Fuel when idling?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by crazw, Dec 11, 2013.

  1. leftlanetruckin

    leftlanetruckin Road Train Member

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    Sounds more like the advertising blurb from an APU manufacturer. Who idles 10hrs a night, 5 nights a week, 52 weeks a year? There are LOTS of nights where I dont even run my generator. above 40, below 70, everything is off. Those numbers are so biased and unreal it isn't funny. Like I said, sounds more like advertising bs from an APU manufacturer.
    Is idling bad? for sure, no doubting that. But lets keep the numbers realistic.
    Martin
     
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  3. GYPSY65

    GYPSY65 Road Train Member

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    I figure it would take me closer to 4 years to pay for an apu, I use an espar in the winter therefore my idle time isn't all that much, it sucks when I do idle but so would writing that $10,000 check and waiting 4 years to break even
     
  4. 379exhd

    379exhd Road Train Member

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    Low idle RPM on my cat is idle to about 900ish. There isn't enough force to push the rings against the cylinder wall and it'll slobber oil out the exhaust manifold which will in turn leak down the passenger side of the motor. Because we use 3 piece manifolds it drips from the manifold onto oil lines and can make you think you have a blown head gasket, or a serious oil leak after 10 hours or so of idling. My truck idles at 1000 all night never really checked how much fuel it burned off after sticking the tanks. Either way I'll be warm before I freeze. I don't care about that stupid esbar heater I'm not in the bunk long enough to justify the cost unless I'm laying over for the day/night. My fuel milage isn't very good anyway so what's a little that gets burned idling.
     
  5. bergy

    bergy Road Train Member

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    Dice - logic sounds good. So the ESM is your main starting battery, correct? Then the other batteries are isolated, but charge off the motor when running. Do i understand? Will that be enough juice to handle the start up draw of your A/C?
     
  6. windsmith

    windsmith Road Train Member

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    You do realize that it takes fuel to charge those batteries up when you start up again, right? And yes, it takes a bit less fuel than running an APU, but not much less. Not to mention the reduced alternator life and need for battery replacement every 2 years assuming 60% discharge cycles.

    Plus you're only good for 10 hours per cycle. Or less in really hot weather.
     
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  7. Dice1

    Dice1 Road Train Member

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    Been to most truck stops lately when the temps are in the range between 40 and 70 where you have to say why are they idling. They are not only idling, but idling at around 1,700 rpm. Most are probably company drivers that don't care and trying to trick the idle cutoff.
     
  8. Dice1

    Dice1 Road Train Member

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    I already have a 600 watt pure sine wave for my computer and printer. My printer had a lot of trouble when I used with a modified sine wave inverter.

    Now both inverters will be pure sine wave that is more expensive but a much better inverter that is worth more money.
     
  9. Dice1

    Dice1 Road Train Member

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    The ESM is hooked to the batteries and all loads including the alternator are unhooked from starter and hooked to batteries. The starter is isolated to the ESM. Almost like having 2 battery banks with a battery isolator. The ESM recharges off the batteries.

    7 AGM deep cycle batteries is enough to handle the 8,000 btu AC start up surge that the running wattage is 690 watts with the surge maybe 3 times that at around 2100 and even if it is 5 times that at 3500 watts my 2000 watt inverter can handle a 4000 watt surge.
     
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  10. Dice1

    Dice1 Road Train Member

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    Not really that much according to friends that use batteries for AC and remember I have solar panels and plan on adding some more to help carry the load and never discharge the deep cycles less than 50% of capacity.

    I already have a bigger 185 amp alternator for this.
     
  11. bergy

    bergy Road Train Member

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    Thanks - got it. I was thinking about a system like that, but I thought it would need a generator to boost things when running ac all night. If you can do without and just run quiet and clean, well that sounds great.
     
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