tri PAC apu how to turn on to just run

cool, thanks

 

Yes your controller in the bunk sounds to be the same as mine but ive never tried running the heat with only the left power button lit so im not sure if that will work. Ive just always turned on both lights to use the heater..Just snip the wire and tape and try it... That will definitely make your engine start and run continuously when both on/off buttons are lit(on).. It will take it a few minutes to start the engine so be patient...Only problem with just lighting the left on/off button and running the heat is that your apu wont start when the batteries get low( i think).. Hope that made SENse..lol I understood what u asked but not sure why u want to do it that way?!?!

 

I think he wants to have it on and running and not cycling.
Yes, you can run the heater with only the main button in the on position and like mentioned, the APU won't start.
If the temperatures are not expected to drop down to about -10F, my APU is shut down, just the heater is on.

 

thanks....i asked because i want to run the generator ONLY when i need to, not whenever any tripac component is turned on. in other words, i often run the heater with no generator for a few hours at a time or more....i just have the espar d2 and no fridge or anything else running overnight, so even when it’s super cold i can run just the heater for 10 hours with no generator and the battery will last. in fact once in wyoming when it was 0 degrees out i ran the heater AND the running lights on truck and trailer, and the truck started right up in the morning....i wouldn’t try that again though. the reason i want to run the generator in cold weather now is because it’s connected to the truck engine coolant...i discovered that even if it’s -10 outside the tripac generator still keeps the truck engine warm enough to start without problems. (in the past i would just idle the truck engine all night.) but if i’m gonna just sit and it’s cold but not TOO cold i don’t want to waste fuel running the generator.

any idea if or how running the tripac all night with no breaks affects the tripac alternator? i asked a couple tk dealers and got a bunch of completely different stories, and also i talked to another driver recently who just gave up on the idea of running the generator nonstop because (like what happened with me) he got totally different stories from different thermo king dealers about whether it was good or bad. some mechanics said that (like the truck engine/alternator) the alternator regulates itself and will not overcharge the battery or screw itself up, and some say the only way the alternator will not overcharge the battery or burn out is when the generator motor actually gets turned on and off....just curious if you heard anything

 

yeah...turning off and on wakes me up, not only because of the noise and shaking, but i think also because when my ears hear anything suddenly turn off, my mind alerts me to make sure nothing is broken...

 

I think you mentioned somewhere you don't have the arctic package.
The arctic package would pretty much do automatically what you do manually now. The programmed set point in the sensor is somewhere mentioned here on TTR and I think the points are 30F and 50F. If the coolant temp in the return line gets colder than 30F, the APU comes on, as soon as it reaches 50F it shuts down the APU.
Don't worry about overcharging. The alternator has it's own regulator which is exchangeable.
Be careful when running heavy electrical loads when the APU is running. There is a chance to smoke the alternator. Standard is only 65 Amps which makes 780 Watt at 12 Volt.
There are tons of complaints here on TTR about burned alternators. I'm on my second right now with about 5000 hrs on it, the first one went after about 1500. No heavy loads anymore after that an it did last.

 

I put a 105 amp chevy alternator on mine. No problems even running the microwave for a few minutes. And bonus—now I can get a replacement at any auto parts store for around a hundred bucks.

 

I just force ran my APU overnight yesterday... It was 4 degrees in Indiana and i wasnt taking chances , the $10-15 in fuel is better than $200 plus for a jump or other problems the cold causes... I turned on heater with both on/off lights then flipped the switch to cut the SEN circuit. It ran all night with no issues. Another thing to keep in mind, if you cut that SEN wire, whenever you run the AC, the generator is going to stay running full time and not cycle when the desired temp is met.

 

yeah thanks, i didn’t realize all that about the arctic package. i think i’d heard that the arctic package’s main feature was an oil heater, which supposedly strained the alternator and kept the battery low enough that overcharging wasn’t a problem. maybe that’s just an optional feature then, or one that can be turned off.

 

haha my desired temp is about 40 degrees so i never have to worry about that....