I have a lance 11'TC. My fridge only runs on electric and in the summer in So. Cali I like to run my A/C. and lights at night.I was told the small college style fridge doesn't pull much, but I can tell the air does. Can I get by with an 800 generator or do I have to go higher?
Plugged into 110 the lights due dim when compressor kicks on and fridge is plugged in.
Next question: when plugged into 110 my air kicks on every 3 minutes for 45 seconds, shouldn't the compressor stay on longer and cycle in longer intervals?
An 800 watt generator will only power the most minimal AC unit and if the refrigerator and AC compressors kick on at the same time the generator will be overloaded by a large margin. Your AC has a problem if it is kicking on for only 45 seconds at a time.
If the AC runs that short, I would guess either it is overfilled, massively oversized, or blows cold air directly on the thermostat.
Start with a Kill-A-Watt, and see what the running load is when the fridge and ac are both running. open the fridge door and put a cup of hot coffee unfer the thermostat to force them both on. you need a surge of 2 to 3 times that to stand a chance of starting both (the ac will be the hardest to start).
An 800 generator will prove to be way too small for any sized reasonable AC.
hershey - albuquerque, nm Someday Finally Got Here
My wife does all the driving - I just get to hold the steering wheel.
Superman was an illegal alien.
Expedition - Suzuki Grand Viagra
An 800 watt won't even run a decent converter, let alone an A/C of anykind.
Rich
'01 31 ft Rexall Vision, Generac 5.5k, 9245 conv, 400 watt inv, 2 12v batts, ammeters, KingDome/sat, Two Oly Cat heaters, and towing a '05 Jeep Liberty, or sometimes towing a Lowe bass boat.
The thought about the cold air hitting the thermostat directly could be the problem. Shield it somehow and see if the AC runs longer, otherwise, have it checked out by a good HVAC person. Pull out the specs on the AC to see what current it draws on startup, then go to the Honda or Yamaha websites to determine which of their units would work. I have a Honda 3000 that handles my 13,500btu AC just fine with all my batteries charging, TV, and vacuum, but it will sometimes overload if I use the MW, too. While you don't have to buy the red or blue boxes, they seem to be the most popular (I'm surrounded by them now).
2002 Keystone Cougar 286, 8,400lbs loaded, pulled with a 2004 F150 Supercrew, 5.4, 3.73 gears. Retired and enjoying life
If you are buying a truck camper, then your A/C may not be 13,500 btu. If it is 10,000 btu or less, you should be able to run it using a 2000 watt generator without difficulty.
For a TC, a 3000 watt or larger wheeled generator takes up a lot of space. Due to size, shape, brand, and abilities, I'd highly recommend a Honda EU2000is for this task, perhaps two and a parallel cable. This would give you the electricity needed (either alone if the A/C is small, or paired if the A/C is larger) to run the TC, and the size is small enough to stash in a bay without taking too much space. You can also consider an extended run tank for the twins as well.
A second would be the Yamaha models, but they take up more precious space than the Hondas, although I do like the fuel petcock feature for making sure the carb bowl is empty before storing.
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