Portable generator size

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bushwood

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Dec 2, 2004
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15839
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I am shopping for a portable generator, as a backup to my aging Onan MCCK. My boat is all-electric and don't want to get stuck way out somewhere on the hook and have my Onan quit.

How portable can I go to run a Princess stove or even a microwave? I would likely run one thing at a time to save power on the little unit. Will a 1000 or even a 2000 be enough? I know a 1000 can run my charger and low amp dehumidifiers (dockmate plugged me in). But a stove on 'high' is different.

Any comments are appreciated. Again, this is for a back up application only.
 
THe 1000's not going to run much. Definitely go with the 2000. That will run most anything you have, at least one thing at a time.
 
Depending on the size of the microwave, the 1000 watt generator may not be enough. From my understanding a microwave's power usage is about 1 1/2 times it's cooking power. In other words a 1000 watt microwave will draw about 1500 watts of electricity. Of course you could use a lower cooking power if needed. The same thing could be said for the electric stove; use it on a lower setting.
 
I might be wrong here but I think Volts times Amps = Watts. Read the first two off your appliances and figure out what you need. However, don't forget about the power loss factor in your boats' wiring.
 
Use a Honda EU2000 or equivalent.

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One way to "view" capacity is to think about "household circuits". One circuit in your house will handle 2000 watts ( or 1500 if it is an older house ). Or, a 2000 watt generator = one circuit. It should handle anything ( one of anything, one at a time ) that you can plug into the wall at home. For low load devices, just remember to keep it within the "one outlet at the house" limit.

A 1000 generator is useful only for making something portable, such as a 120 volt electric drill. Mostly, it is not worth the effort. Get the 2000w unit.

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Ok. Let's get it out of the way:

Many consider a portable gasoline powered, non-marine rated generator to be a fire/CO hazard. In the event you choose to have and use one, please keep all safety precautions in mind and operate as carefully as you can. Stuff happens, and with this type of equipment, failure to keep an eye on it and it's proper operation can be fatal. Be safe. Be happy.
 
Another advantage of the 2000 watt generator is that it is large enough to power up a water heater, typically 1500 watts. Generators such as a Honda 2000 watt are rated for 1600 watts of contineous use.
As for the power loss in the boat's wiring, that is minimal. Running 20 amps thru 50'of 12 gauge will produce a loss of about 3 watts.
 
I HAVE a 1000... it's good for battery charging and running the fridge during blackouts, but not much else. For the difference in price get the 2000.
 
We've used a Honda EU2000 for 8 years and we're still alive. We've used it quite a bit for our last three 3+ week trips to the Bahamas. We make ice with it. We make water with it. We run waste cycles with it. We make hot water with it. A heck of a lot of small (35' and under) sailboats have them too. Just follow common sense when running them.
 
Good stuff so far-thank you! I too am leaning to the 2000 side as 'more is better.' As long as I can possibly use the stove effectively or the microwave, I hope (fingers crossed) it would be sufficient. I should preface this by saying there is nothing wrong with my Onan and I don't wish anything bad upon it. However....
 
Honda EU 2000 ... without a doubt the best you can find in a portable. Mine will run anything on my boat .. including A/C .. naturally it will not run EVERYTHING at once. Some here will tell you they will kill you, but we have no problem as long as common sense is used.
 
My eu2000 will run my microwave or my water heater or my coffee pot and a heater or a couple small ceramic heaters. I have used a Kill-a-Watt meter to measure and document the appliance current loads. If in question, I add up my loads to keep it under 13A. (1600W max/120V=13.3A max.) After a while, you just know what works together and what doesn't. If you overload it, the eu2000 has overload protection to protect itself. Then you need to stop and restart the unit to reset. DAMHIK.
 
Plus one on the Honda 2000...sorta.

I'm not sure if the technology is refined enough that Honda holding their price upwards of $1000 are their more economical units out there?

Sam's club has a 2000W unit for ~$450 that frankly I like a couple of the features better than the Honda; the primary one being you can cut the gas off to the carb and let the unit stall itself out. It cost me $80 to have the carb rebuilt on my Honda 2000. I have never had an issue with the Honda 5500 House gennie because I can allow it to stall itself out. When the gas gets to be about 1 year old it gets syphoned into tanks for mower and other uses.

I will give Honda this. The 30 amp plug is a great upgrade over a pigtail.
 
We have an 8kw Onan diesel on our Mainship and we carry the honda 2000 as not only a backup, but we also use it when we just need to charge the batteries. It burns a lot less fuel than the big Onan and it's quieter inside the boat with it running. It will push a single burner or the oven on the Princess stove and the battery charger (Heart Freedom 10 inverter/charger) at the same time. It won't push either one of our air conditioners, a 12k and 16k. It is an excellent investment just for the piece of mind. Good luck!
 
Thanks to all the respones! Ronlord, you have especially sold me as the Princess stove and and Heart inverter/charger (I have this also) is exactly my concern. Sold!

I have been looking at the Briggs & Stratton P2000 which looks like the Honda, expect it's $639 at Amazon. Any input on the B&S?
 
we bought an etq 3500watt gen from northeren tool an it runs our 12000 btu ac with no problem bye paul
 
"I have been looking at the Briggs & Stratton P2000 which looks like the Honda, expect it's $639 at Amazon. Any input on the B&S?"

How about noise??
 
I can't find the dB level for the B&S P2000 on the B&S website, so that's not a good sign. It also only runs at 1/4 load for 6.5 hours vs. the Honda EU2000's 9.6 hours.

I do hear good things about the Yamaha units. But I see a lot more of the "red" gennys on decks than anything else.
 
I cracked open my wallet today and purchased the Honda EU2000. Thanks for the advice and hope it is used in a back up application. I did a lot of research on portables. Read many forums, Amazon.com reviews, etc. It all came back to being compared to the Honda. The purchase stings, but in grand scheme, I am pleased. Thank you!
 
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