Champion 2,000 watt inverter generator

[SwampRat]

Got these about two Weeks ago and just today had time to check them out. So far I'm pretty happy, and I believe they will fill my needs. I mostly wanted them for the quiet factor being I live in the suburbs and dont want to draw lots of attention as the guy with AC when the lights go out. Also, they are reasonably light enough that the missus could move it around.

Did I mention AC? Thats right, one of these on its own is enough to power my 7,000btu window AC unit. It's been going full blast for the last three hours and my room is ice cold. Sitting on my bed with the Genny right outside the window, I cant even hear it for the AC fan. Even better, she hasn't finished off a half gallon of gas yet. Meanwhile (back at the hall of justice) I can use the other one to cycle power to my chest freezer, kegerator, fridge and keurig.

I also rather like the redundancy these offer me. The old, one is none two is one philosophy. Even if one shit the bed on me I could use just the other one to power everything in cycles. Or if they both broke I have the option to pirate parts from one or the other to have one working unit. This also gives me the option to loan one to a trusted neighbor to keep their food cold at least.

ok, enough of my opinions, time for some pictures!


Pretty sharp lookin little juice boxes...


Air vent switch for the gas cap. This keeps pressure on the tank so you could store it full without the butane evaporating off, or stinking up your car or garage or what have you.


With the back access panel off.




And here with the parallel kit hooked up.

So there they are. If any one has any questions, or anything they'd like a better picture of or a load you'd like me to try to test just let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate.

ETA: I got these factory refurbished from an Ebay champion seller for 375 apiece shipped.

[HKTackDriver]

That's all great. How much?

[SwampRat]

They cost me 375 apiece shipped and another 60 for the parallel kit.

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[HKTackDriver]

They cost me 375 apiece shipped and another 60 for the parallel kit.

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Link?

[SwampRat]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Champion-Portab ... 0872013146

Like I said, I picked em up a couple Weeks ago. The guy has raised his prices a little since then.

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[HKTackDriver]

Thanks, I also checked Craigslist and found a bunch of NIB gens for $350. Apparently either this is being discontinued for a new model rollout or heavily discounted because the company is nice.

[SwampRat]

There Yah go. I have another champion generator that im pretty pleased with as well. It's not a Honda, but it'll do.

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[SwampRat]

Ohh, something else, make absoutly sure that you are looking at the 2,000 watt generators because the same type in a 1,000 watt version goes for 350 NIB. And the pics look the same.

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[KnightoftheRoc]

Nice! Got a couple questions, tho. If you are powering your window AC unit with one, how are you coming out ahead on the noise factor, with the genny right below the running AC? I've noticed that, in a blackout that affected only certain areas, I've been able to hear a window unit running from 2 blocks away- and I have a 50% hearing loss. Also, how are you handling security for these, to keep them from growing legs?

[raptor]

Nice! Got a couple questions, tho. If you are powering your window AC unit with one, how are you coming out ahead on the noise factor, with the genny right below the running AC? I've noticed that, in a blackout that affected only certain areas, I've been able to hear a window unit running from 2 blocks away- and I have a 50% hearing loss. Also, how are you handling security for these, to keep them from growing legs?

This is something a lot of people fail to consider with a generator. I went to a lot of trouble to make sure my generator was quiet. I completely forgot my HVAC compressors were also noisy. You cannot hear my generator running but when the power was out for Katrina and less so for Gustav, the HVAC compressors and pool pump were the noisiest thing for blocks.

The good news is that window unit should be whole lot quieter than 3 HVAC units. That said make no mistake...it will be heard.



BTW these small generators are really quite useful. They sound small and they are not geared to run a whole house but so what. You can run (not at the same time obviously ) a refrigerator, a washer, a gas dryer and a window unit. This unit put out 13 amps of power. Used wisely that is lot of power. The cost is reasonable and the fuel burn is sensible. Best of all they are quiet.

These particular models can linked/synched to provide 26 amps of power if you need it. This is a far more sensible approach to the stereotypical big, open,gas generators you see so often.

You could in theory keep your frozen food frozen, your internet connection up and running and your bedroom cool in a gulf coast summer for days on end with these two units and 10 gallons of gasoline. This is cheap insurance for those of us in hurricane country.

[Holger Danske]

You could in theory keep your frozen food frozen, your internet connection up and running and your bedroom cool in a gulf coast summer for days on end with these two units and 10 gallons of gasoline. This is cheap insurance for those of us in hurricane country.

Not in theory, that's what I did for 5 days after hurricane IKE using my Yamaha EF2400. FYI, I don't have any experience with Champion generators, but the RV forums think pretty highly of them.

[SwampRat]

Nice! Got a couple questions, tho. If you are powering your window AC unit with one, how are you coming out ahead on the noise factor, with the genny right below the running AC? I've noticed that, in a blackout that affected only certain areas, I've been able to hear a window unit running from 2 blocks away- and I have a 50% hearing loss. Also, how are you handling security for these, to keep them from growing legs?

To address your and raptors concerns about the noise. My expectations are realistic, I think, lol. I misspoke I little I think too. I know my immediate neighbors will hear it, but its half the sound easily of a normal Genny. At least it wont be heard from the main road, and its not loud enough for my neighbor to hear in her bedroom. Of course I also realize it will be louder when everything is quiet.

About security and usage.
In the event of a natural disaster, and the powers gonna be out for more than a day I will hold a 6 hour watch. Ive done it for months on end plenty of times. it sucks if you're not used to it, but I've been doing it for 9 years now. That means I'd be up from noon to 1800 then sleep and up again from 0001 to 0600. That would allow me to keep a pretty constant watch on the house and let the missus and kids keep a normal routine. Also, the generators are in the back yard locked behind a privacy fence. "my home is protected by AR-15" lol. I also want to purchase an MURS baised motion sensor for the back yard with radio to alert me of activity where ever I am. Another long term plan is to pour a concrete chunk into the ground with a big damn eyebolt I could chain them too.

As far as my main usage, we are planning on cooling the master bedroom and piling the kids in with us. Id like a nice big fan I could stick in an upstair window to help suck heat out.

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[KnightoftheRoc]

I used to cool my entire house with just 2 of the $15 window/box fans. Located upstairs, facing out- one front, one in back- and the downstairs windows open. Convection currents, boosted by the fans, would draw air through the house real nice- you could stand in the stairwell and FEEL the air going past you. This was with a closed off attic, too (whoever did the siding on the house covered the attic windows)

[raptor]

That will work in a lot of places. However, on the US GOM in the summer where humidity is frequently 100% and temperature is 95F a fan just does not cut it.

[KnightoftheRoc]

If it was a "one size fits all" fix, no one would be buying AC units. Also, you have to remember that if it was 95 degrees outside, the air coming IN was, well, 95 degrees. But, moving air- even really warm, moving air- is better than stagnant, hot air. I don't have the luxury of skipping the AC anymore- my fiance has asthma, so at least one room of the house HAS TO have air conditioning in the summer, or bad things happen.

It's funny, but having spent years installing and repairing AC systems, I'm really not that fond of air conditioning, myself. I'd rather handle the heat on a steady basis than go outside and have it hit me like a club to a baby seal. as a compromise, I try to keep the AC set to about 15-20 degrees lower than the outdoor temperature- unless it gets to where the sidewalks start melting, this seems to work both for her, and for me. It's also less of a shock when going outside, since you've acclimated to a temperature closer to that of the outdoors.

back on topic- if you anchor a big eyebolt, be sure you weld the gap shut first, and bend an L shape into the part going inside the concrete. With even a tiny gap that isn't welded, a pry bar and some determination can open up the eye enough to add some chain to the list of stolen goods. And, of course, don't go cheap on the chain or lock- buy once, cry once, or you'll be crying over more than the cost of a cheap padlock.

[SwampRat]

You guys are both right, no way to do without an AC here in the GOM, not the way they design houses these days. I could rough it with worst of them, but I have a woman and two kids to worry about. Cant wait till I can build my own place back in Florida. And a fan is a good asset. An un air conditioned house can easily get 20 to 30 degrees hotter that the out side temp, so when its a 120 inside, that 95 degree air feels great. Like a whole house fan. Thats why I want to have a good drum fan I can rig in an upstairs window. Ill abandon the upstairs and use it as a place to suck hot air too.

Thanks for the tips on the eyebolt, I might not have thought of that. Thinking about it more I might just take a piece of one inch steel bar stock and bend it in half and sink that in some concrete. And some serious chain. The way I chose the chain for my gate was I got the one it took two guys at the feed store on a bolt cutter to cut through. Love that chain.

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[HKTackDriver]

I have a larger generator that I had intended to use to constantly power everything. This has me rethinking things a bit. I'm thinking efficiency and powering "just enough" may prolong the luxury of a genny if the power goes down for a prolonged period of time. And with a wife pregnant with twins, due on August 30, I think I'm going to get some extra "insurance."

[KnightoftheRoc]

I have a larger generator that I had intended to use to constantly power everything. This has me rethinking things a bit. I'm thinking efficiency and powering "just enough" may prolong the luxury of a genny if the power goes down for a prolonged period of time. And with a wife pregnant with twins, due on August 30, I think I'm going to get some extra "insurance."

Don't forget, you can rotate between things you are powering. A refrigerator doesn't run all the time, nor does a freezer- for many of them, an hour with power can go four hours without, which means only a 20% duty cycle. Get your chest/standup freezer covered, then the fridge, then the AC in the room your wife and/or new baby is to keep them comfy, and you won't be beating on your genny, nor giving up any of the more important things you need electricity for. And, since none of those items, on their own, should be really taxing on the generator, you can probably run a second cord to your computer setup to power that and your internet connection (ever notice how the cable stays on even when there's no electric- they're on the same poles!?), or your TV.

The only time refrigeration really makes a big draw is on compressor start up, so if you have two items on the same circuit, it could pop the breaker if they should both happen to kick on at the same time- start the genny, connect one, and let it run a few minutes before connecting the next. Connecting everything and then starting the generator causes a HUGE draw on the generator, and could possibly damage it, leaving you with no generator.

[HKTackDriver]

Any update on how these gennies are running? I'm looking at getting something smaller soon.

[jbinbi]

I have a kipor 2k. it's a clone of the hondas. I went thru a few cheaper ones, made in china that just fell apart with very little use.

I believe with these products you get what you pay for. The honda is 1k, the kipor is about 650.

I am in the NE, and used it last winter to power my house. I don't mean my whole house, but I have forced hot water heating from natural gas. The heating system needs an ignitor (not much power there), and enough to run the circulators (about .5 amp each).

So this ran the heating system, which was the critical issue. I also ran the fridge off of it, and as someone pointed out, you only need to run the fridge for while to keep it cool. If you don't open it often, it will keep for a few days. Running the genset will keep it forever.

I bought this generator for winter time power outages. heat is essential. in the winter, i don't really need a fridge, if need be, i can just put stuff outside. this also ran a few lights to keep us going.

this is not the same as a whole house generator, but for $650, plus about 300 more for a manual transfer switch and labor to install it for the furnace breaker, it works very well, and is very cost efficient.

[SwampRat]

Any update on how these gennies are running? I'm looking at getting something smaller soon.

Not really an update, haven't had cause to run them. Just went over the startup and shutdown with the family again lastnight. Still hoping I don't get a reason. But so far so good.

They do look pretty sweet on a shelf in my shop next to the fueling locker,

We are planning a roadtrip in October, I'm gonna take one to power the 5th wheel, I'll let you know how it goes.

The craigslist NIB's didnt pan out? Or have you found more?

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[raptor]

Let me mention one thing many of us want the biggest generator you can get. There is a place for this logic but generally most of us can make do quite well with only 2,000 to 5,000 watt generators. That is a lot of power if it is used properly. The flip side to the smaller generator is that it uses less fuel which simplifies the fuel stock pile issue

By properly BTW I mean plan usage, rotate appliances be utilized and make sure you do not exceed the capacity of the unit.

A 2,000 KW unit can supply 16.66 amps of power. So it will power an 8,000 btu A/C (typically 7 amps) and refrigerator (typically 4 amps) while still having about 5 amps of reserve capacity. You also do not have to run the refrigerator constantly you may have to run it only about an hour before it shuts off at the desired temperature. You can then run something else in its place. If you actively manage it you can run many things.

[HKTackDriver]

Any update on how these gennies are running? I'm looking at getting something smaller soon.

Not really an update, haven't had cause to run them. Just went over the startup and shutdown with the family again lastnight. Still hoping I don't get a reason. But so far so good.

They do look pretty sweet on a shelf in my shop next to the fueling locker,

We are planning a roadtrip in October, I'm gonna take one to power the 5th wheel, I'll let you know how it goes.

The craigslist NIB's didnt pan out? Or have you found more?

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Wife was pregnant with twins, (numerous complications, but they were born 2 months early last month, they're doing great) the small gen purchase got thrown to the side. With hurricane season looming, I figured I'd see how yours was doing before buying this. And since May, that dealer stopped selling or at least posting Craigslist ads, so I contacted your Ebay guy and am ready to pull the trigger, but the whole refurb thing scares me.

[HKTackDriver]

Let me mention one thing many of us want the biggest generator you can get. There is a place for this logic but generally most of us can make do quite well with only 2,000 to 5,000 watt generators. That is a lot of power if it is used properly. The flip side to the smaller generator is that it uses less fuel which simplifies the fuel stock pile issue

By properly BTW I mean plan usage, rotate appliances be utilized and make sure you do not exceed the capacity of the unit.

A 2,000 KW unit can supply 16.66 amps of power. So it will power an 8,000 btu A/C (typically 7 amps) and refrigerator (typically 4 amps) while still having about 5 amps of reserve capacity. You also do not have to run the refrigerator constantly you may have to run it only about an hour before it shuts off at the desired temperature. You can then run something else in its place. If you actively manage it you can run many things.

This is why I'm looking at the small gen. I've heard these can run a fridge for 7 hours without a problem on 1 gallon. I've seen extra tanks you can buy that will run these gens for 32 hours. That appeals to my frugal side, especially when you never know if you'd be able to buy more gas. Since there is no natural gas hookups in my neighborhood, gas or diesel are the only options.

I'm definitely getting an inverter gen, I just can't choose. Here are my options:
Yamaha
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RW ... PDKIKX0DER
Briggs
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037C ... PDKIKX0DER
Generac
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NK ... PDKIKX0DER
ETQ (slightly larger, but quality is iffy)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VW ... T91O985292
Hyundai (slightly larger)
http://www.amazon.com/Hyundai-HY2000si- ... n+inverter
Honeywell (reliability issues?)
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HW2000i ... n+inverter
Champion
http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Equipmen ... r+champion