Power Consumption

[DrivingMissLazy]

Bill, try unplugging your shore cord at the coach. If you are still reading 220 ma, then your current probe is probably defective and not returning to zero.
If that is not the problem, then I suspect there is a light bulb on somewhere out of sight. I had a similar problem on an old car I was restoring one time, and it was the light bulb in the glove compartment not going out when the compartment was closed. What a bitch to find.
Richard

My power cord to the coach seems to drop .22 amps."

With everything off in the coach, using a current probe, I'm reading .22 amps, on the power cord, which was a little of a surprize.  Thinking I need a larger power cord.....

Bill

[Ross]

New Hampshire is 14.95 cents/KWH.  When I lived there and was working on my bus, I found it cheaper to buy diesel for the genset than run the bus AC from grid power.  The Dometic fridge on 110VAC, which is nothing more than a dead short (heating element) like the heat strips, cost over $150 to run for one month.  It wasn't long after that I hooked up the propane to the fridge.

Ross

[ChuckMC9]

As others have said, something in your coach is drawing power. It ain't the power hose.

Mine draws about the same amount and call me crazy, but I'm now believing that GFCI outlets themselves draw power. I have five of them, and haven't yet bothered to unwire them to verify this, but with everything unplugged inside and outside I still get about that amount of draw.

I think they have a relay inside each which seems to stay energized whether the GFCI is 'tripped' or not.

Hmmm...

Like others have said also, though, your big challenges lie elsewhere in the big power hogs.

[DavidInWilmNC]

As to the current draw... automatic transfer switches have large contactors in them.  Mine defaults to the generator, so when the power cord is plugged in, the contactors are drawing a bit of power, but I don't know how much.


David

[Lee Bradley]

Nick:

I got a chuckle out of your post, but you get no pity from us folks on the west side of the Delaware River.

My latest electric bill shows $0.1483 per KWH. (thank you PECO)

Gas and Diesel prices vary from station to station, but as a rule your NJ prices tend to be 10-15 cents a gallon less than what I pay in PA.  Everytime I visit Luke, I make a point of tanking up before I cross the bridge.

Of course a primary reason for the price difference between NJ and PA is tax related. Take a look at the attached file which shows a breakdown of the gasoline and diesel taxes paid in each state.   Everybody from PA, let's all chant together: "We are No. 1! We are No. 1!..."   

All Right!!! We're number one and have no roads to show for it. The state has added about 50 miles of new road in the last 40 years. We are getting a new bridge as a public/private project; the company builds the new bridge and the state gives them the exsisting bridge and the company collects tolls on both. They have been building this bridge since 2000 and it maybe completed late this summer but the company is making noises about another year, it will probably come in at about 1 billion dollars. Mean while a private company in France built a bridge that is a little longer, higher and the public retained ownership of the exsistng roadway which they can use if the tolls get to high. The bridge in France started in 2001 and was done in 39 months at a cost of about 350 million. 
http://bridgepros.com/projects/Millau_Viaduct/

[Jerry32]

As for the 25 watts the TV and microwave have computers and clocks in them that are running even when the units are off.  The only real way you can check for useage ia to diconnect everything or pop your master breader off so there is no way to have any load on the buss. Jerry

[Kwajdiver]

I made it through the night.....  No overheads, just two space heaters.  Going to check the draw on two space heaters v. two roofmounts.....

When the cord is disconnected, the meter goes to zero.  Okay,,,, the TV and Home Theater System are the .22 in an off position. Both turned on pull 2.0 amps.

Two space heaters, pull   23.4 amps
Two roof mounts on heat 26.9 amps
Two roof monuts on high cooling  6.1 amps

Can someone tell me what their overheads pull on heat?   

Comes down to, my bus is a power hog.....  During the winter....   

Next question, how much fuel does a gen set burn in an hour?

Thanks for the input, keep them coming.....

Bill

[RTS/Daytona]

2000 KWH  or 2 megawatt hours / month

equals about an AVERAGE  of 23 amp continuous power

2000kwh / 30 days per month / 24 hours per day / divided be 120 volts = approx 23 amps (average continous)

based on your post - running one space heat during the day and both rroftops at night

That could be correct ??

Pete RTS/Daytona

[JackConrad]

We just finished a 10 day dry camping trip. No AC or heat but running the 8KW, 3 cylinder Kubota powered PowerTech generator to keep house batteries charged, water heater and occasional microwave, we run the generator 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. We burn approx 1 gallon of fuel per day. Of course, we would use more if we were consuming more power.  If I remember correctly, PowerTech chart for our 8 KW shows an average fuel consumption of .3 GPH at 25% load, .5 GPH at 50% load, .7 GPH at 75% load and 1.1 GPH at 100% load.  I don't have the chart in front of me but these numbers should be pretty close.  Jack

[Kwajdiver]

Jack,

If I average a 50% load, I would use .5 gph.   .5X24= 12 gallons a day.   12 gallons x $2.50 a gallon for fuel = $30.00 a day.   That times 30 days = $900.00 monthly in fuel......   Makes the electric power seem cheap.

At .3 gallons an hour that would be $540.00.......






Bill

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Two roof mounts on high cooling  6.1 amps

Bill, keep in mind that your compressors were surely not running when you tested the rooftop units' draw under cooling. Must have been fans only. When the compressors are on, they'll pull almost 20a each. It's probably not hot enough where you are to cycle the compressors on.

A/C loads are even higher than those of electric heat.

HTH,
Brian

[DrivingMissLazy]

Bill, why would you run a genset 24 hours a day. You are not in it for several hours per day are you?

Brian, my rooftops run about 11 amps while the compressor is running.
Richard

[Kwajdiver]

Brian,  That is true.....thought that was low.

I wouldn't run the gen set 24 hours, unless it was really cold.  Just throwing some numbers out there.


Bill

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Thought,

All theese RV A/C manufactors have not jumped on the band wagon yet with the new DC compressors for Air conditioners.

I wonder why.?

I think I should test one in a roof top. Hummmm?? ??

The equipment now exists in residential systems we sell. The compressors are DC and are able to be ramped down [variable speed]

at night time for high efficency. The speeds very from 900 rpm to 3600 rpm.  I will have to do some research because the compressors

are made in japan and are still the "scroll rotary" type. So they can be mounted Horrizonal in our units.

This could be the answer we need for our conversions to be able to boon dock over night without the gen running and still have A/C.

Nick-

[ChuckMC9]

I will have to do some research because the compressors are made in japan and are still the "scroll rotary" type.

And we anxiously await the results of your research!