Generator for Pod 177
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Miscellaneous / Off-topic
Forum Discription: Pull a chair up to the campfire and chat. No religious, political or weapons talk, please.
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4137
Printed Date: 17 May 2025 at 1:45am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Generator for Pod 177
Posted By: w4bgbob
Subject: Generator for Pod 177
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2013 at 9:47pm
|
Im sure this question has already been asked and answered, but i am considering getting a generator for my new R-Pod and was hoping someone could tell me how big of a generator I would need to handle the a/c and the microwave, my only mod so far is to change the 20lb propane take out to a 40lb tank. Any and all comments and or suggestions would be appreciated. ------------- A bad day hunting/camping/fishing is better than a good day at work, especially in a a 2014 Rpod 177 :) |
Replies:
Posted By: shroomer
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2013 at 11:20pm
|
No advice on a generator, but curious about the 40# tank. We camped about 20 nights, some with heat, and used a 20# tank. More than half the cooking was outside the pod. Our refrigerator only ran on propane, never AC. (DC on the road only.) I was pleasantly surprised at the "gas mileage" I got with the propane. Have you run out of propane a lot or are you just trying to be on the safe side? ------------- Larry and Debbie w/Rosie the mutt. Old: '13 177, '06 Silverado V6 New: '15 Whitehawk 20MRB '14 Silverado V8 |
Posted By: w4bgbob
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2013 at 1:26am
|
just trying to be on the safe side, might be over kill but i already had the 40# tank just had to add a longer length of hose and figured why not.... ------------- A bad day hunting/camping/fishing is better than a good day at work, especially in a a 2014 Rpod 177 :) |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2013 at 8:56am
|
Welcome. I've moved this post out of the Flea Market section, since that area is for wanted/for sale ads.
The smaller you go with generators, the less fuel they'll burn, especially if you get an inverter-generator. My Yamaha EF2400is burns 1.6 gallons in 8 hours while running the A/C. It will run either my A/C or my microwave - in my opinion there's no reason to haul around a much heavier 3000 watt generator that can run both at the same time, plus carry and burn the extra fuel, when the microwave is only used a small percentage of the day. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
|
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 8:28am
|
My experience with a 2400w Yamaha generator is that you can run the AC or the microwave/convection oven but not both at the same time. The generator shuts off when it gets overloaded, which is a bit of a pain until you learn to use one or the other of the big draws. Once you get that mindset taken care of, for me at least, it's absolutely no bother. I haven't tried cooking a turkey in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert in August, but otherwise I have no problem doing without air con for a few minutes while the oven is on. The noise, bulk, weight, etc, of a larger generator just isn't worth it to me. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: w4bgbob
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 12:35pm
|
Thank you gentleman for your responses, I agree smaller would be better and doing without a/c while the oven is on for a few mins sounds very feasable too. I will most definetly check into the yamaha generator and again thanks for the info. ------------- A bad day hunting/camping/fishing is better than a good day at work, especially in a a 2014 Rpod 177 :) |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 1:44pm
|
Something I didn't mention is you have two basic options - old style generator which always runs at 3600 rpms, or newer inverter-generator which can idle down under no/low load. The old style is always loud and uses a lot of gas. The new style are quieter even under full load, and almost always use less gas since generators are rarely run at full throttle all the time.
Neither can be used in any campground overnight, and even if you are camped where you can use one, if you are near others in a campground or someplace like a Wal-Mart parking lot, you will make enemies running the old style for more than a few minutes. For something like running A/C overnight at Wal-Mart (we prefer truck stops) or for charging batteries in the middle of the day for a few hours, you'll want the new style. It is of course much more expensive, but over time the lower fuel consumption can make it pay for itself. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
|
Posted By: w4bgbob
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 2:16pm
|
Thanks techntrek I understand what your saying and agree with the logic, I have been researching the yamaha model you mentioned and also a honda model eu2000i. For now either will have to wait, too many iorns in the fire and other things taking precedence over my toys, but I certainly appreciate all your input and information.
------------- A bad day hunting/camping/fishing is better than a good day at work, especially in a a 2014 Rpod 177 :) |
Posted By: Thinker
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 2:33pm
All things being equal, I would go with the EU2000i. You can put a cap on it that allows it to draw fuel from an outboard motor tank. The Honda has a fuel pump, the Yamaha does not. This means a longer run without getting out of the sack to refuel. I carry a little 3 gallon outboard tank. My Honda runs my A/C or as Tech said will run the Micro, but not both at the same time. I seldom need the microwave while sleeping.. ------------- Tow Vehicle: 2013 Pathfinder 4WD R-POD Model 171 
|
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 8:56pm
A couple of things: my Yamaha 2400 has run for 11 hour on a tank. If you're camping somewhere you can run a generator at night you just fill it up before bed and you're good until morning. I don't know if it's made by Yamaha and I don't have one, but there is an aftermarket cap for the Yamaha 2000 (I bet it works on the 2400 too) that let's you draw from an external tank. http://www.amazon.com/YAMAHA-EF2000iS-GENERATOR-EXTENDED-FUEL/dp/B004FPDLFM TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 9:13pm
|
This past summer ours always cut out at the 8 hour mark, I wish it did last 11 hours. It was typically in the 80's most of each night. I have been looking at ways to extend the Yamaha run time - shouldn't be a problem as long as the external tank is elevated. Note the cap for the 2000 will NOT work with the 2400.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
|
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2013 at 10:03pm
Glad I didn't bet too much. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: GA_RPOD_178
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2013 at 5:41am
|
Doug (Techntrek) makes a lot of good points. We have always used Hondas. They are, as he said, more expensive, but since we also use them as backups for our home outages, I like that inverters are safer for my computer than a traditional generator. We have the Ei2000 and its companion unit. This time of year we can carry only one, since we don't use the A/C. For hotter months, we load both of them and rig them in sequence. Again, its an investment because of the need to be able to work (computers) safely at home during outages. Because we are in "the boonies" we are on the "first out, last on" power grid. -------------  [/URL]
|
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2013 at 9:29am
|
I'm in the same boat, way out at the edge of the service territory with frequent issues. We were out for 55 hours after Sandy (minor compared to some, I know). Neighbors have stories of being out for weeks after ice storms in the 90's.
"Computers need clean electricity" is happily a myth. They are much more tolerant of voltage and frequency fluctuations than some appliances, like tube-based televisions. A popular computer magazine did a test of computer power supplies in the early 90's, taking them to low voltage, high voltage, wild frequencies, voltage surges/sags, and most of them still supplied steady outputs. Modern computer power supplies are even more tolerant due to European regulations and since they can auto-accept 50 or 60 Hz, 120 or 220 volt inputs (with actual minimum and maximums much lower and higher than their name plate ratings). In fact many of them will also accept DC inputs at similar voltages. Lots of other consumer electronics have the same power supplies in them like flat screen televisions, cable boxes, etc. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
|
Posted By: GA_RPOD_178
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2013 at 3:02pm
|
There are lots of opinions on this issue. I use a UPS with my system connected to a generator since my UPS will not keep my system "up" for an extended period. In some cases the UPS will not "accept" the power from some generators. ------------- [/URL]
|
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 9:26pm
|
I do the same, using a large 4 kw UPS to power most of the house for up to an hour, and then I power the UPS from my Prius once the batteries are drained: http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread.php?12962-Using-a-Prius-as-a-generator - http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread.php?12962-Using-a-Prius-as-a-generator ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
|