Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Any experience with 2k Watt Inverter Gen set

T

tailspnr

Contributing Member
"I recently picked up a 2000 w

"I recently picked up a 2000 watt inverter gen from a friend that I hope will be adequate to use occasionally on my 28' cruiser to run a small a/c unit while out on hot days. I fired it up in the garage and it is very quiet as compared to most portable gens. As we all know, folks on the water don't want to hear a noisy portable gen running on your boat while trying to relax with a cold beverage. I'm hoping to able to set it on the fly bridge or on the bow and not be bothered by the exhaust or noise. Of course a C02 detector will be installed before ever using the gen on the boat.

Anyone have any experience with these portable gen sets? I hear that the inverter style gen sets produce cleaner output voltage. And they also have auto throttle circuitry to control the engine speed based on demand loads.


BTW, this one is a Pro Power by Wen Power and it looks like a Honda 2000i knock off.

Any feedback is appreciated."
 
"I don't think it will pro

"I don't think it will produce enough energy to let the ac unit start, let alone run. You'll have to check your ac unit's manual to see. The biggest issue I know of is the starting surge required - if the genset will satisfy it, you shouldn't have any trouble keeping it running. Should be ok for fridge, stero, etc."
 
"The bigger question around he

"The bigger question around here seems to be the safety associated with running the gen outside of the bilge area like most are. Of course thats not an option with an air-cooled portable......without extensive mods. And then you run into the issue that it may not be sufficient. Thats why I intend to check it out in the slip and if things look promising I'll bring her out for a test trip.....with a C02 detector of course!

As far as the start up amp draw, I thought about that. The A/C unit itself is rated at 700 watts while running but ofcourse the inrush current required to fire it up may be the issue. I've thought about sequentially starting the a/c, such as, low fan, then bring on the A/C portion. If it handles that surge increasing the fan settings shouldn't be an issue.

We'll see soon enough."
 
"The fan is insignificant, the

"The fan is insignificant, the compressor is the surge hog. factors from 3X to 5X for startup are quoted in generator sizing articles. If you can read the label on the ac's compressor, it's OEM has its rating.

Compressors are very unforgiving in this department. A "kick-start" accessory may be enough to get you over the hump.

CO, not CO2 detector is the ticket. Remember, the exhaust gas is hot and will rise so the flybridge location isn't a bad idea."
 
Back
Top