A/C

[rstinge1]

C Brethren:
After contemplating a roof top A/C vs. a portable unit sliding into the front window on Catfish, I elected for a portable GE 6100 BTU unit that sits on the floor with casters. She is a TC 255.
Not planning on running it after retiring. Just to cool down the cabin at bedtime and shutting down.
Is it safe to use a Honda 2K generator plugged into the shore power socket and plugging the A/C into an interior receptacle, or am I better off plugging the A/C directly into the generator in the cockpit with an appropriate extension cord?

 

[ssobol]

C Brethren:
After contemplating a roof top A/C vs. a portable unit sliding into the front window on Catfish, I elected for a portable GE 6100 BTU unit that sits on the floor with casters. She is a TC 255.
Not planning on running it after retiring. Just to cool down the cabin at bedtime and shutting down.
Is it safe to use a Honda 2K generator plugged into the shore power socket and plugging the A/C into an interior receptacle, or am I better off plugging the A/C directly into the generator in the cockpit with an appropriate extension cord?

I use my generator plugged into the shore power input socket and then run stuff normally. The only issue is that you may have to keep in mind the loads depending on your generator output.

The issue with a portable unit that you mention is the hose. You either have to have the unit outside and duct the cold air in, or have the unit inside and duct the hot air out.

Stuffing a window AC unit through the center window is a lot easier (IMO). Window AC can also be set up to dump the condensate water outside.

 

[Gulfcoast John]

Advantages of using the shorepower plug include that you might power other loads like the battery charger and fans off it, with careful load management as above. Your AC specs will list the running and startup watts (with startup maybe over twice the watts). Once started, set the temp low so it’s not cycling on and off. Another advantage is that you could button up the boat tighter against carbon monoxide infiltration if you don’t have an extension cord going out a window or door with an improvised sealing attempt. Some have reported a dim or flickering red ‘reverse polarity’ LED on the AC panel with the floating Honda ground.

Try to get it on the swim platform (elevated against wakes if needed) rather than IN the cockpit, especially with an improvised extension cord seal. Even while awake, while running I’d advise at least two CO detectors, one a UL marine rated unit. It’s not that cheap ones don’t detect the CO, it’s that they tend to alarm annoyingly at harmless levels rather than at a significant time-weighted average.

Don’t ask a Honda lawyer if it’s ‘safe’.

Hope you find a solution that works well for you!

Cheers!
John

 

[thataway]

Agree with both of posts above. We have 3 CO detectors: one by head of each bunk and one at level of helmsman. Get a CO unit which is battery operated and displays digital level of CO.

We used the Honda 2000 generator on the outboard bracket, raised up on a plastic crate.