-14-2016, 12:03 AM   #3
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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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Old 01-14-2016, 02:40 PM   #4
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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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Old 01-14-2016, 02:51 PM   #5
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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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Old 01-14-2016, 03:59 PM   #6
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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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Old 01-14-2016, 04:41 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fdhealy4 View Post
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?
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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Old 01-14-2016, 06:02 PM   #8
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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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Old 01-14-2016, 06:30 PM   #9
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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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Old 01-14-2016, 08:36 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstime RVer View Post
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
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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Old 01-14-2016, 09:11 PM   #11
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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.
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Old 01-14-2016, 09:22 PM   #12
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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.
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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Old 01-14-2016, 10:19 PM   #13
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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
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Dometic spec page 010.pdf (1.92 MB, 112 views)
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Old 01-14-2016, 10:26 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstime RVer View Post
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
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
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Old 01-15-2016, 12:03 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fdhealy4 View Post
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
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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Old 01-15-2016, 12:09 AM   #16
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Old 01-15-2016, 01:01 AM   #17
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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
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Old 01-15-2016, 03:00 AM   #18
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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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Old 01-15-2016, 04:05 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstime RVer View Post
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,

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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Old 01-15-2016, 11:11 AM   #20
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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.


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