I visited the Cummins-Onan booth while attending the FMCA Rally in Pomona back in February. I spoke with a Cummins-Onan rep. and explained that my diesel genset had no autostart feature, and asked how I could install one. My main reason for wanting such a system is to preserve the life of our dog. Last summer the campground that we were staying in lost power while we were away for the day. It was over 90 degrees outside, and our poor Chihuahua was dehydrated by the time we returned. An autostart feature would start the genset, thereby re-starting the A/C, preventing any re-occurrences.
The Cummins-Onan rep. handed me a brochure showing several different Energy Command units. He recommended the EC-30. It retails for only $220, but can take 8-10 hours to install, even for an experienced technician.
The brochure also listed a wireless version called the EC-30W. The EC-30W is a handheld wireless controller. It “talks” to a module that installs directly onto the genset, and can start the genset when a pre-programmed temperature is exceeded inside the coach. Best of all, it can easily be installed by the RV owner in less that an hour, according to the rep.
I decided to install the EC-30W with summer coming on, so I called my local Cummins-Onan dealer. The parts person acted like I was crazy and said that no such wireless controller existed. I could find no direct phone number for the Cummins-Onan factory, but did locate an email address. Long story short (I know....too late for that...), the factory rep. told me he didn’t know why I was given the brochure, as the EC-30W has not been released yet. I was told that it “may” be out by the end of the year, and there was indication on what it would sell for.
Since the EC-30 wired version will cost me about $1K to install, I’m willing to wait until the wireless version becomes available. I will just make sure we leave our RV windows open should we leave our dog alone again, or better yet, take him with us.
Just thought I’d pass this along, in case some of you were interested in adding the same feature.
Craig
2005 Providence 39J
2007 Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab Dingy
2002 EZ-Go Custom Electric Golf Cart
Thousand Trails & Coast to Coast Members
Craig, the wireless version still will require the 1k of labor. The only difference between the wireless and the existing EC30 is the Key Fob can activate the APU THRU the EC30. ALL the connections and wiring still need to be done to the APU and the Air conditioners if AC will be a requirement for APU starting. Doug
On a related thought; I see you have an 05 Fleetwood. I have an o5 Fleetwood TOO!! So does yours have an Intellitec power management system like mine? I wonder it the Intellitec Generator Control Logic modue will solve your problem easily. It start te genset for low battery or a demand from the AC thermostat. All the info is already there in the Intellitec panel; it knows the DC voltage and controls AC function. It SEEMS like it should be easy to install but their website doesn't indicate installation difficulty.
Doug (thanks for all the great posts BTW) do you know about this product?
They are right around the corner from me. I will email them and see what they say.
The EC-30W is not the key fob....what you’re referring to is the EC-20. Looking at the photo in the Cummins-Onan brochure, the EC-30W is a handheld unit about the size of a label maker. It does not require any connections other than a wireless module attached to the genset. It has a built-in thermostat that triggers the genset when the coach’s interior exceeds a level that’s pre-set by the user, so it does not have to be wired to the A/C, and it does not require the installation of the EC-30 hard wired unit.
Big Kahuna,
Yes I do have the Intellitec Display Unit. Let me know what Intellitec says. I will contact them as well and see if their unit requires the same degree of installation as Cummins-Onan’s hard wired EC-30. Thanks!
I can vouch for the convenience of the auto-start feature on the genset. Last week, I pulled the Dynasty out of the storage garage to load it up for my trip. Once I was done loading it, I pulled back into the garage and forgot to plug it back in to electricity.
I keep my electric fridge on all the time as I think an idle appliance does more harm than good, especially a fridge. When I returned to the storage facility a couple of days later, I noticed immediately when I raised the door that the plug was not connected.
I went inside the coach and checked the fridge and it was perfectly cold (5 degrees for the freezer and 38 degrees for the fridge). I checked the hours on the genny and it ran for about an hour over 3 days to keep the batteries charged. There was also a bit of soot build-up on the side wall of the garage. I had hit the 'battery disconnect' when I exited the coach so the only real draw was the fridge.
The Onan manual says it's best not to put a load on the genny when it's first started so I never leave the air on. But in an emergency like with the Chihuahua, you would have to.
MM.
Mr.Mark
2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42ft., 4 slides, 425 hp clean-air Cummins diesel
2007 Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, w/Nav and the M&G braking system
I got a hold of Intellitec and spoke to one of their tech support people. The installation seems pretty straightforward and sounds like something I might be able to tackle myself. They directed me to one of their distributors and I got a price quote of $350 for the Logic Control unit, and $20 for the required pigtail. The part numbers are 00-00859-000 for the control unit and 00-00859-100 for the pigtail.
Someone also suggested an autostart controller by Xantrex. You can look at their unit on page 16 of their on-line catalog. The Xantrex unit sells for $400, but doesn't have as many functions as the Intellitec unit, so I think I'll be ordering the Intellitec.
Thanks again for the heads up!
Mr.Mark wrote: The Onan manual says it's best not to put a load on the genny when it's first started so I never leave the air on. But in an emergency like with the Chihuahua, I would leave the air on.
I agree. It's something I don't do on a normal basis, but can live with it in an emergency.
The Onan EC30 has a delay feature that does not put a load on the generator such as the AC request. The EC30 gets the AC request, starts the Generator and I believe it is 30sec, the AC compressor will kick on. Same on shutdown, once the AC request is satisfied, AC shuts off and shortly thereafter the EC30 will shut down the generator. I bought the EC30 and wiring harness for my coach, then I found my Tripp-Lite had the auto start feature and just had to make the "user supplied cable" and while I don't have the need for AC requests it will start the generator at 11.6volts and shutdown at 14.1 so anybody need a new EC30 with harness for Gas Onan, let me know.
2005 Allegro Bay 37DB WH22
1999 Durango is the Toad or
the Milan or the ATVs. Depends on
our compass heading.
dapark wrote: The Onan EC30 has a delay feature that does not put a load on the generator such as the AC request. The EC30 gets the AC request, starts the Generator and I believe it is 30sec, the AC compressor will kick on. Same on shutdown, once the AC request is satisfied, AC shuts off and shortly thereafter the EC30 will shut down the generator. I bought the EC30 and wiring harness for my coach, then I found my Tripp-Lite had the auto start feature and just had to make the "user supplied cable" and while I don't have the need for AC requests it will start the generator at 11.6volts and shutdown at 14.1 so anybody need a new EC30 with harness for Gas Onan, let me know.
How much do you want for it?
Is it possible to do a more simplistic install, all I would like is for my gen to start when my batts get low, everything else can run off my inverter. From the looks of things I could just cap off most of the wires?
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