Definitely a smart move, going with the Honda EU20i.

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by Asia-Off-Grid, Apr 24, 2017.


Tags:
  1. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    Some of you may have read a thread or four of mine, regarding the Honda EU20i Inverter Generator.

    Unfortunately, I was unable to pick up both generators from the dealer when we went there. But, we did get one, fortunately. I will have to wait to return and get the second one, after we finish our ongoing projects at the farm.

    Now that I have one of them, at least, and have had the opportunity to run it a few hours (funny how living in a Third World Country does that for you), I would like to offer my opinion of this machine.

    I love it! This little jewel runs my inverter refrigerator and the rest of my apartment in the city (granted not many electrical draws are happening during the day, typically), without coming much off idle. Unfortunately, my air-con is not an inverter. So, I know it would not run that, too. (Yes, I realize an inverter air-con will still draw considerably more power than my refrigerator.)

    Anyway, starting it up and connecting the apartment circuits to it, as I stated, does not make it scream. In fact, you can barely hear the thing running at all, if you are over a few meters from it. We are able to sit outside the apartment, while having a normal voice level chat. No irritating loud generator noise. So, in short, I am definitely sold on it. Before I would replace it with another genset I found while in Phnom Penh - a 15 kva Denyo diesel generator, I would have to seriously think about it. I love its quiet running.

    Afterthought: To show you the ignorance of some people, my landlord is a guy about 27 years of age and a Khmer. We had the generator running one morning, during a power cut. Anyway, he made it a point to tell the boss that it wasn't a good quality generator and would not last very long. I couldn't help but laugh when she told me what he said. (I wish I had $.05¢ US for every one of these sold for a year, throughout the World.)

    Many Khmers buy those cheap-arsed Chinese gensets which last maybe a year, vibrate like a one cylinder motorcycle, and are as loud as a screaming banshee. He's also one of these guys who is 27, yet has about 40 years experience at everything under the Sun. I can't wait to move to the farm.
     
  2. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    Nice review, considering a genset myself and this one just made the list... Thanks!
     
  3. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Asia-Off-Grid, Seepalaces and techsar like this.
  4. Olympic mountain man

    Olympic mountain man just a lonely cook

    I WORK FOR A JOHN DEERE DEALER AND WE SEEL HONDA POWER EQUIPMENT PM ME IF YOUGUYS EVER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AND IT IS GETTING INTO THE BUSY SEASON SO IT MIGHT BE A BIT GETTING BACK BUT I WILL GET BACK TO YOU
     
  5. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    @Motomom34 and better fuel economy on top of it all!
     
  6. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    Had one of these for years, along with my China engine/ST Head 15KW genset (Diesel). Typically during an outage, we run the 15kw to heat a tank of water, cool down the house, and run the washer, for a total of around an hour a day. The rest of the time we get creature comforts from the 'ol Honda which gives us lights, charges the radio batteries and phones, and keeps the fridge cold. The last 3 day outage cost me $15 in fuel. The inverter gennys are something to seriously think about. Glad you got one Asia!
     
  7. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    I had one that I bought @ a garage sale 50$ Smoked bad , just had a service tag on it & bill for 150$ & said it needed an overhaul !!
    Sure !! I live in lack of knowledge & no schooling , testosterone teaching in the kitchen party's !!
    I did an oil change , fill cyl with chem that eats coke , let sit over night . Next day , fire since the chem has moved from cyl into crankcase , & load to 750 watts with a heat gun , did that 3 times FIXED !!
    They need a load of 1/3 to keep tight !!


    2000 watt also I did same way . Run synthetic 5w40 or 10w 40in high temps . change when dark brown & drop the oil into the fuel tank to burn on a fresh refill
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2017
  8. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    Like Tempstar stated, you could run the larger one when you have heavier loads to deal with, then - maybe later in the evening, run the small genset to run lighter loads you may need. You can't go wrong with inverter technology. I even found a welding machine here, that supposedly has inverter tech in it. Not sure how that works out, but I may give 'er a shot to find out.

    Mine looks identical to the unit in that flier. But, it has typical 120vac type receptacles, like those we use in the US.

    I used to do that on one of my solar arrays. I would run a larger inverter during the day, and a smaller one at night.
    I am pretty happy to have found a dealer who will supply them (generators) for me, as well. I definitely want a second one, though.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2017
    Motomom34 likes this.
  9. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    @Cruisin Sloth
    Are you saying you dump the used oil into the fuel tank of your generator? Or, did I misunderstand something in your post?
     
  10. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Yes , thats what I have always done to use up the old oil & keep the engine clean . You have no cat converter to worry about .Diesels they same. If i run a gen daily then it would get a monthly oil change or more depends on the quality of the fuel .My crankcases are clean or a very light tinge of tan .Oil is cheaper than metal . Sloth
     
    oldawg likes this.
  11. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Disposing of used oil in a gasoline engine as a fuel additive, well, yep, can be done, and I've done it. The key is making sure that the oil is diluted and dispersed in the gasoline. To a point, the amount of gas in the tank matters, a couple quarts in a 10 gallon tank might present no problems where it would in (say) a AoG's Honda. (If I had a diesel, I would not hesitate, but would surely try to start with a full tank---) That said, don't do it with really cruddy sat in the sump too long oil, use that to start bonfires only. On regularly maintained equipment, no problem. I can't say that I'd do it with modern electronic combustion control vehicles, since there are sensors that will foul with dirty gas. Let common sense govern your experiments.
     
    Asia-Off-Grid likes this.
  12. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    When i lived on the dessert we had solar ,but during the winter months the sun was low on the horizon so we use a small engine alternator to maintain the battery bank.
    If you convert to battery and inverter for AC, and your lighting to DC, and LED ,you will need less fuel to operate the system.
    During the times power is grid available ,it can be charging the battery bank (via battery charger) ,and then when the grid fails, your still good to go with the battery system, and only need to fire up the generator if you've spent the battery system. thus saving fuel and the wear and tear on the gen. as well .
    I personally would not put engine oil in the fuel on a gas engine , 2 stoke oil may be , it's designed for the job . engine oils don't do well under combustion.
     
    Asia-Off-Grid likes this.
  13. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    Agreed. This has always been my view as well. Otherwise, I picture smokey exhaust and a fouled spark plug.
     
  14. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    That IS the correct view. That said, dilute it enough and no harm will come. I still would NOT do it with any of these computer controlled engine management units.
     
    Asia-Off-Grid likes this.
  15. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    I have a Longevity Welding TIG/Stick machine that uses an inverter. Works like my old 400# Miller used to, but weighs only about 40#.
     
    Asia-Off-Grid likes this.
  16. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    Same size as the one I am looking at.
     
  17. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    I guess, according to the "boss", there could be a positive outcome. Mosquito control for her. :D
     
  18. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Disagree , Been in the trade sine the 60's , Don't do this to your Catted car ..
    It makes the HO2s and the cat have a fit.

    His eu1000 is .6 of a gallon US , oil in engine is .3/4 of a Litre or Quart !!
    Honda EU1000i Model Info | Super Quiet 1000 Watt Inverter Generator | Honda Generators

    His run time per fill is 2.5 hrs or so . Im saying Pour the drained oil hot from the fill plug of 3/4 of a L into the fuel filling CAN /JUG of the gen set .

    I didn't think i needed to get this deep on such an EZ thing , there is no fuel filter on these as I've seen , & the oil helps in keeping the parts lubed . You will not see a fog machine from doing this.

    And since were on fuel , 2 stroke fuel as in premix oils are not the same as crankcase lube oils, but if your using the cheap gas with 10%++ alcohol added , the alcohol will NOT suspend the oil & cause a problem on 2 strokes & premixed 4 strokes (no crankcase ) . I use 94oct fuel Alcohol free & pure Synthetic oils in everything , but the excavator of 1970s , she gets straight 30 SAE , fuel pump lube in the fuel.
     
    oldawg likes this.
  19. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    He has a carb , not any fuel injectors , But then again , my Diesels do have injectors & they have had no problem after 1000 of hrs .
    My old car had 750k miles on it when the body was rotten , this one has 600+k on it since 1988 (work car ) Cat pulled , fancy HO2s wiring I did to get lean burn for engine over the stock settings of rich for engine & cat .
    One flip & im lean for hwy speeds & maintain , this system gets used oil , the new 20XX Volvo C70CH is straight 94 fuel .
    My fuel injected bikes get the old oil also , mixed into the filling jug /tank
     
  20. Asia-Off-Grid

    Asia-Off-Grid RIP 11-8-2018

    No real difference than an engine with bad rings, blowing smoke out the exhaust. Sorry, Sloth. Gotta disagree with you, here.
     
  1. techsar
  2. Benjamin A. Wood
  3. Asia-Off-Grid
  4. Asia-Off-Grid
  5. Asia-Off-Grid
  6. Asia-Off-Grid
  7. Asia-Off-Grid
  8. Asia-Off-Grid
  9. Asia-Off-Grid
    Resource

    Generator FAQ 2001

    Generator FAQ, By Steve Dunlop. [img]
    Posted By: Asia-Off-Grid, Jul 19, 2018 in category: Energy
  10. Asia-Off-Grid
  11. BenP
  12. BenP
  13. Thunder5Ranch
  14. T. Riley
  15. Rsparks
  16. Adam_L
  17. T. Riley
  18. Asia-Off-Grid
  19. Thunder5Ranch
  20. oil pan 4
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7