Adding a generator

[Widespot]

I just bought a 1987 Toyota Itasca -- 21' -- this is my first rv/motorhome so I'm pretty green. First off mine does not have a generator. What are my options for adding a generator? Also I haven't yet hooked up to shore power. What do I need to know about that? I see the plug is not standard and I'm electrically naive and don't want to do anything to damage the system. Thanks for any help.

[bufbooth]

Hello,

Regarding your electric cord/plug, you can fit an adaptor onto it so that you

can plug it into a standard house outlet. If you do not have one, check out your

local Walmart, they usually stock them, they cost about $10 or so. Your RV is

setup for a 30amp connection, your house outlet will be either 15 or 20amp, so

you will not be able to run your A/C unit (but can run the fan).

Dennis B.

[Widespot]

Thanks Dennis that helps this no-clue newbie. )

Hello,

Regarding your electric cord/plug, you can fit an adaptor onto it so that you

can plug it into a standard house outlet. If you do not have one, check out your

local Walmart, they usually stock them, they cost about $10 or so. Your RV is

setup for a 30amp connection, your house outlet will be either 15 or 20amp, so

you will not be able to run your A/C unit (but can run the fan).

Dennis B.

[linda s]

Unless you live in an area where air conditioning is a must even when your boondocking you don't really need a generator. Some extend their camping time by just adding another battery.

If I need more battery power I just let the engine run for a while. Generators are expensive and noisey. I have one installed in mine rv but never use it. The quieter Onans will set you back over 2 grand.

Another alternative is to go with a Honda eu2001 but it will only run the smaller Polar Cub air conditioners. Advantage is they are very quiet and you can set tham away from the camper so no vibration and very little noise

Linda S

I just bought a 1987 Toyota Itasca -- 21' -- this is my first rv/motorhome so I'm pretty green. First off mine does not have a generator. What are my options for adding a generator? Also I haven't yet hooked up to shore power. What do I need to know about that? I see the plug is not standard and I'm electrically naive and don't want to do anything to damage the system. Thanks for any help.

[Totem]

Unless you live in an area where air conditioning is a must even when your boondocking you don't really need a generator. Some extend their camping time by just adding another battery.

If I need more battery power I just let the engine run for a while. Generators are expensive and noisey. I have one installed in mine rv but never use it. The quieter Onans will set you back over 2 grand.

Another alternative is to go with a Honda eu2001 but it will only run the smaller Polar Cub air conditioners. Advantage is they are very quiet and you can set tham away from the camper so no vibration and very little noise

Linda S

-Not if you mod the AC's capacitor

[waiter]

Everyone uses their MH a little different. I would say to use the house the way it is and see if you really need a generator, then if you do, maybe decide if its a built in one or a portable. and how much noise is acceptable.

We do mainly travel, with one / two night stays in a boondock mode. The standard coach battery more than handles this (LED lights, hign power inverter) If we need to re-charge the battery, I start the truck, I installed a "Remote Starter" specifically for this.

We did install a small A/C unit.if we want to run it, we need to spend the night at an RV park with shore power. In our case, that would probably be the only time we would need a generator, to run that A/C unit.

As Totem points out, a 2000 watt gen should run a 13000 btu A/C if it has a hard start capacitor installed. I suspect it wouldn't be able to start the A/C from whats called a short cycle (it just shut off a couple seconds ago)

We havn't had the need for a generator yet, but I suspect if we buy one, it would probably be one of the new quite portables. We can run our 5000 btu A/C on it with no problem, and we can also use it around the house or picnics, etc.. Not quite as elegant as pressing the "Start" button from inside the coach, but a lot more flexible in usage, a lot quieter, and more economical on fuel.

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

[Totem]

they make the inverters with wireless start now too.

[DanAatTheCape]

I just bought a 1987 Toyota Itasca -- 21' -- this is my first rv/motorhome so I'm pretty green. First off mine does not have a generator. What are my options for adding a generator? Also I haven't yet hooked up to shore power. What do I need to know about that? I see the plug is not standard and I'm electrically naive and don't want to do anything to damage the system. Thanks for any help.

I have a 93 winnie warrior & have had a 92 itasca spirit - bothe 321rb. I am guessing you have a generator compartment which probably came with an optional 2.5 kohler which had a tecumseh 6hp vertical shaft engine. If it is like mine the only generator that will fit is an onan 2800 microlite (about $2200 if you shop).

The other option is a portable. I hooked up a honda 2000 and was able to run my AC. Some people put a portable on the rear bumper - you can get real cheap with one of the chinese units.

The honda 2000 & 1000 along with the yamaha 1000 & 2000's cost about a grand.

I am trying to get an old kohler running right now. If not successful i am getting a honda or yamaha 2000 which I will store in the generator compartment after removing the partitions therein.

The non std plug is probably very std at rv parks - 30 amp. You can get an adapter plug for <$10 that allows it to plug into a regular 110v outlet. Depending on what is on that circuit you may be able to run your roof AC - note I say may. http://www.pplmotorh...cords/10231.htm shows one. Almost every RV store has a version.

One other thing worth mentioning - you probably have an old style power converter - which converts the 110 vac to 12v dc -- which runs all the house lights & the furnace, the water pump AND the battery charger. Note that I have found with mine that if I stay plugged in for more then a day or so my battery overcharges which will dramatically shorten the batteries life. My solution is to remove a terminal on the house battery in that situation effectively removing the battery from the circuit. The DC stuff still works since when the converter is getting 110v ac the battery is automatically removed from the circuit by a relay. When I do that battery disconnect & unplug the shore power so that there is no spikes,

A very handy appliance to get is an invertor - I like 400 watts (with 800 wattt surge) that can power 2 laptops from the 12v dc system. handy for charging cellphones, camera batteries etc.

I got mine at walmart.com for about $40. i wired it directly to the house battery but it can be plugged into a cigarette lighter type outlet but fully loaded that is too much draw and the outlet will eventually fail. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cobra-400-Watt-Power-Inverter/11020914?findingMethod=rr shows one like I have.

Check out your charging circuit for your house battery - with the truck engine running you should get >13v dc at the battery. The wiring for that system is rather simple but if original then often some sprucing may be in order. i replaced my solenoid and the circuit breakers I added heavier wiring for less than $50. You can find info on this BB about that project. The important thing is that you have a good house battery & a way to charge it. I have heard of solar panels, small generators as being effective.

Have fun!