RV Generator Question

[Stargazer]

i now have a 2011 PleasureWay Class B.  It came with factory installed Onan 2700W generator, gas powered (runs off the gas in the van gas tank, shuts off when the gas gauge gets down to 1/4 tank).  The generator showed 63 hours on the time counter when I acquired the rig.  Because other systems showed a lack of good maintenance, I had the generator serviced by a qualified tech.  He changed the oil, spark plug, air filter.  It was running well when tested after service.  There are also a house battery and a 30 amp AC shore power plug.  It has been continuously plugged in to keep the new sealed house battery charged.

My question for those who are familiar with RV systems' generators is this:

I need to exercise the generator.  Should I unplug it from shore power while doing this?  If it's plugged in to AC power and the generator is running, and I turn on the air conditioner, which source will it use?  I know the house battery is interconnected to the shore power, generator and alternator because any of those will charge the battery (as long as the battery cut off switch is in the correct position). But how are the AC power and generator power connected or are they?

Thanks!

 

[rvpopeye]

I don't think there is a standard wiring among manufacturers.
I'd unplug the power from the rig and fire up the genny , then run for an hour under at least half load. (The roof air or a 1500watt electric heater should be enough.)Do this once a month or so....

 

[Stargazer]

Thank you, Popeye. That I will do. Maybe I'll call PleasureWay because I would sure like to know how it all works.

 

[hepcat]

There is an automatic bypass switch in the system that, once the generator is started, will kick out the AC 120. That said, while it's not required, I generally unplug from the line current when exercising the genset.

BTW, Onan recommends running the generator once a month for two hours, continuous under half-load to exercise it. If you have to store it for the winter as we do here, they recommend the proper mixture of Seafoam or Stabil and make sure you run the genset long enough to get the stabilized gas through the system.

Do you have a 'smart' charging system in your Pleasureway? The old-style chargers will boil off your battery if you leave them connected too long. I'm not familiar with anything past about 2008, but IIRC my big moho has a Progressive Dynamics Charge Wizard installed to prevent that. With a B-van, if you drive it regularly, you don't really need to keep it plugged in anyway as the house batteries will be charged by the alternator if you have that circuit on.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You cannot have both generator power and shore power going into the system simultaneously, and a factory installation - as opposed to some kind of home built jury rigged system - will be built to prevent this from happening.  Usually a transfer switch that disconnects shore power internally when the generator comes on.

 

[Stargazer]

Ok, yes, there IS an automatic transfer switch between the shore power and generator (hope I said that right).  Thank you for that info.

Somewhere I got the idea that the battery charge feature will cut off when the battery is fully charged.  However, until I can confirm that (did I dream it or maybe it was with other RVs I've had in the past?) I can unplug and turn on the battery cutoff switch so it doesn't drain power (the smoke and CO detectors are hard wired and will drain the battery).

Tomorrow, I'm taking the genny for its monthly "walk" and will turn on the air conditioner to create the load.  

Thanks for everybody's input.  I really appreciate it.  There is a forum for PleasureWay owners but they require the VIN and other info to join and I am a little shy of putting out much personal info on the Internet.

This is a good group and I am thankful for the helpful folks here.

Best wishes everybody!

 

[caretaker]

i don't know where your from, but the higher the moisture of the area you will be predominately be at really determins how often you need to exercise your gen set. if you live mostly live in drier areas once a mo. ok, high moisture once a week,(thats what i do) because you have to remember its the gen. its self that actually needs to be run less so the engine,,if you have a separate tank for it Always keep some stabilizer in it. if you set a lot, dump a can of sea foam in it once in a while. i use 1 can for 10 gals.

 

[Stargazer]

Caretaker,

Thanks for that info.  I live in central Texas in the hill country, pretty dry (45% or less) most of the time.  The genny runs off the gas in the chassis fuel tank, doesn't have its own "private" fuel source.

I had planned on moving around a lot but life happened and have been forced to wait for a few months.  Each week it has been "leaving next week", and now it'll be a couple more months before I can leave.  She's all packed except for food and clothes -- all dressed up with no place to go!  Meanwhile, Being a picky detail-oriented sort of person, maintenance continues.

Thanks again.

 

[DLTooley]

Have you tested the generator under load?

 

[Stargazer]

I just did, ran it for 10-15 minutes (unplugged from shore power) then turned on the AC and let that all run for 30 minutes.  Both ran like champs!  Yay!

Checked all fluids and tire pressure getting ready to go 300 miles tomorrow to visit with youngest daughter and her hubbie and their two kiddos.  She txtd me a bit ago and asked if I wanted to go to their soccer games on Saturday.  They just started this so I said I would love to go.  Ever heard of a soccer mom?  Well wait till you see this soccer grannie!

Thanks to everyone for their help in this.  Great folks here!

 

[hepcat]

I just did, ran it for 10-15 minutes (unplugged from shore power) then turned on the AC and let that all run for 30 minutes.  Both ran like champs!  Yay!

Checked all fluids and tire pressure getting ready to go 300 miles tomorrow to visit with youngest daughter and her hubbie and their two kiddos.  She txtd me a bit ago and asked if I wanted to go to their soccer games on Saturday.  They just started this so I said I would love to go.  Ever heard of a soccer mom?  Well wait till you see this soccer grannie!

Thanks to everyone for their help in this.  Great folks here!

Congrats!  That's good news.  30 mins isn't really long enough tho... you want to run it for two hours and get it hot enough to burn off the bad stuff that gathers in the oil... (like condensation.)   You can run the generator when you're on the road too... that's especially good for not disturbing your neighbors!