recommendation for generator

The furnace runs mostly on propane (it needs 12V for controls and ignition), so no problem there. A Honda 2200 would run the AC if you installed a slow start device on the AC. One that gets high praise is the Micro-Air EasyStart 364.

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Originally posted by crankster78 Greetings: Contractor generators produce a 60 cycle square wave Which is not good for electronics of any kind.  Plus they will vary on cycles.  They run at about 3600 RPM, That's why they are noisy.  A inverter runs at vey high cycles and down converts the out put to a pure 60 cycle sine wave.  It only runs as fast as needed for the load.  The engine is running at a lower speed, less wear and noise.  Inverters cost much more but last longer and of course are much quieter.  I've been using my Honda for over 12 years, still runs good.   Crankster78  2015 R-179

This is incorrect. A conventional rotary generator will not produce square waves. The governor systems are usually incapable of tight control of the RPM. The resulting jitter in RPM may cause some harmonic distortion but never a square wave. And the frequency is never really 60 Hz.

OTOH, inverters use switching electronics to create square waves to convert DC to AC but then have to filter it to smooth it enough have a sine wave. How would you know the filters were working well enough?

Either design will produce power good enough to run household (and RV) appliances and electronics. BTDT.

Bottom line, for everyday use buy a generator that is quiet enough for your use and that you can afford.

Dometic says their 13,500 BTU roof AC pulls 15.1 amps or about 1750 watts. Electric motors require 2 or more times the running watts to start. A 3500 watt generator will safely start the AC.

Colt is right. Rotary generators do produce a sine wave. However, because they are running from gas or propane engine, the RPM will be varying a bit. Also, some of them use generators with brushes, which can cause noise superimposed on the sine wave. A "better" rotary generator will usually have a brushless generator, but they still can be a little noisy.