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Old 05-11-2015, 06:22 PM   #1
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Looking for generator advice

Hi all

New to this forum and seeking some advice. I have an 2014 Aspen TT 3010. 50 amps of service. I'm convinced that an invertor generator is the quietest way to go. My question is size. What is the min I can get away with? I'm looking a powerhouse 4000 wifi. Running watts around 3600. Thoughts? Plan to run the ac. Thanks all.
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Old 05-11-2015, 07:03 PM   #2
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For a single 13.5 kBtu rated air conditioner (the typical RV size), 3000 watt continuous rating is a safe minimum requirement. Pairing 2000/2400 watt units in parallel seems to be quite a popular alternative since these units are light enough to be carried by one person and you can use only one generator when you don't need as much power. Some have luck with a single 2000/2400 watt rated one, but it is heavily dependent on altitude and ambient temperature and the bottom line is that it is barely marginal under ideal circumstances.

I don't know anything about powerhouse 4000 wifi, but it provides 3600+ continuous watts and could handle the compressor startup spike then it should work.
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Old 05-11-2015, 07:52 PM   #3
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Also I would suggest installing a "hard start" capacitor on your AC unit - your generator (and down the road, your AC compressor) will thank you for it. Easy to install and around $25 or so...
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Old 05-11-2015, 08:07 PM   #4
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A link to the hard start capacitor install

I agree that the hard start capacitor helps to overcome the startup spike. I can run our 13.5 kBtu AC with SUPCO SPP6 hard start cap installed off our Yamaha 2400 generator if we are not too high in elevation or it isn't too hot out. But we are usually high in elevation and it is too hot out when we decide we sure would like some air con...
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Old 05-12-2015, 03:37 AM   #5
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Thank you. Really appreciate the input.
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Old 05-12-2015, 03:44 AM   #6
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Thank you again!!! I'm going to outfit our RV with this capacitor. Thanks for the tips. Really appreciate it. I'm convinced now that the Powerhouse 4000 is the way to go. Thanks.
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Old 05-12-2015, 04:10 AM   #7
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Ran an, while I was checking out the inverter, I saw it weighs 139 lbs. How do you plan to get it in the truck? Ramps? I can just barely lift mine at 110 lbs.
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Old 05-13-2015, 02:11 AM   #8
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So we are just looking at getting a small genie for charging up the batteries when dry camping. I was thinking either the Yamaha or Honda 1000. Will this be big enough to run the microwave if need be? We have a homelite 3500 which is great, but it's noisy and I have tried everything to make it quiet but nothing seems to work well.
What do you guys think?
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Old 05-13-2015, 04:01 AM   #9
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A 1000 will only run the lowest power microwaves. A 1000 watt rated microwave would require something like 1500 watts input.
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Old 05-13-2015, 05:15 AM   #10
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A 1000 watt generator might just handle a small 700-900 watt microwave. Check the wattage on yours. However, if you plug the camper in to the generator, the converter will want some of that 120vac, say maybe 300 watts, to charge up the battery from the dry camping. To isolate the generator to only the microwave, you would have to unplug the microwave from the wall, plug into an extension cord, and feed only that to the generator.
Then there will be the temptation to try the AC......fail! IMHO, you'd be best off spending the money for a 3000 watt inverter, as mentioned above.
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Old 05-13-2015, 05:52 PM   #11
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For the price difference I would go with a 2000 watt.
Amazon.com: Champion Power Equipment 73536i 2,000 Watt 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant): Patio, Lawn & Garden
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