Apu epu

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by pilot trucker, Jun 20, 2018.

Apu or epu

  1. Apu

    64.7%
  2. Epu

    35.3%
  1. pilot trucker

    pilot trucker Light Load Member

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    Feb 22, 2015
    Ada MI
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    Yes
     
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  3. pilot trucker

    pilot trucker Light Load Member

    93
    16
    Feb 22, 2015
    Ada MI
    0
    Do you mean epu?
     
  4. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

    20,660
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    Dec 18, 2011
    Michigan
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    I've got to warn you as a electrical engineer, using solid core romex in a truck is dangerous.

    Any solid copper wire should not be used in a truck. The copper can vibrate and break and this can cause a fire from arching within the insulation. Even though it is rare, it does happen.

    Had a friend who has a meltdown in his sleeper because the sleeper builder put in romex in the entire sleeper and it caused a fire behind the microwave. I helped him rip it all out and we put in good flexible cable to make it safe. He had to have one panel on the outside fixed where it melted the paint and warped the aluminum. The owner of sleeper builder (I won't mention who it is but they are still in business) told him too bad it didn't burn, he could have collected the insurance.
     
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  5. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    Aug 24, 2011
    Tampa, Fl
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    Not saying it cant or wont happen. But with the exception of the 18 or so inches you see and about 24inches in the generator box itself,.. the rest of the wiring is insulated in conduit,.. foam spray,.. and externally insulated,.. wrapped with water pipe foam padding to reduce that risk. Not fire,.. but the wire breaking from vibrating was a concern.

    Been good so far. No offense,.. but I have no intention of rewiring that. It was a PITA to do. And as you can see,.. wiring is not exactly my thing.

    Hurst
     
  6. Tb0n3

    Tb0n3 Road Train Member

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    Earth
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    With the generator frame mounted, and the cable bridging to the cab, my concern would be the movement of the air ride cab work hardening the copper. If it goes anywhere it's going there.
     
  7. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    Tampa, Fl
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    From the generator box the wire goes into a conduit that is mounted to the tractor frame. It follows the frame up to the front of the sleeper and goes up into a small hole in the floor of the sleeper, right between the bunk and the cabinet behind the passenger seat. There is no provision for movement in the conduit at all. Its mounted directly to the frame. The sleeper movement where it comes up through the floor is minimal and only the conduit is exposed to the sleeper floor. It comes up about 4 inches above the floor and then the wire goes into the 4 way house outlet from there.

    It was a serious PITA to do. Like I said,.. I was concerned about wire chaffing and breakage. Fire didnt come into mind at the time. I was more concerned with losing power for my AC on a hot day than fire. Fishing through the conduit and shooting foam spray into each joint and cleaning up the mess enough to glue on the next piece of conduit was time consuming and tedious. Foam spray even with the long nozzle always turns into a sticky mess for me.

    Hurst
     
  8. UturnGirl

    UturnGirl Road Train Member

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    Don't beat me up for ignorant question guys. Electricity is pretty mysterious to me. Why not just plug a.c. or heater in directly using outdoor rated extension cord? I have an inverter already for other stuff. The Honda generator interests me because I just want a.c. n heat without altering leased truck or spending a fortune. I think your a.c. setup is very slick Hurst.
     
  9. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    Tampa, Fl
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    Its not perfect or ideal.

    In the winter I use a small 1500 watt ceramic heater. Summer I use the Window A/C.

    The truck is a Columbia with the Condo roof. Impossible to put a roof mount AC. And I have considered an indoor AC like what Tug has so I dont have to lug the Window unit from the upper bunk to the window and back each time. But with the condo roof,.. I dont think the indoor unit would be efficient enough to cool the truck on a really hot day with the sun baking on the roof.And in My KW,.. I just dont have the room with the way the cabinets are set up.

    The window unit is an 8500 BTU. The first one I got was a Haire. It was also a 8000 or 8500 BTU,.. but couldnt keep up on the really hot days. I sold it and bought the LG to see if it would do any better and it does. No problems. I have a Frigidaire in my KW that I use. Currently looking at whats involved in getting a roof mount installed.

    I have a 12,000 BTU indoor AC like what Tug has in my office at home and on the really warm humid days its not that great. Thats why I held off on getting on in the truck.

    Inverters are nice,.. but depending on the load,.. they can drain your battery very quickly. For example,.. I use my 3500 watt inverter during the day when the truck is running. How ever,.. if I use the Micrwave or hot plate,.. I would leave the truck running or kick on the generator rather than just let the batteries take the brunt of the work.

    The other good thing about the generator,.. should I ever have low batteries where the truck wont start,.. I have a speed charger that I can plug into the 30 amp port on the generator and help charge and start the truck easier. So many different uses for the generator.

    Also,.. there are other generator that cost much less than the Honda. So I dont want you to think I am trying to push just the Honda on to you. The EU3000 is expensive. The cheapest I found was from Northern Tools for $1995. I chose the EU3000is because it has a built in inverter that mimicks exactly what comes out of your house plug. It is safe for all electronics. I have an expensive 4k TV, Satellite dish and receiver as well as my Laptop, printer etc. The fan, fridge and Micrwave would be fine on a regular generator.

    Also,.. what sold me on the EU3000 was how quiet it is. You really need to hear one to understand. On ECO mode,.. its so smooth and quiet,.. if it werent for seeing that my AC or TV were on,.. I woudlnt knot the generator was on. Also,.. it will stay running for 15 - 20 hours. So there is no problem going to sleep and worrying about the generator running out of fuel and waking up to a hot sweat.

    The other bonus is that I save on average $300 a week by not idling the truck. $9 in gas will last 2 days on the generator. Roughly $33 - $35 a week in gas.

    Hurst
     
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  10. UturnGirl

    UturnGirl Road Train Member

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    My question about the extension cord is..could i use one directly from generator without worrying about the wiring problems. Generator on frame. Outdoor extension cord from generator to a.c. in window. That would be simple enough even I could do it. Would it work?
    Years ago had a travel trailer and a portable Honda..Honda was awesome.
     
  11. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    Tampa, Fl
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    The Honda EU3000 has 2 regular 110v plugs and a single 3 prong 30 amp plug. I think the 110v outlets are rated for 20 amps combined between the two. You could probably run just the AC off one plug. But probably not too much more with out tripping the breaker. Certainly not the AC and the Microwave at the same time. Thats why I used the 30 amp 3 prong and wired it to the 4 way outlet so there would be enough juice to run everything.

    I'm no wiring expert. I just went off videos I found on the internet. Wiring up a house outlet is really pretty simple and straight forward. Everything you need can be had from any hardware store,.. and step by step (With pictures) instructions are all over the internet.

    Electrical wiring is probably my least favorite thing and something I have the least knowledge about. So if a dummy like me can do it,.. I'm sure you could figure it out. That or find a small shop to wire it up for you.

    Hurst
     
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