Adequate for essential, inexpensive, emergency home back-up power
Written: Jul 09 '05 (Updated Jul 10 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Affordable, sufficient to power a refrigerator + small room air conditioner, small size.
Cons: VERY LOUD, like a lawnmower. No wheels so it's heavy to move.
The Bottom Line: The Honda EN2500 is a good choice for homeowners wanting emergency power for a few essential appliances. It's small, it's affordable, it's a Honda.
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| famousdavis's Full Review: Honda Generator Eu1000i |
I live in South Florida, and after having two hurricanes blow through our area in the fall of 2004, and after having a total of 12 days without power, I thought I'd like to have a backup generator available to me and my family for this and future hurricane seasons.
I did plenty of research for months leading up to my purchase decision, which was the Honda EN2500. I'll tell you what my purchase constraints were, what my preferences are, and the benefits and drawbacks of the Honda EN2500.
For my constraints, they were:
1) Price; it had to be affordable (under $1000)
2) Size; it had to be small and easily stowed
3) Power; it had to run my refrigerator and a small room A/C
4) Tank capacity; it had to run all night without adding fuel
5) Weight; it had to be relatively easy to move around
My preferences were:
1) Sound; I preferred a quieter model that didn't sound like a lawn mower
2) Name recognition; I preferred a premium name brand over a lesser-known brand or a no-name brand
3) Essential appliances; I preferred to run BOTH a refrigerator AND a small room air conditioner simultaneously, but I would settle for running them at different times of the day if I had to ('fridge during the day, room A/C at night).
When I did my research, I was very enthusiastic about the super-quiet models from Honda and Yamaha (the Honda EU2000i and the Yamaha EF2400iS, for example). These generators are super quiet, easily transported, could be used for camping (and I like camping). They have two main drawbacks, though: low power and VERY expensive (compared with other makes and models offering similar watts). In the end, I couldn't justify spending $1000 or more on a backup generator that I likely wouldn't use for camping (the sites I go to all have electric power hook-ups) and may not need for years.
I eventually whittled my choice to two generators: the EN2500 by Honda, or a Home Depot-sold Pramac generator that is billed as a "Honda" generator (the store shelf indicates it's a Honda generator). However, if you look closely, you'll see that while the generator Home Depot sells has the exact same engine as the Honda EN2500 -- a 160cc overhead cam engine -- the actual generator itself is assembled by some other international company called Pramac. In short, it's not a Honda product, it's a product that uses a Honda part (the engine). I preferred my generator to be all Honda, so I can take it to a Honda dealer for servicing and not be told, "Sorry, the engine is Honda, but the problem with your generator isn't with the engine itself, it's with the...". Also, the Home Depot generator with the Honda engine did NOT have an automatic engine shut-off feature when the engine oil level dipped below a safe level. Conversely, the EN2500 has that feature; Honda calls it Oil Alert, and that's a nice feature to avoid frying your generator's engine accidentally.
Okay, so I bought the EN2500. How do I like it? In a few words, it's okay, not great, but it's about all I can expect for my price point (which was less than $600, delivered to my doorstep).
At 2500 watts surge power, and 2300 watts rated power, I hoped it'd be enough to run both my refrigerator and a small room air conditioner simultaneously, and maybe a low wattage light or two. In a blackout, the two things you want most are a place to store perishable food items and a cool room to get away from the heat and humidity, especially at night. The difficulty in determining how much generator power you need is that resistive motors -- like the electric motors in refrigerators, washing machines, room air conditioners -- require substantial EXTRA power (watts) to start-up those motors...more than what's required to keep them running. So, my 780-watt refrigerator will need perhaps 1500, 2000, 2500 or more watts of energy just to START the electric motor for the compressor. How much more power it takes is pure speculation. Appliance manufacturers don't tell you the "surge" requirements of their appliances, so it's a guessing game, a game of trial-and-error. The research I found said that you should expect the initial "surge" to be two or three times the amount of the "rated" or normal power usage. If you have just a few appliances and a 10,000 watt generator, you don't have to worry about "surge" requirements. But in my application, it was crucial to find out because the EN2500 is so small.
When I hooked up my EN2500, I was able to run my 780-watt rated refrigerator, but not the Frigidaire 8000 BTU, 740-watt room air conditioner I bought from Lowes. Apparently, the "surge" requirements for the room air conditioner were quite high, higher than the 2500 watts available on the EN2500. Happily, though, I swapped the 8000 BTU air conditioner for a 6000 BTU, 560-watt unit and then I could run both devices at the same time. However, when the refrigerator compressor started up, the initial surge caused the voltage output of the generator to drop to about 90 volts for 1-10 seconds (usually it was for just a second or two, but once it did take about 10 seconds). When the room A/C compressor started, the initial surge caused the voltage output from the generator to drop to around 100 for just a second. Be aware that I am using a 50' 12-gauge extension cord from the generator to the 'fridge, and a 100' 12-gauge extension cord to the room A/C.
My multimeter showed that the generator delivered between 115-117 volts when just the 'fridge was hooked up, and then 113-115 volts when I had both the 'fridge and the room A/C running together. At any point, the voltage constantly varies by a volt or two, so the exterior light on the 'fridge door's water/ice dispenser tended to flicker slightly. This generator cannot deliver smooth volts to your appliances like your local power company.
The EN2500 uses a mechanical governor for the carbeurator, and there was some slight sputtering of the EN2500's engine, which caused the voltage output to take very, very short dips. I confess that I had hoped that the EN2500's engine would exhibit absolutely no sputtering at all. I'm still within the 5-hour break-in period, though, so perhaps with more hours on the engine, it will perform a little more smoothly.
What I like about the Honda is it's small, so I'll be able to store it out of the way in my small, one-car garage. However, it's 70lbs and doesn't come with wheels, so moving it will take a strong back or two strong backs. At less than $600, it was very affordable. It's a Honda, so I'm expecting it to last for years and years provided I follow the owner's manual regarding storage. The EN2500's gas tank is nearly three gallons, and that will be large enough to keep the EN2500 running all night long without refueling -- a big plus. As for starting the EN2500, it uses a recoil starter -- a pull cord -- so don't be confused when you read product literature that says the EN2500 has "electronic ignition"...you still are pulling a cord, but the engine starts-up with just one easy tug.
What I don't like about the Honda, besides the fact it's heavy to move without wheels, is it's LOUD...like a lawnmower. I didn't like that, but then I figured in a blackout situation, you won't really care that much because most other homeowners who have generators will have them running, and they'll all sound just as loud.
So, for emergency power backup that can run a regular-sized refrigerator and a small, 6000 BTU room air conditioner, and a 100-watt light bulb...that doesn't take up a lot of space...and is likely to be of good service for many years...the Honda EN2500 is a reasonable choice.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
famousdavis
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Member: William Davis
Location: Boca Raton, FL
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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