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Participation on this forum
I have got to say that this forum is amazing as a place for Prevost information. I have been a member for a short while now and find the information and activity amazing and growing on a daily basis. I try to read every entry because the information is so informational to a wannabe. I will say that the qty. of inputs has GROWN. It takes more time each day to keep up, but it is well worth the time. The Prevost Coach is amazing and I suspect is more affordable than the average R.V. enthusiast thinks. I know I didn’t think it could be done for what I now think it can be done for.
The one thing that seems very complex and SCARY to get your arms around is the electrical system. Is there information anywhere that gives a generalization of the house / chasis electrical system. I know converters have their own specifics, but is there a place to learn the general system, so that someone can have a general knowledge when they look at coaches and therefore aren’t so over whelmed that it just all goes over their head.
I will keep reading, so please keep posting.
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7 Replies
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Paul, Every one of us was a newbie and every one of us has been in your shoes. Until you buy your coach don’t worry about getting your arms around the electrical system other than to understand that when you do select your coach it is one system you do need to understand operationally. It won’t matter if you cannot draw a diagram, but you will need to know enough to maintain the batteries, manage power, and deal with your inverters. It may seem daunting, but it is not.
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The prevost side: not really… Factory support is the best you will ever find!!!!!! Would not be concerned about that. Converter side? Once you break systems down to indivual functions. They are pretty simple to understand.. They are very simular from converter to converter. Some of the older conversions have systems that have components that are no longer repairable or available to be replaced(new parts available). You just have to modernize those systems when they fail.. Lots of companies failed in the great RV melt down 2008 and suppliers went under so some technology that was there changed or parts dissapeared…Still happening! Ask Questions and spend time with the coach your looking at..Make sure everything works. Not for minutes–For more than a day if it were my $$$$. No I will fix it later promise.. good luck!! Just my opinion..
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Paul,
The electrical systems aren’t much different than what I had on my 2008 Beaver traditional coach. There’s just more of if and bigger components. I have 2 inverters similiar to the one I had. I have 6 8D batteries and room for 8 compared to 4 golf cart batteries. I have 2 alternators and the 1 is huge compared to the one I had. I have a 17.5kw generator instead of a 10kw generator. They both have a similiar transfer switch. And it plugs into the same 50A shore outlet.
Okay, maybe it’s a bit more complex than I’m suggesting, but not so much so that it’s hard to get your arms around.
As said by others, older components selected by converters (regardless if they are still be in business) may be obsolete. In some cases the OEM has a new compatible component, in other cases you may have to replace more than the failed component. I have yet to hear anyone say they couldn’t overcome component obsolesence.
Don’t be afraid,
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Once
you zero in on what you want Paul, you’ll have lots of help here, so
don’t worry about the electronics. Each Converter is a little
different, but the principals are all similar. -
I have to agree with the person who said that until you get it, don’t try to wrap your mind around the electrical system. 🙂 I will say that someone on this forum advised me early on to learn how to manage the power in the bus, and that was very good advice. Coming from a Country Coach Intrigue, I had some idea of the need for power management, but it’s a much more important thing in these all electrical big busses. Take the time to read through the inverter manual and understand how to manage the many appliances (including A/C) that you have on the bus. Above all, USE it, and enjoy it. 🙂
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Back in our boating days we learned…no I will point right to the suspect. My wonderful half owner of all the toys was always willing to monitor power management in her own way.
The one piece of test equipment we had on board was the all time mother of power management ….. the hair dryer.
It took a few complete blackouts to let her know. When the ship goes completely dark in a “nano” second that totally eliminates all the conversation prior to ……. She also has this deer in the headlights look but forgets to get rid of the frozen in her hand pistol grip hair dryer.
honey, you need to let me know when you drag out the bus system electric tester.
Now days, her careful exam of bus electrical panels and monitors have pretty much eliminated this heart stopping event.
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On the scale of things to worry about when buying a coach I would put the electrical system near the bottom of the list. It is not that I won’t think about it, it is just that I have never heard anyone on any forum say I love my brand of conversion, but I wish it had an electrical system like the other brand.
They all work, and apparently they all work well. Every one of us has to manage power even when on 50 amp shore power, to the best of my knowledge every one of us can run everything we want on our generators with no thought given to power management. We all have inverters (except for some very early coaches), and we all have batteries.
But where we differ is in the details so the important stuff like the floor plan, the converter, the AC systems, the engine, slides, length, model, etc all rank far higher on the list of stuff than the electrical systems.
The only time the electrical system rises to the top of the list of things to consider is right after we trip the shore power, or drain the batteries, or cannot get power to the refrigerator after the inverter quits.
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