Inverter/ a/c question

[tucsontattoo]

I,m probably not the best person to answer this but I will say you need to make sure your wiring from the alternator is big enough and from the inverter. Your inverter run has to be as short as possible also because DC doesn't push well very far. Could have some serious wire fire down the road if all isn't right. Believe I,d call Dick Wright at Wrico (541-744-4333) and ask what size things need to be if you don't get any input from some of the guys here before you go...Liik I said I don't know much about this subject but I know if you get it wrong it can be real bad.Wouldn't trust it just because it worked for a few minutes.

                                      Good luck and have a safe trip    Tucson

[Kevin]

Thank You Tucson For The Concern And Suggestion,

Very good idea! If I'm able to speak with Dick @ Wrico, I will share his knowledge regarding running A/C on inverter/house batteries while underway, in terms of wire/alternator/battery bank size, etc.

To the beach!!!
Kevin

[OneLapper]

Update!

After re-reading everyone's post, and taking a long hard look inside (my head) as to what type of living I'm going to be doing inside this bus, I decided to pony up and and buy a diesel genny.  Most of my time spent in this thing is going to be boondocking at the race track (very few have RV elec hookups), chillin' at the inlaw beach house (we have 28 nieces, nephews and bro/sis inlaws!), hanging at my parent's lake "house" (the coach is MUCH nicer than the house, etc.  The genny will let me run the roof air over the road and solve a lot of other issues (heating water, etc.).

I'm currently looking at the Kohler motor home units, either the 10kw or 12.kw.  Are there any opinions on the Kohler units?

thanks,

Mark

[TomC]

After researching Onan, Kohler, Generac, I choose a 10kw Powertech (out of Leesburg, Fla) because those first three use their own electronics compared to Powertech that uses simple Bosch plug in relays and sensors that are available at most any auto parts store.  I've had the unit for 10 years (only 600hrs on it) and haven't had any problems with it.  I understand now, Powertech has also gone electronic (which is good for interfacing your inverter to auto start the gen when batts get low), so there advantage has deminished.  Also, I've heard that now that Powertech is in many coaches, they don't seem to have time for single purhasers and repair parts might be hard to get.  With that in mind, if I were buying a genset now, I'd only consider a Wrico if you want one of the best independently made gensets and with that Dick Wright (owner) that is heavily ensconced in the bus conversion industry.  I would also consider an Onan Quietpower Diesel since it is in its' own compartment (you only have to hook it up and provide for ventilation) and that Onan is the largest gen maker with the most outlets (many of the Cummins dealers are also Onan dealers) making for the most convenient repair situation.  As far as Kohler, if you were buying this for your house, OK.  But I think you'll find the dealer network for Kohler not as extensive as Onan.  Onan makes both a 10kw and 12kw (basically the same unit, so get the 12).  The best trick would be to mount this on air bags and to have baffles on the duct work for the in and out air since those ducts do allow some engine noise to escape to the outside.  And in my opinion, there is no such thing as a too quiet generator-especially for your neighbors!  Good Luck, TomC

[Geoff]

I run my front 15,000 BTU roof air off a Trace SW2512MC inverter (12v) and 130 amp 12v truck alternator-- it works fine, and the meter on the inverter indicates the front air is only drawing 9 amps @ 120v.  If I need to run two airs, I start the diesel generator.  And yes, it is very important to run a heavy cable from the alternator output to the house batteries for that kind of load.