Using Generator

TODAY I SEE A BACKWALL AC UNIT ON A TRUCK (Condosleeper),LOOKS GOOD , AND COOL WERE GOOD,I was Talking with sales guy $1800 +Shipping,he tell me the Backwall works were good with a Honda 3000.

 

Here's a bit of an interesting read.
http://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profiles/blogs/warnings-about-portable-air-conditioners
It talks about the effencies of portable ac units vs window ac units.
A 10,000 BTU portable AC unit is rated for a 300 sq. ft. room while the same 10,000 window unit is rated for a 450 sq. ft. room.

I am testing a 5000 btu window unit I have in a room at home, about 200 sq. ft., normally it keeps this room very comfortable when plugged into the wall. I already have a Honda 2000 suitcase and it is setup right now, on eco mode it started the compressor easily. The AC unit says it is 515 watts and 4.8 amps on the side. The generator appears to be running maybe halfway between the lowest idle on eco-mode and highest idle of eco-mode turned off. Testing right now to see how long it will run on one tank. I do not want to buy the 3000 generator if I do not need to.

 

Update,...

Weds night,.. first off,.. I want to say that running the generator and not idling,.. my MPG has shot up to 6.67 and 6.51 mpg for the 2 tanks,.. on my 3rd now. Talk about being stoked!!

Then to add sugar to an already sweet deal,.. with 8000 BTU window AC and I switch the fridge and microwave over to the generator at night,.. used 1 1/2 gal Mon night, used 1 3/4 gal last night. So averaging right around $4 - $4.50 a night in gas.

My setup should pay for itself inside of 2 months. After that its all NET recovery from compared to last year.

For anyone considering it,.. this is the way to go if you cant afford a full blown APU setup,.. or just want to do something cleaner and quieter than an APU. This is one of the best things I've done to help my bottom line.

Hurst

 

Got a CO detector?

 

Now you need an Espar for the winter.

 

Just finished the test with 5000 watt window unit on high all night ... Somewhere between 8-9 hours on one tank using the Honda 2000.

 

Who needs a generator.

 

Why would I do that when I got this for $40 and run off the generator?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/26978260?...36425752&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=52987239446&veh=sem

Hurst

 

You'll love the fuel savings once you stop idling. I was struggling to see 5.8 - 6 mpg in my truck. Now I'm seeing 6.5 mpg,.. and thats with a tired old C15. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.

I'm loving the fuel savings and comfort of the generator set up. I wish I had done this last summer. I didnt realize how much idling was actually costing me. Once I did the math and guestimated what not idling would save me,.. I mean I was blowing $300 - $350 a week on fuel just to idle the truck. Now I'm barely using $30 a week to run the generator. This is the cats meow. I doubt a full blown APU is this efficient and affordable.

Hurst

 

Yeah I agree. I never have been one to idle a lot, but I am tired of trying to sleep uncomfortably. I want the comforts of a full blown apu but I'm not going to pay $10,000 for it. Also would have to replace my sleeper ac lines. I do eventually want to buy a new shiny truck and then I can justify the expensive apu. Also with my routes my need to idle for ac is nowhere near someone running primarily in the southern us. I stay north of i80 for the most part, plus new jersey. I have more need to idle in the extreme cold during winter when I run western Canada. Otherwise I just use the webasto for sleeper heat. The next part of this project will be an extended run fuel tank. One step at a time ...