# Considering Moving From EU2000 to EU3000



## PeteCress (Feb 9, 2014)

After five days of power outage using our EU2000 to run the house, 
I'm thinking about selling it and moving to an EU3000.

The Rationale:

- Portability is not a concern. It lives in the garden shed and deployment
consists of moving it about six feet to outside the shed.

- The house "cruises" on 800-1,250 watts depending on whether
the is furnace running. The rest of the load is from several PC's,
a NAS box, various switches/routers, a few IP Cameras, 
2 Televisions, 2 refrigerators, a freezer, and a bunch of lights.

- The problem comes when an older refrigerator needs to start up and pull
over a thousand watts briefly and/or somebody wants to run the microwave
or toaster. 

- Seems like, with an EU3000, there's room for that extra wattage even 
mostly the house will be only pulling 800-1,250 watts.

- I can't cite, but somewhere somebody who sounded like they knew what
they were talking about put put up a chart comparing different
gennies at different loads and, at 1,250, the EU2000 and EU3000
seemed to get about the same number of hours per gallon.

So.... anybody been here?

Fallacies in my reasoning?

*Edit 2014 08-09 0945:*

One thing that occurs to me is that two EU2000's running in Eco Mode and pulling only 400-625 watts each might not drink much more gas than a single EU2000 pulling 800-1,250 watts.

Has anybody tried comparing a pair of EU2000's to a single EU2000 in that respect?


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## Waypoint (Jan 28, 2014)

I've been in a state of ongoing experimentation here.

I was in the same situation as hurricane sandy approached in 2012, with my old faithful Kipor 2K (EU2000i knockoff) we've had since 2005-6 timeframe. It made enough juice to do what we needed except the microwave. Made crappy-quality AC power, lights cycled dim/bright, but it always started and only burned ~1gal per 8 hours. Hooked up to a 6gal boat tank via a modified gas cap it would run 2 days between refuels. Neighbor bought it from me in 2012 after Sandy.

I went with a Yamaha EF2400isHC so we could run the microwave without a lot of load shedding. It got us through the 12-day outage, but the small gas tank got to be a pain. It was very stingy with gas, ran 10+ hours overnight on the 1.4gal tank...but during daytime loads it barely got to 6 hrs before it ran out. If there was a way to feed it from an external tank without hacking it, I'd have kept it. Sold it a few days after power was restored.

I later picked up a Subaru RG3200is inverter similar to the Honda EU3000is, but it was just noisier enough to be a nuisance. And it ate gas. Onboard 2.7gal tank barely lasted 8hrs overnight during the two short 2013 outages. Sold it.

I shopped craigslist and found a Honda EU3000is in good shape, but gunked-up carb. Got it cheap, rebuilt the carb, and it runs like a top. I haven't had an outage yet to test it. Neighbor has had one since 2007 and his burned 4-5 gals of gas per day running continuously after Sandy. 

I'd say go with a pair of EU2000i gens even if gas consumption is same as a single EU3000is, just for the redundancy in case one fails. Lot to be said for not having all eggs in one basket.


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## Waypoint (Jan 28, 2014)

PS: If you go the route of adding a 2nd EU2000, I'd recommend the Companion model. No external 30a connector box needed, just the parallel cable kit.


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## PeteCress (Feb 9, 2014)

Waypoint said:


> PS: If you go the route of adding a 2nd EU2000, I'd recommend the Companion model. No external 30a connector box needed, just the parallel cable kit.


The more I read, the more adding a Companion seems to be the way to go. I didn't realize that the 3000 weighs almost 150#, and the redundancy aspect resonates with me - not to mention the possibility of being a hero and lending the second out to somebody in distress...

Fuel consumption seems to be pretty close to a wash - with an advantage to the 2000 setup if one is willing to shut down one of them and only run it when needed.... which isn't all that out of the question, since mealtimes are going to be the magic hour for microwaving, making coffee, and making toast - although we have discovered the joys of those little burners that screw on to a 16-oz propane cylinder.


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## Waypoint (Jan 28, 2014)

It sounds like your power needs are the same as mine. 2KW is plenty except for microwave time. I ran the Mr. Coffee or toaster on my 2KW kipor with only modest load shedding, we got used to it. Microwave tripped the generator's overload even with nothing else powered, and with the eco-throttle switch off and engine revved up. Just couldn't do it. The Yamaha ran the microwave with no problem.

The addition of a Reliance 6-way transfer switch after the 2011 snowstorm and 5 days without power really paid off during Sandy and the occasional short outages. It feeds our fridge, central heat, kitchen plugs, bedroom plugs, basement plugs, and garage. One big 10ga cord from the panel to a short adapter, then into the 30a twist-lock on the Honda. Easy and fast to connect and throw the 6 switches on the panel.


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## PeteCress (Feb 9, 2014)

Waypoint said:


> It sounds like your power needs are the same as mine. 2KW is plenty except for microwave time. I ran the Mr. Coffee or toaster on my 2KW kipor with only modest load shedding, we got used to it. Microwave tripped the generator's overload even with nothing else powered, and with the eco-throttle switch off and engine revved up. Just couldn't do it. The Yamaha ran the microwave with no problem.
> 
> The addition of a Reliance 6-way transfer switch after the 2011 snowstorm and 5 days without power really paid off during Sandy and the occasional short outages. It feeds our fridge, central heat, kitchen plugs, bedroom plugs, basement plugs, and garage. One big 10ga cord from the panel to a short adapter, then into the 30a twist-lock on the Honda. Easy and fast to connect and throw the 6 switches on the panel.


Yeah, there's nothing like a little real-world experience to shake things down. We just came off of a 5-day outage this afternoon.

I have to agree that our situations/setups are very similar.

But now you have me leaning back towards the EU3000.... -)

Hopefully, there's plenty time for me to obsess over this since the recent ice storm has probably cleaned out all the weak wood in the area....


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## Waypoint (Jan 28, 2014)

PeteCress said:


> But now you have me leaning back towards the EU3000.... -)


The Companion 2000 has the same 30a twist lock on its panel, and it's powered whether you have another 2000 parallel connected or not. Just doesn't have as much amperage available. 

If I hadn't scored a deal on the 3000, the Companion was my plan next time Mayberry's put them on sale for $999.


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## popeye (Jul 8, 2014)

I'm curious - can't decide b/w the honda 2000i and 3000i. You say you ran your house for a week on the 2000? did it run the furnace fan OK? 
I've had a transfer switch installed that covers my furnace, a tv, few lights and a single fridge. Since there's a chance I'll never use this thing I'm wondering if I can get away with the 2000i? it's like $1300 less than the 3000i where I live (Canada)


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## PeteCress (Feb 9, 2014)

popeye said:


> I'm curious - can't decide b/w the honda 2000i and 3000i. You say you ran your house for a week on the 2000? did it run the furnace fan OK?
> I've had a transfer switch installed that covers my furnace, a tv, few lights and a single fridge. Since there's a chance I'll never use this thing I'm wondering if I can get away with the 2000i? it's like $1300 less than the 3000i where I live (Canada)


Furnace, no problem - but we have a variable-rate blower and natural gas.

I also splurged on the transfer switch. It's an APC smart switch that auto-sheds loads. Documentation sucks canal water. But the hardware is, IMHO, quite good and I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Once I got the load shedding set up right and we discovered the joys of those little propane burners that screw on to a 16-oz propane bottle... and also bought a lightweight propane oven that runs off of the same bottles the EU2000i became 100% totally adequate. 

Funny story (funny if you are not the lucky person): a guy I know has a 20kw "Whole House" gennie fed by a 500-gallon propane tank. His last outage was, IIRC, 7 or 9 days. First day of the outage he discovered that the alternator on the 20kw beast had worn out and failed via the bi-weekly test cycles it runs..... and he wound up depending on a little pull-start gennie that he had "just in case"...

Having said all that, I'm about to pull the trigger on an EU2000 Companion to supplement my current EU2000i. The Companion is going to be a minor convenience at microwave, coffee maker, and toaster time.... but it's primary utility will be redundancy.

First thing I'm going to do once I get the Companion is put two cups of gas in the existing gennie, see how long it will power a 1,500 watt heater; and then put a cup of gas in each and see how long they power the same heater running in parallel.

My expectation is less time parallel, but not humongously less..... and my plan is to run the Companion during 95% of any outage, walking out to the garden shed and pulling the starter on the regular EU2000i around meal times and killing it just after... and adjusting the max capacity setting of the xfer switch accordingly each time. OTOH, if the run times are close enough, I might just leave both running....


The way I see it right now is that the only arguments for an EU3000 in my life would be:

- Theft-Resistance: I've seen photos of an average-sized guy carrying an EU2000i in each hand. Nobody's going to pick up 150# of EU3000 and walk away with it.

- Single Point of Maintainence: Only one oil change... one carb to drain after use...

- (Fuel Economy at "Cruising Speed" of 800-1200 Watts): Parens because I just don't know.... and it's entirely possible that the diff is negligable.


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## Waypoint (Jan 28, 2014)

popeye said:


> I'm curious - can't decide b/w the honda 2000i and 3000i. You say you ran your house for a week on the 2000? did it run the furnace fan OK?
> I've had a transfer switch installed that covers my furnace, a tv, few lights and a single fridge. Since there's a chance I'll never use this thing I'm wondering if I can get away with the 2000i? it's like $1300 less than the 3000i where I live (Canada)


No furnace fan here, I have baseboard hot water. It's fed by a 1/4hp pump that uses 0.8A to run, generator doesn't even notice it.

We temporarily hooked the Kipor to a neighbor's central heat and it would only start the blower if we turned the Eco Throttle switch off. With Eco switch on, the Kipor's internal breaker tripped while the blower was spinning up. Safe bet that a Honda EU2K would have done the job better but no way to know.


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## Dqalex (Nov 25, 2012)

I would add a EU2000 Companion to the mix for a total of 4000 watts before I bought a EU3000. For $1,99.00 you can have a brand new generator and 4000 watts of peak power. I would feel much safer with two generators VS one .


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## popeye (Jul 8, 2014)

*thanks PeteCress - 2000i it is*

sold - gonna go for the cheaper and likely adequate 2000i. If power goes out in the summer, I'll only need it for the fridge and the router. If it goes in the winter, I can toggle b/w furnace and fridge or put food in the unheated garage.
And great idea on the option of adding a companion if I do find the single 2000i inadequate. I'll be sure to post here if I'm actually using it during a big outage!
Thanks for the advice everyone.


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## PeteCress (Feb 9, 2014)

PeteCress said:


> First thing I'm going to do once I get the Companion is put two cups of gas in the existing gennie, see how long it will power a 1,500 watt heater; and then put a cup of gas in each and see how long they power the same heater running in parallel.
> 
> My expectation is less time parallel, but not humongously less..... and my plan is to run the Companion during 95% of any outage, walking out to the garden shed and pulling the starter on the regular EU2000i around meal times and killing it just after... and adjusting the max capacity setting of the xfer switch accordingly each time. OTOH, if the run times are close enough, I might just leave both running....


Companion arrived couple days ago and I have been testing....

Looks to me like the diff between running one EU2000 and running 2 EU2000's 24-7 at my house's cruising load of 800-1200 watts is about 1.5 gallons of gas per day: 6.5 gallons instead of 5.


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