A.P.U?

Mine has a Perkins engine used in most yachts so anyone can work on it. All other parts are off the shelve items except for things very specific to the Rigmaster like metal parts. All filters, belts, alternator, generator, glo plugs and everything else is carried by any auto parts stores and are not specific to Rigmaster.

Servicing is easy and can be done by anyone with a little knowledge

 

Yeah, if you are a wrench and don't mind figuring this out. My idea is if I buy a complete unit from someone that I can take it to any service center and get work on it.

Of all the companies I was surprised Rigmaster went under. They seemed to have a head of steam going and getting good reviews from customers.

 

We had quite a few of them... good reviews early in life. Very tempermental with age.

 

I've had mine for 6 years now and runs perfect and looks brand new still. When I have my truck washed I have the engine washed also. I replace the glo plugs once a year and all the belts and filters. I buy belts, air filter, oil filter, glo plugs, fuel filter and a generator once all online through either Amazon or auto parts supply stores.

I like the fact that it monitors the batteries and starts up automatically when they need charging. I run most everything off an inverter and when the batteries need a boost it starts up and shuts off on it's own.

I also like the fact that you can set a temp either hot or cold and it starts automatically and shuts off.

In the winter I have my block heater plugged into it to warm the engine. In the summer I have my big A/C unit plugged in when it gets really hot out.

I don't like to close my curtains in the cab and my big A/C cools the whole cab with just a curtain in the window. I have an 80" condo. I did an experiment in Vegas last year and left the truck when it was over 100 outside. Came back and turned on my big A/C and it cooled down to 70 after an hour.

 

After having a talk with my brother in law, who use to be a trucker and now works in the HVAC industry, he let me in on some good to know tech to squeeze as much performance out of an APU and the climate control.

Make sure it can be serviced at different locations and not just one. If it's one (As was mentioned somewhere else) that's user friendly and basic service can be accomplished by yourself (Filter, belts etc) even better.

Check the routing and efficiency of the ducting (Size, ducting, exposure, BTU, return air and cfm) as well the insulation.

Seems a lot of thermal efficiency is wasted by companies who make a #### good APU, but lose it during the install with their routing, ducting, lack of insulation etc. When you get to extremes, hot or cold, and the unit is working overtime, giving only low to moderate results, most of the problem lies with the fact installers lack a lot of basic knowledge in the heat and cool dept. that not only apply to the home, but can be applied to APU's, and trucks as well, depending on what you may be using as a setup or unit.

Based solely and only what I have researched and read, appears one of the common drawbacks to an APU is the exhaust. May be a fix would be to route it up and away so as not to bother others, i.e. noise reduction and smell. Wondering if anyone has done or knows of a fix for this. I'm sure mounting location plays in a great deal with this.

Be nice if any future rig I find myself in has one, as it just makes too much sense not to have one. But, if it doesn't, I'll figure out a way to get my own or move onto another company that does. Common sense would dictate if you take care of your drivers, your drivers will go out of their way to take care of the company...course ain't nothing common bout common sense anymore it seems.

 

Apu.

 

I'm a do-it-yourself kind of guy who can and does do alot of my own maintenance. I have owned a couple of trucks and have an HVAC Journeyman license. I would never cobble together a system. I don't think it would be worth it but I imagine some guys come out on it.

My time is worth money. You have to put it together, mount things and possibly move a window unit around and have your truck look like a ghetto hang-out. DOT can nail you for things not being mounted, not being secure, fuel handling and such. Warranties are not valid for commercial use on most things that would be used. All equipment is rated on duty-cycle and what you use is not designed for the heavy use or beating and banging around. Cut a hole in the back of your sleeper and the structural integrity comes in question.

If you spend $9500 for a commercial unit designed for your application with a warranty it will last longer than the $11,500 you spend for two make-shift units. That is $7000 for 2 homemade units, $2000 for driver irritation and workload, $2000 for lost revenue and $500 for repairs. Just my two cents worth.

 

So, that makes the cost $11,500.02, then?

 

Now I have a question for the drivers posting in this thread and I don't think it will be highjacking because the OP seemed most interested in inverter power. I have done a few years of electrical work and been around some solar powered stuff. I have been out of trucking for more than ten years and I'm wanting back in. Back in the old days (lol), most of us did not have APU's or inverters.

I see drivers talking about 3000, 3500 and 3800 watt inverters. What size wire do you feed the 12 VDC to these units? It must be large based on my knowledge of ohm's law. watts / volts = amps. This means a 3500 watt inverter can supply 29.2 amps at 120 VAC (3500/120=29.1666...). That should run most anything you would want with a little planning. This also means that it would take 291.7 amps to feed it at 12 VDC(3500/12=291.666...). It appears to me that would need about 1 or 2 guage wire for that load if you keep the run around 10' or 12'. Is this what you are seeing? Where are you putting these inverters? How are you getting wiring into truck? They create quite a bit of heat under load, don't they?

 

I run a 2500/5000 watt invertor. I use battery cables, I forget the gauge now but they are the larger size you finding auto parts stores. I'm thinking 3 or 4gauge. I run two of them for the positive and two of them to the negative. the invertor has 4 posts so why not use them. One ground is grounded to the frame the other is to the battery and the run is less then 4 feet. Freightliners have the batteries between the frame rails under the deck plate and it makes for a nice short run into the space under the bunk

also both of the positive cables are run inside heater hose and where it comes through the metal floor both of thos are run inside a radiator hose. just to mke sue nothing chafes