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Old 04-29-2016, 11:41 AM   #1
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New Inverter Generator on Market

This one has caught my attention. LIFAN Energy Storm 7000-Watt 389cc Gasoline Powered Electric/Remote Start Digital Inverter Generator, Electronic Fuel Injected-ESI7000iER-EFI - The Home Depot

Close to pulling the trigger. Just wish there were more reviews on it. Only two on Home Depot's site. One loves it and the other guy didn't like the fact it wasn't set up with 240V. I don't need 240v. Anyone else familiar with this one?

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Old 04-29-2016, 09:31 PM   #2
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My 2 cents....

From a specification standpoint there are two things that jumped out at me. The first is that fuel consumption doesn't seem to be listed correctly in the specs. The fuel rate (GPH) at rated capacity is the same as at 50% based on tank size and run time. That's highly unlikely to be the case. It's probably correct at 50% power but at 100% I'd expect burning more fuel. It's probably a typo in specs.

Weight is significant too. I'm guessing it would take two strong men to lift it. For comparison I looked at 2,000/1,600 watt model and it weighs almost twice as much as a Honda (kind of the standard). Noise level for that 2,000-watt size generator is a little higher than a Honda also.


If I were looking to buy, I'd research how much fuel it burns at lower power levels. Honda and others list fuel burn rate at 25% of rated power, which in the case of such a large generator would be important for me to know. Normally the lower the power output the lower the efficiency, so oversizing the generator may cost a little more in fuel (which may be insignificant if you don't run it much).
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Old 04-29-2016, 10:08 PM   #3
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My 2 cents

Get 2 Honda 2000's.
They will run everything you need. If you don't need AC then you more than likely will only need one. Proven, quiet and reliable. You can load and unload easily. Can carry one in each hand.
Most of my friends sold their Honda 3000's and bought 2 2000's.
Mayberry usually has a deal for 2 with the 30 amp breaker on one with the connecting wires.
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Old 04-30-2016, 08:57 AM   #4
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If you have the 220V dryer option you will want the 220V gen. I have the Commercial Cummins/Onan 6500 it really works well!

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Old 04-30-2016, 12:19 PM   #5
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Cummins, How long does this run on one of the 40# tanks? I know it depends on the load you have on it, but in general. Looked at a used 2013 MS the other day and it only had 6 hours on the hour meter.
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Old 04-30-2016, 03:30 PM   #6
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My sister's fairly new 5500-watt LPG Onan on her trailer has this rating:

1.8 pounds/hour at no load

3.3 pounds/hour at 50% load

4.6 pounds/hour at 100% load

Running two air conditioners steady on a hot day will go through a 40-pound tank pretty fast. They were disappointed because it didn't last nearly as long as the sales guy told them. Checking specs showed he was full of it.
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Old 04-30-2016, 04:23 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tneagle View Post
This one has caught my attention. LIFAN Energy Storm 7000-Watt 389cc Gasoline Powered Electric/Remote Start Digital Inverter Generator, Electronic Fuel Injected-ESI7000iER-EFI - The Home Depot

Close to pulling the trigger. Just wish there were more reviews on it. Only two on Home Depot's site. One loves it and the other guy didn't like the fact it wasn't set up with 240V. I don't need 240v. Anyone else familiar with this one?
If you want reviews...go to Amazon and paste in your description of that unit...there are several choices and all have reviews.
LIFAN Energy Storm 7000-Watt 389cc Gasoline Powered
showing this on Amazon..unfortunately, no reviews on that particular unit..many reviews of LIFANs other units
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Old 04-30-2016, 04:37 PM   #8
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When I bought my 40ft 5er with 50 amp service I bought a Kipor 6000 watt inverter generator that looks very similar to that one but it was yellow. I sold it soon after due to it would not run my trailer with both A/C's on.
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Old 04-30-2016, 11:59 PM   #9
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There is also a lot of difference between common air conditioners. Some 15,000 BTU/hr units can pull 2,000 watts or more depending on operating conditions. And some energy efficient 13,500 BTU/hr units supposedly pull just over 10 Amps at rated capacity, or around 1,200 watts.

Air conditioners' starting-current requirements also vary a bunch which affects needed generator size.

For owners who are going to power air conditioners from generators on a regular basis, it may make sense to pay a premium for high efficiency ACs up front to save it later on smaller generator and fuel costs.
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Old 05-01-2016, 12:56 PM   #10
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Cummins, How long does this run on one of the 40# tanks? I know it depends on the load you have on it, but in general. Looked at a used 2013 MS the other day and it only had 6 hours on the hour meter.
Honestly I don't remember. It is thirsty! But that is with two AC's running along with other things.
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Old 05-01-2016, 01:19 PM   #11
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We had an 09 Elite with a 5500 watt Onan that used two 40lb tanks of propane in 23 hours pulling 2 15K btu Dometic AC's and normal equipment on board like coffee pot, tv's, lights and refrigerator. This was during very hot weather in Alabama so the AC's were operating at full capacity most of the time. We now have 2 of the 2000 watt Honda's we carry in our 2015 Moble Suite.
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Old 05-01-2016, 11:04 PM   #12
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We had an 09 Elite with a 5500 watt Onan that used two 40lb tanks of propane in 23 hours pulling 2 15K btu Dometic AC's and normal equipment on board like coffee pot, tv's, lights and refrigerator. This was during very hot weather in Alabama so the AC's were operating at full capacity most of the time. We now have 2 of the 2000 watt Honda's we carry in our 2015 Moble Suite.
I assume you will only run one AC at a time with the Honda's?

I can run all three AC's but I need to shut some other things off.
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Old 05-02-2016, 02:15 AM   #13
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I wasn't aware Honda made an inverter generator as large as 7,000 watt max/5,500 watt rated power, which serves as a more direct comparison.

Honda EU7000i Model Info | Super Quiet 7000 Watt Inverter Generator | Honda Generators

The Honda is a lot more expensive at $4,500 MSRP, but has 220-volt capability and larger 5.1-gallon fuel tank. The main advantage I see to this Honda (other than Honda reputation) is that it should run one air conditioner throughout the night without having to refuel.

Honda 2,000/1,600 generators with 0.95-gallon fuel tanks require refueling more often. Even if they could run a small AC they probably wouldn't make it through the night unless Honda makes a 2,000-watt model with a larger fuel tank that I'm not aware of.
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Old 05-02-2016, 11:53 AM   #14
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Chance,

There are a LOT of tank options available to extend the run time on the Honda generators (or any other for that matter). You can even get a Honda that is modified as a tri-fuel to run gasoline, propane or natural gas for different options depending on your fuel supply.
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Old 05-02-2016, 01:42 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chance View Post
I wasn't aware Honda made an inverter generator as large as 7,000 watt max/5,500 watt rated power, which serves as a more direct comparison.

Honda EU7000i Model Info | Super Quiet 7000 Watt Inverter Generator | Honda Generators

The Honda is a lot more expensive at $4,500 MSRP, but has 220-volt capability and larger 5.1-gallon fuel tank. The main advantage I see to this Honda (other than Honda reputation) is that it should run one air conditioner throughout the night without having to refuel.

Honda 2,000/1,600 generators with 0.95-gallon fuel tanks require refueling more often. Even if they could run a small AC they probably wouldn't make it through the night unless Honda makes a 2,000-watt model with a larger fuel tank that I'm not aware of.
2 Honda 2000's ($2000) hooked together equals 4000 watts. They sell a kit to hook up a 6,12,20 gallon tank to run them as long as you want and if not running AC, just run one saving gas. Lightweight too.
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Old 05-02-2016, 03:21 PM   #16
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2 Honda 2000's ($2000) hooked together equals 4000 watts. They sell a kit to hook up a 6,12,20 gallon tank to run them as long as you want and if not running AC, just run one saving gas. Lightweight too.
Thanks for feedback. I would only need one to run AC on my van, so that would keep it simple and cheap (~$1,000). Unfortunately where I would need it most they don't allow portable generators (at football games).

Hopefully I can replace my van before too long with a motorhome that has built-in generator, so it doesn't make much sense to upgrade anything on my old van.

By the way, these Hondas are only rated at 1,600 watt continuos, so two of them are only 3,200 watts combined. This is also important when estimating fuel burn rate because they are listed based on "rated" capacity, presumably the 1,600-watt capacity.
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Old 05-02-2016, 11:48 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by hardinkr View Post
We had an 09 Elite with a 5500 watt Onan that used two 40lb tanks of propane in 23 hours pulling 2 15K btu Dometic AC's and normal equipment on board like coffee pot, tv's, lights and refrigerator. This was during very hot weather in Alabama so the AC's were operating at full capacity most of the time. We now have 2 of the 2000 watt Honda's we carry in our 2015 Moble Suite.

I would be interested if you can run both Hondas and have the trailer accept more than 13 amps. On my 2015 MS the transfer switch will accept only one generator and will cut out the power of the second one. I called Surgeguard and they verified that the parallel hook up will not work with their Transfer switch. How did you do it?
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Old 05-03-2016, 01:23 AM   #18
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I would be interested if you can run both Hondas and have the trailer accept more than 13 amps. On my 2015 MS the transfer switch will accept only one generator and will cut out the power of the second one. I called Surgeguard and they verified that the parallel hook up will not work with their Transfer switch. How did you do it?
Do you have a 50 amp, 240 volt receptacle in the front of your coach? I can run pretty much anything into that plug with the proper adapter.
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Old 05-03-2016, 01:39 AM   #19
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Do you have a 50 amp, 240 volt receptacle in the front of your coach? I can run pretty much anything into that plug with the proper adapter.
Yes I do. I plug the paralleled Honda Companion into the front 50 amp and only line one will show current draw on the current meter in the coach.. The transfer switch cuts the other line off. It thinks it is protecting the trailer. I can hook up my non inverter generator with no problems getting the full power.. I can hook up one 2000 or one 3000 and it works great. Before someone asks, yes I have the Honda kit and yes I have the ground bonding plug in the generator. Surgeguard says the only way to get the parallel inverter generators full power is to bypass the transfer switch. I am not going to do that. I might forget to switch it back and really get some bad power
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Old 05-03-2016, 09:26 AM   #20
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So...back to my question I'm not concerned about the weight. I will be mounting this on my swivel wheel trailer. It has 6500 running watts. No need to parallel. Fuel injected so attitudes won't effect it. And I do not need 240V. Homedepot offers an additional 3 yr. Warranty for $280. This kicks in after the manufacturers warranty is over. All this for the same cost of two Honda 2000's with the kit. Any other comments on this one?
Thanks
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