How to Determine if Generator Can Power AC Unit

Question:

I have a AI Power generator that is 2300 start up with 1800 continuous. Was wondering if it would run a 8000 btu air conditioner that is 115 volts. Or what would be the biggest btu that I could run?

asked by: Randy

Expert Reply:

I would imagine that an A-iPower generator, like part # 289-SUA2000I, would be able to handle the start up and continuous watts of an 8,000 btu AC unit because the 13,500 btu Atwood Air Command # AT15032-22 has a startup of 3,795 watts and a running of 1,265 watts and it is about twice the power as the unit you are looking at. With that being said, the only way to guarantee this is to look at the specs for the AC unit and make sure they don't exceed that of your generator. A lot of AC units have nearly the same specs as other AC units of the same size but there isn't a specific watt rating for every size AC unit out there.

expert reply by: Jon G

Rob T.

5/8/2020

FYI. I have a pair of A-ipower 2000 watt generators. For some reason I could not let go that one of these should power at least a newer 13,500 A/C knowing that a comparable watt Honda would, in most cases. The facts in my case are as follows: I have a 2018 open range 272rls with a 13,500 btu bedroom A/C and a 15,000 btu main living area A/C. I wanted to just power the 13,500 bedroom A/C with one generator if needed. One will not. I installed a micro air easy start on that bedroom unit with the hope that that would work. It would not work with one generator with a micro air installed on the smaller A/C. As I looked up the specs for the similar size Honda and the A-ipower I found that the Honda is rated at 15 amps and the A-I power is rated at 13.8 . I have concluded that this was the factor that I did not calculate. When I asked e-trailer about when running these generators in parallel if the amps doubled they indicated that they do. The fact is when I run a pair of A-ipower 2000 generators in parallel, connected to my trailer with a 30amp rv adapter to 50amp I can easily run my main 15,000btu A/C in 100 plus degree weather and my microwave. It all makes sense due to the amperage output. I only would need to do this in an emergency situation or boon docking otherwise just plug in at the rv Park. Hope this helps some of you trying to determine what to do to keep portable generator weight and size down and still accomplish what you want to do for a reasonable price.

Chris R.

5/11/2020

Thanks for your feedback. I do want to note though that running two of the 2,000-watt A-iPower Generators in parallel won't QUITE double the output. When hooked up this way you'll have a starting output of 3,800 watts and a running (rated) power output of 3,000 watts.

Rob T.

5/11/2020

Thank you Chris. This is true. I should have been more specific and define specifications for parallel operation for wattages vs amperage. I wanted to define to potential purchasers of the equipment and the A/C units I have and what worked and didn’t work for me. The wattage for both Honda and A-ipower units that are similar in start and running watts are not the same in running amperage and when you run them in parallel the amperage doubles. Like me some people could not understand why their Honda 2000 watt generator would run a 13,500 btu A/C and the same single A-ipower 2000 watt would not. It is not the wattage, it’s the lower amperage of the A-I power vs the Honda and when you run them in parallel, it’s the increase in amperage that allows the units to power my 15,000 btu A/C and prevent them from going into overload.