Hi Crashtac

Welcome to the playground

The way they rate most generators is in VA or voltamps, this is a trigonometric function (the hypotenuse) of AC power. 3000VA should be enough to run the aircon as it mostly draws about 10 amps at normal .8 power factor.

We have a honda 2000VA ultra quiet genny, they are expensive but worth every cent. It handles our aicon (aircommand ibis) However its main use is to charge the batteries on a dull (not good for solar day).

If you are using your genny all the time, I suggest you get a genny of the same as your old one at least 3000VA, thats about 2600W in usable power (10 and a bit amps).

Bottom line without the technical jibber jabber, new genny should be 2000VA at least.

Be good

Andrew, 

given that your Yamaha (also a good respected brand) will not run your Air Con, makes it sound as if your air con is especially heavy on power. It may be that your air con may need some attention, or maybe the addition of a soft start option.

Most roof top airconditioners are not very efficient anyway, and they typically need a large amount of current for a short period to start the compressor. The new Air Command Ibis is supposed to be good, and from what I have read here the older units, particularly Dometics appear to have problem when running from either a generator or an inverter.

I would suggest finding a generator sales outlet that will let you take your van there, and try it before you buy it.

Make sure you DO NOT have the Hot water service on at the same time as the Air Con..

check that before you go out and buy a new Gennie....

Is all the advice I'm going to say....


I'm Anti Gennie's ....


I hate the Sound and the smells they give off..

Juergen

Thought of larger unit installed ? Semi permanently ? The price of that Yamaha is getting near a Onan generator ..

PeterD wrote:

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Is this the model you have? It has a rated output of 2.8 KVA. If that will not run your aircon then I doubt that any of the others that vanners commonly carry will not do the job. You will have to get a bigger one that will not be particularly portable.

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 G'Day Peter thanks for the reply, yes that is the generator I have, I am thinking it may be a problem with it, so I am going to find some place that can test it, I bought it second hand and it had had a lot of work so maybe it needs a service.

I actually am not sure of the make of our aircon, our van is a 2013 Jayco Sterling and we have only done one small trip since we bought it last year, I have to say I am not really happy with Jayco and definately will never go to Gawler Caravans for work again after it took aver 3 months for them to do some insurance and warrenty work on our van which they never completed anyway.

Anyway oops for that back to subject, as I said I am thinking it may just be a gen fault when I first bought it it would run my small gasless mig if I used it in short loads now it wont and the engine does not increase revs up to a high idle so in for a service it will go.

Cheers and thanks  Andrew