Running Compressor with Portable Generator

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My 12yr old generator is toast (again) this year. Definitely not looking to do another rebuild, and the nasty fall season is upon me here in the PNW - so I figure that it's time to upgrade to a new quiet Honda.


I'm probably looking to get a 2200i. the amperage rating is 18.3A, but I'm wondering if anyone here has ran a single phase compressor off of something this this one? I would be powering my Daystate LC110, which draws anywhere from 9-13A when I tested it through my metered battery backup UPS's.

Any feedback would be appreciated
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So motor or generator part dead???

If generator then why not rig the good motor and the airpump up in a simple rig with a belt and pulleys for suitable RPM???

Have the axle of the airpump lengthned an a pulley added and you could make it permanent.

So good engine is in a fixed cradle with spacers for airpump (with permenant pulley) and hey presto you can pump without electricity at will.



Sorry just a brainfart!

God only knows my mental train does'nt stop at all stations!
 
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OK. Test Complete.

Testing the LC-110 compressor running on a Honda EU2000is Companion generator. ECO throttle off (full speed). Elevation a couple hundred feet above sea level. Temperature about 75F. Compressor connected to a 68 cubic inch / 1.1 liter paintball tank at about 2200 psi. This small carbon fiber tank is rated for 4500 psi operating pressure and holds about 340 liters of compressed air. The condensate drain valve is open to minimize load on the compressor during startup, and the compressor is turned off.

The generator was started and warmed up. The start button on the compressor was pushed. The LC-110 failed to latch into run the first time, the start button had to be held long enough for the voltage to recover to latch in the run relay (this happens occasionally on standard power if the button is pushed and released too quickly). It did recover and ran normally. The generator overload LED was blinking, but it did not cut the output power which it does when overload continues. This indicates the starting surge was large but brief. The blinking went out a little later.

The compressor was allowed to run for a minute or so to distribute the oil. The condensate tower drain valve was closed and pressure started building. There's a one-way valve on the paintball tank, so no sequential valving is required. Pressure built up in the compressor until the pressure maintaining valve opened at 1900 psi, then began flowing into the paintball tank when it's 2200 psi was exceeded. This continued for several minutes (I did not time it) until the generator overload tripped and the compressor stopped at 3200 psi.

This is not too surprising, the generator is rated for 13.3 amps, so when the load crossed over that it tripped electronically. The generator engine continues to run but no power is present at the output.

Unfortunately this doesn't precisely predict whether the 2200 generator will do the job. There is little question that two Honda 2000's ganged together would be fine, they can handle 26 amps which is more than the 3000 Honda that I already successfully tested.

Additionally, higher elevation will reduce engine output and I have seen RV air conditioners that ran fine at home fail to work at 5000 feet elevation. Generally it is assumed that 3% output power per thousand feet is lost.


 
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@Alan_B - awesome info! I definitely appreciate that test and feedback.

I bought a new EU2200i from Home Depot today. Had a discount that basically saved me my state's ridiculous sales tax. I'm considering getting a second one - mainly for extended power outages at home, but a pair of them would be real nice.

I just topped off my Great White with the LC-110 and this little generator. The cold startup made the overload light come on briefly, around 200 milliseconds I'd say, but it started right up. I topped off my tank from 4000psi to just under 4500psi, the RPMs jumped here and there on the Honda, but the light never came on.


I don't think I want to power the compressor often with this generator with that brief overload at the startup. That can't be good for the inverter right? Here's a quick video I shot of the action after the compressor was warmed and filling my tank:

https://youtu.be/Z5KFc8KQX5I
 
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My 12yr old generator is toast (again) this year. Definitely not looking to do another rebuild, and the nasty fall season is upon me here in the PNW - so I figure that it's time to upgrade to a new quiet Honda.


I'm probably looking to get a 2200i. the amperage rating is 18.3A, but I'm wondering if anyone here has ran a single phase compressor off of something this this one? I would be powering my Daystate LC110, which draws anywhere from 9-13A when I tested it through my metered battery backup UPS's.

Any feedback would be appreciated
1f60e.svg
Click to expand...


So motor or generator part dead???

If generator then why not rig the good motor and the airpump up in a simple rig with a belt and pulleys for suitable RPM???

Have the axle of the airpump lengthned an a pulley added and you could make it permanent.

So good engine is in a fixed cradle with spacers for airpump (with permenant pulley) and hey presto you can pump without electricity at will.



Sorry just a brainfart!

God only knows my mental train does'nt stop at all stations!
Click to expand...

No need to apologize for a clever idea! I could probably make that work too 🤔
 
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I saw a portable gas powered HPA compressor years ago that was used by a diver. It had a electric clutch assembly similar to that found on a automotive air conditioner that was connected to the pressure switch. He also had a hose about 50 feet long that was attached to the intake so there was no chance of any carbon monoxide could get in the fill air. You could do the same with a centrifugal clutch and throttle control and would not have to worry about the intake air.
 
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I could hear it rev up almost like you had the eco throttle on? I have a EU1000i and most of my yard equipment is all honda, totally sold on Honda.

I highly recommend when you shut it down and do not intend on using it for awhile, shut off the fuel and let it run out of gas. Last year I pulled out my EU1000i which I had not used in 5 plus years and it started on the 2nd pull.

That said Yamaha makes a 2400, that may be a better fit? But you made the right choice with Honda, I have talked to more than one person during extended power outages that bought brand spanking new non honda generators, changed the oil every day and dead in one week or less. 

Sounds like you need to come down on your Power Company and contact the PUC if you are having that many outages.
 
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One other thing - run ethanol free gas in your small engines if they sit. The ethanol attracts water into the fuel and it creates problems if not run frequently. Finding ethanol free gas is problematic in some areas.

The EU2000's don't have a separate fuel valve so they can't easily be run dry. The 2200's and 3000's do have it. Sounds like the 2200 is a good choice for this, or even better a pair of them. I like my dual 2000's for continuous power, run one, start the second, shutdown the first for fueling, etc, and alternate like that every 8-12 hours (as long as one can handle the load). Run both for those moments a larger set of loads demand it.
 
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One other thing - run ethanol free gas in your small engines if they sit. The ethanol attracts water into the fuel and it creates problems if not run frequently. Finding ethanol free gas is problematic in some areas.

The EU2000's don't have a separate fuel valve so they can't easily be run dry. The 2200's and 3000's do have it. Sounds like the 2200 is a good choice for this, or even better a pair of them. I like my dual 2000's for continuous power, run one, start the second, shutdown the first for fueling, etc, and alternate like that every 8-12 hours (as long as one can handle the load). Run both for those moments a larger set of loads demand it.
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Yeah I live in one of those areas 😭. I usually just run the carb dry and keep the tank empty until I need to use it. I couldn't get mine to stall though, let it run for almost 15 mins with the cap in the Off position, but it kept on running. Kind of sucks.
 
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There needs to be a fuel shutoff valve, I think the 2200 has one, the 2000 does not.

The other way is to shut off and open the float bowl drain screw and drain the carburetor. It is not hard to do, there are videos on the net.
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I heard something along those lines too. Figured they had to have done something to make it easy for long term storage and whatnot. I just need to spend an hour or two with it soon, and learn it inside and out. Despite my last comment, I have no regrets picking this one! I always liked those 2000's .. my old generator wasn't nearly as portable as this little guy, so I am definitely going to get the most out of it any chance I get hehe

@Str8shooter - yep. The RPMs were up and down. Consistent like a sine wave with a ~3-4 second amplitude between peaks. 
 
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I have heard that the linking of different sized generators does work. The linking system doesn't know what size it is linking with. The real question is how the generators share the load. I don't know the answer to that. If the load is light, sharing should work fine. This would be useful for continuous operation swapping between the generators for refueling, etc. It would probably be worth looking around to see what folks have tried and what works.
 
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