1991 Itasca

[Jon A]

I am looking to purchase a generator that will power the rooftop ac, fridge, cpap machine, small tv and some electronics.  

I have installed a new bumper shelf to hold the generator, but I need some advice since I am not in the market to get an Onan (too expensive).  I was hoping to plug in the 30 amp cord into the generator 

 

thanks,

Jon 

[WME]

How big is your roof AC? What model, how much power does it draw on a hot start.??

FWIW My Escaper had a 2800w Onan and it would not reliably restart my 13.5 BTU AC. I installed a hot start cap and all was good.

It is hard to "Crystal Ball" the effectiveness of a generator running your AC, before you actually have a generator and see what it does. There are 3 levels of starting help for an RV roof AC.

1. GOOD If your generator will start your AC some of the time, but when its hot its not so good. Then a Hot Start cap should make things good. https://www.campingworld.com/hard-start-kit-90042.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjtS4qpmZ4wIVAqvsCh3b9g_4EAQYAyABEgKs6PD_BwE.

2. BETTER Next is a start timer. What this actually does is start the compressor first so it gets max power from your generator, the it starts the fan. With a smaller generator you may need 1&2. Here is the kit for this https://rv-ac.com/Easy-RV-AC-Starter.html

3. BEST This is a very smart device. Micro Air  Easy Start. This does many things for starting the AC, go here and read the FAQ sections. https://www.microair.net/products/easystart-364-3-ton-single-phase-soft-starter-for-air-conditioners?variant=30176048267

The smaller inverter generators can run the roof AC with help, but not the AC and microwave. That takes 3500w +.

For a CPAP a larger battery and a solar panel is a much better idea than running a generator all night with a small load. A typical CPAP uses around 4.5 amps at 12v so size the battery accordingly