HOW QUIET DOES YOUR GENERATOR NEED TO BE?
Honda generators are known for quiet operation. Honda has engineered exceptionally quiet portable models, but offers less costly options that may serve your application at a lower cost. While a camping application may require a super quiet EU series choice, home standby and construction applications would be satisfied with a Deluxe or Industrial series model, and some applications will allow for the Economy series that do not have the additional features required to provide quiet operation.

IS ELECTRIC START REQUIRED?
Honda engines are renown for the ease of starting, even when only equipped with a manual recoil starter. Honda offers many models with the convenience of electric start for applications that may require remote start or where the ease of electric start is preferred.

Electric Start Models: EU3000is, EM3500SXKA*, EM5000SXKA*, EX4500SXK1, EX5500K2, EB6500SXA*, ES6500SXK1, EB11000, EB12DAG

Remote Ready Models: EM3500SXKA*, EM5000SXKA*, EX4500SXK1, EX5500K2, EB12DAG

*Battery not included and may require Battery Tray Kit.

DO YOU REQUIRE EASY TRANSPORT?
While all Honda Generators are Portable by definition, many models include standard wheel kits for easy movement of the generator from storage to the work site. Consider the options when selecting the right model for your application.

The amount of power that a generator can produce is rated in watts (power).

For Example, an EU2000 generator produces a MAXIMUM 2000 watts of power. This means the EU2000 could provide power to 20 one hundred watt light bulbs at the same time. The generator would then be at its MAXIMUM power output.

RATED power is a more reliable measure of  generator power. It is the power that a generator can produce for long periods of time. Typically the RATED power is 90% of the MAXIMUM power.

The light bulb example is called a RESISTIVE type load and the POWER it requires is pretty easy to understand. Other RESISTIVE types of LOAD are things like toasters, convection ovens, hot plates, curling irons, coffee makers, stereos and TV's. RESISTIVE LOADS are usually those that do not have electric motors.

Another load is the REACTIVE type and is a little more confusing. Typically, a REACTIVE load contains an electric motor. This type of load may require up to three times as much power (wattage) to START as it does to keep it running. Examples of REACTIVE type loads are air conditioners, refrigerators / freezers, furnace fans, well pumps, bench grinders and air compressors.

Example: You want a generator to power a 1000 watt flood light. The light is 120V and requires 1000 watts of power. Using the equation, we can calculate that the floodlight will draw 8.3 amps of electrical current.

For REACTIVE loads, the equation shows only a general relationship between watts, volts and amps. That's because the power requirements for REACTIVE loads changes with operating conditions.

STARTING - The electric motor requires more power to start. The starting power required can be THREE times the running amount.

RUNNING - The power required to run the electric motor after it has been started.

LOADED - When the electric motor begins to work (saw begins cutting wood), its power requirement will increase. This is not applicable for most household appliances.

Method 1, using estimating charts, can be used to get a general idea of the generator size.

Method 2, reading the motor data tag, is more accurate since the data tag information is provided by the motor manufacturer. Data tag information does not always show STARTING  power requirements for REACTIVE type loads. See "CODE CHART" at the end of this page.

*Note: Data tag information can usually be found in the owners / operating manual as well.
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Add up all of the watts estimated for the loads / appliances / tools that you want to operate at the same time.

If the load is a reactive type, use the STARTING WATTS for your estimation.

Select a generator that is as large or larger than the total number estimated. Example: If you only want to run a refrigerator (2200 starting watts) and (2) 100 watt light bulbs (200 watts) - You would need a 2500 watt generator.

Volts (V) - The volts must be either 120 (110-120) or 120/240. 120/240 means that the motor can be wired to operate on 120V or 240V. Honda generators are either 120V or 120/240V.

Amps (A) - Indicates the amps required to RUN the electric motor but doesn't consider STARTING or LOADED power requirements.

Phase (PH) - Honda Generators can power single phase motors only.

Horsepower (HP) - Rating of how much work an electric motor can perform.

Code - This isn't always supplied on the data tag. It represents the maximum STARTING power required of the electric motor.

Cycles (Hz) - All of U.S. electric appliances run at 60 cycles per second.