Tim
Forum Replies Created
-
On ebay
-
Jon, your manifold looks real pretty. Where is the water collector ?
-
I have personally had two steer tires blow on a Prevost I was driving. Not same time! A couple years apart. Point being neither one was a big event. Both were at 70mph. Causes one road hazzard the other being side wall failure. No pull on steering wheel with either. I would think that our suspension was much greater in reliability than the sticks and staples in the picture. No scientific facts to support this claim but just look at size of compenets. DO NOT draw a feeling of security from my post !Best response keep cool! Drive your coach you are not just along for the ride! My opinion no way reflects any thing but my opinion. Bob
-
Thanks Jon. What you said about low genny load/low efficiency and high genny load/high genny efficiency is pretty much what I had concluded after thinking about it for a while.
-
Another happy H owner… Have fun Mark.
-
Products like the Tesla car and now the Tesla home batteries are encouraging. I’m sure that to market the car and develop the batteries, the Tesla folks have learned quite a bit about batteries and power storage that wasn’t known before. Whether the Tesla car survives and/or whether the Tesla home batteries will really come to market and is ultimately successful is open for debate. Only time will tell. I hope they are successful. I like progress. But I don’t own a Tesla car and don’t expect to buy a first generation Tesla house battery.
Now for my question that is a follow-up to a side thread going on here. If I run my Kohler 20KW diesel generator to power three or four Cruise-Airs, water heater, interior lights, microwave, etc. and use as much electricity as the generator will put out, then I’m getting everything out of the generator it was designed for.
But when I have only a few things drawing a light load from the inverters and the batteries get low, the generator will fire up on its own to recharge the batteries. If the non-battery recharge load is low, I suspect the strain on the generator to recharge the batteries is probably awfully low compared to the full capabilities of the generator.
How little of a generator could I get by with to only charge the batteries they get low? What I’m getting at, how much of the 20KW is “wasted” when all I need to do is recharge the house batteries? 90% of the potential? 60%? I suspect the battery charge component of the inverters doesn’t recharge the batteries with a “fire hose”, but as a modest, restrained rate.
-
Dave,
Make sure to schedule a Friday evening. Call, or email your congressman and obtain free tickets for the Marine Corps Stand Down Ceremony at the Marine Barracks. Or, you can now get them direct from the Marine Corps via email at this address: http://www.barracks.marines.mil/Parades/GeneralInformation.aspx
When it is over and they turn the lights back on, look around and see if you see a dry eye, that is if you can see through your tears. When you arrive, just get out of the way and follow. A full dress Marine will escourt Jill to her seat. You? Find your own way! You will not regret the time spent. Marine Band, Silent Drill Team, striking the colors. Once in a lifetime moment.
Order early as there is limited seating and it fills up fast. The above site will tell you about parking, time, etc.
Fred
-
Try not to overthink the power management issue. Let’s start with the AC units……
Unless you allow the coach to get heat soaked and then need to cool it down 2, possibly 3 AC units are going to keep you comfortable. They are going to draw 13 to 14 amps each. Two are going to be on the same leg. That means of the 40 amp I use as my limit that leg has 12 amps remaining.
Here is some more reality……I can control how much current my inverters draw by setting them at a low setting. I think I have them at 5 or ten amps. So add that to my draw on the leg. I just make sure the leg with the 2 AC units does not have the water pump, aux compressor or HW tank on it. Assume they are on the leg with one AC. So I will keep in the back of my mind my loads, and if I am not planning on taking a shower until the next morning or if it is not raining (I need air for my slides seals) I will turn both the HW tank and the aux compressor off. I have about 3 or 4 amps of phantom loads so with a comfortable margin between my 40 amps and the shore power limit of 50 I am not giving up any comfort. Yes it is best if new owners use the gauges on the coach to determine the current draw on each device and then take that in consideration when pushing the limits due to the need for a lot of cooling.
But as soon as the sun drops low you can stay very comfortable with one or two AC units and as a result you can turn on the aux air compressor, the HW tank and in the morning before you have to go to multiple AC units again you can make coffee, uses the washer and dryer, and use a hair dryer.
What you cannot do is turn on all the switches in the panel and think you can turn on everything. In those instances where running the generator is OK you can be an energy hog and run anything you want.
Some coaches have power management devices installed and they will limit what comes from the shore power, and when that is insufficient, draw from the batteries via the inverter to make up for the lack of shore power. At night when you are not drawing a lot of power the inverrers will recharge the batteries.
-
Dale, glad to hear you’re back on your way. How does one find your concert sked ?
-
To add to the above, energy management is different for a motor home compared to an entertainer coach.
We have a 50 / 100 amp limit on shore power, but a 20 KW generator has a 167 amp limit so there are less concerns about energy management. Entertainer coaches often do not have OTR so they are totally dependent upon the roof air units. The typical entertainer coach likely has 5 units on the roof, maybe more. They want to be comfortable so they have ample capacity to cool the coach, and even if one unit has failed they still have adequate cooling. But to run all the units, plus whatever other devices draw power generators are used and they typically are started at the beginning of a tour, and shut down at the end of the tour. Some entertainer coaches have 2 generators, not only for reliability and backup, but so one can be serviced while the other is carrying the load.
Entertainers that lease coaches are not going to worry about energy management, It is not their coach and they just don’t care. It was stated earlier they just mash buttons until something works and that is a pretty accurate statement as to their expectations. It is not their coach so the typical entertainer coach is built so it is “idiot” proof.
The motor home owner is not going to be running his generator like the entertainer coaches will do. Nobody at the back door of a hotel or arena cares about the diesel fumes from the coach. But if 50 coaches in an RV park are running their generators 24/7 it is not going to be pleasant so some might even restrict their use so you have no option but to manage energy.
As to keeping cool………..the debate will rage on about how many AC units you need running to keep your coach cool, but what is not disputable is part of energy management is to never let the coach get heat soaked so you do have to run all AC units. Once cool most coaches can stay comfotable with 2 units operating which allows for virtually all the other devices you might consider using to be turned on. Most of us just make sure the 2 AC units being run are on two separate legs.
-
Peter which side is this on the passenger or drivers, did they remove the panel or have to take it off a section at a time, where was this work being done? Gary
-
North Carolina requires a Class B non CDL if over 26,000 pounds.I had mine upgraded a couple of years ago. No matter what happens at least I know I am legal.
-
Thanks guys, going out now to check.
-
Rudy Thanks
you will be a great resource for us.
GregM
-
I used a hose clamp and easily removed the rings thanks to Hish…