Remove Generator your Opinoin?

[themexicandoctor]

And when the grid does go down temporarily, having a Generator makes everything easier - a client's expensive house was flooding (due to a neighbour's illegal construction) & the only thing that saved the house was having the flood pumps run off the Generator.

[themexicandoctor]

[QUOTE=booster;109890]What? We can recharge our batteries at double the rate of 100 amp shore charger could, with a generator running it, by using our van twin alternators.EndQuote

I do know that the Onan I have in my Roadtrek isn't efficient as other options like Twin Alternators.*

But none of us savvy owners let the batteries get that low.

*Booster you have twin alternators in your Chevy 190, was that a retrofit & are they that super efficient - where do I get that install done?

[Bud]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

And when the grid does go down temporarily, having a Generator makes everything easier - a client's expensive house was flooding (due to a neighbour's illegal construction) & the only thing that saved the house was having the flood pumps run off the Generator.

And if the house was off-grid as some are today, would you suggest a back up generator like idle-up? Kind of like a full-timer with a Volta or Li3 system. I don't think I would or yourself.

Thanks for the Versatile pics of the seat area.

Bud

[themexicandoctor]

I don't know what you mean by Versatile seat pictures unless you are talking about the Storage Units I replaced them with on another thread - the storage capacity is huge & efficient versus adding those Roadtrek quasi cabinets I discarded.

As for keeping a Generator on the rig & making sure its maintained - its all personal choice.

I do know the Generator has been of value a few times to me.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

I don't know what you mean by Versatile seat pictures unless you are talking about the Storage Units I replaced them with on another thread - the storage capacity is huge & efficient versus adding those Roadtrek quasi cabinets I discarded.

As for keeping a Generator on the rig & making sure its maintained - its all personal choice.

I do know the Generator has been of value a few times to me.

Sure, when there is no shore power for a/c. My comment had to do with backing up an off grid B or house with a generator.

Sorry, I should have said thanks in the other thread, very nice too.

Bud

[themexicandoctor]

Gotcha!

I rarely use Air Conditioning.

[IdleUp]

Hello Booster

Regretfully your knowledge on this subject is limited to "forum chatter" rather than facts!

It's a proven fact that stationary engine-charging prohibits DPF regeneration and causes serious heat and carbon build up problems to the engine.

I suggest you read through some of my In-Depth articles on these subjects. They are derived from my consulting numerous major RV manufactures, chassis companies such as Mercedes and Ford Transit, to include Cummins, Mercedes diesel, Lithionics Battery, Xantrex and many other manufactures.

I included some notes below explaining the results during this charging events and how they damage the engine and DPF filter. Please read through the clip to better familiarize yourself concerning this matter or pull up my article on this forum titled Lithium Verses Generators for a full in-depth report

Best Regards - Mike

[Davydd]

For one, I don’t know of anyone that idles an engine with the second alternator other than in an emergency situation and then they would idle for a few minutes. Everyone knows to drive at highway speeds if you want to blow out the particulate. If I idled at 3 hours I would charge my batteries at 900 amp hour replenishment. Good trick with my 800ah battery bank. You do know a Delta 330 alternator tops out at about 330 amps and after an hour of driving still puts out about 280 amps Which is considerably more than an Onan generator.

Most use at a maximum about 200ah per day with an all electric Class B that means you can sit about 3-1/2 days without driving or idling and still have a safety factor or you could go a week with what most RVers have to do in conserving batteries. That’s way better than some Ahole In a campground next to you running a generator for 3 hours and still only replenishing a little over 300 ah. Coupling an Onan generator with a high capacity lithium battery bank is stupid.

BTW, I’m 3 days into a 4 day campground stay and I’m getting restless though we have driven every day to trail heads, state park, breweries, etc. That’s what you do with Class Bs. You drive them since you don’t have to take a half hour to settle them into a campground. Second alternators take care of your needs quite efficiently. 92 and 89 degrees yesterday and today and we still haven’t run our air conditioner.

[avanti]

What Davydd describes matches my experience with a second engine alternator exactly, and I only have 440Ah of AGM and a smaller Nations alternator.

[booster]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

Hello Booster

Regretfully your knowledge on this subject is limited to "forum chatter" rather than facts!

It's a proven fact that stationary engine-charging prohibits DPF regeneration and causes serious heat and carbon build up problems to the engine.

I suggest you read through some of my In-Depth articles on these subjects. They are derived from my consulting numerous major RV manufactures, chassis companies such as Mercedes and Ford Transit, to include Cummins, Mercedes diesel, Lithionics Battery, Xantrex and many other manufactures.

I included some notes below explaining the results during this charging events and how they damage the engine and DPF filter. Please read through the clip to better familiarize yourself concerning this matter or pull up my article on this forum titled Lithium Verses Generators for a full in-depth report

Best Regards - Mike

I guess I will take "chatter" over untrue statements any day But I still much prefer correct statements and proven facts. You said not any option available, with no statement about idling, for one thing, and no reference to diesel for another, and if you were paying attention, you would know that Mexdr and I both have Chevy gas powered vans.



I will also repeat that with a generator you can likely not recover dead batteries with an Onan and shore charger because no 12v reference unless you jump from the starting battery, which mean you may not be able to it at all with the generator/shore power setup.



I stand by exactly what I said, no matter how triple checked your untrue statements are.



We have 530 amps of parallel alternators on a single external regulator that will give 300 amps continuous if you have batteries that can handle that much. Dead coach batteries can be easily recovered because the alternators reference the starting battery not the coach batteries and there is a dash mounted switch to manually connect them as needed.



Slinging insults at all us does no good for the forum or the knowledge base. Facts, documentation, detailed test results, etc are what actually count.

[booster]

[QUOTE=themexicandoctor;109906]

Originally Posted by booster

What? We can recharge our batteries at double the rate of 100 amp shore charger could, with a generator running it, by using our van twin alternators.EndQuote

I do know that the Onan I have in my Roadtrek isn't efficient as other options like Twin Alternators.*

But none of us savvy owners let the batteries get that low.

*Booster you have twin alternators in your Chevy 190, was that a retrofit & are they that super efficient - where do I get that install done?

These are retrofit with alternators from Nations alternators. They also sell the mounting hardware kit and belt. The second alternator is nearly the same setup as Roadtrek put in the engine generator setup Chevies. Nations my be able to recommend a good shop in your area, or perhaps someone here can. I installed ours, so no experience with that.

[@Michael]

Originally Posted by k1hog

Non working generator removal would reduce weight, and is useless????

I'd remove a non-working generator and focus on either alternator capacity, solar capacity, or both. In my case, because the generator is noisier than the Transit gas engine and the Transit HD alternator can be set up to charge at a higher rate than the Onan generator + converter, I prefer idling the Transit over running the generator. So if my generator failed, I'd pull it out.

The only reason that I don't pull it out today is because of potential resale value. When I sell, I'd have to put it back in and get it running again.

I have a compressor fridge and I don't have hundreds of hours of battery, so I have to charge every day somehow - either solar, generator or engine.

--Mike

[themexicandoctor]

[QUOTE=booster;109970]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

These are retrofit with alternators from Nations alternators. They also sell the mounting hardware kit and belt. The second alternator is nearly the same setup as Roadtrek put in the engine generator setup Chevies. Nations my be able to recommend a good shop in your area, or perhaps someone here can. I installed ours, so no experience with that.

Booster - Thank you - I didn't realize there was such a "system" & yes it seems much more efficient than a Generator.

As it is, I rarely need my Generator for battery replenishment - I only have 200 hours but I treat these Lifelines better than myself.

If I was to add one, I wouldn't be concerned the next time the Generator needs some medicine called my money - doing my research now.

https://www.nationsstarteralternator...Kits-s/209.htm

[IdleUp]

Regretfully most of the “Expert Information” is compiled from “forum chatter” and Google and not the real world of RV’ing.

I have weekly contacts with dozens of up-fitters throughout the US - Which keeps me up to date with true data in the industry. One close friend who works for the largest up-fitter in California informed me of the over 200+ 2nd alternators they installed on campers, every one was either replaced numerous times then finally deleted. In fact, they no longer install 2nd alternators for this reason, there is just too many problems. They instead have followed my guidelines using a regulator and the stock alternator for charging while “Underway”.

I communicate with these installers and manufactures on a regular basis - Which keeps me up to date with technology and or problems. The facts are, thousands of these 2nd alternators have failed from heat related problems which cause winding and bearing failures.
In addition, the belts are failing and destroying pulleys and alternators and at times disabling water pumps. Making matters worse, most 2nd alternators are mounted very low away from air flow creating heat problems and even striking curves and debris on the road.

More importantly, stationary engine charging with 2nd alternators - Prevents the regen of the diesel particle filter. There have been thousands of DPF’s destroyed on Mercedes chassis. This idling practice with diesel engines loads both the DPF and the engine with carbon problems on the valves, valve guides and pistons from unburnt fuel. Stationary charging also cooks the components like electronics under the hood since there is no air flow through the grille to cool the generator nor surrounding components. This is prime reason Mercedes is prohibiting up-fitters from modifying the start system for lithium installations plus dozens of other new rules.

Hundreds of up-fitters have changed their install practices - To follow my guidelines in my Lithium Upgrade video using the stock alternator regulated by a Charge Mate Pro module for lithium charging.
This device carefully monitors both house batteries and you lithium pack and safely shares and charges with the stock alternator. This is just one of the reasons companies have changed over to my designed system and re-thinking installations.

Getting back to the subject of generators - All these charging problems can be resolved by a simple single cylinder Onan generator, or if you follow the guidelines of my installation, you can have a coach capable of being off the grid for weeks and never need a generator since my coach is capable of running with the inverter off and supplemented with the inclusion of devices like a propane refrigerator, water heater. I again suggest that you look over my video its the future of lithium RV's.

Enjoy - Mike

[booster]

Originally Posted by IdleUp

Regretfully most of the “Expert Information” is compiled from “forum chatter” and Google and not the real world of RV’ing.

That is an odd comment to make when you consider the fact that there are quite a lot of people here that have lived with and without generators, and with and without big alternators. This adds up to many years on various systems, and it certainly appears to me that the generators are not liked very much at (but necessary for some people) and the big alternator systems of both lithium and AGM are pretty generally praised.

I can tell you with near certainty from watching lots of "chatter" that the two highest number of complaints that people have about their RV systems are the two things you routinely tout as being the best choices.

Those two:

Onan generators

Absorption frigs

By the way, all the stuff you list is just internet chatter like any other. Does that mean it is also useless?

[Bud]

Interesting math here:

"I have weekly contacts with dozens of up-fitters throughout the US"

I think that idleup simply forgot about Canada when he typed, well probably cut/paste or the like. That would be dozens (24) plus Canada, at least 25 per week, or 3.6 per day.

Wow, I'm impressed with something here. Then there are the B and C manufacturers, the electronics folks Zantrex, Li3 folks, long list, and then..........................

"You can't make this stuff up."

https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Make-Thi.../dp/0738215546

[themexicandoctor]

I am sold on the Dual Alternators concept & if I had known about it before the $1000 in Generator repairs, I would have gone that route together with the added benefit of weight reduction - I have a couple of questions for Nations but as 190 owners, perhaps you can answer them;

1. Do you have a distributor in LOS ANGELES? And if so, do you have a list?

2. My unit is rigged as a ROADTREK 190 RV with an isolator switch, etc - what do I do with the existing equipment & typically what, if any are the Labour & Parts cost beyond the $469 to convert my Chevy over?

3. Is there anything else I should know?

Thank you, Dr Wakefield
(949) 274-0646

[booster]

Originally Posted by Bud

Interesting math here:

"I have weekly contacts with dozens of up-fitters throughout the US"

I think that idleup simply forgot about Canada when he typed, well probably cut/paste or the like. That would be dozens (24) plus Canada, at least 25 per week, or 3.6 per day.

Wow, I'm impressed with something here. Then there are the B and C manufacturers, the electronics folks Zantrex, Li3 folks, long list, and then..........................

"You can't make this stuff up."

https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Make-Thi.../dp/0738215546

I actually like the upfitter that used 200+ second alternators and every one of the them failed and was removed.


You tell me, does that sound like an alternator problem? Or does it sound like a misapplication of the product and/or inadequate installation?

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by booster

I actually like the upfitter that used 200+ second alternators and every one of the them failed and was removed.


You tell me, does that sound like an alternator problem? Or does it sound like a misapplication of the product and/or inadequate installation?

I am confused Booster, are you saying that the Dual Alternators fail?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

I am confused Booster, are you saying that the Dual Alternators fail?

I think he is saying that properly-installed dual alternators do not fail any more often than any other component. (At least that is my experience). RT did have a batch of failures once due (IIRC) to mis-aligned belt pulleys.

I am extremely happy with my self-installed Nation's dual alternator. It has been totally trouble-free since 2015 or so.