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One
of the most frequent questions that we hear is, "Why would
I buy a generator?"
Simple question, but it's hard to explain when the benefit,
sometimes, is unforeseen. We can easily say the generator
is handy to supply power for the air conditioning, or the
toaster or the coffee maker.
Yeah, that's good, you might say, but there are other means
to get AC or "plug-in" power, such as invertors with batteries.
But, invertors don't really offer "plug-in" power; they
require frequent recharging and won't start that air conditioner.
It's too bad your campground hook-up can't follow you down
the highway. I am going to try and explain generators and
hopefully you can decide if it is the best choice for you.
There are different types of generators. Portables are simple
generators, but they are noisy and not designed for use
in a compartment. They have to be in open air to keep cool,
and that means you have to take them in and out of your
vehicle, or storage compartment. The price of a portable
varies, depending on quality and size. The fuel tank is
mounted on the frame and they come with an option of pull
or electric start. They are definitely less money than the
RV-type generators but are more involved in setting up for
day-to-day use in your RV.
The RV gensets, mostly the newer ones, are designed with
quiet operation in mind. They can be mounted permanently
on the RV in storage compartments, hung underneath or, if
you're one of the lucky ones, in the "generator ready" spot.
At our shop, we have installed several different types and
sizes, but every case is different, and sometimes the kind
the customer initially wants just wouldn't fit in the RV.
There are several options available for the RV gensets -
remote start, additional exhaust silencers and hour meters.
Prices vary from size and brand, but the easiest way to
get the price for your unit is to contact your RV dealer
and ask them what unit will fit in your unit. The common
sizes are 4000, 5500, 7000 and, in diesel, 7500 Watts. The
fuel types, gasoline, propane and diesel, are chosen based
on what is available in the RV. Trailers generally have
the propane sets installed as they already have the fuel
present. Bus conversions would go for diesel or propane
as they would usually have both fuels available.
Fine, there is a spot for a generator; the prices are in
your budget, but you still want to know, "WHY?".
The RV generator is beneficial not only at the campground,
but on the road too! Depending on if you have a trailer
or motorhome you will have different options that make it
more useful. If you turn the roof air on instead of the
engine A/C, you could save your fuel economy, which is the
number one money saver. The RV gensets are connected into
the fuel supply of the motorhomes so they run longer on
a tank. Trailers using the propane gensets are usually helpful
for charging those batteries that you use when running silent
during quiet times. You can get small RV generators that
use very little fuel but can still run an air conditioner.
The larger the RV the possibility of two air conditioner
units being present and it's more likely you will need a
larger generator. Sometimes, if there are two roof air sets,
the generator runs both, but the campground plug only powers
one!
The generator does not have to run everything in the RV,
but if you want the A/C and a coffee pot going at the same
time, you will have to get a generator big enough to run
them. If you can wait for your coffee to finish brewing
before you turn on the air, you can get a size large enough
to run the selective loads. The average air conditioner,
13,500 BTU uses 2200-2400 Watts. You can cheat in this area,
if you don't want to buy a 7000-Watt set, you can get a
4000-Watt and run only the stuff you need. The smaller Class
B van conversions can get the small sets that are about
3000 Watts that can run an air conditioner with about 600
Watts left over. You can still watch TV and a movie, or
have a light to read your book while the converter of the
RV charges the battery.
How much will I use a generator?
If you go camping or travelling with your unit, you will
have to decide if you are going to use it. I did mention
a few things like the air conditioning, the toaster or coffee
pot, which are the common loads for gensets. But to think
you are going to run it from the time you leave till the
time you get back is unlikely. Regardless of your neighbours
and most campground generator bans (these are the quiet
times I mentioned earlier) after 11:00 p.m., you won't want
to listen to the hum of a generator while you are trying
to count sheep. I recommend generators to those who like
to be independent, driving down the highways and like to
dry camp in out-of-way spots or at truck stops rather than
the campgrounds.
You cannot run on batteries all the time and the engine
alternator will never keep the batteries charged without
failing. The generators again will help you save on fuel
while you are driving; this was the original intent on the
RV generator. For people with trailers, you can keep your
unit attached to the tow vehicle while you are at a rest
area, and stop for a break from the driving. You can turn
the air on for a while, pop a few dinners in the microwave
and relax. You just hit a switch on the wall and the genset
will start, and then shut it off when it is time to leave
or if you want silence. The great outdoor campers can use
the generator for short times to get the batteries charged
and run items wanted to use for convenience like the coffee
pot or microwave. You don't have to, it is an option, but
if you have the microwave there, why not use it?
What about the noise factor?
Generators are not known for their silence and if you have
ever heard one of the older models, you can appreciate the
attempt at the quietness that has now been achieved. They
have come a long way since the old cast iron mammoths that
we still see a lot of, especially in sound levels. Sound
is hard to measure or explain unless you actually hear it,
let us try anyway.
The average generator 15 years ago was about 75 decibels
(dB). Every three decibels is double the sound level. Lawn
mowers hit about 85dB and normal conversation is 60dB(A).
The new generators are as low as 66dB for the 4000 and there
is a diesel set at 61dB! That's a big difference than what
you may have been used to.
If I use my generator a lot, will it wear out?
On average the genset hour meters on RVs that do come in
to our service shop have about 250 hours on them for a unit
that is 10 years old. The units I don't have in the shop
are the ones that have 500+ hours. Here it is, in black
and white, the more you use your generator the fewer breakdowns
you will have!
I sell generators, new and used, and they hold their value,
no matter how many hours are on it, 50 - 4000. It is easy
to see if the generator was that thing in the back or a
regularly used machine. Yes, generators do hold their value
and there are not a lot of used sets available. Most customers
buy new because they can't find a good used one.
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TALK
THE TALK
Technical jargon can be confusing to most
people when it comes to the generator, repairs
and other electrical parts. Here are some
of the common words you will hear when discussing
a generator:
Circuit Boards - Most of the new generators
have a circuit board on them. The board does
not have much to do with the electricity,
it is mostly designed to start and stop the
generator. The safety shutdowns and remote
start is usually controlled here. In some
of the newest designs the circuit boards are
digital with fault codes telling you what
is wrong with the generator if there is a
problem.
Converter - Changes the 120 volts AC into
battery power, basically like a battery charger
or, if you have a cordless drill, that battery
pack charger.
Inverter - Changes the battery power (12
volts DC) into 120 volts AC (the same as hydro),
so you can run a normal TV or a VCR on batteries.
Rotor - A wire wound piece that is turned
into a magnet when there is DC or battery
power fed into it. It is connected into the
engine and spins inside of the stator. The
slip rings are generally attached to this
and the brushes will make contact to feed
the DC power in. Slip rings are made of copper,
so they can corrode or get dirty, this will
affect the output of the genset and even cause
the voltage regulator to fail. A good practice
would be to keep them polished and clean by
a technician, every year!
Stator - Another wire wound piece that
is around the rotor, but is stationary. Basically
it is the part that the electricity comes
from. The rotor's magnetism "pushes" the electrons
around the stator windings. Think of the stator
as being a tube of toothpaste and the rotor
is you trying to get that bit out of the tube.
You don't actually touch the toothpaste but
you forced it out. The electricity is sent
from here to the RV!
Voltage Regulator - Now here is a tough
one and not a low-cost item either if you
have to replace it. This unit is one of the
main components in the operation of the genset.
The rotor is fed the battery power from this
part creating the magnet. It senses from the
electrical output of stator how much battery
power to feed in to keep the voltage around
120 volts AC. This part can burn out, usually
from overloading the genset or dirty slip
rings.
These are the basics of the generator;
the engine, governor and carburetor are mostly
related to the engine aspect of the unit.
The governor tells the carburetor how much
fuel to put into the engine to keep the speed
the same for the electricity. You have to
have close to 60Hz coming out of the genset,
which is the same as hydro.
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Brands
of generators are endless, but there are only a few big
runners in the RV market. Onan is the leader in the market,
representing about eight out of 10 RVs with a generator.
Generac is second, Kohler and Honda also have RV sets.
"Why should you have a generator?" The answer's simple -
comfort, convenience and power. It also gives good value
for your money.
Marcel Broer is from H. Broer Equipment Sales & Service
Inc., located in Aylmer, Ontario. If you have any questions
regarding generators, send an e-mail to Marcel at info@hbi.on.ca
or visit the company's website at www.hbi.on.ca for information.
Article
first printed in the RV gazette (Volume 8, Issue II).
Website: www.rvgazette.com
Copyright 2004 Explorer RV Club - website: www.explorer-rvclub.com
Canadian publications mail sales agreement #1435604 ISSN
1484-1339 Published and printed in Canada.
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