What are the quietest most durable generators for camping. Big enough to run a camper AC/H unit.

Honda.

to run an A/C you will almost certainly need the 4kw Honda or do what i did- but two 2 kw Honda and connect them in series. That way I only run 1 unit unless i need the A/C or microwave in my travel trailer. Saves fuel and I can carry each unit in 1 hand at the same time. SUPER quiet and produce clean, non-sinewave power good for all high tech electronics.

Somehow reading this the word camping doesn't come to mind. Just sayin'

when Lane said he wanted to run the A/C on a camper, I figured he is like me- sort of lazy

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
when Lane said he wanted to run the A/C on a camper, I figured he is like me- sort of lazy

Ha ha!!

Honda by far. We use them in the family business and I've never seen a better or quieter one.

ANYTHING HONDA In the kw power range you require. ..

Honda really is the cream of the crop but a couple years ago I needed a small generator for a jobsite so I went to Harbor Freight Tools and bought a Honda knock off figuring it would get beat up or stolen from the jobsite. As it turned out I still have the generator, it is extremely quiet, starts on 1 pull and runs forever on a tiny amount of fuel.
For half the price of a Honda I am fairly impressed.
I've never used it "camping" I'm usually in a wall tent but jobsite use is usually pretty unforgiving and it is making it. The downside is the generator started out having a red plastic cover around it making it appear smooth and streamlined and the red has now faded to a glorious titty pink.
(. .)

What JDollar said.
I was able to run my A/C with one if I turned off the 3 breakers that ran the charger, and anything that might get turned on in 110 power. When temps hit 102, it would overload and stop working. Bought the second generator and all problems solved. They weigh about 50 lbs each.

This was posted in Product reviews, but for what it's worth:

We run about a dozen Honda generators from 6 KVa to 15 KVa. The EUXXXXi models are fuel injected, very reliable, fuel efficient, and uber quiet.

But that being said, I would rather employ the Yamaha EFXXXXiS inverter generator as they are even more efficient and provide cleaner power than the Honda's. Unfortunately, they are not available in southern Africa. So you buy what you can find and is best supported, and in southern Africa that is Honda.

At the end of the day, when selecting a generator, make sure you purchase at least twice the generator you need as they operate more efficiently at quarter power and are much more quiet.

The reason for the requirement for large wattage generators for A/C is the difference in Watts required between start up and continuous run. You can find out what is required by looking into the specs on your A/C unit and find the Locked Rotor Voltage. If you have an older A/C unit you can buy an electronic kit that delays the compressor kicking in which lowers the power required on start up. The kits have been used for quite awhile but be advised that installing one voids the warranty on the A/C. Some newer A/C units have capacitors that delay compressor start which radically lowers the gap between start up and continuous run power requirements.
The advice on managing your electric loads is very helpful.

j dollar , the Honda like mine , Honda EU3000i , generates DC which is then inverted to AC. Honda does it very well getting almost a pure sine wave .That's needed for computers and amateur radio type things . It weighs about 80 lbs and quiet. Many more generators are now available so check carefully .Almost all radio operators use Honda ! They come in handy as we saw again here with 7-10 days without electric power because of the snow storm !!

I ended up buying an Airstream travel trailer a few months back.

Thinking about this one:

Yamaha EF4500iSE, 4000 Running Watts/4500 Starting Watts, Gas Powered Portable Inverter http://amzn.to/1VtuWaJ

Anyone got any other suggestions or comments?

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
I ended up buying an Airstream travel trailer a few months back.

Thinking about this one:

Yamaha EF4500iSE, 4000 Running Watts/4500 Starting Watts, Gas Powered Portable Inverter http://amzn.to/1VtuWaJ

Anyone got any other suggestions or comments?

194 pounds!! OUCH