Generator question

[Shadow Catcher]

I picked up a Harbor Freight 1000W inverter generator on close out for 219$. Starts, runs amazingly quietly however, when I plugged in the tear it immediately overloaded. My bet is that it is trying to feed the converter charging the battery. With the smart converter it draw a LOT of current bringing the battery up to 90% charge.
Two possibilities come to mind, the only time it is likely to be used is when boondocking and the battery needs charging or to supply power for the air-conditioner. Charge directly to the battery, and run the air-conditioner directly. or if some one has an idea how to limit load?

[madjack]

...I bite my tongue as I say this...you get what you pay for...if you have a 5K window shaker type AC, it is doubtful if that gennie will run it...as far as the converter/charger overloading the gennie, it should not do so...does the converter have a rating on amp draw just for charging...somewhere around 8A(or less) is about the max that gennie can provide.........
madjack

[Ageless]

I just read the manual; did you?

First; start with no-load and allow 1 - 5 minutes warm-up

[mikeschn]

I have read on other camping forums, that it takes a 2K gennie to power a window shaker.

Mike...

[Shadow Catcher]

The air conditioner draws 515 watts according to Frigidaire, though I do not know what the start up current draw is, it might be possible to use a soft starter. I intend to try and figure that out. We have another one of the same units which we used this summer and I am going to hook it up with a Kill A Watt and see what I get.
I have three days to return it for a full refund and yes you do to some extent get what you pay for, but I would prefer to experiment cheaply first.

[firetech]

When a motor is starting up the inrush current is usaully 5-6 times the running current. So your AC unit could be pulling as much as 3000w or 3k on start up. These numbers tend to go down with higher quality units.

[Shadow Catcher]

Well so much for that experiment. I took the generator back to HF and will start looking for at least a 2000W. I think there may have been something wrong with the generator not putting out enough watts, and it was clear even if it were, it would have been inconvenient at best to try and live with in the strictures of the out put of any 1000W. A lesson that cost me only a little gas and oil

[madjack]

SC, I like to apply what I call the hairdryer test to a potential gennie...if it won't power a 1500w hairdryer, I wouldn't even consider it(I dont actually have a hair dryer)...presently SportsmansGuide has a 2400W Kipor on sale for 269 bux(plus shipping)............
madjack