Southern "Newbie" Questions

[buckbs]

I'm a new owner of a fifth wheel(Newmar 35LKSA) and it gets very hot here in the south during the daytime. Would anything be wrong with leaving windows in the unit cracked when pulling during the day to keep temps in the unit halfway decent? I realize that it takes a while to cool these units down when you stop for the night and this would help.

Another question. How do you hook a Honda EU 2000 generator up when you want to go "booneyville"? Do you just use your 30amp adapter and plug it into the generator. Would any generator surges harm the RV unit's electrical system? Also would the Honda 2000 amp generator run my 13,500BTU air conditioner at night if I had nothing else on in the unit? Have not tried any of this yet, and would like your ideas.

buckbs
2002 F-350 PSD dually, auto, 4.10, camper package, Reese 20K hitch
2002 Newmar 35LKSA fifth wheel

 

[caper]

Southern "Newbie" Questions

:blush: My husband and I are purchasing an rv and we plan to go south ( snowbirds) how hot does it get at night?

 

[buckbs]

Southern "Newbie" Questions

Caper,

Sorry to tell you, but in the southeast US, this time of year is only slightly cooler than "hades". Highs in the daytime from June til September is 90-95F. Nights are in the 80's. It's rather tough without air conditioning. Hence my question about being able to run my AC with a 2000 watt generator.

buckbs

 

[BarneyS]

Southern "Newbie" Questions

Hi Buckbs,
I do not have a generator but from all I have read, a 2000 watt generator usually will not run an air conditioner. Some have done it, but most say it is not enough to overcome the surge of power needed when the air kicks on. It seems to depend on the air conditioner used. Many people are hooking two EU2000 units together. There is a cable sold by Honda that allows this. Many other people have made their own. Two EU2000's are less expensive than one EU3000 and gives you more flexibility.

 

[the4barkers]

Southern "Newbie" Questions

Buckbs,

Recently I had the chance to test out both an EU 2000 and an EU 3000 with my 13,500 BTU air conditioner. The EU 2000 was able to run the air conditioner at first, but was working hard. When the compressor in the AC shut off, and then tried to restart, the overload indicator on the generator when on and the AC when off (not sure why it worked at first). With the EU 3000, the generator did not work as hard when the AC was running, but the gernerator also was not able to cope with the compressor going off and on. However, I was using the 15 amp circuit on the gnerator, not the 23.5 amp circuit. Possibly if I had an adaptor to take advantage of the high amp circuit the EU 3000 would have worked. I have also read about people installing a capacitor on the AC circuit to provide the kick to meet the power demands when the compressor cycles on and off.

In the end, I decided to go with the EU 2000 and do without AC. The EU 3000 is heavy (125 lbs) and hard to store in my 23 ft trailer. The EU 2000 was able to run everything but the AC. In the Canadian Rockies where I spend my time, I really do not need AC. In the southern USA, it would probably be a different story.

Mack