sjhanksaz
Arizona
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Joined: 04/21/2008
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I camp in the high mountains of Arizona and am looking for a generator that will run well at upwards of 9400 feet in elevation. I am looking into the Honda EB3000. I want a generator that will compensate for the altitude. One that will not need its jets exchanged for when I am in the valley of the sun or high in the pines. Any thoughts on the Honda or another perhaps cheaper solution?
I just returned a Kipor because it would need its jets changed out to work properly.
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bldrbuck
Boulder, Colorado
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Joined: 02/11/2001
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I doubt that you will find a generator that will function at 9400 feet without some changes. If I remember correctly the efficiency of generator or any fuel powered device decreases at a rate of 3% per 1000 feet of altitude.
The Honda EB3000 is not a really quiet generator. You would want either a Honda EU300I or a Yamaha EF3000 for quiet.
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Dixonmatco
Santa Rosa, California
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Someday generators will have fuel injection as standard equipment and the altitude problem will virtually disappear. Fuel injection has altitude compensation as a matter of design/operating principle. Currently they are one of the few remaining gasoline engine powered devices that still use a carburetor. It is only a matter of time.
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sjhanksaz
Arizona
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What about adding a propane conversion kit? A friend of mine has one on his Yamaha and it runs great everywhere.
The EB3000 is pretty loud eh
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Dixonmatco
Santa Rosa, California
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Now that is an interesting question.. Propane.. I would be interested in knowing if anyone here has the experience of using propane to run a generator at different altitudes and how much altitude has an effect on that setup.
The primary problem is that at high altitudes the amount of O2 is less, so you need less fuel to have the proper fuel/air ratio. All newer fuel injection engines use an oxygen sensor in the exaust to monitor fuel mixture and combustion, making adjustments through the computer. Some early fuel injection (Bosch) used a "barometric pressure sensor" to provide that input to the computer to regulate fuel flow at various altitudes.
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sjhanksaz
Arizona
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So the generator I had (kipor) rand great at home at about 1200 feet above sea level. I was up at 5000 feet and the dang thing took 6 pulls to start and it ran like crap. I ran it for about 7 minutes and adjusted the only adjustment screw on the carb. It did nothing. The generator would not make electric power ether. So I bagged it.
When I got home I expected the thing to start right up but it wouldn't. I checked the plug and it was a little black but sparked. Then I checked the gas and it was almost empty. It was full when we left. Something wasn't right. So I thought I'll check the oil. And guess what - all that gas was not in the crank case and it spewed out all over my driveway, pissed me off. The oil filler was such that it could not be over filled unless you layed the thing on it's side and dumped it in there.
So needless to say I took it back and got my money. The manual said at over 5000 feet a different Jet was needed. They were not kidding. I just wonder if if the High Altitude Jet would work at 9400 feet, another 4000 feet further than where I was.
Needless to say I am looking for something that will start and run in the high mountains, even at a lower out put. Charging batteries and a microwave are all I really need up there.
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ah64id
Idaho
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I have a EU2000 and it has spent much of its running time at 6K feet with the stock Jet. Thou a few years back we put the middle jet in, and it makes a big difference. I now have all 3 jets and use the 62 for 0-4K feet, the 60 for 4-7K feet and the 58 for 7K+... This will not only help on fuel use and power, but keeps the engine from overheating.
If it has a carb then it will either need an adjustable carb, haven't seen one on a gen set, or different jets. The jets on my 2000 take 1-2 minutes to change, not a big deal.
Changing the jets in winter when its COLD isn't as big a deal.. meaning I could probably run 0-6K on the stock jet and 6-9K on the middle and 9K+ on the small because the air is cooler and denser and can handle more fuel... but in the summer where the air is hot and thin its very important to keep the gen from overheating.
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sagexpman
Loveland, Colorado
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I have the honda 3000is and i run it at 9000 feet all the time with the factory jets with not problem. don't waste the money on rejetting without trying it first. should not have a problem
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pkunk
Questa, NM
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My old Onan Emerald 4000 has a carb adjustment that's good for 9000 ft. I've run it extensively here in the mountians (I live at 8200 and always go up) and never had a problem.
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ah64id
Idaho
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sagexpman wrote:I have the honda 3000is and i run it at 9000 feet all the time with the factory jets with not problem. don't waste the money on rejetting without trying it first. should not have a problem
They probably do run fine, but would use less fuel and run better with the jet... The Jets are cheap... Last time I was at Honda I spent $12 for two jets and a spark plug.
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