Generator ?

coreymg51

coreymg51

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Hey Guys
Ive had my mobile detail biz for a a lil over 2 years now and im always looking for ways to save space ( normally so i can carry more products haha)but ive been running a briggs and stratton storm responder 5500 watt generator and havent had any problems but its huge take up alot of space in my trailer and is very loud. just wondering if i could use a generator like this Amazon.com: Briggs & Stratton 030473 2,000 Watt Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator: Patio, Lawn & Garden

i only run my shop vac and pcxp and hardly ever longer then an hour at a time and never at the same time. this just looks very small and i would think it wouldnt be as loud also.
 
First, use the customers power, if you can't look into Honda generators quiet, small, and run forever :)
 
well 9 times out of 10 i dont have access to water or power. i understand that a honda generator is a great buy and thats prob what ill go with just wondering how much wattage i need to run just my vac and PC dont want to spend hundreds of dollars get out to a job start the generator and it wont run my stuff bc i dont have enough wattage.
 
Add up your current draw (amps) and multiply by voltage (110) and you'll get the wattage you need to drive what you have. I use a 3000w gen and it's strong enough to run what I want when I want to run it.
 
I've got a coleman powermate 1850. It runs my vacuum, electric pressure washer and my polisher with no problems. Ofcourse I use the items individually. Fairly quite and much less expensive than a honda. Been using it for two years with only a few oil changes and minor tuneups.

Saw a nice looking ryobi at the home depot the other day. Lite weight and quite. Around $500. Not sure about reliability.
 
Nice pics. What is the amp load rating on your pressure washer and your water pump? Do these need to run at the same time? I assuming these are both 115v?
 
well thats not my mobile set up this is mine. sorry i know its a lil dirty and unorganized at the moment but its been a long week of work
 
coreymg51 said:
well thats not my mobile set up this is mine. sorry i know its a lil dirty and unorganized at the moment but its been a long week of work
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Oops. That looks fantastic. I hope you have that rig insured! Very nice.

I asked about your inductive load (motorized) equipment amp ratings because you are going to have some pretty heavy startup loads depending on your equipment. A 12 amp compressor can pull about 30 amps for 1-3 seconds as it builds RPM. The commercial generators handle these loads better.
 
thanks the rig is most def insured that was one of the first thing i did haha. im always moving things around and changing the inside around to help with efficiency and more room for more products. how do i find out about my amps my equipment is pulling but like i said before the only things that i use on the generator is the vac and my porter cable 7424xp other than that there has been nothing else ever put on the generator that i bought when i lived in FL for hurricanes but never used it so when i opened up my mobile biz just throw it in there and now its just so big and loud. i don't mind spending the money on a Honda just want to be sure i wont have any problems running my equipment. thanks for your help and sorry if i dont know what im talking about haha
 
coreymg51 said:
thanks the rig is most def insured that was one of the first thing i did haha. im always moving things around and changing the inside around to help with efficiency and more room for more products. how do i find out about my amps my equipment is pulling but like i said before the only things that i use on the generator is the vac and my porter cable 7424xp other than that there has been nothing else ever put on the generator that i bought when i lived in FL for hurricanes but never used it so when i opened up my mobile biz just throw it in there and now its just so big and loud. i don't mind spending the money on a Honda just want to be sure i wont have any problems running my equipment. thanks for your help and sorry if i dont know what im talking about haha
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Check your vac for an amps rating near where the power cord attaches to it. There should be a UL stamp somewhere with an amp rating.

The porter cable is 4.5 amps which is ~500 watts. As a rule of thumb, for inductive loads you should have a generator rated to provide 3X the rated continuous power of the motor. Thus, 1500watts would be a conservative and safe minimum peak rating for you generator. You could get away with less because the PC is not like a compressor which has a ton initial mechanical resistance. If you were running a 10amp pressure washer off a generator, you would definitely need a generator capable of providing 30 peak amps or 3500 watts.
 
im not running a pressure washer off the generator i have a gas honda gx 160 for my pressure washer and love it there would be noway i would change to an electric pressure washer. i just looked on my vac and it says 120v 10.0a and 60hz
 
coreymg51 said:
im not running a pressure washer off the generator i have a gas honda gx 160 for my pressure washer and love it there would be noway i would change to an electric pressure washer. i just looked on my vac and it says 120v 10.0a and 60hz
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I know you're not looking to run a pressure washer, I was just trying to illustrate the different between "heavy" and "light" inductive loads.

Shop vacs have very high speed low torque motors and that spin up in seconds (low start-up resistance) so you probably only need about 2x the rated current to be safe; 20amps = 2300 watts surge rating. The surge is very short so I would expect this little 1600/2000watt briggs would be up for the task, but this is going to be about the limit for it as far as inductive loads go. I suspect a normal-sized generator can give more surge on startup because it has more rotating mass than these compact units, but I think you will be okay.
 
ok i see. so say i go with the honda eu3000is which is 3000 watts i should be ok with running what i have? i want to thank you jbgrant for all your help i know im not the ezest person to explane things to haha. im just really looking for a smaller and quieter generator. just hard to talk to a potential customer with it running in the back ground
 
coreymg51 said:
ok i see. so say i go with the honda eu3000is which is 3000 watts i should be ok with running what i have? i want to thank you jbgrant for all your help i know im not the ezest person to explane things to haha. im just really looking for a smaller and quieter generator. just hard to talk to a potential customer with it running in the back ground
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Yes you could definitely run your 10 amp vac and a 4.5 amp PC (and more) without any trouble on the honda unit of that size.
 
ok if that would be more than enough then could i get away with getting the honda eu2000 which is 2000watts or is that not enough i know u said something about 2300 watts
 
coreymg51 said:
ok if that would be more than enough then could i get away with getting the honda eu2000 which is 2000watts or is that not enough i know u said something about 2300 watts
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Well, look at it like this: If you go with the 1600/2000 honda, you won't be able to ever run a 10 amp flex DA or a makita rotary or upgrade to a stronger vac in the future. Also, you will limited to working with one device at a time which is fine if you never have somebody helping you out.

The 16.7amp surge on the eu2000 should be able to start your 10 amp shop vac, but I can't say 100%.
 
jbgrant said:
Well, look at it like this: If you go with the 1600/2000 honda, you won't be able to ever run a 10 amp flex DA or a makita rotary or upgrade to a stronger vac in the future. Also, you will limited to working with one device at a time which is fine if you never have somebody helping you out.

The 16.7amp surge on the eu2000 should be able to start your 10 amp shop vac, but I can't say 100%.
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ok that help out alot bc i do plan on upgrading to a flex and a makita in the near future and ive also been trying out employees for a few months now been thro 5 guys and it seems like everyone wants a job but no one wants to actually work. i never knew it was so hard to vac out a car
 
Looking for a good Generator or portable inverter to power a flex 3401, karcher pressure washer,PC 7424XP, RIDGID WET/DRY VAC most one item at a time but at times two items together, what be the best wattage wise?
 
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