Portable generator questions

[Tidyboy]

I’m not new to RVing but am new to generators. I’m considering buying a portable “suitcase” style generator because of their light weight. I’m planning on boondocking later this summer in WY. First question is about grounding. It seems every manufacturer recommends or requires the portable be grounded. That’s a lot of work. I don’t hear about people doing that and I don’t see it in the campgrounds. Is it really necessary or is it lawyer talk?

Second, I see that generators typically lose 3% of their output for every 100’ of altitude gain. I plan on camping in one spot at 10,000’. It may not even run at that altitude but I’ll be doing most camping around 7000’. They make altitude kits but that requires tearing into the carburetor to install the kit, and doing it again to take the kit out when you come down. Are people doing this or just accepting the efficiency drop?

Thanks, guys

 

[ksucats]

Can't speak for others but we had two of the little Honda EU2000 generators that we never grounded and had no problems with them on that issue. As for altitude, we are based at a little over 1000 msl and when we'd go to Albuquerque (5400 MSL), they would be a little difficult to start and didn't seem to be giving as much power as they did at home. We did not have the high-altitude jets installed, and never tried them at higher altitudes. There are some newer, Electronic Fuel Injected, generators now on the market. I've not personally tried any of the small ones; we do have the Honda EU7000 which works like a champ but the weight is excessive. Hope I've helped some.

 

[Tidyboy]

Good info. Thanks. Wen is out of altitude kits and won’t get them for a month. That’s too late for me so I’m going without them.

 

[travelin2]

I’m not new to RVing but am new to generators. I’m considering buying a portable “suitcase” style generator because of their light weight. I’m planning on boondocking later this summer in WY. First question is about grounding. It seems every manufacturer recommends or requires the portable be grounded. That’s a lot of work. I don’t hear about people doing that and I don’t see it in the campgrounds. Is it really necessary or is it lawyer talk?

Second, I see that generators typically lose 3% of their output for every 100’ of altitude gain. I plan on camping in one spot at 10,000’. It may not even run at that altitude but I’ll be doing most camping around 7000’. They make altitude kits but that requires tearing into the carburetor to install the kit, and doing it again to take the kit out when you come down. Are people doing this or just accepting the efficiency drop?

Thanks, guys

I made my own grounding plug. I know if I plug my surge protector in the line, it shuts down the genny if I don’t have the grounding plug installed.
I’m unawares of any effect if I don’t use the grounding plug
I’ve used our 2000w Honda at 5500 ft without issue

 

[taskswap]

You don't need to ground a generator that's only powering your RV. You do need to do it if you're connecting it to a transfer switch to your house.

I don't know where the "3% output loss per 100 feet" came from, and I question it. I'm at 8700' right now running a Predator 3500 that with the above math, should be basically non-functional - but it still runs everything I have on it. I've used even cheap units at 10,000+ on hunting trips with no issues. What CAN happen is they can run very "lean". This can cause them to not run very well, especially depending on the brand. The solution to this is usually nothing more than a "rejetting kit", which are often $5-$20 on Amazon/eBay.

Running the engine lean actually makes it MORE efficient, which may seem counter-intuitive. What's happening is you're using less fuel per combustion cycle, so your fuel efficiency goes up. Fun trivia: in general aviation with small aircraft, there's a standard process where you usually start/take off "rich" (too much fuel, which is not ideal, but is safe) on purpose, and then "lean out" once you're at a safe altitude to get your best fuel economy / power balance. But leaning out an engine makes it run hotter, and it can overheat or stumble under load - neither of which is good for a generator. Another fun trivia: this mixture is (more or less) what a choke controls on an engine that has one, but these days it seems like engine makers are focusing on making simpler engines that "should just work" with less manual control.

YMMV. We have four generators, a WEN 3600, two Predator 3500's (one older, and one newer - and they are not the same), and a Champion open-frame. The WEN runs great up to around 9,800' with no change at all. The older Predator stumbled above 8,000' until I re-jetted it, but the newer one doesn't do that. I haven't tried the Champion above 6,000' or so.

Rejetting is easy and cheap, and you can find Youtube videos on how to do it for just about any generator on the market. If you can't find the "altitude kit" from the manufacturer, there is almost certainly a third-party option available. There are lots of generators on the market, but only a few ENGINES, and almost all carbs take a common jet plug/insert size. But if you're uncomfortable doing it, the same kinds of small-engine shops that repair lawn mowers and chain saws can easily do this for you.

 

[CoveredWagon]

You don't need to ground a generator that's only powering your RV. You do need to do it if you're connecting it to a transfer switch to your house.

I don't know where the "3% output loss per 100 feet" came from, and I question it. I'm at 8700' right now running a Predator 3500 that with the above math, should be basically non-functional - but it still runs everything I have on it. I've used even cheap units at 10,000+ on hunting trips with no issues. What CAN happen is they can run very "lean". This can cause them to not run very well, especially depending on the brand. The solution to this is usually nothing more than a "rejetting kit", which are often $5-$20 on Amazon/eBay.

Running the engine lean actually makes it MORE efficient, which may seem counter-intuitive. What's happening is you're using less fuel per combustion cycle, so your fuel efficiency goes up. Fun trivia: in general aviation with small aircraft, there's a standard process where you usually start/take off "rich" (too much fuel, which is not ideal, but is safe) on purpose, and then "lean out" once you're at a safe altitude to get your best fuel economy / power balance. But leaning out an engine makes it run hotter, and it can overheat or stumble under load - neither of which is good for a generator. Another fun trivia: this mixture is (more or less) what a choke controls on an engine that has one, but these days it seems like engine makers are focusing on making simpler engines that "should just work" with less manual control.

YMMV. We have four generators, a WEN 3600, two Predator 3500's (one older, and one newer - and they are not the same), and a Champion open-frame. The WEN runs great up to around 9,800' with no change at all. The older Predator stumbled above 8,000' until I re-jetted it, but the newer one doesn't do that. I haven't tried the Champion above 6,000' or so.

Rejetting is easy and cheap, and you can find Youtube videos on how to do it for just about any generator on the market. If you can't find the "altitude kit" from the manufacturer, there is almost certainly a third-party option available. There are lots of generators on the market, but only a few ENGINES, and almost all carbs take a common jet plug/insert size. But if you're uncomfortable doing it, the same kinds of small-engine shops that repair lawn mowers and chain saws can easily do this for you.

Don't you mean the engines will run excessively rich at high altitude if not rejected.

 

[taskswap]

Oops. Good catch That's what I get for posting so late after 5 cans of coke!