This will be my first season in the Shaved Ice business. A few months ago... I purchased a used Snowie 8x5 building and a 3000 shaver.

This season, I plan to use the building at outdoor sporting tournaments. Due to the spot where I plan to set up, generator size and noise is a concern. I have looked at the Honda generators... and the EU3000 appears to be very quiet, lightweight (134 lbs) and reasonably priced. However, I'm concerned that it wont be enough to power the snowie 3000 shaver ---nevermind anything else.

I recently purchased a used Snowie 1000 DC shaver. I figured that I might be able to use that to shave the ice and use a 3kw generator to power the interior lights and the roof top blower.

Does this sound like a feasible plan? Can anyone suggest a powerful yet quiet generator alternative? I do like the idea of a small, light, super quiet, electric start, reliable Honda generator. I just wish they made the bigger ones lighter and quieter.

Any suggestions?

Yes, that generator will be far too weak to power a Snowie 3000. We use at least 5500 Watt Generators to run these machines. Everything smaller than that seems to choke when the 3000 is hooked up to it.

The 1000 DC with the generator running lights and other items is a great idea. I would go that way for sure, since you already own the equipment.

They do make larger generators that are very quiet. They are heavy, but they are also very expensive.

Thank you for your questions,

Aaron Rupp

Aaron:

Thanks for your reply. I purchased the used DC powered snowie 1000 because I picked it up for less than 500 dollars and thought that its use would allow me to get by with a smaller, less expensive generator. (a barely used honda quiet series 3000 watt model).

If snow sales take off this summer, I may consider using both the dc 1000 and the ac 3000 at some point.

I'm looking at the Honda 11,000watt industrial model.. Its a little noisier and weighs 400 pounds. What size generator do you suggest to run the entire 8 foot building? Are there any brands/models that you recommend?

We like Honda, and we usually will get a generator that is at least over 8000 Watts to run the whole building.

Does anyone own a PowerMax Generator? I would like to get some feedback on it before I consider purchasing it. I am looking at the 10,000 watt. The dba rating is 69 which is comparable to some of the Honda Generators. I have heard that Honda Generators are quiet so seeing that PowerMax has a similiar rating makes me inclined to purchase especially when considering the price of Honda Generators. I found the PowerMax on Ebay in case anyone wants to check out the specs. I have the 8 Foot Kiosk with the Snowie 3000 shaver. Thanks.

Last weekend, we used a 6500 Honda. It was quiet enough that I didn't really notice it running. It ran our 3000, lights, digital picture frame, coffee maker and freezer and didn't miss a beat. This is one of the first times we've used a generator, (we rented it), but it worked out great.

We're currently working on putting all of our power onboard. So far it's not working, but we think we just need more power.

We were unable to find a power invertor larger enough to handle the Snowie 3000, so we are now using a generator when power is not available.

We were unable to find a power invertor larger enough to handle the Snowie 3000, so we are now using a generator when power is not available.

Snow Sled,

How right you are,

We have worked with a few companies that make huge inverters. One company, in particular, swore that their biggest model would be able to power the 3000. Long story short, we killed their inverter.

They are working on newer versions, but we have yet to see an inverter that will power the 3000 without hurting the shaver or the inverter.

- Aaron