HOT HOT HOT! running AC on Honda generator

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I run our Honda almost every day. To make water or heat water and to put an initial charge on the batteries.
But I don’t run it until say 8AM and not after about 6PM. With usually all the boats zipping around and wind, it’s hard to hear it 50 feet away.

You have a nextgen right? Why run a honda?

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

In four month cruise from Texas to Bahamas and back in 2016, I used my Honda gen once, to charge batteries. It was off by 9 pm. So far this year once, during the afternoon. It's a backup when we cruise Bahamas and Florida. But when we cruise Texas in August, it gets used to run the air conditioning at night. But it's rare for us to see another boat in the anchorage then. (Probably because it's stinking hot then!). And standing next to it while running, the Honda is pretty quiet. I think quieter than those diesel setups.

It’s definitely not quieter than an inboard diesel setup for others. sure you can point the exhaust of the honda away from you, but that sound carries all over. And especially when the compressor kicks on.

[Cat36Mahalo]

I bought a 3rd party kill switch for my Honda. It replaces the switch on the rotary knob so turning I’ve knob shuts off the fuel without killing the engine. There is a momentary off if you want to shutdown quickly.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by malbert73

It’s definitely not quieter than an inboard diesel setup for others. sure you can point the exhaust of the honda away from you, but that sound carries all over. And especially when the compressor kicks on.

If you don't anchor on top of me, you won't hear it. And on the few occasions I do run it each year, we are in remote areas with no boats within a mile. Get over it. I am sitting here in an anchorage at Black Point Settlement at the moment, and you should hear the wind gen on the boat next to me. And yeah, I can hear the gen running on the trawler in the same anchorage, but I don't care. About either.

Oh, and just for reference, in the last two months I've run my Honda gen once, for two hours in the afternoon, to charge batteries. Except when we have multiple cloudy days in a row, we cover needs with 800 watts solar. My solar is quieter than anything you have. So you are barking up the wrong tree.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by malbert73

You have a nextgen right? Why run a honda?

I run the Honda when I don’t need the power of the Nexgen, and to keep some of the hours off of it, plus the Honda is dead simple to service, just tip it over and let the oil pour out, the Nexgen due to it being in the Lazarette requires it to be emptied and me to climb down there to service it.
Honda started out as a back up, but it’s so easy to use it’s become primary.
If I’m in a noise sensitive area, need extra power, or it’s raining or something, I’ll push the button and run the Nexgen.

[sailorboy1]

Funny how an old thread can come back. I started this when I was in New Hampshire. Now I'm cruising full time and am in Florida and I'm not thinking is going to be getting cooler at night for a while. I can run the diesel generator, but it's right on the outside of the bulkhead from our bed so that doesn't sound attractive. But, a Honda running the smaller aft berth AC at night does.

So, near as I can tell a Honda 2000/2200 isn't going going to have any trouble starting and running a 7-9k BTU AC unit?????????? (that's a straight question)

[a64pilot]

My Honda will easily start and run my 6K Webasto in our Stateroom, and maybe more importantly, it will do so in Eco mode which is much quieter.

If you don’t have a Honda now, I don’t think I’d consider the 2000, I mean unless you can get a deal on it, why not buy the bigger one at the same price?

These people usually have about the best price and are real easy to deal with, just call them on the phone and you’ll have one in likely two days.
https://www.mayberrys.com

If your headed for the Panhandle of Fl in July timeframe, it’s going to be Africa hot. Reason is there is very little wind very often in the middle of Summer, so you will sit and swelter.
Panama City Fl was our Home port for years.
Good news is especially if you go monthly, Marina’s in the Panhandle are a fraction of the cost down South.
It may get so hot that you do a Marina.

[sailorboy1]

well I went and got a Honda EU2200i

To begin with I had to defeat my shore power trip breaker as it wouldn't work on the +60V/-60V power
Second, it wouldn't power anything if the charger/inverter is off. I don't know why as SP will. Had to leave the charger/inverter on but had to open the disconnect so it woudn't charge batteries at same time.
Third it wouldn't start my smaller berth air conditioner even with the eco OFF.

I finally got the small berth air conditioner to run on it (the goal I just spent $1100 on). I had to "trick" it into this by turning off the ECO, starting the air conditioner on my diesel generator, then quicky opening the diesel generator breaker and shutting the shore power breaker. after that it ranthe berth air conditioner on ECO

[a64pilot]

I have the 2000 companion, which has the 30 amp plug so you can plug shore power directly into it.
I have no such issues, I think you need to look into what is going on, it doesn’t sound normal, the boat should act just like it’s got shorepower, there should be no difference, except of course you don’t have a 30 amp supply.
My 2000 will easily start my 6k Ac which only pulls 6 amps running, but won’t even begin to start the 16K which only pulls 12 amps running, but has apparently a monstrous surge.
It’s also real easy to make the Honda an extended run using a new fuel cap and your dinghy fuel tank, or other tank is you desire.
Last one I had, I modified the factory cap with a nipple, but you can get them so cheap it’s not worth sourcing the nipple etc.

[Silverbullet]

Ummm, high efficiency MINI SPLIT in the 800 watt range, inverter technology in the MINI SPLIT does not pull 800 watts all the time, around 12,000 BTUs. You get heat and cool. Three 250 watt solar pv panels. Battery storage and gen run time only for keeping the batteries topped off. It will be really nice when they start removing the transformers from the MINI SPLITS converting ACV to DCV so we can run direct with no inverter. Its coming....

[PLANET EXPRESS]

This would be next step up and have no problem with little noise increase.
https://m.powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu3000i-handi

[sailorboy1]

I can't see why power being supplied via the Honda through the shore power connection (other than the trip breaker issue) is acting different than just having shore power. And the installed diesel generator basically just connects to the outlet of the shore power breaker and has no problem powering anything.

Yet when on the Honda I can't get any power to anything unless the charger/inverter is on. I don't even have the DC supply to the inverter on, it's just a pass through to part of the AC bus than has nothing to to do with the air conditioner. Yet if on shore power or the installed generator the charger doesn't need to be on.

[a64pilot]

I don’t understand it either, on mine and I’m sure others, the boat doesn’t know it’s generator power, it’s exactly the same as shore power, just limited of course.
I’m wondering if your Honda may have some kind of issue?

Does your boat have a ground fault sensing system of some kind? I ask as I think portable generators have a floating ground.
Only difference I can think of between it and shore power.

I think you need to get to the bottom of why is your breaker tripping.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

That 2400W unit is pretty heavy so back to thinking.

Lets go CF post your experience.

4yrs. with the 2400Watt Yamaha, Doesn't break a sweat running the 16,000btu Flagship Marine a/c.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Does your boat have a ground fault sensing system of some kind? I ask as I think portable generators have a floating ground.
Only difference I can think of between it and shore power.

I get a "ground wire" fault on my boat's galvanic isolator when using my Honda EU2200IC generator connected to the boat using my 30A shore power cord connected to the 120V 30A twist lock on the generator. I can fix that problem by plugging a replacement 12V plug with a wire connecting the ground and neutral pins into the 120V 20A outlet on the generator.

See page 18 of the manual.

But, I don't see why your breaker is tripping.

Bill