I'm currently shopping for a generator for next year. I've found s couple eu2000s locally and a eu3000is. Has anyone with a 2000 had second thoughts down the road and wished they went with the 3000? I think the 2000 should be plenty to power two sets of warmers right?
Most warmers require "AT LEAST" 1000 Watts. I'd say get the 3000 so you have some power left in reserve. Btw I have the honda eu3000is and it's a very nice genny.
I have a 2000 and can run warmers and a small fan, but I have to check the peak power draw of everything I run carefully. If I had it to do again, I'd get a 3000 (or get a buddy to buy the companion 2000).
Yeah that's the other thought is buying two 2000s. It'd be about the same price going that route as the 3000. Any thoughts on the pros/cons of either? Thanks for the input guys
I ran two sets off mine once. We had to plug in one at a time to avoid popping the breaker, we also unplugged the fan though the weather was horrid so no loss there. If there is decent chance of two sets I would aim at 3K.
EU2000i is 1600 Watts continuous, with peak power (like for starting tools) at 2000W. Like others have said, warmers draw about 1000W, so 2 sets of warmers will overload a EU2000i. Go for the 3000W, unit, or dual 2000's with the pairing kit. The 3000 is bigger and heavier, and is a single unit. It will use more gas than a single 2000 when you are at the track alone. Also, 2 - 2000s are easier to lift and move on your own than a single 3000. Only you can decide if these factors are important to you.
I have the 2000 and it's great, The only thing I hated about it was filling it during the day as it was always a mess. I recently got one of these to go with it so I don't have to worry about that anymore. http://www.wisesales.com/duration-p...el-tank.html?gclid=CMy_0vPYt8ECFabm7AodpCgA_w
I have two 2000's to run two set of warmers and misc. fans. I like having the option to run only one when needed. When I do need them both they're just daisy chained together. If you do choose to get two, consider making one of them the eu2000i Companion model. By linking that with the regular eu2k you can draw the full amount of power. Here ya go... http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2000i-companion
Depends on the warmers, I have been down this road and did my research and tested a bit before buying my eu2000i. A set of Woodcraft dual temp warmers on a cold start run at 680 watts now Chicken Hawks run a bit higher at about 880 watts. I have successfully run 2 sets of warmers with my eu2000i my set ofc Woodcrafts and a set of chicken hawks without issue. Now if you had 2 sets of Chicken Hawks you may run into trouble.
I love the watt meter, best device for finding facts on the topic. I 2 have run 2 sets of warmers on several different brand 2000 watt warmers. but YMMV.
Without getting too technical, you have to watch out for the Power Factor. (That's another reading you can get from the kill-a-watt meter) Power Factor (PF) is the ratio between the resistive and inductive or capacitive components of the load. Pure resistance does not alter the phase of the Voltage to the Current. Inductive loads cause the voltage to lead the current, and capacitive loads cause the current to lead the voltage. PF is the sine of the angle between voltage and current. In practice, there is virtually always more inductive component than capacitive component to a load, so PF is usually between 0 and 1. Typical values are from .4 to .95 . So why do I care? Generators are rated in Volt-Amps, not Watts. If the Power Factor is 1.0, then Volt-Amps equal Watts. Most things have a power factor that is less than one, so they use more Volt-Amps than Watts. Volt Amps (VA) = Volts * Amps Watts(W) = Volts * Amps / Power Factor So if the Power Factor for a set of warmers was say, .85, then the Watts would be 680, but the Volt-Amps would be 680/.85 = 800 VA A typical power factor de-rating for general use is .8 or so, so that 1600VA becomes 1280W. That said, tire warmers are resistive heaters and probably have a PF in the .90 -.95 range. But it still is good practice to never load generators more than 80-85% of capacity when running for longer periods. Also, if you run your Hondas slightly over the rated load, they will burn a little oil.
As mentioned, the 2000 won't be enough for two sets. Even if it powers them, they won't get as hot and function as well because of the power constraint. The 3000+ would be ideal. Then you'll have a little extra to run fans, charge something, etc., without worry.
Found a Yamaha ef4500ise for a good price (less than two eu2000s) with 460 hours on it. Anyone have experience with the Yamahas? I assume they are just as reliable as the Hondas. Should I worry about the hours or do these things last forever?
I have a yamaha 2000, and I run Chickenhawk warmers, it is enough for 1 set only. As far as the yamaha, its equally as good as the honda
I have this generator and you'll probably get a few thousand hours on it before rebuild. New piston,ring, gasket etc. kit is only like 150 bucks,so they do last a LONG time.
just out of curiosity (and I do not race, only track days) what tracks do not have power? I also bought a Generator when I started track days, and have used it ONCE. in three years. As far as I know this is the power availability in the SE, most power to least. Jennings is the only track I worry about, very limited power. Road Atlanta Barber NOLA Tally Roebling Jennings I have not been to CMP or VIR in so long I have forgotten what they have. I am going to NCM this year so will update my information after that trip. If NCM has decent power then that means in the whole SE riding area, there is only one location with limited power. Is it a lot worse up north?