Hey guys, I am about to purchase the Honda eu2000 generator for mobile detailing. So far I have the vx5000 vapor steamer and a 1700psi pressure washer My question is do you think the 1600 watts will be enough? I tried to find the specs on the pressure washer but I haven't be able to get them so any advice will help. Thanks.
The pressure washer will require 3x what it uses when running to start it. I have that generator and a little 1500psi pwasher. I'll try later but I think Dan is right. You may need a bigger generator or plug in at your clients house.
You need to convert watts to amps, determine what your pressure washer needs which is probably at least 15 amps, then what the VX5000 needs, which is also at least 15 amps, and then you will know what you need in terms of electrical power from a generator. Now, surely you wont have both the pressure washer and the Steamer going full blast at the same time, but you always want to have a cushion of amps available so you dont overheat both the generator and the machine its powering.. The downside to getting a more powerful generator is that the size goes up, taking up more room in your vehicle, weighs more, etc.. Good luck with this - Dan F
I just bought 2 eu2000s and the parallel cords so I can get 4000 watts. Still doing some testing to ensure my mobile unit can be ran off those 2 units. -Kody-
Check the plug setup also on the generator. It usually has two regular outlets (just like you find in your house/garage) and then one that accepts a plug for more amperage, like an RV plug. I got a plug and had an electrician put together the plug with heavy duty wire with a 4 outlet box attached. This way I don't trip the fuse on the regular outlet (handles less amps) then the larger RV style plug And remember if you show up at a clients house and they have an exterior outlet and you plug something in that will draw more amps than the outlet can handle, you will blow the fuse which sucks if no one is home to re-set the breaker. Very important to know how much amps your equipment draws before using an outlet you're not sure of
Tessie -- I looked up the Honda EU2000i generator Owners Manual, and it says that the total amps output is 13.3 amps. Most electrical circuits found in a house are 15 amps. The VX5000 I think needs a 20 amp circuit, and the pressure washer needs at least a 15 amp circuit. I think these portable generators are used more for like running lights, small power tools, etc., but nothing that requires a minimum of 15 amps. Using something like this may cause as I have said earlier, will cause the generator to overheat and trip the circuit breaker and eventually die from constantly producing maximum load, and the tool being used, to overheat from not getting enough amperage to run as it is rated to run. This is why Kody above this post is thinking of running 2 of these in parallel which would equal 26.6 amps of power to run whatever he is wanting to use. So, you need to know how many amps your pressure washer and steamer require to run, compare the higher number to the number of amps your generator produces (in this case, 13.3 amps, and see if you are under this number, 13,3 amps. If not, you might want to think of using a bigger generator, or changing your strategy. I hope this helps - do you understand what Im saying in all this ? Let me know and I can try to explain it differently, ok ? DanF
