Anyone using an Air Cooled Generator???
 

Anyone using an Air Cooled Generator???

Started by Highway Yacht, May 26, 2010, 06:36:29 PM

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Highway Yacht

Anyone using an air cooled generator to power their A/C units while travelling down the road? I know the water cooled diesel gensets are the best but was just wondering if the air cooled units have ever been used.
1979 MC-9  8V71-Turbo / HT740             * www.MciBusTalk.com *
Locust, North Carolina                           A Site Dedicated To MCI's

cody

All right, I confess, I use an air cooled generator to power an ac unit on the road, omg, and it's located in the old a/c compartment back by my engine, and gasp it's a honda,,,,,,,,,, hello, I'm cody and I have a bus,,,,,,,,,,,, next question? lol

robertglines1

Bob@Judy  98 XLE prevost with 3 slides --Home done---last one! SW INdiana

cody

I use the honda 3000IS inverter generator, it'll power one of my 15K carrier heat pumps but not both on the road.

Highway Yacht

Quote from: cody on May 26, 2010, 07:03:55 PM
All right, I confess, I use an air cooled generator to power an ac unit on the road, omg, and it's located in the old a/c compartment back by my engine, and gasp it's a honda,,,,,,,,,, hello, I'm cody and I have a bus,,,,,,,,,,,, next question? lol

Do you have a remote start button to start it from inside the bus? I was thinking also of placing one in the old a/c compartment. Ever had any problems with it overheating?
1979 MC-9  8V71-Turbo / HT740             * www.MciBusTalk.com *
Locust, North Carolina                           A Site Dedicated To MCI's

Highway Yacht

I was thinking of something between 5k to 6.5k. That should power 2 15000btu units I would think.
1979 MC-9  8V71-Turbo / HT740             * www.MciBusTalk.com *
Locust, North Carolina                           A Site Dedicated To MCI's

jmblake

I just installed a Generac #5754 in my rear passenger side engine compartment, I got some SS boat vents and cut in the side door for ventalation, We went on a trip to VA a couple of weeks ago and that was the first I used it and I didn't have the vents and it go pretty hot in there but it also was 92 degrees, but we where parked I don't think it would get to hot going down the road. Jason

cody

I have the remote start for it but haven't installed it yet, no overheating problems at all yet, no problems of any kind with it. I have a 30 amp cord that is plugged into the generator and dead ends in the center bay where the breaker box and inverter are, for on the road I plug the shore power cord into the deadended cord from the generator, when were parked and have access to shore power we plug the power cord into the power post. Doing it this way we are the transfer switch ourselves lol, it's either shore power or generator power, never both.  My honda 3000 isn't supposed to power my 15K carrier but it does just fine, it does idle up when the a/c cycles but handles it flawlessly but 5K or more would certainly give a greater advantage in regards to available surplus power.  Our a/c compartment has an expanded metal screen on the door thats almost the full size of the door.

robertglines1

should give you two 25 amp circuits(aprox) which is plenty(6500 divide by voltage...120 = amps available..) not scientific but close enough to start with
Bob@Judy  98 XLE prevost with 3 slides --Home done---last one! SW INdiana

jmblake

Mine has one 30amp and one 20amp and 4800 watt it did run both of our 15,000 dometics but thats when I noticed it getting pretty hot in the compartment and I cut it back to just one and ran the fan on the other air and it still kept it cool even at 92 outside temp. Jason

Ed Hackenbruch

 We have an old Onan 4000 watt propane air cooled that sits back next to the engine.  We have run it a time or two going down the road to power an ac, but if it is not over 100 degrees we just have the windows open. :)
Used to own a 1968 MCI 5A and a 1977 5C.

Dreamscape

We have an old Onan 12KW and use it on the road if my wife starts to sweat. It's mounted in the first bay, driver side. I can hear it barely, in a few years maybe not at all. ::) It's really been a great unit, even if it's on the loud side. I'll evenentually build a quite box ,maybe. ::)
______________________________________________________

Our coach was originally owned by the Dixie Echoes.

WEC4104

We just have a 5500 watt air cooled Onan (gas), and a single roof top A/C unit (13.5K).  Running the genny and A/C while we cruise down the road is a regular situation for us.  I wouldn't attempt two roof units without upgrading my current gen to a higher output model, however
If you're going to be dumb, you gotta be tough.

cody

My little honda is a remarkable generator, for 3000 watts it states 28 amps on the plate and at around 50 DB is hugely quiet without any additional work, right now I've got it out of the bus and am using it to power the skanee house and it is doing a great job, I tied it directly into the breaker box with a jumper catching both sides, remember this house is off the grid no lineman were injured in making this movie lol.  This way I can catch any of the outlets or lights and they are hot, I can also flush the toilet and in no time the refrigerator is cold so it has proven to be a good worker out there, I've also got a revcon that has an air cooled onan that is a 5 K unit but the plate says it is only 20 amps that I had given some thought to putting into the generator compartment but at only 20 amps I think I can do better unless it turns out to be 20 amps per leg which I think it is, just haven't taken the time to pull the cover to check it yet.

RTS/Daytona

7kw Onan Marquis - Gasoline - air cooled - OEM Noise suppresion enclosure (very quite) - remote start switch - fits in the RTS's low bay just fine - 2 marine 6 gal portable fuel tanks
If you ain't part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.