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02-02-2017, 05:50 AM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 72
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Running the Generator
Hi all. We will be driving to Florida with a couple of stops in the northern states where the temperature at this time of year will be well below freezing. As the furnace fan requires the coach batteries to keep it running, how often and for how long would you run your generator? We obviously won't be plugged in to shore for those couple of nights.
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2010 Tiffin Allegro Bay 35TSB
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
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02-02-2017, 06:25 AM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Country Coach Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Glen Allen, VA
Posts: 7,902
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While driving your batteries will be charged by your engine alternator so no need to run the generator during that time, of course. When parked for the night, I would run the generator as much as necessary to maintain the batteries.
It will depend on the number and condition of your batteries. If you stop for the evening with fully charged batteries, they may run your furnace for the night without the generator. That will depend on what other activities you do that use battery power. Once you get to Virginia on I-95, there will be many RV parks along that route open. Not sure about states north of VA.
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2007 Country Coach Allure Siskiyou Summit, sold/traded Nov. 2018.
2019 Grand Designs 384GK-R 5th wheel. Glen Allen, VA
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02-02-2017, 07:35 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Near Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,842
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About the best thing you can do to save as much battery power as possible during overnight stops is get the coach as warm as possible all the way down the back as you can.
The simplest way to do this is to open the rearmost roof vent and then run the dash heat on full with as many outlets pointed straight down the back.
The open vent creates a vacuum that pulls the warm air down the back.
Doing this makes a huge difference in how warm the rear of the coach gets while underway. It also uses zero propane.
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Ted 'n' Laurie, plus Jackson (aka Deputy Dog, the Parson Russell Terrier 'fur kid') and, Rylie (who crossed the Rainbow Bridge June 14, 2012).
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02-02-2017, 09:21 AM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 28,511
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Assuming the batteries are in decent condition, they should run the furnace overnight with no problem. I would run the genset for an hour or so during the late evening to get the battery charge up before going to bed, and then start it again in the morning for awhile, to make sure you have power for morning use before getting back on the road. You don't have to get it fully charged in the morning, since driving should top it off anyway.
You have a battery status display somewhere in the coach - keep an eye on it. Don't let the batteries get too low (stay above 50% charge or about 12.0v).
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Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is now West Palm Beach, FL
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02-02-2017, 09:45 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,328
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There is no "one answer" fits all. Typically, and there are a lot of variables, you will,need to run the generator at least one hour or more in the morning and two hours before bed. Since it will be cold outside you will probably spend more time inside so another hour or so at lunch would be advisable
Just check the voltage periodically and adjust accordingly.
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Paul, Kathy, and Tux the Mini Schnauzer
2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42 LH, 2013 Honda CRV
"When the time comes to look back, make sure you'll like what you see"
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02-02-2017, 01:51 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,815
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An '05 Monaco Monarch might have an auto-start generator module. If so, you can set that and sleep completely worry free. I agree with the others concerning being enroute, you shouldn't need the generator at all unless your AC units are also heat pumps and you are trying to run them as well.
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Dewey & Sharon
Southern Maryland suburbs of DC
2022 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40IP
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02-02-2017, 02:35 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 72
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Thanks everyone for your responses. They have been very helpful. Being fairly novice RV owners, last year was our first big trip with the new to us Motorhome. We were in Syracuse, NY overnight last April...very cold. We didn't turn the generator on at all so woke up at 3:00 am with a very cold RV!
Had to quickly run the generator to charge up the batteries to allow the furnace fan to run.
So a couple of hours before bed should do? We would be travelling again first thing in the morning. It's 12 v that we should be keeping an eye on the batteries for?
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2010 Tiffin Allegro Bay 35TSB
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
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02-02-2017, 03:02 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Over the next hill, around the next curve...
Posts: 5,703
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Also on the heat gain building part of heat management. If your coach AC units include heat pumps, and it's not too cold, run them at the same time the generator is running. If no heat pumps, and if you carry a portable electric heater (Nice to have while in a park, to augment furnaces.), run it on high when the generator is running.)
Checking to see if your coach included Auto Generator Start, double check that it is set (I set mine to 60%, as I like a little cushion above 50% SOC, and I rarely drop below 70% SOC aways.) properly. If so, and you do not have a 'quiet black out hours set' - this will allow you to keep with the furnace on without worrying about running the house batteries too low.
If you have not done so, you can do searches on traveling in cold weather (Or combo's of those words.), and see some of the tips to retain heat. (One simple one, often overlooked, is the pillow cushions in roof van vents area. Makes a big difference. If you have a solar dome over the shower, placing some insulation in it with curtain rods, also really helps. And many, many other tricks and tips from this great gang of RV'er's.
Travel safe, and have fun...
Smitty
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Pausing 4 Family Opportunities - We'll be back!
04 Country Coach Allure followed by 07 Magna
OnDRoad for The JRNY! Enjoy life...
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02-02-2017, 04:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Glen Allen, Virginia
Posts: 187
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I have spent a few nights at the race track when it got below 27 degrees. Ran the genny until 11 pm then turned it off. The furnace ran off and on all night and I still had 12 volts the next morning.
As mentioned above, engine will keep the coach batteries up while traveling, I have run the house heat a few times while traveling without running the generator.
Gas heat fan motor does not draw that many amps.
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92 Crown Signature, 330 Cummins
Future iRV2 Moderator...vote for Dan Osborne
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02-02-2017, 04:26 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,002
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If you have a good charged battery set, and aren't running a bunch of other things on it, then the propane furnace should run, off and on, all night without worry of discharging too low.
Now if you also have an inverter that is being used to power frig or tv sets, then maybe not. I'd bet you would need to run the genset some. As has been mentioned, checking the monitor panel periodically will give you a good feel for what needs to be done.
Oh, with those cold temps, try not to let your plumbing freeze.
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03 Itasca Sunova, Workhorse P32 with the 8.1 and 4L85-E
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02-02-2017, 05:08 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Over the next hill, around the next curve...
Posts: 5,703
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As mentioned by another poster, lots of variables - so very hard to pin down and exact answer that 'You can run your heater for xx hours.'.  !
05 Monarch SE manual called shows a 35M BTU Electronic Ignition Furnace. Suburbans of that size, consume ~7.5 - 9 Amp, depending upon specific model. So lets just say 8Amp for conversation. (It also showed an optional 12V heater for the wet bay on some coaches. If you have that, factor more power consumption  !
The Manual also said two 6V house batteries, so figure 220-240Amp capacity range, if that is still what's in the coach. 50% SOC would be 110-120Amp of useable power. To be on the safe side, and cover other consumption (Refrigerator, phantom draws, lights, LP detector, etc.), reserve 50-60Amp for those needs. That would leave about 60-70Amp for heater duty. And as I personally like to stop at 60% SOC, say perhaps 45-50Amp for the furnace. At 9 amps, that gives you 5-6 hours of furnace time.
So toss on some blankets, set the thermostat down to 50 degrees. This should keep it from coming on/off all night. When you get up to use the head towards the sunrise hour, check your SOC, and if looking good crank up the thermostat to say 65 so that the DW does not get up to a cold coach. (I learned slowly on this. But found my DW was much happier if I got up in my boxers and did the cold walk to the thermostat in the AM before she got up  !).
So everything you do for heat gain while topping off the batteries, will be a help. Minimize power consumption. Many turn off their refrigerators overnight, especially in cold weather, and that could conserve power for you too.
When you go to replace those batteries, check to see if you have enough room to add two more. Or if not, if you have enough head room to go for large capacity batters, check out the Trojan T125 or T145's, they'll get you a bit more reserve battery capacity.
And again, all of my playing around with numbers based upon the brochure/manual on Monarch was just that - playing. You could read some in the Monaco owner's forum, and see what actual owners of your coach might share with you  !
Travel safe, and have fun,
Smitty
__________________
Pausing 4 Family Opportunities - We'll be back!
04 Country Coach Allure followed by 07 Magna
OnDRoad for The JRNY! Enjoy life...
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02-02-2017, 05:22 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Wherever I go, there I am
Posts: 574
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We don't have a ton of experience having only owned our MH since September, but we have taken a couple of long trips with overnight Wally-docking and cold nights.
As others have noted, your batteries should be full when you stop as the alternator has been charging them all day. We usually end up running the generator for an hour or two in the evening while we watch TV and maybe use the microwave or DW uses her electric coffee maker. While the gennie is on we crank the heat , including the roof heat pumps if it's warm enough for them to work, to get everything in the bedroom nice and toasty.
We both prefer a cold bedroom so when we go to bed I turn the thermostat down to 50 or 55. I do hear the furnace kick on during the night, but not all that often. Then in the morning when I get up I'll kick on the gennie again and turn up the heat to warm the coach up and leave it on while we make breakfast.
Our batteries are 5+ years old so I assume not in tip-top shape, but they get us through the night just fine. But I don't know if they would handle it if we were the type to sleep with the thermostat set to 72 degrees and the furnace running nearly non-stop.
__________________
Allen "Monkeywrench" Freeman, Full-time Nomad
2011 Itasca Sunstar 35F AKA The AdventureMobile
Dragging around a 2013 Ford Edge with a Blue Ox Alpha Tow Bar and an RViBrake3
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02-02-2017, 05:57 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Denver
Posts: 818
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One small thought. An automotive alternates does NOT fully charge a battery, just brings it to float voltage, which is all that is needed for the starting batteries. In my experiments this results in about a 85% soc. That is why running your generator with you onboard 3 stage charger is a good idea at the end of the day in order to top off your house batteries before bedtime
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2017 WGO Fuse
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02-02-2017, 06:32 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 8,055
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When we stop I hit the generator because I also turn on the tank heaters and hot water tank. They all run on 120 VAC. That lets me run the microwave a bit and TV for the news or whatever. Also turn on the electric blanket to warm up the mattress.
Unit is battened down with vent pillows in place, reflectix in some windows and a heavy curtain cutting off the cab. I make sure there are no obvious air leaks around the curtain.
Kill the generator after dinner is cleaned up. At that point we do not tend to linger a long time. We cut the heat back when we head for bed. That starts the night with the batteries as charged as possible and the heat load coasting a bit due to the dropped setting on the thermostat.
In the morning I start the generator as soon as I get up. If there is a problem then I start the main engine and let it idle a few minutes then start the generator with the emergency start switch if I need to. Running the generator ASAP gets it putting bulk charging into the house batteries and gives me power for the HW tank, tank heaters and furnace. I also put a small electric heater in the front cab to thaw out the windshield and front end of the unit. We may also use the microwave or toaster for breakfast. Since we tend to dawdle we get around 2 hours of run time that way so the house batteries should be in the high 80% range. That reduces the load on the engine alternator as it is mostly topping off at a lower rate than bulk charging plus everything is as warm as is reasonable.
That is similar to what I do when dry camping in the summer but it may be the A/C instead of furnace and we hang out later at night.
Heading south from NY/NE on the I-95 corridor the first open RV park may be Kings Dominion just north of Richmond, VA. I can't say about the other routes. Watch the weather either side of the Blue Ridge mountains. It can be quite different.
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