Generator vs battery AC system

my truck has a webasto furnace. so i have heat without running the engine. uses less then half the fuel of engine idle. the newer ones noe come with a digital temp control box. so it works just like a house furnace.

i have no idea what they cost though but any truck dealer can install them.

as for a/c. there's a whole ton of ideas what people are using on this forum.

 

I saw a place in the midwest that will install a new webasto for either $1300 or $1500 (cant remember exactly). That's absolutely a must-have! As for the tripac vs the others, this is a decision I am also going to start looking into in the future...so I will be watching how you decide.

 

My lease unit has an engine driven tripac, but before that, I drove a company unit with the tripac-e on it. Thank goodness I only had it during the cold season because when I tried the AC, it would trip out and show a dead battery pack. I would have to run the truck during a reset to charge the battery pack.

I would take the engine tripac any day of the week and twice Sunday. When on a reset, the unit only runs when it is needed. The control box monitors battery voltage and I assume engine temperature and it starts up to bring everything up to where it should be. It only shuts down once all conditions have been met. When running the AC it does run all the time as the engine drives the compressor.

Maintainance isn't such a big deal. It's a small two cylinder engine, so it should only hold a gallon or two of oil. The service interval is at every 1500 hours or 1000 if not using Thermoking filters. This puts the interval at about every other truck oil change. I've had very few issues with my unit. Drive belt failed one night which isn't too hard to change, just a little tight inside the box, and I had debris clogging up the first filter screen which I have to clean once in a while. Think I got a bad tank of fuel or the tank wasn't cleaned out after manufacture.

I don't even notice how much fuel it has used, even after a reset.

I've reset in Laredo Texas with hot and muggy weather and the AC kept my truck very comfortable even with the sleeper divider curtains wide open.

 

Has anyone thought of using an RV heater/Furnace? Price wise they are cheaper than the normal night heater.

This is just an example, obviously gaining expert knowledge is key. but its a starting point.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/olympian-wave-8-catalytic-safety-heater/19334

 

The RV furnace is not a good idea. they are not made for the amount of usage and they would not be cost effective if they have issues. A wesbasto or Espar for heat and a coleman on the roof for a/c seems to work.

With the battery run a/c things, energy has to come from somewhere to charge them and if you are stuck for a couple days, then you may end up idling a while to charge them up.

 

The regional OTR company I almost went with had the battery powered units in their trucks. They said the batteries are good for @ 10 hours with NOTHING else using juice in the truck...... Refrigerator, Microwave, coffee maker, laptop, etc.... And with the units this particular company used, they were installed under the bunk killing any hopes of having any storage space under the bunk. The trucks were 2012-2013 Pro Stars and weren't spec'd out (in my opinion) for an OTR driver who prefers to cook & eat n the truck and spend little time in truck stops. I had to have them remove the passenger seat just to fit my fridge in it One attempt at a night in that small bunk with the battery APU barely keeping things cooled off (was 98 that day) was enough for me, well technically, a few nights being gone for orientation was more than enough for mama, so I'm starting orientation at a local compressed gases outfit next week.

In a couple years mama and I are going to do the class B expedited gig and we're going with the diesel powered APU unit on our truck.

 

Read up on these threads. There is a true wealth of knowledge in there.

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...or/214140-anyone-interested-in-cheap-a-c.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...perator/211635-generator-for-the-tractor.html

 

I used 2 company trucks with Tripacs. The 1st one was a little trouble since the previous driver never ran APU regens. After a discussion with a tech, I learned how to force a regen and cleaned up the units DPF. After that I only had one problem (an unplugged wire). Cool in summer, warm in winter, 120v power on demand. Used very little fuel.

 

didn't webasto and espar originally get there start in the rv industry????

when i was looking for a new temp box for the espar in the truck i was in last year. google kept popping up rv's.