Comp Power

SCSmoke

SCSmoke

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I have a Yoder ys640. I ran it off comp provided power last season. I had no problem with that except at the Sam's Regional, where the awesome guys from Spruce Ridge Smokers lent us their generator. I am thinking of getting a generator for the upcoming season. I have been looking at the Honda 2000i but I wonder if the 1000i is enough. Or if you guys have another type you recommend. As always trying to do it on the allowed "hobby" budget.
 
I know nothing about these things, but it seems like for the extra $200-$300 between the 1000 and the 2000, you get twice the available wattage. I'd definitely go with the bigger generator in this case.
 
Are you planning on powering anything besides the Yoder? If so, go bigger if the budget can handle it. It adds up quickly. Here is a chart with typical power consumption for some common stuff.

If all you are powering is the Yoder, then even the 1000 is overkill. Take a look at the Yoder specs, but most pellet cookers use about 400W for the first 5 minutes (while the igniter is on) and then less than 100W after that. You can power it off of a marine battery and inverter easily. I use an inverter with a built in transfer switch so that it passes the provided power through when it is available, and if it fails it switched to the battery. It also charges the battery when power is available.
 
We used a Yamaha 1000is for two seasons but realized it was just not enough power for a coffee pot or small heater. We now have a Honda 2000i and are happy campers!
 
Listen to what JD says. The EU1000i will handle 7.5a and the EU2000i 13.3a.

My cheap coffee pot from wally world pulls 8 amps!
 
I'd rather have too much power than not enough. To me a 1,000 watt generator won't be enough to handle what you're going to bring in the future.
 
Get the 2000. If you ever get an RV or BBQ trailer and don't have an onboard generator you can add a second 2000 and power it.
 
All good advice. I picked up a 2000 for the occasional comp but primarily for house emergency backup. Fridge and furnace are now good to go!
 
Uncle Buds BBQ said:
Listen to what JD says. The EU1000i will handle 7.5a and the EU2000i 13.3a.

My cheap coffee pot from wally world pulls 8 amps!
Click to expand...

During the igniter cycle the YS640 draws 11 Amps of current. Once the igniter is off and the current draw drops to 1.2 Amps.

11 amps = 1320W during ignition
1.2 amps = 144W continuous draw

The 1000i is not enough power to support the YS640 upon ignition.
 
SCSmoke said:
I have a Yoder ys640. I ran it off comp provided power last season. I had no problem with that except at the Sam's Regional, where the awesome guys from Spruce Ridge Smokers lent us their generator. I am thinking of getting a generator for the upcoming season. I have been looking at the Honda 2000i but I wonder if the 1000i is enough. Or if you guys have another type you recommend. As always trying to do it on the allowed "hobby" budget.
Click to expand...

You have to realize that the 1000 does not produce 1000 watts (well, peak for a few minutes it does) but 900 watts. I have 2 eu2000 gennys. I bought the first one thinking I would never need more than that, but once you have your own power you find yourself wanting to plug more stuff in, and now I have 2. Plus it is useful to run a fridge and a few other things in an emergency like I did during Sandy.

I would go for the eu2000.
 
TheJackal said:
During the igniter cycle the YS640 draws 11 Amps of current. Once the igniter is off and the current draw drops to 1.2 Amps.

11 amps = 1320W during ignition
1.2 amps = 144W continuous draw

The 1000i is not enough power to support the YS640 upon ignition.
Click to expand...

Holy chit! What are they using for an igniter? An arc welder? And what are they running after that? My FEC-100 and Memphis Pro draw just under 400W with the igniter on and 50W continuous after that, and that runs the auger, fan(s) and the controller.
 
While Im with the guys on bigger is better ... if you are working on a budget.
Check your rental shops, many of them are carring the Honda or Yamaha gen's now.
 
If you are only going to power the cooker you might want to consider a deep cycle battery and an inverter. You can probably save 1/3-1/3 the price of a Honda generator.

I bought a Champion 2000W they were selling for under $500 at Sam's a couple of years ago and it works fairly well. The carb gets fouled fairly easily but other than that it has powered up my 640 and FEC 100 for extended periods, no problem
 
Ron_L said:
Holy chit! What are they using for an igniter? An arc welder? And what are they running after that? My FEC-100 and Memphis Pro draw just under 400W with the igniter on and 50W continuous after that, and that runs the auger, fan(s) and the controller.
Click to expand...

No idea. I don't make the specs, just reporting them. As far as I can tell, after ignition it is running the auger, controller, and two pretty high powered fans. FWIW, the YS640 is a great unit. Produced great pork and pretty good chicken this past year.

Pork -- 1st, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 6th, 8th, 14th, 26th. (scores from 149-174)

Chicken -- 2nd, 2nd, 8th, 11th, 15th, 17th, 22nd, 29th (scores from 153-172)
 
Don't forget to buy the proper gauge extension cord if the generator is not near the cooker. You may want to bump up to the 14 gauge cord because of the initial amp draw. 16 gauge cords aren't rated for that.
 
It seems regardless of the situation, it is better to have too much and not need it than need it and not have enough. Get the 2000.
 
Get the 3000 because you know once you buy a trailer you will need to upgrade again. Plus if the power goes out at home you will be able to power up more utilities...hint...hint. :biggrin1:
 
Rich Parker said:
Get the 3000 because you know once you buy a trailer you will need to upgrade again. Plus if the power goes out at home you will be able to power up more utilities...hint...hint. :biggrin1:
Click to expand...

I really wanted to suggest this, but I didn't want to give him a heart attack :D
 
I've got a Kipor 6000 inverter type generator. We lost power here during a blizzard & I was the only one on the block with lights, heat, computer - everything! I just had to watch what I was running: the coffee pot & the microwave together will not work :shock:.
 
Just thought I would set the record straight on the Yoder power draw. I posted the specs above from reading it in multiple locations. The first was in a review on smokingpit.com although I can't find the reference now and the other was here: http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=352585

I wonder if this has changed due to the latest U26 firmware because I just received this direct from Byron at Yoder.

The YS640 uses .75 amp of power at startup, 2.25 amp of power during ignition and then .50 amp thereafter. The big power hog is the igniter. Fortunately, you can manually ignite your smoker and bypass the igniter altogether. That would be the "least power way". Those igniters tend to be a bit finicky, so, I'd certainly recommend the manual process. Here are instructions for that:

1. Remove the cooking grates, heat diffuser & the burn grate.
2. Reach into the hopper cavity on the left side of the igniter tube and pull the igniter wires into the firebox.
3. Unplug the igniters weather tight connection and then push the wires back into the hopper cavity.
4. Reinstall the burn grate & place a small handful of pellets onto the grate.
5. Light the pellets with a torch, starter gel or starter stick.
6. Once lit, turn the power switch to the on position and allow the fan to run across the fire.
7. If the flame continues to develop press the start button and reassemble the grill.
Click to expand...

So at 60 watts constant draw, you should be able to run the Yoder in manual mode for 4.5 hours on one of these: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-DRPP600-Powerpack-Starter-Emergency/dp/B009YR00MI"]Duracell DRPP600 Powerpack 600 Jump Starter and Emergency Power Source : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame]

And probably not much less with the igniter since it only runs for the first 3-4 minutes.
 
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