Generator Noise

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deppstein
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by deppstein »

Scott...thanks for prompt response to my question about the Honda 2000i portable running your AC...and for letting me know that you have had success with just plugging in shore power cord without having to use a ground neutral jumper plug. But your mention of it being a window unit made me wonder whether or not the 2000i is up to the task of powering the usual (13,500 btu, I think) rooftop AC unit on my 2004 Premier. At start up with compressor and fan, I seem to recall reading someplace that it can have a momentary draw of up to 3500 watts--obviously more than what the 2000i is rated for. Some say that the start-up draw is so momentary that it will not blow the breaker...others much less sure. Can you tell me what the btu rating is on the AC that you run with the 2000i? And, anyone else with advice (sage or otherwise) should please post as well.
I know that I could always pair a couple of 200i's together to be sure and get the juice I need...but not sure that is a road I want to go down before seeing a) how much we really need AC in even hot climate with window open and hatch fan running...and b) how much noise difference there really is between the on board Onan (have never really used it for anything (just run it occasionally to keep it fit) and the Honda 2000i inverter portables.
David
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Blue~Go
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by Blue~Go »

I don't know whether this would make the roof-air-plus-HondaEU200 workable, but there are "soft start" capacitors for the roof Air-con units, I believe. These blunt the start up "oomph."

There have been very, very few times that I would have run my roof air (if I still had it), but at the moment, I don't travel in the muggy/hot east or midwest. Being out west where it's dry (and generally cools down nicely at night) makes a big difference.

One more note (IMO): I don't find the roof vent fan to be very useful for the "blowing on me and cooling me down" type of thing. It's GREAT for sucking in massive gobs of cool air when it has cooled down outside but it's still hot indoors, and it's also nice just for keeping a general flow moving. But when I want to sleep "cool" even when it's warm, I use the marine fan that I have mounted to the underside of the long cabinet over the foot of the bed. It positively sips power (.2 amps - note the decimal!), and with it blowing right on me (gently), even in hottish weather I find myself reaching for a blanket fairly soon. I like the Hella Turbo fan for various reasons, but there are also some nice ones by Caframo.
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Scott
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by Scott »

deppstein wrote:But your mention of it being a window unit made me wonder whether or not the 2000i is up to the task of powering the usual (13,500 btu, I think) rooftop AC unit on my 2004 Premier. At start up with compressor and fan, I seem to recall reading someplace that it can have a momentary draw of up to 3500 watts--obviously more than what the 2000i is rated for. Some say that the start-up draw is so momentary that it will not blow the breaker...others much less sure. Can you tell me what the btu rating is on the AC that you run with the 2000i? I know that I could always pair a couple of 200i's together to be sure and get the juice I need...but not sure that is a road I want to go down before seeing a) how much we really need AC in even hot climate with window open and hatch fan running...and b) how much noise difference there really is between the on board Onan
The Honda was indeed able to power the original Coleman rooftop unit. That was back in October 2015, and I only did it one time as an experiment before pitching the Coleman, so I can't say much else regarding the performance of that combination.

In my rig, the Onan was hard mounted to a fiberglass enclosure; I think the later rigs have sheetmetal enclosures. And when I say "hard mounted" I mean it was bolted directly to the rig without rubber isolators or any damping to speak of. Not only was it loud, but it vibrated the entire rig. A situation I could have easily improved, but I didn't bother. The Honda is just a much quieter machine inherently, plus it's on the ground and usually a distance away, so it's much, much quieter inside the rig. It also produces much less exhaust than the Onan, and it's a distance away, so I rarely smell it at all. But I have to say again, I rarely use it with my Chinook; it's really just used to cool off my pooch when I'm back east in summer. Another thing I'll mention is that portable generators are not created equally. The difference between a $900 Honda or Yamaha versus a $500 knockoff or jobsite unit can be immense. I would consider finding a dealer that might let you test one out with your Chinook. Too bad you're on the other side of the country, otherwise I'd let you use mine. Also, I don't want to completely disparage the Onan units. Even with their disadvantages, they are still the best choice for many people (very convenient and huge capacity). I think with a different mounting strategy and better muffling, they could be made much more tolerable. I just have very little need for 110v power, so the Onan seemed quite excessive for us.
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deppstein
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by deppstein »

Blue--thanks for putting me on the path of soft-start capacitors...I am now knee deep in that muck. My Googling has revealed that there are a variety of opinions as to which one's to consider (after market hard start capacitors of different shapes and sizes, something called a "sure start" that is billed as a soft-start, and the highly touted (and very expensive-$400) Smart Start from Dometic Marine. I'll come back with a post on what it looks like on the other side of this swamp. In the meantime, I have learned that my existing Dometic Duo-Therm did come with a separate start capacitor (slightly better than nothing)...but the regular Dometic service center could not tell me whether or not the Smart Start would be adaptable to my particular model--for that I had to send an email request for info to the Marine Division.

I also agree with you Blue about fans...the 12v one's you mentioned look great...maybe down the road. We currently use a very quiet battery operated two speed that we mount on the counter next to the sink and it works quite well (so far)...especially with hatch open-which we can do in any weather cuz canoe is mounted up top and serves as a rain cover. So, who knows, maybe this whole AC thing will just fade away.

Scott...thanks also for your additional info on how the 2000i did with the Coleman original roof top unit. And I think my Onan (2004) is a tad better than what you describe. Tolerable vibration...but still too noisy to use except in an emergency (whatever that might be?). I agree that it is convenient (inside start and plenty of power)...but this camping couple just can't bring ourselves to impose the noise on neighbors (if any) let alone ourselves). The quiet is the appeal of the Honda 2000i. Got to experience one up close and personal when we were in a remote campsite on the west coast of Vancouver Island last week...and, have to say, we were impressed.

So, if the research checks out to be able to use a 2000i to run the AC, we are likely to eventually go that route. But no rush--gonna try some hot sticky weather camping over next month or so and see how it goes first.
David
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by dougm »

If you crawl under the chinook and look up in where the exhaust pipe goes threw the floor and attaches to the generator you will see that it attaches to a spark arrestor. That spark arrestor is also the muffler, the problem with adding another muffler is that it hangs added weight and vibration to the existing connection on the spark arrestor which will ultimately result in the spark arrestor cracking creating an exhaust leak inside floor level. I know this because the person that had mine prior to myself added a muffler to the existing exhaust pipe resulting in cracking the spark arrestor from vibration and added weight. Thats not so say you couldnt fabricate some type of mounting brackets to support both ends of an additional muffler effectively taking the load off of the spark arrestor, but that wasnt the case on mine and that spark arrestor/muffler cost me $360 to replace not counting my labor. I also had to purchase a new exhaust pipe to eliminate that additional muffler.
pdemarest
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by pdemarest »

Well, two years after first posting questions about generator noise and almost a year after purchasing an Onan muffler I finally had it installed. The muffler is heavy so an additional hanger was installed and while they were at it I had them make the final section of tailpipe more level to the ground so that a Gen-Turi could be used if needed. The difference in sound level and tone is remarkable - far beyond anything I'd hoped for. To be sure its still no Honda but it was certainly worth doing. Tone is less harsh and quieter overall. I'd recommend this modification.

Paul
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dougm
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by dougm »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQboSPqKtfE

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Exhaust- ... F5D154AC97

I replaced the generator in my chinook with a brand new 4K Onan and i got one of these resonators to go with it. The new Onan is far quieter than my old one so the sound difference is considerably quieter right out of the gate without even using the resonator.
pdemarest
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by pdemarest »

Hey Doug - that video pretty much matches the results I got from the resonator. It got rid of that "hammering on metal" sound as well as lowering the volume. Have to say this is one of the best upgrades for the money.

Paul
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kdarling
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by kdarling »

Doug, thanks for the exhaust resonator video and link. Ordered from that link cuz cheaper even than eBay.

Where did you guys mount it? Did you cut the original, add a curve, and send the exhaust through the new part more towards the rear? Or?
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pdemarest
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Re: Generator Noise

Post by pdemarest »

Hi Kevin - I had a muffler shop cut out a section of the original exhaust pipe that runs under the generator about midway to insert the resonator and they installed a heavier duty hanger to support the increased weight of the resonator. They also bent the final run of the exhaust pipe that extends slightly beyond the RV body so that it is now level to the ground, thus making it easier to install one of those gen-turi flumes to route the exhaust upwards. The pipe extends out beyond the body at about the same place it did before the resonator was added. I did use an Onan resonator designed for the Onan 4000 as I had read numerous postings on other RV forums that a non-Onan resonator could cause problems.

Paul
Paul Demarest
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