Honda 2000i

[Air Mobility]

All

Does anyone use the Honda 2000i generator to charge batteries while at anchor? I am considreing getting one , but am not certain it will handle the 30 amp shore power charger. The generator is rated at 20 amps and the charger rated at 30 amps.
My other option is to upgade my 50 amp alternator to 100amp with a smart regulator. My battery configuration is four golf cart batteries for the house bank (464amp hour) with an isolated group 24 starting battery.
Any thoughts or oppinions?

George Fisher
Air Mobility
hull158

[KenKrawford]

George,

The 2000i will be more than enough to run your charger. The charger puts out 30 amps DC but the AC fuse in the unit is only rated at 10 amps 250V. If you are only going to charge your batteries even the 1000i would more than do the job. My guess is that the charger doesn't consume more than 600 watts at full output. Why not send an email to Charles Marine tech support (If you have the stock charger that Catalina used) and get it "from the horse's mouth". I've had very quick, competent answers from their email support. For some reason I can't embed a link to their email support - it's marine.industrial@charlesindustries.com

[randj]

I have used the Honda 2000i for about four years. Does excellent job on batteries and other small appliances (microwave). Quiet and good fuel economy.

Richard Massey
R Boat Hull #193

[william vanwagoner]

Now the big question, will this Honda operate the hot water heater? It seems like it might. I also have been contemplating the purchase of the Honda 2000 series.

[randj]

I have not needed the Honda to heat water but suspect that it will. May give it a try in a couple of weeks, if so, will make a post.

Richard Massey
R Boat Hull 193

[william vanwagoner]

I would appreciate your effort to check out the water heater ability. I have been looking at the Honda EU2000iA, which is the current model number I guess. It claims to have an output of 2000 watts at 16.7 amps. Looking at the Seaward water heater literature, it appears that a 10-amp AC circuit is needed and that the heater element is 1500 watts. It seems that it should be possible to run the hot water heater for 30 to 45 minutes without any other AC loads to provide enough hot water for the wife to have a nice shower without running the diesel to heat the water.

[KenKrawford]

The Honda specs. show a peak output of 2000 watts and a rated (I guess this means continuous) output of 1600 watts. If no other AC devices are running, it should handle the hot water heater (12500 watts) with no problems.

[Palmettomoon350]

George,
I have used my Honda 2000 to charge the batteries. I have 2 X 4D's and the generator seems to do OK.

Carl Beckmann
Pamletto Moon # 223

[Triumph]

The Honda 2000 will run the water heater just fine. It does rev the rpms up and the gen is a little louder than when just running it to charge the batteries. Also, it fits nicely into the locker in the port corner of the cockpit. I added a stiffener to the shelf for safety. Enjoy.

[Palmettomoon350]

We bought a Honda 2000i to provide several things. One of the most important is to power the coffee pot! However, the honda will run the generator and the coffee pot with no problem. My battery bank consists of 2 X 4 D's. I use no. 1 battery for the house battery and we are very careful of what we have on at the time. I conducted a test this past weekend because someone had asked whether or not the Honda would also run the hot water heater. I powered up the generator, flipped the shore power switch then the charger. All was fine. I flipped the heater switch and the generator throttled down but never went into overdraw mode. I assumed the generator would continue to function but I did not like the sound from the generator so I flipped the heater switch off. I feel confident the Honda will run the heater by itself but I did not test that item.

Best Regards,

Carl Beckmann
Palmetto Moon # 223

[randj]

As I promised, I tested our Honda generator to heat water this past week end. The generator does load up somewhat but does run the water heater without tripping a breaker. The water heater was the only item being run. Hope this helps.

Richard Massey
R Boat Hull# 193

[yodagwb]

I know a guy that runs his AC with the Honda 2000 but he had to up grade a piece (maby a capasitor) of the unit with a higher quality peice to soften the starting peak, after that know problem.

[Stu Jackson]

I learned this about the different models: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4861.0.html

[Windseeker]

Last year I was going to either get the Honda or upgrate the alternator and a Smart regulator. My AGM batteries would not fully charge using the stock Alternator. I chose the Honda EU2000 becuase it was more universal, and a friend had a used one for $500. I could run the generator in quiet mode for battery charging. I could heat the hot water, but it would ramp up and be noisy. I could run both charger and HWH if the batteries were not too discharged. For a stress test, I ran the Charger, HWH and the microwave simultaneously, and the unit tripped. I have a small window AC unit that I rigged-up for the boat on the rare occasion, but found it too big and bulky to take. Its around 700 watts. It ran it NP. I even ran an electric oil radiant heater for a Nov cruise last year. It ran that too.

My conclusion, the EU2000 can do alot and is very handy as long as you don't ask too much and do not mind cycling loads on and off. For hot water heating, I think the engine is still the best. The Honda (lashed to the mast) running full blast seems to irritate the wife more than the engine. The only better alternative is the Panda, but it's not until I'm ready for extended cruising. This year's investment will be the Autopilot!

[dvolkman]

We just bought a Honda 2000i to use for making hot water while on our mooring. Has anyone had problems with gas fumes when storing it in a locker while not in use? I have a friend who uses the 1000 all the time and says he's never had a problem with it. Just curious.

David V.
#261
Electric Ladyland

[AynB]

We have used the EU2000i now for two full seasons. It has met our every need. We do not store it in a locker, nor do we store gasoline in any locker - just seems to be asking for trouble ( explosive gas fumes and all that ). The valve to allow the tank to "breathe" when running is not the only vent in the generator fuel system, so even if you closed that valve, you will still have gas fumes trapped below decks. We store our generator on the port aft locker, complete with 2" webbing straps, a raincoat and a large gauge chain and lock. Even in the worst of weather and waves, the genset never budged. We don't have to move the system to fire it up and don't have to lug it around decks every day. The only caveat that we would offer is anecdotal : a number of folks with Honda generators have told us about valve problems when using non-clear fuels, e.g. those fuels with Ethanol added. One individual went through two generators ( under warranty ) with seized valves traced back to Ethanol - he eventually went to a Yamaha unit despite the noise - where he was at, he could not get clear gasoline. When in doubt, get your generator fuel where they fuel up seaplanes - no additives allowed there.
Al

[AynB]

Decided to add a photo to my last posting, showing the placement of the Honda.
Al

[AynB]

oh.. just gotta add two more points. when we had our Tanzer 22 surveyed, the surveyor said/claimed that it was a violation and a non-insurance clause to store gasoline ( in any type of container ) with direct air communication to living spaces and / or spark and fire. She wanted us to store our outboard fuel other than in the lazarette. As all of the spaces on the C350 do communicate with the living spaces and we have stoves and igniters as well as a non-explosive atmosphere rated battery charger - I just think that stowing a generator in a laz or even in an aft well is just not safe.

point two : CC the moderator asked what was up with the yellow spool of line above the genset - that's our stern tie line.

al

[Windseeker]

that's our stern tie line.

What does it do? Please don't tell me it ties up your stern (LOL).

[Triumph]

I store the Honda 2000 on the the Port corner cockpit locker. I close the fuel vent fist of course. I also have a fan that exhausts the air from the back end of the boat. This fan stays on all the time when we're using the boat. It's mostly for the adler barber unit to help keep it cooler. The fan is one of those low draw 12 volt computer fans, .05 amps or something like that. This probably helps, but I've never had much of a a gas smell from the Honda.

I added a leg to the corner of the shelf to add extra security for the weight. When I use the Honda, I set it on a bath mat on the port stern locker, that is, on the very stern next to the 30 amp plug in. I use one of those std cord adapters to plug in, this is about 18 inches long. I run my 130 amp Heart 2500 inverter-charger with the Honda, and everything else except the AC. If the water heater is on, you do have to consider that you can run little else. I have the Link 2000 control unit that I have to program that the Honda is only putting out 20 amps, not 30. This of course reduces the charging power from 130 amps to about 90 max. If I leave it on 30 amps, it trips the overload on the Honda. The link 2000 has a "power share" feature, so that if the charger is on, and the wife turns on the blow dryer, the charger custs back to acommodate the dryer power demand.
I'll probably post this in "add-ons". I added a 2 gallon water heater under the galley sink. I can heat this up with the Honda, or my inverter, in 10 minutes. It's enough water for two showers. I put a three way valve on the hot water manifold to switch between the big 11 gal tank and the 2 gal tank.

Bill on TRIUMPH