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Old 07-11-2014, 06:31 AM   #1
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Champion 3100

Has anyone bought the new Champion 3100 Generator/ Inverter yet ? I just sold my Yamaha 3000ise which i loved but it was just to heavy to be practical so i think i am going with this one.It is almost half the weight as the Yamaha & has more start up power. All the reviews i have read sound good. I just thought i would see what you guy's think..
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:08 AM   #2
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Hello...how are you? Did you take in the Stampede? I have the smaller champion 2000 inverter generator...will not run my AC...but nice and light and the price is right.
Thinking of buying another Champion 2000 and paralleling them to run my AC.
Wish I could afford 2 Honda 2000 to do the same thing...but unable to justify the price in relation to how much I use it.
The Champion starts first time and is quiet...never let me down so far. Check this site out for prices.
SuperGen Products

Take care
Coops

PS our Ram 3500 cummins is a monster..what a climber.
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:45 AM   #3
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Hey Coops,
Get a hard start capacitor kit at your favorite RV dealer for your AC and make sure your fridge is on "gas" not "auto" and the champion 2000 will probably run your AC.The hard start kit is a bigger capacitor that give the compressor that little extra kick that it needs and with the fridge on gas it won't switch to electric when you start the genny.

Cheers
Daryl B.
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:53 AM   #4
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Hey Coops,
Get a hard start capacitor kit at your favorite RV dealer for your AC and make sure your fridge is on "gas" not "auto" and the champion 2000 will probably run your AC.The hard start kit is a bigger capacitor that give the compressor that little extra kick that it needs and with the fridge on gas it won't switch to electric when you start the genny.

Cheers
Daryl B.

Great idea....do you need to be a Journey person electrician to install it......or is it a straight forward install...I need clear pictures, single syllable words with big print for instructions...lolol
Thanks again. Any suggestions on brand?

Coops
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:55 AM   #5
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PS..how are the bugs at Purden???
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Old 07-12-2014, 06:11 AM   #6
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Hey Coops !! Good to hear from you my friend. We are off to the Stampede tomorrow. Hope all is well with you. I went to Costco today to buy the 3100 Champion & they don't stock it anymore as they couldn't keep up with demand in Western Canada so had to buy on line at Costco.ca.
Glad to hear you are happy with the Truck. They are awesome..

Cheers Col
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Old 07-12-2014, 11:46 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grump010 View Post
Hey Coops,
Get a hard start capacitor kit at your favorite RV dealer for your AC and make sure your fridge is on "gas" not "auto" and the champion 2000 will probably run your AC.The hard start kit is a bigger capacitor that give the compressor that little extra kick that it needs and with the fridge on gas it won't switch to electric when you start the genny.

Cheers
Daryl B.
Unless you have a compressor type of fridge you converter pulls more amps...

I just ran the calculations on my new CM16FBS. According to data plates the fridge only pulls 1.5 amps, converter 5.5amps, A/C (through wall not an RV type) 7.5 running 15 cranking, the real pig is the microwave at just over 12amps.

FWIW my choice in generators has shifted from Honda to Yamaha over the past few years. I have run Honda generators on my jobsites for years and will continue to. Champions seem to be hit or miss in reliability and durability. I haven't seen any real data on longer term use. The fact they are lighter and cheaper makes me wonder what they left out...

Aaron
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Old 07-12-2014, 02:23 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Cooper View Post
Great idea....do you need to be a Journey person electrician to install it......or is it a straight forward install...I need clear pictures, single syllable words with big print for instructions...lolol
Thanks again. Any suggestions on brand?

Coops
Installing Hard Start Capacitor into my RV Air Conditioner an install guide complete with real pictures and the guy typed real slow so everyone could understand
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Old 07-12-2014, 02:31 PM   #9
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sundancer 87...thanks. Yes he did type slow and it's written in Canadian by a Canadian....I just hope he wasn't colour blind. Lolol

Coops
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Old 07-19-2014, 05:43 AM   #10
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The Champion 3100 arrived today & i have to say i am really happy with this unit. A lot quieter than i thought it would be & more power than the Yamaha 3000 & about half the weight of the Yamaha. Only test run in garage so will have to see how she performs on our next trip in August..
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Old 07-19-2014, 02:31 PM   #11
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Keep us posted on your new genny. Although I really like my little Champion, I think I feel an upgrade coming in the near future.

Cheers
Daryl B.
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Old 07-19-2014, 03:21 PM   #12
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Wow..I just bought a 2nd 2000 watt Champion and will be ordering the parallel kit....to run them together.
So far no issues with my first one. We were camping in 35+ c weather and just ran the AC fan..,no hard start capacitor. It's easier for me to handle 2 smaller units,in and out of the bed of the truck, than one big one.
Congrats Colin on your purchase...very nice.
Coops
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Old 08-03-2014, 10:36 PM   #13
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Follow up.
Installed the parallel kit and fired up both generators.125 volt output. Turned off the Econ mode on both gen when in parallel and the AC started right up and ran great. Had the fridge running on electricity from the gens. With the fridge, converter, and AC on pulled 16 amps from the units in parallel. Their not Hondas or yamahas...but they work fine and the money I saved is going for a trip to Mexico in the winter.
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Old 08-05-2014, 01:16 AM   #14
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Here's a pic of my new Champion 3100. Just waiting for our next trip out to give her a try..
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Old 08-05-2014, 03:47 AM   #15
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Here's a pic of my new Champion 3100. Just waiting for our next trip out to give her a try..

You Albertan's always do it bigger and better....

Nice unit ...congratulations....

Coops

PS don't forget to plug it in the winter or your have a champion iceberg
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Old 08-15-2014, 03:29 AM   #16
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After several months of using a Generac 3300w generator to power the AC and charge the batteries. We decided to grab a pair of Champion 2000w inverter generators. What a difference in sound level! Got both generators and the parallel kit for just a little more than a single Honda. They are super quiet. Even the park ranger commented on how quiet they are.

I paid $599.00 for each generator and $79.00 for the parallel kit at Menards. Well worth the money.

When paralleled together, they run my AC and both refrigerators with no problems. They will not run the AC and microwave at the same time. (Not surprising).
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Old 08-15-2014, 07:10 AM   #17
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You guy's should check out the 3100. Its less than a $1000 & less than 100lbs. Very quiet & will power your 15000k Ac & more.. I sold my Yamaha 3000 to buy this unit & i am very happy so far..
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Old 08-15-2014, 07:24 AM   #18
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I was looking into the 3100. The dual 2000s seemed more "appropriate " for me. I use my TT 12 months a year in temps ranging from -10 to 100 degrees. I seldom use the AC but wanted the ability to use it if needed. Most of my generator use is during very cold camping trips to run electric heaters. One 2000w running in ECO mode seemed to make the most sense for running heater and charging batteries.

I live at 6200 ft elevation and mostly camp at 9000-10,000 ft elevation.
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Old 08-15-2014, 03:40 PM   #19
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I bought my 3100 in January while out at Quartzsite Az. I knew I'd kick myself if I passed on $899 OTD. Sold my 2400 w Yamaha here at work. Then what do I do put buy a Voltage with a built in 5500 w generator. Can't bring myself to sell the 3100 w Champion quite yet I haven't even used it yet. In the winter I don't need the A/C so may use the 3100 as it's more quit than the 5500 w anyway.
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Old 08-15-2014, 04:51 PM   #20
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I bought my 3100 in January while out at Quartzsite Az. I knew I'd kick myself if I passed on $899 OTD. Sold my 2400 w Yamaha here at work. Then what do I do put buy a Voltage with a built in 5500 w generator. Can't bring myself to sell the 3100 w Champion quite yet I haven't even used it yet. In the winter I don't need the A/C so may use the 3100 as it's more quit than the 5500 w anyway.
I would use it as a "Just In Case"
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