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vince
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:47pm
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Hi all! I'm happy that I found this forum. I hope you guys can offer some practical advice to a guy that knows just enough to get himself in to trouble!
I've been searching for information on all of the things I'm going to ask about on my own but my head is spinning. There is FAR too much information out there to make sense of and I've always valued direct, practical advice from "doers" rather than authors.
I've recently finished "Off the Grid" by LaMar Alexander. A good book full of practical general advice. However, my main sticking point is power and his recommendations were mostly general with the specific ones he made being from from back when he published his book (2000 initially with some kind of update in 2007 as far as I can tell). 13 years is a long time in the tech world so I'm not sure how spot on his recommendations are today.
My plan is to build a simple 14x14 structure with a loft. Heat will likely be by kerosene heater, with a propane heater optional. Cooling is a concern because it gets hot up here! I've had plenty of swamp cooler experience from my time out west but I'm thinking a full AC unit might be better. My plan is to find a ~5000 BTU unit and run it straight from a generator when needed.
Generators... Wow. I'd never really put much research in to them. I'm mostly a primitive camper so I'm completely ignorant about RV camping and all the goodies that come with it.
From what I've been able to gather the Hondas are pretty much the Ferrari's of the generator world but have a price to match. I'm having trouble justifying spending $5,000+ on a 3-4000 watt generator. Are they really worth the super premium price? I get that they are more fuel efficient and aren't as loud but I'm skeptical that they're worth 10 times more than the others that are available. I can always build a shed around it to knock out some of the noise... Right?
My cabin will be in the woods so solar charging some deep-cycle batteries really isn't a practical idea. Wind *might* work a bit but if I decide to make the cabin 12-volt I'd say I'll have to rely on the genny for charging everything up. Still, I'd appreciate any specific recommendations on charge controllers, batteries and anything related to that.
I hope I didn't ramble too much. Please feel free to educate this newbie in any way you guys see fit! I'm really, really looking forward to getting my cabin finished and crashing out there as much as possible.
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Bzzzzzt
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:58pm
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To your generator question, I have a Black Max 5000W generator that I purchased from Sam's Club that I've had for about 2 years. It has been used to heat our water and charge batteries as well as run a 1500W space heater all night. The thing will run about 18 hours on a full tank of gas and it's pretty quiet comparatively speaking.
Yes, lots of people will tell you go for the Honda because you can't beat their quality or something like that, but when you can buy 3 or 4 equivalent generators for the price of 1 Honda sometimes (in my opinion) the price isn't necessarily worth it.
My advice is to purchase what you can afford. Make sure you get something with enough output to carry no less than double what you plan to use it for because once you start using it you'll discover that you need this... oh and this.... and of course this other thing.
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vince
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 09:24pm - Edited by: vince
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Thanks for the advice.
What are you running as far as lighting? Off batteries, or straight from the generator too?
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Steve961
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 09:47pm
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Vince:
I'm not sure why you think you need to spend $5K for a suitable Honda generator. The eu2000i is only $1K, and you can parallel two of them together to generate 3,200 watts continuous (4K peak) power.
You would only need to parallel them when you're running the air conditioner, so you would save fuel by just running one of them when the AC isn't necessary. The Honda's are the most reliable, fuel efficient, and quiet generators on the market today.
My cabin is pretty much solar powered now, but when I have the need for more power, I rely on my eu2000i.
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vince
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 10:10pm
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Thanks Steve, I appreciate the reply.
The $5000 number came from looking at the prices on Amazon for 4k-5k watt Hondas. I just looked again to make sure I didn't mix up the prices and they're all $4-6000 depending on exactly what model. Having said that, I probably won't need one that big, you're right.
I saw the EU2000i on there listed at ~ $1300-1600 (the 'companion', I'm guessing, is the one you have to get to parallel them?). That seems like a super premium price compared to the several from Yamaha, Ramsond and Hyundai with glowing reviews and specs virtually identical to the Hondas.
But again, I'm fairly ignorant about these things. I'm looking at fuel efficiency, avg/peak power output and noise and it *seems* like you can get generators with specs really close to those of the Hondas at a fraction of the price.
I'm assuming you've had other generators.. Is the Honda just head and shoulders above the rest in every area?
FWIW, I plan on going solar for as much as I can, if I can. The area is so wooded that I'm skeptical about that being a real possibility for me though.
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jaransont3
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 10:28pm
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FWIW, Wise Sales lists the Honda EU2000i for $999.00 with free shipping and the EU3000i for $2089.
Last year we faced some of the same decisions. We opted for the Honda EU3000i. Certainly Honda's reputation for reliability played into our decision, but what finally sold us was going to a local dealer and getting a demo. They dragged it out into the parking lot and started it up. We stood over it having a normal conversation. My wife and I walked about 50 feet away, turned around, and could decide if the salesperson had turned it off or not until we started walking back and got within 30 feet or so.
One of the reasons we love our cabin is the quiet. With the Honda sitting outside the cabin in the open 50 feet away, we can not hear it over the hmm of the frig or the crackle of the fire.
The other thing that sold us was the electric start. I eventually want to build a generator shed that is maybe 75-100 feet away and wire a remote starter switch in the cabin. Just have to figure out the choke part. <G> Electric start models startat 3000W and go up.
We did seriously consider the Yamaha, but figured the Honda reputation was worth the extra $200 or so.
BTW, we also have an inverter with a couple of 6V golf cart batteries that we use for limited power over night. Just so we can reduce fuel use and noise in the very quiet night.
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jaransont3
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 10:30pm
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One other thing. We transport the generator back and forth between our cabin and our regular home. Part of the decision making process was considering the generator as emergency back-up power here at home and the relative ease of transporting it.
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vince
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 10:51pm
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Thanks for the tip on Wise! Much better prices than I had seen anywhere else.
I'm building this place for the quiet too so noise is virtually #1 on my list of priorities. Every time I've not gone premium, I've regretted it so I'll likely get the Honda even if it costs a bit extra (the prices from Wise narrow the gap considerably!).
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Truecabin
Member
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 11:48pm
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how many months do you need to run the air conditioner where u are?
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vince
Member
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 11:50pm
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I'm not really sure. 3 months maybe?
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2013 12:04am
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Regarding power which will be your number 1 requirement, first and foremost try to reduce your power requirement as much as possible from the start, don't do without just do it smarter.
The generator will depend on the power requirement but Honda and Yamaha are the two best bang for the buck as they not only deliver very high efficiency and reliability they go far and away the farthest per gallon of gas compared to the Box store stuff, the last place you want to cut corners is the thing that is the most important to making everything work.
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Dillio187
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2013 07:53pm
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you don't even need an EU2000i to run most 5000btu air conditioners. I run a 5000btu in my 12x16 cabin with my EU1000i without any issues.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2013 09:00pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: vince From what I've been able to gather the Hondas are pretty much the Ferrari's of the generator world but have a price to match. I'm having trouble justifying spending $5,000+ on a 3-4000 watt generator. Are they really worth the super premium price? I get that they are more fuel efficient and aren't as loud but I'm skeptical that they're worth 10 times more than the others that are available. I can always build a shed around it to knock out some of the noise... Right?
Vince, they are not 10X the price. I purchased a Honda EU6500is, (6,500 watts) this has the exact same noise level as the Honda EU2000i (which I also own) and I paid $3125. It runs everything in my house, ie electric range, electric dryer, cooktop, all of it. It retails for $3999, but look around on the net. I can tell you once you have owned a Honda or a premo unit like the Honda, you wont want to own anything else. I purchased my EU2000i for $899. But that was several years back.
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vince
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2013 10:11pm
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Thanks guys, apparently I was doing the shopping at all the wrong places. I can see Hondas are still premium priced but not nearly as bad as I thought! I'll go with an EU2000i at first I think. My power requirements are pretty low really so it should do everything I need.
I appreciate the advice!
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2013 11:00pm
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Vince, it would easily run your 5000 BTU AC unit also. I run a 9500 BTU unit on my enclosed race trailer with my Honda EU2000i. I think you are making a good move. I promise you, you will not be dissapointed. 
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vince
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:30am
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I've talked to a few other people tonight and apparently the answer is a resounding "Hell yes the Hondas are worth it". Glad I asked before I spent money on junk!
Now on to the hard parts.... Clearing off these trails. Damn these loggers didn't do us any favors.
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vince
Member
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# Posted: 5 May 2013 11:58pm
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Wow. Yes. HONDA. They're worth it. I'll eat my previous words.
This thing is WHISPER quiet. I'm amazed.
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rayyy
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# Posted: 6 May 2013 05:32pm
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I too,agree on the honda eu2000i on what you need,vince.A small ac draws about what,600 to 800 watts.maybe 1000 watts for the bigger ones when the compresser is on and running.that still leaves you with plenty of spare wattage to run other things.I recommend insullating your 14x14 cabin to the max to keep in that cool air as well as the heat in the winter.I havent tried using an ac yet in my cabin.I only get a week or two of hot misserable summer days per year.If I section off my living room/bed room from the kitchen/bath,the room is 18x20,I might try it this summer.Most any time of any given day,I'm barely using a couple of hundred watts running this computer or the television.I often think about picking up a honda eu1000i to run most of the time here at my cabin.If it get's twice as much running time on a gallon of gas as the eu2000i,it would pay for it self in no time.
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