Update on BE3500 - "Did I Get What I Paid For?" For the $800 I paid for an inverter generator of this size - probably.
Noise: It's noisier than advertised but that's to be expected. Comments from nearby campers in adjacent sites were "polite" and were of the "It's ok" variety. Nobody said that they could hardly hear it so in that sense it was a bit disappointing. Since it is rated at 3500/3000 watts, I would think that it would be noisier than a 2000w for example.
It was too cold to bother with the A/C and we were more concerned with running a space heater than with cooling down the RV. The generator had no problem dealing with a coffee pot and a portable 1500W heater. Next trip I hope to test out the A/C and a combination of some other appliances.
Starting the generator -- requires more pulls than usual. I was expecting it to fire up after 2 or 3 pulls but this didn't happen. For some reason, it is taking a few more pulls to get the thing going. Disappointing.
Portability - at 70+ lbs it is no lightweight but manageable as long as I don't have to lift it too high. When moving it over a longer distance, I put it into a bin and my DW gets on one end while I grab the other and we can manage it ok.
The "soundproofing" box I quickly fashioned didn't work out too well. There wasn't enough ventilation and the interior became too hot. Will scrap that and re-work this plan. I don't want to end up with a large, cumbersome box - storage of that is a concern. Might have to look at carrying the generator and future soundproof box on the pull-out bike rack/platform.
In retrospect, I probably should have bought a smaller generator, say 2000-2500w, which would be lighter and quieter. We seldom use the A/C where we camp and travel so having a generator that will run the A/C isn't crucial. Chalk this up to poor planning on my part.
For the $800(Cdn) I paid I shouldn't complain too much so I guess I did "get what I paid for".
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2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
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