APU and generator alternative that works!

Stop it. You're making it harder to put off expanding what I have running off my truck batteries to a 400ah LiFePO house battery bank, and isolator, and better inverter.

 

Great idea. I guess you could call that a dual purpose battery Yuk Yuk Yuk. I wonder if I hooked up jumper cables from my running pick up to the Trucks batteries and plugged the block heater into my 2000w inverter, if it would work? I only have 3 925 amp staring batteries. 2019 it was real cold like now. Took 2 vehicles with jumper cables, block heater plugged into a generator and ether to get it started. That’s before I had an inverter. Maybe only 20 minutes plugged in may make all the difference?

 

Lack of capacity is where my last remark came from. I'm running off 4 x 110Ah Northstar (premium gel) batteries. Typical winter overnight below freezing with any decent wind pulls the batteries down enough to make for a hard start. One trip last winter into WI with 0º and high winds, the low voltage cutoff kicked in after about 8 hours. That's just from running the bunk heater. I was awake when the alarm sounded to get right up and turn the key, and the truck barely started.

In other words, no way would I have enough battery capacity to plug in a block heater after a cold night like that. Mainly because the start batteries cannot be depleted below about 50% to have enough left to start the engine. A LiFePO house battery is not only isolated from the truck batteries, but can be run down to zero, effectively doubling the available juice.

Another consideration is the truck batteries are stored in an unheated compartment. The cold temps compound the capacity problem. Those LiFePO batteries are safe to stow in the cab and not subject to the cold temps outside.

I have a Honda suitcase generator I could bring along. I'm just done with dealing with an engine powered solution, so making due with what I got until I can expand the battery system. I don't run into the upper midwest where the true arctic conditions exist, so it's not been as much of a priority as it would be for someone that does.

 

I would. Love mine, even with it hiccups and overpriced parts from thermo king.

 

have you looked into a Maxwell ESM.. (Engine Start Module)
it starts the truck not the batteries... you just need enough power in the batteries to trun on the computers...

 

I think they are hard to find now since Tesla took it over.

 

How many hours are on the unit?

 

I don't get why anybody has a problem with a generator but hey do what you have to do.

What is an APU like $20,000?

I have about $1,800 into my generator, inverter, and tank. That's quite interesting to me that this Apu setup is like 10 times + as much. I'm not a big fan of spending 10 times as much for anything, ever. But then again I don't have the problems other people are apparently crying about.

First of all my generator is combined with a 4000 Watt heavy duty non Chinese junk pure sine wave inverter. That inverter will handle anything I throw at it.

Second, the generator runs everything in my truck complete refrigerator microwave toaster oven insta pot space heater television whatever. My batteries remain 100% fully charged to start the truck.

And of course I have the block heater wired so that I can put it on a timer and after I wake up from sleeping like a baby my truck will instantaneously start.

So every single solitary one of my needs is met for about $1,800. For air conditioning I'll either take the unit that is a little small for my house, or I'll spend $1,000 and put in a mini split. Either way, for a small amount or no amount of money I will be very comfortable.

"But I don't like how a generator looks".

Then I suggest you just deck it out with chicken lights and chrome like everything else since that appears to be the most important thing for many or perhaps most.

"But I hate handling gasoline."

I don't know anything about that. I have an extended run FMCSA approved tank mounted to the side of my truck just like my fuel tanks. No DOT officer will ever question me or give me a hard time about that tank or that set up. I fuel up I don't know maybe every two weeks for the generator? I know it's such a burden to stick a nozzle in and fill a tank. The horrors.

I know I'm just a silly individual. I thought the objective was to spend the least and get the most and that's how you make money.

Last thing I'll say is do whatever it is you feel that you need to do. I myself do not understand anyone that literally spends 10 times more for something if it's not needed, and if you really need it or feel that you really need it for whatever reason, knock yourself out. It's a free country, spend whatever you want.

I'm going to bow out of this discussion because there's nothing more that I can contribute and somehow I'm probably going to get grief because I have an inexpensive way to do everything that I need to do, that works for me 100 times out of 100 and saves me a ton of money and gives me great comfort. For some reason, apparently that bothers certain people.

So with that I will leave the thread and I wish everyone Merry Christmas and happy holidays.