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03-28-2020, 04:46 PM
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#1
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Member
Name: Eva and Kirk
Trailer: Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe
Virginia
Posts: 48
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No 30 amp plug on generator
Hi folks, I searched the forums but didn't see anything addressing this issue. We are considering purchasing a 2000 watt generator for our Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe. Casita A-Z has links to a couple of 2000 watt units. Looks like the honda may be gone now, but the Yamaha is still available. All of these, including some lesser brand units like Generac seem to have two 15 amp plugs and no 30 amp plug. (At least I assume the plugs are 15 amp.) Is there an adapter that combines two 15 amp household plugs into a 30 amp plug so we can run the AC unit? I really don't want to go up to a 3000 watt unit due to price and due to weight.
Stay safe ya'll and
thanks from Evirk
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03-28-2020, 04:57 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Name: Don
Trailer: 2015 Escape 17A
California
Posts: 103
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Eva & Kirk,
We purchased a Honda eu2200i for emergency use and for our trailer, an Escape 17 w/air conditioning (our big 120V load). It has 20A/120VAC receptacles, and we just use a 30A RV female/20A male adapter. Works fine: handles the running load with plenty to spare, and the starting Amps approaches 20A for only a few seconds.
Edit: Here are examples (item #2 and #3: John and Raspy show the photos--below): https://www.amazon.com/20-amp-30-rv-...amp+rv+adapter
By the way: we also got a Hutch Mountain propane/natural gas conversion kit, so we have never run the Honda on gasoline, only on natural gas from our home, and propane from an extra trailer tank.
__________________
Don & Teresa
Tow: 2011 Honda Pilot
Trailer:2015 ESCAPE 17A
RLTW - LRRA2015
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03-28-2020, 05:01 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Name: Kenneth
Trailer: Scamp
Wisconsin
Posts: 1,858
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30 amp
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evirk
Hi folks, I searched the forums but didn't see anything addressing this issue. We are considering purchasing a 2000 watt generator for our Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe. Casita A-Z has links to a couple of 2000 watt units. Looks like the honda may be gone now, but the Yamaha is still available. All of these, including some lesser brand units like Generac seem to have two 15 amp plugs and no 30 amp plug. (At least I assume the plugs are 15 amp.) Is there an adapter that combines two 15 amp household plugs into a 30 amp plug so we can run the AC unit? I really don't want to go up to a 3000 watt unit due to price and due to weight.
Stay safe ya'll and
thanks from Evirk
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The2000 watt Honda has been replaced by the 2200 watt unit. Yes it can be had with a 30 amp outlet but, it is not 30 amps until you run two of them in parallel. I run a single 2200 and get by but the 30 amp outlet is a twist lock and requires a "dog bone" to adapt the RV 30 amp to it. If you do not run the air conditioner, almost any will work.
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03-28-2020, 05:18 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: Escape 21, behind an '02 F250 7.3 diesel tug
Mid Left Coast
Posts: 2,937
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2000VA at 120VAC is just a bit over 16 amps, the 2200VA generators are 18 amp peak.
most 2000VA generators are only rated for like 1600 watts sustained, which is not quite 15 amps. The EU2200 is rated for 1800 watts sustained, thats 15 amps.
use a 15A to RV30 'dogbone' with any of those, like this...
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03-28-2020, 05:27 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,879
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evirk
Hi folks, I searched the forums but didn't see anything addressing this issue. We are considering purchasing a 2000 watt generator for our Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe. Casita A-Z has links to a couple of 2000 watt units. Looks like the honda may be gone now, but the Yamaha is still available. All of these, including some lesser brand units like Generac seem to have two 15 amp plugs and no 30 amp plug. (At least I assume the plugs are 15 amp.) Is there an adapter that combines two 15 amp household plugs into a 30 amp plug so we can run the AC unit? I really don't want to go up to a 3000 watt unit due to price and due to weight.
Stay safe ya'll and
thanks from Evirk
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You can't plug two plugs into the generator and get two times 15 amps. A 2,000 watt generator is only capable of just over 16 amps max, 13 amps continuous, at sea level, minus about 3% per 1000' of elevation.
Adapting a trailer 30 amp "style" 120 volt plug to the 15 amp "style" household plug on the generator is simply a matter of getting an adapter that looks like one of those on one end and the the other of those on the other end. These are easily to find at Camping world, Walmart, or on Amazon. A 30 amp RV to 15 amp household adapter. They are also useful for plugging in the RV at home
If you are planning to run your AC from one of these generators, be prepared to be disappointed unless to have an EasyStart installed.
Here is an example similar to the one John posted:
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
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03-28-2020, 09:45 PM
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#6
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Member
Name: Eva and Kirk
Trailer: Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe
Virginia
Posts: 48
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Thanks everybody. Ok, so it seems like I was over-complicating it. Short answer sounds like “ just use one of the outlets”.
However I’m hearing some conflicting info on the A/C operation. Casita A-Z says the 2kW units will handle A/C but Raspy’s comment sounds like a hard lesson learned.
And I’m not clear on what an EasyStart is. (And by not clear I really mean I haven’t a clue).
So new question, can I run the Casita 17 A/C unit off a single 20A outlet on one of these little gensets?
And again, thanks for the great feedback.
Cheers,
Evirk
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03-28-2020, 11:03 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Name: Daniel A.
Trailer: Bigfoot 17.0 1991 dlx
British Columbia
Posts: 741
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An electronic soft starter is designed to reduce the starting current of the compressor by actively controlling the current in both the run and start winding's.
Next it depends on your BTU's .
I know my 9200 BTU Polar Cub will start and run on my 2000 Honda. I've also been plugged into a 15 amp outlet and the air works fine.
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03-29-2020, 01:45 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,879
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Motors take about three times the current to start, that they do to run. 2000 watt generators supply enough current to run the AC, but not to typically start it. There are exceptions with smaller AC units, and ones that have added starting capacitors, but generally speaking, don't count on a 2000 watt generator running your AC.
And for every 1000 feet of elevation, subtract about 3% of the available power from the generator. So the problem gets worse with altitude, and probably with heat.
AC compressors come up to speed in about 1/4 second and require a very high surge of current that is beyond the generators ability to supply. The way to match the small generator to this task is to lengthen the start time from about 1/4 second to about a second or second and a half, this reduces the peak power requirement by spreading it out over time. Just as much energy is required, but spread over time at a lower peak. This is what the EasyStart does, it manages the starting of the compressor by lengthening the start cycle while watching the RPM of the motor to make sure it is accelerating. The result is a completely reliable AC that runs on a small generator. Again, I know there are some who can run their AC units on small generators, but that is not normal, and probably the ones that do, have an auxiliary starting capacitor which is easy to add. The smaller rooftop units are about 9,000 BTU and the typical larger ones are 13,500 BTU, which have bigger compressors. This starting problem is why so many get either a 3000 watt generator, or get two smaller ones and link them together. Or they get an EasyStart. And with the smaller generators, you can't run anything else while the AC is on, such as the microwave, electric water heater or high charge rate to the batteries.
Another way is to get a smaller, window unit, and mount it on the rear of the trailer like Snoozy did. Sometimes people buy window units and install them in the rear window. These are much cheaper than rooftop AC units, and draw less power, but may be hard to make look good. For rooftop units the roof must be strong enough, the proper wiring must get to it and the condensate has to be managed.
The other problem with rooftop AC is how outrageously loud they are. I've used mine only a few times over the years, and only then when the noise problem was surpassed by the heat. Camping five years ago in Phoenix in July was the last time I've used one, and it was only feasible there because we had hookups. I don't see the fun in camping where it's too hot to be outside and I have to run the generator to run the AC while sitting inside.
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
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03-29-2020, 07:06 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
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Our Champion dual fuel 3800 watt generator has a 15 amp 125 volt duplex receptacle , a RV 30 amp 125 V receptacle and a bunch of other junk that I never use . It will run everything in our trailer plus a small table saw .
We never take our generator camping for purely philosophical reasons so I cannot be of any further assistance.
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03-29-2020, 07:52 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,136
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Our 2800 Champion has a built in 30A RV outlet as well. Nice!
I would not expect a generator that puts out 13A to have a 30A plug. Look at the rating of any generator. The size tends to be a maximum. Steady running is always lower. So a 2,000 watt generator may only put out 1600 watts continuously. Thats 13 Amps. Even at 2,000 watts peak, that's less than 17Amps. My 2800 watt Champion puts out 23Amps peak. So just because it has a 30Amp plug does not mean I get 30Amps out of it.
We only take it when we know we will need AC and we know we will not have hookups. Typically, we just head to higher elevation and use our suitcase solar to keep the battery charged.
Many find even relatively quiet generators obnoxious.
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03-29-2020, 08:06 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
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[QUOTE=thrifty bill
Many find even relatively quiet generators obnoxious.[/QUOTE]
Count me in that group , I can take barking dogs , screaming kids , obnoxious drunks and even rap music to a point but Generator Noise has to be one of the most obnoxious sounds ever inflicted upon mankind .
A constant irritating drone that seems to go on forever
and ever.
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03-29-2020, 08:23 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Name: Greg
Trailer: 2008 Casita 17' SD
Washington
Posts: 1,993
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evirk
And I’m not clear on what an EasyStart is. (And by not clear I really mean I haven’t a clue).
And again, thanks for the great feedback.
Cheers,
Evirk
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This is the Easy Start module.
https://www.microair.net/products/ea...nt=30176048267
It is not a "soft start" or "hard start" capacitor. It is an electronic stepping relay to ramp up your compressor so that it doesn't go through that starting surge which normally gives fits to small gen-sets during the start-up phase. It isn't cheap, but to me anyway, it was worth every penny. Not only does it work well, but before I installed one, my whole trailer used to rumble and shake when the compressor came on. Now, all I hear is a gentle whoosh of air coming out of the rooftop A/C unit. Equally as quiet when on either shore power or a generator.
Here's some pictures I took during my installation: To make a mounting bracket I used a small section of roof flashing from Lowes, which I bent to fit and attached to the existing metal frame of the Polar Cub A/C unit, so that I could mount it inside the A/C shroud. Installing one of these requires removing the existing starting capacitor and wiring it up inside the cap housing cover. It might look a little intimidating to some folks, but it's actually a fairly easy modification to do. It also comes with a pretty good schematic and wiring diagram. You will need to make another hole in the sheet metal cap housing to run the Easy Start lead through to get it inside in order to hook it up. (It's the heavy black wire you see coming into the housing in the pictures.) Don't forget to insert a rubber grommet in the hole to keep the wire from getting cut on the sheet metal. They now also offer an installation kit which has one, (which didn't exist when I bought mine a few years ago.)
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03-29-2020, 10:07 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Name: sven
Trailer: Casita
FL
Posts: 122
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Search the forum lots of good info already covered. I own several harbor frieght Honda 2000 inverter copies. No issues but one. I purchase the extended two year warranty(still keeping cost by half of a Honda). With that warranty I can walk into any harbor freight in the usa and exchange my broken unit for a working one. No waiting on service. They are tuff as use them liked 220 at fish camp to run a/c and chest freezer for extended times.
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03-29-2020, 10:32 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Name: Henry
Trailer: BigFoot
Tennessee
Posts: 1,310
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See Greg's #12 post. Install the MicroAir Easystart.
I have an onboard Cummins Onan 2500LP Generator. The only thing is does is charge the batteries. It is not an inverter generator. When it runs is does so at max rpm. It is loud, although the company says it is quiet. Don't even think of buying one of these.
I used to own a Honda eu3000is and had it permanently mounted to my 17' Casita. It ran everything, was quiet and very reliable.
My suggestion is to buy a 2 Honda 2200's or their clones, perhaps like the Champion, and connect with a parallel kit when needed.
__________________
2019 Big Foot 25RQ with cargo box, onboard Cummins LP 2500 generator, solar panels, and 2019 Ram 2500 4x4, 6.7L Cummins with ARE Shell.
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03-29-2020, 11:02 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Trailer: Escape 17 ft
Posts: 8,317
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham
Noise has to be one of the most obnoxious sounds ever inflicted upon mankind .
A constant irritating drone that seems to go on forever
and ever.
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Even worse would be Toronto rapper Drake.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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03-29-2020, 11:15 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo
Even worse would be Toronto rapper Drake.
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I will concede that that was a huge oversight on my part and I admire your honesty , I would have never acknowledged that he was a Canadian
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03-29-2020, 12:14 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
Posts: 1,307
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evirk
Hi folks, I searched the forums but didn't see anything addressing this issue. We are considering purchasing a 2000 watt generator for our Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe. Casita A-Z has links to a couple of 2000 watt units. Looks like the honda may be gone now, but the Yamaha is still available. All of these, including some lesser brand units like Generac seem to have two 15 amp plugs and no 30 amp plug. (At least I assume the plugs are 15 amp.) Is there an adapter that combines two 15 amp household plugs into a 30 amp plug so we can run the AC unit? I really don't want to go up to a 3000 watt unit due to price and due to weight.
Stay safe ya'll and
thanks from Evirk
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You could see about using a power booster with the 2K generator. We use one in campgrounds where the power is very low and have used one when plugged into friends homes with 15 amp service. It will give you enough to run the A/C. Camping World sells one with some nice features. They run in the $400-500 range but are well worth it. Check to see if they will work as well with a generator though.
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03-29-2020, 12:16 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
Posts: 1,307
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[QUOTE=Jann Todd;772496]You could see about using a power booster with the 2K generator. We use one in campgrounds where the power is very low and have used one when plugged into friends homes with 15 amp service. It will give you enough to run the A/C. Camping World sells one with some nice features. They run in the $400-500 range but are well worth it. Check to see if they will work as well with a generator though. They are designed with a 15 amp plug to plug into the power source and a 30 amp receptacle for your trailer.
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03-29-2020, 01:00 PM
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#19
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Junior Member
Name: Jim
Trailer: Jayco
Louisiana
Posts: 26
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No to Autotransformers
[QUOTE=Jann Todd;772498]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jann Todd
You could see about using a power booster with the 2K generator. We use one in campgrounds where the power is very low and have used one when plugged into friends homes with 15 amp service. It will give you enough to run the A/C. Camping World sells one with some nice features. They run in the $400-500 range but are well worth it. Check to see if they will work as well with a generator though. They are designed with a 15 amp plug to plug into the power source and a 30 amp receptacle for your trailer.
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Jann Todd, First of all, please don't take my comments as negative, it's just the engineer in me screaming to get out. If you are calling an Autotransformer a "power booster", you are defeating the purpose of the OP's request. When using the "Booster", it draws more current to raise the voltage through the transformer windings ... this is why so many parks with insufficient wiring are banning them. A generator does not have low voltage unless it isn't up to speed or there is something wrong with it. If the A/C is overloading it and making the genset trip offline, adding more load (the booster) will only make it overload sooner. If you are constantly overloading the inverter type generator, expect the electronics to fail sooner rather than later no matter the brand. Be careful with using those autotransformers, I read that the National Electric Code will be banning their use in the near future, due to the damage they cause to the park's electric distribution system when the system is overloaded already.
Here's a good analogy of generators and electrical loading: for a given sized orange, you can only get so much juice , no matter how hard you squeeze it. If you want more juice, you need a bigger orange or a second one.
Keep it fun and be safe out there .......... Jim
__________________
Jim (Swampy), Susie, Jimmy & The Chihuahua Crew
2008 Chevy Silverado LS, 4.3L, V6, 2WD, 3.23:1
2014 287 BHBE; 1981 Jay Raven; Predator 3500i
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03-30-2020, 11:40 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
Posts: 1,307
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[QUOTE=jimknoch;772503]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jann Todd
Jann Todd, First of all, please don't take my comments as negative, it's just the engineer in me screaming to get out. If you are calling an Autotransformer a "power booster", you are defeating the purpose of the OP's request. When using the "Booster", it draws more current to raise the voltage through the transformer windings ... this is why so many parks with insufficient wiring are banning them. A generator does not have low voltage unless it isn't up to speed or there is something wrong with it. If the A/C is overloading it and making the genset trip offline, adding more load (the booster) will only make it overload sooner. If you are constantly overloading the inverter type generator, expect the electronics to fail sooner rather than later no matter the brand. Be careful with using those autotransformers, I read that the National Electric Code will be banning their use in the near future, due to the damage they cause to the park's electric distribution system when the system is overloaded already.
Here's a good analogy of generators and electrical loading: for a given sized orange, you can only get so much juice , no matter how hard you squeeze it. If you want more juice, you need a bigger orange or a second one.
Keep it fun and be safe out there .......... Jim
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Thank you for the info. I did not know these things and that is why I said to check it out. Yes I was talking about an autoformer. Sometimes we go to parks and the voltage is only 106 and that will not allow anything to run safely including the fridge. If I pay for electric I want it to run my needs. So I will use my autoformer. Hopefully they won't outlaw them and if they do the parks will upgrade to good electric or they'll fail in their business. Of course not everyone checks the voltage. Those little white plug in volt meters are useless. Out of 4 only one was close to right. We bought a digital one and set all the white ones to it to keep an eye on the electric to see if it goes up or down. Those white ones are an item that shows you get what you pay for. Cheap price doesn't work. You didn't offend me. This column is for learning and you did a nice job of teaching.
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