Power: Generator & Batteries

[Bruce W]

When you are disconnected from power and the generator is running, can you get power from both the batteries and the generator at the same time? And, if so, how much power? Up to 30 amps?

[Overland]

There is a transfer switch that will disconnect the inverter when on shore power or generator, so for 120 volt service you’re limited to what the generator can produce.  Your 12 volt system is always working, even when being charged.

 

There are hybrid charger/inverters that will supplement 120v shore power with battery power but Oliver doesn’t offer that option yet.

[John E Davies]

It can be very hard to understand the interaction of systems that operate off both 12 volt DC (the battery bank) OR 120 volt AC. When you are not connected to shore power it is best to switch everything you can to propane (the fridge, water heater and cabin heating), then manually select what else you want to run off the now-independent AC power supplied by the generator, by disconnecting unused circuits using the breakers under the dinette. If your generator can only supply 15 amps of 120 volt AC current (1800 watts) continuously (not peak current, which is always a little higher) you need to decide if you want to run the air conditioner only, or a combination of outlets and converter. The air con draws too much power to allow you to run other stuff simultaneously.

 

How depleted your trailer batteries are in the morning determines how much AC current the power converter is using to recharge them.

 

Understanding how much generator power your stuff consumes (and what time of day) is important; you can run the outlets, microwave and converter (to charge the batteries) in the morning when it is cool outside and you are making your morning coffee and toast, and switch over to just the air conditioning in the heat of the day. Use too much AC power at once and your generator will go off line, telling you to reduce the electrical load. It won’t hurt the generator, that is how it is designed.

 

Having solar really helps because you don’t usually have to worry at all about recharging the batteries, that is all transparent and very efficient if there is any significant amount of sunlight. In dark times (shaded site or rainy day) you have to be much more careful of your power management.

 

This is why some owners like to carry a big generator, so all the 120 v stuff can operate at once. That is a big plus, but whether it outweighs  the many negatives like higher cost, fuel consumption, weight etc , is up to you to decide.

 

Did that help? Labeling your circuit breakers with a sharpie will help you to find the right one to switch on or off when running the gennie.... observing the amps reading of the remote display of the surge suppressor is very educational. ... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-to-relocate-the-surge-suppressor-remote-display/

 

If you are hazy about amps, watts and features, there are a bunch of generator FAQs for you to study. Picking the right size and type of generator is very important.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Cash]

When running one Honda EU2000, we can run everything off it (all at once)...TV, laptop, microwave, everything except the AC. Then, because I don't have an Easystart, I need to crank up the other Honda EU2000, running both in tandem to run the AC. I carry two 2000's because they are light; I can run them out of the back of my truck during bad weather (with my hard bed cover down). I was going to go with the Honda 3000 but they are way too heavy for me and probably wouldn't fit into the bed of my truck with the hard cover down. During hot weather, I can usually run between 9 and 12 hours overnight with both generators running for my AC. When not real hot, but just to keep the humidity down, I can go longer on using both generators.

[MandD]

I have a Honda 2200 generator and the easystart connected to the AC. Living in Colorado and traveling around the west, we camp at altitudes ranging from near sea level  to 10,000 feet. As I move up in altitude I need all the power from the generator to start and run the AC.  Assuming the solar panels have not fully charged the 4 Trojan batteries,  how do I assure that the battery charger is not drawing any of the available power from the generator? Are there other loads I should disconnect and how do I disconnect those loads to assure all available power from the generator is available to the AC? Thanks for the help.

[topgun2]

Since you have the 2200 and the easystart I would not worry about it.  However, If this really does concern you and/or you have noticed that your batteries have a fairly low state of charge (say below 80% or so), the easiest way to make sure things are really turned off is to switch off the circuit breakers and/or pull fuses under the dinette.

 

Bill

[Overland]

I suspect that the only way to stop battery charging is to physically disconnect the converter section of the power center.  At least I don't think that there's a fuse you can remove.  I suppose that you could install a battery disconnect switch.

 

Apart from that, just switching everything off should do the trick.  There are some parasitic draws, but you're talking tenths of an amp AC.

[bhncb]

Assuming the solar panels have not fully charged the 4 Trojan batteries, how do I assure that the battery charger is not drawing any of the available power from the generator? Are there other loads I should disconnect and how do I disconnect those loads to assure all available power from the generator is available to the AC? Thanks for the help.

 

Flip off the circuit breaker labeled CHARGER (#5 far right on mine). Then set the refrigerator mode to GAS using the front control panel button. Your solar will more than keep up with the DC draw by the ignitor and control circuit. The microwave will draw a minuscule amount for the control/display so you could unplug it in from the outlet in the cabinet above if you're really serious.

[MandD]

Thank you for all the information and advice. I will try all your suggestions the next time we boondock in the Colorado high country.