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Old 03-14-2014, 09:41 AM   #57
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I use the propane and it takes very little to keep the refer cold.

We travel with the inverter on for A/V use. If heavy use of house battery power we run the generator.

Using the Alternator to replace heavy draw from a storage battery while driving is more continuous work than the alternator was likely designed to do. I have had to replace the alternator once for about $300 where I did the install and removal.
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Old 03-14-2014, 11:20 AM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deandec View Post
I use the propane and it takes very little to keep the refer cold.

We travel with the inverter on for A/V use. If heavy use of house battery power we run the generator.

Using the Alternator to replace heavy draw from a storage battery while driving is more continuous work than the alternator was likely designed to do. I have had to replace the alternator once for about $300 where I did the install and removal.
As you stated, it takes very little propane (or any source of power) to keep the refer cold. There is no (continuous) hard to replace heavy draw on the alternator from the refer.

We often use the microwave, crock pot and/or the coffee maker via the inverter while driving. If the engine is stopped (such as at a rest stop) we will fire up the generator for those same uses.

The generator is always used for house air conditioning when on the road.
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Old 03-14-2014, 11:50 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deandec View Post
I use the propane and it takes very little to keep the refer cold.

We travel with the inverter on for A/V use. If heavy use of house battery power we run the generator.

Using the Alternator to replace heavy draw from a storage battery while driving is more continuous work than the alternator was likely designed to do. I have had to replace the alternator once for about $300 where I did the install and removal.
The heavy alternator draw that should be avoided is letting it try to charge house batteries that have been significantly drained. We always run the generator in that situation to avoid loading the alternator too much.
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Old 03-14-2014, 01:47 PM   #60
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The heavy alternator draw that should be avoided is letting it try to charge house batteries that have been significantly drained. We always run the generator in that situation to avoid loading the alternator too much.
That's an instance that I would agree with.
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Old 03-14-2014, 04:28 PM   #61
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Came across a statement in my owner's manual the other day concerning running on the inverter. Monaco recommends against it, stating that using the inverter on the alternator will seriously shorten the life of the alternator. Maybe has something to do with the way things are wired, and could be different from rig to rig?
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Old 03-14-2014, 04:40 PM   #62
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Came across a statement in my owner's manual the other day concerning running on the inverter. Monaco recommends against it, stating that using the inverter on the alternator will seriously shorten the life of the alternator. Maybe has something to do with the way things are wired, and could be different from rig to rig?
Many of us have MH's wired so that the heavy current-draw things like A/C's, microwaves, etc, cannot be run using the inverter. Running a coffee pot is a relatively short-term activity and wouldn't subject the alternator to that much strain (assuming you used it while driving.)

I know there are MH's that are wired so that the inverter can power anything in the coach and those could create enormous draws on the alternator if, for example, you tried to run the A/C while driving. We always use the generator for that sort of thing.
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Old 03-14-2014, 06:54 PM   #63
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As we line up on the "I do" or "I don't" side of this issue, one needs to remember that an adequately sized house battery bank is a necessary element in running any large inverter. If the battery bank is being taxed, so will be the alternator.
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Old 03-14-2014, 07:16 PM   #64
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As we line up on the "I do" or "I don't" side of this issue, one needs to remember that an adequately sized house battery bank is a necessary element in running any large inverter. If the battery bank is being taxed, so will be the alternator.
I didn't see this as a controversial issue. All anyone is doing is talking about facts.

If you run an A/C that uses 13A at 120V (a conservative estimate) then it will draw at least 130A at 12V. That's a large load and doesn't include inverter losses. It's similar to the load that a microwave would put on the system. However, there's nothing right or wrong about doing it.
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Old 03-14-2014, 08:31 PM   #65
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I didn't see this as a controversial issue. All anyone is doing is talking about facts.

If you run an A/C that uses 13A at 120V (a conservative estimate) then it will draw at least 130A at 12V. That's a large load and doesn't include inverter losses. It's similar to the load that a microwave would put on the system. However, there's nothing right or wrong about doing it.
I didn't say, or imply, that there was anything wrong with any of it. However, NO ONE here even hinted that they were trying to run an air conditioner from an inverter powered by the alternator. I haven't heard of an OEM installation wired to even allow the operation of the air conditioners from the inverter. Many, including mine, are sized and wired to operate everything except the air conditioners.

I was just trying to point out that one manufacturer may recommend against it because they know the limitations of their alternator, inverter and battery combinations, but unless they know how mine is configured, their recommendation is invalid and meaningless to me.

My point is/was that one should have a good understanding of their own system capabilities, and understand that all installations are NOT identical, before judging it's advisability.
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Old 03-15-2014, 08:42 AM   #66
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The engine alternator should keep the batteries up while underway. The only time I run the genset is when I need the roof air for additional cooling.
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Old 03-15-2014, 12:09 PM   #67
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Do you leave your inverter on when driving on long trips or do you run the generator. I will just be running the t.v. And DVD player and maybe the microwave and some lights.
Our self installed 1KW inverter is always on whether in use or not and is always feeding the laptop. As for the genset, it's only used, when needed for the AC's and Microwave in our case.
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Old 03-16-2014, 12:13 PM   #68
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how to turn the inverter on in a 93 Bounder?
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Old 03-16-2014, 12:21 PM   #69
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how to turn the inverter on in a 93 Bounder?
Inverters were not standard in the '93. You probably don't have one if you didn't install it yourself.
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