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Old 08-01-2022, 12:56 PM   #21
RMcNeal
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Thanks. That's helpful. My Samsung frig is rated at 5 amps. It's the inverter type.
I have run the frig, converter and 1 AC on 20 amp home receptacle. Cord didn't get warm. Everything ran fine overnight. I was trying to get the coach nice and cool before we left in an effort to shorten the time to cool down at our first stop. Haven't installed the Easy Starts yet.
I was hoping to get a generator that would run these 3 items to keep the coach cool while travelling. My problem is, I can't find a generator that can do that and fit inside the bed cover of my truck (when not in use). I only have 19" height clearance under the Retrax Pro cover. Everything capable is at least 20".
I had considered turning of the converter and running the frig off the batteries while travelling. I have 2-GC2 golf cart batteries with 215 AH that should be fine for 5 hours or less of travel.
 
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Old 08-03-2022, 01:34 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by juddspaintballs View Post
We've been living in our 350QBQ for about 1.5 years now. It is parked on my parents' farm while we wait to get stuff in order to build a house. We're tied into their house power/water/septic. We lose power at the farm when big storms come through. I have a big military generator on a trailer that I can backfeed their house with to keep them running (interlock in place), but I cannot power my Montana while I'm also powering their house.

I want to get a smaller gasoline generator that will power my entire Montana like I was still plugged into the grid for the few hours we're out of power here and there. I want to be able to run both ACs without modification. Noise really isn't an issue since the big diesel generator will also already be chugging along. It sucks to not have AC in July.

I was looking at a Champion 7000w Inverter generator for about $1100. It has a 30A twist lock plug that says it is capable of 120/240 volts. I assume that generator would be powerful enough to do what I'm asking, but would I be able to wire that correctly to power my Montana fully?
https://smile.amazon.com/Champion-Po...cx_mr_hp_atf_m


Or are there better options available? Weight or noise aren't really an issue, but I would like to stick to an inverter style generator. This generator will be useful for actually building my house, too. It won't go to waste once we're no longer living in this Montana.
Remember you are on 2 x 50A which is substantially more than 1 x 30A. RV's with full power backup use 12,000 watt although 7,000 will probably get you by. Just don't use the microwave if the AC is on unless you opt for the 12,000.
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Old 08-03-2022, 02:21 PM   #23
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Several sites we frequent in South Carolina and Georgia offer dual 30 amp connections but not 50 amp. I bought a dog bone that will take two 30 amps to a 50 amp plug. It ends up being a total of 60 amps, not 100 amps like a true 50 amp service would provide, however, we've run both AC's, Converter, Water Heater, Residential Refrigerator and various other minor electric devices such as TV's and computers simultaneously with no problems. I haven't installed the Easy Starts on either AC yet, but they are on the way. That would only improve things, IMO.
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Old 08-03-2022, 02:21 PM   #24
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The two Champion 4500's were delivered today along with the parallel kit. I will be unboxing them soon and trying them out while it's still 100 degrees out to see if they can run both AC's.
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Old 08-03-2022, 02:24 PM   #25
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They should have no problems running both AC's and some other appliances as well. Essentially, you'll have 2-30 amp legs instead of 2-50 amp legs. I do that now with some sites where we have 2-30amps for shore power.
Out of curiosity, which model Champion did you get?
I've also been looking at the model #200988 which is dual fuel. It says 29.2 amps running on Gas and 26.2 amps running on propane.
Cabela's and Bass Pro have a 5500/4000 dual fuel from Champion that has full 30 amps running on propane and it's only about 10 lbs. heavier than the 4500.
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Old 08-03-2022, 02:37 PM   #26
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Several sites we frequent in South Carolina and Georgia offer dual 30 amp connections but not 50 amp. I bought a dog bone that will take two 30 amps to a 50 amp plug. It ends up being a total of 60 amps, not 100 amps like a true 50 amp service would provide, however, we've run both AC's, Converter, Water Heater, Residential Refrigerator and various other minor electric devices such as TV's and computers simultaneously with no problems. I haven't installed the Easy Starts on either AC yet, but they are on the way. That would only improve things, IMO.
If the campground is providing dual 30's, then it is highly likely they have connected the supply the correct way to allow you to safely use the dogbone.
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Old 08-03-2022, 02:45 PM   #27
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Definitely. They both share the neutral in the pedestal. The problem comes in with 2 generators that don't share neutral. The sine waves are not synchronized and so the neutral can't be shared the same way.
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Old 08-03-2022, 03:06 PM   #28
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generator

I just went thru this myself, I had a 6500watt briggs n stratton inverter. It would not start my air conditioners. even with all breakers off. it only had a 30 amp twist lock (othter than some 120vac outlets)

I went with a 12500/15000 watt inverter ($1350.00) Now i can run everything at the same time plus power my well pump and aircond in my sticks n bricks should power fail there.

With a montana i feel you will be very dissapointed in a 30amp gen set
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Old 08-03-2022, 03:21 PM   #29
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They should have no problems running both AC's and some other appliances as well. Essentially, you'll have 2-30 amp legs instead of 2-50 amp legs. I do that now with some sites where we have 2-30amps for shore power.
Out of curiosity, which model Champion did you get?
I've also been looking at the model #200988 which is dual fuel. It says 29.2 amps running on Gas and 26.2 amps running on propane.
Cabela's and Bass Pro have a 5500/4000 dual fuel from Champion that has full 30 amps running on propane and it's only about 10 lbs. heavier than the 4500.
I went with the 200987 model. When I clicked "buy" on Amazon, they were $678.02 each. The dual fuel was over $1000 each. For as often as I'd actually use the propane to power it (rarely), it didn't seem worth the extra $650 total.
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Old 08-03-2022, 05:29 PM   #30
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It's still 95 degrees outside. I hooked up both generators to the Champion parallel kit and then started them up, turned off eco-mode, and plugged in the Montana. I came inside and turned the AC units down so they'd both startup and run. The generators are humming along nicely outside with 3 of 4 bars lit up on the power meter on each. Inside, it sounds like a distant helicopter flying. The fridge is running on AC power. I haven't tried and probably won't try the microwave with both AC units running. I suspect there's still enough wiggle room on those generators to run the electric water heater.


I have two tiny gripes and that is with the parallel kit only. The ground wires attach to the generators with a nut. Either the generator should have a wing nut there or the parallel kit could use some sort of quick ground connection instead of having to get a tool out every time you want to take them apart. The other gripe is that the parallel kit doesn't clamp to the top grab handle on this model like it does on their other models. I'm sure I can retrofit something to work, but I feel like it should fit since that is the parallel kit made for these generators. These Champions use the square plugs for the red/black connections in case anyone else is buying these and wanting to use a different parallel kit than the one Champion sells.
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Old 08-03-2022, 06:55 PM   #31
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Sounds good. Buy a wing nut.
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Old 08-03-2022, 07:08 PM   #32
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If you have soft starts you can run 2 AC units off of 30 amp service. Here is a link: https://www.softstartrv.com/ They also now have a dog bone soft start surge protector all in one now, so you don’t have to wire up the AC’s anymore. You can find videos online with people running 2 AC units on 3000-3500 watt generators. Smaller generator and smaller load from the soft start means less fuel burned in the generator saving money and weight in the long run.
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Old 08-04-2022, 04:53 AM   #33
RMcNeal
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I went with the 200987 model. When I clicked "buy" on Amazon, they were $678.02 each. The dual fuel was over $1000 each. For as often as I'd actually use the propane to power it (rarely), it didn't seem worth the extra $650 total.
Thanks. It does seem like they are basically the same generator, except one is dual fuel out of the box. I have been leaning toward propane only because I will mostly use the generator while travelling to run the AC and keep the rig cool between stops. My last home generator had to have the carburetor replaced after not using for 4 years (heart surgery prevented regular maintenance). It seems like using propane would eliminate many of those problems and I regularly carry 20 lb cylinders anyway. It's easier and cleaner to burn and transport, no spills or smell and already on board.
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Old 08-04-2022, 09:18 AM   #34
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Generator considerations

Since you're in the mood to build a house perhaps you should think about a genset that will provide standby power for your house after it's built. Yes, it will be too large for your RV, but you'll have it when the house is built, and it can be serving you now.

I suggest you strongly consider an LPG (propane) generator as it and its tank are not tied to a pipeline system. I see many folks putting in gensets for backup power that are tied to natural gas lines and are difficult to relocate. I have installed a backup genset at my house that runs off propane because I have concerns about an interrupted natural gas supply. I have seen natural gas fail in cold weather due to high demand.

~Hoss
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Old 08-04-2022, 09:39 AM   #35
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Since you're in the mood to build a house perhaps you should think about a genset that will provide standby power for your house after it's built. Yes, it will be too large for your RV, but you'll have it when the house is built, and it can be serving you now.

I suggest you strongly consider an LPG (propane) generator as it and its tank are not tied to a pipeline system. I see many folks putting in gensets for backup power that are tied to natural gas lines and are difficult to relocate. I have installed a backup genset at my house that runs off propane because I have concerns about an interrupted natural gas supply. I have seen natural gas fail in cold weather due to high demand.

~Hoss
Hoss,

I already bought two inverters. I will be putting in a LPG standby generator for the house when I build it. I'm sure it will be upwards of 20kw by the time I calculate all my loads. I want to be able to run everything.
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Old 08-04-2022, 09:45 AM   #36
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On our old S&B house, we bought a 5500W open frame generator to run the house after hurricane power outages. Funny we never used it after hurricanes but had more power losses due to winter weather than anything else.
Anyway, I bought a Motor Snorkle and installed it on the generator. It then could run on gasoline, propane or natural gas. I also had a natural gas line installed to run it.
It actually ran quieter on natural gas than gasoline.

https://motorsnorkel.com/product/mot...onversion-kit/
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