Even though idling the main motorhome engine is an expensive source of energy, we have done it, or can do it, in certain special situations and it's nice to know that it can be done reliably and non-destructively in situations calling for a Plan B or worse, a Plan C:
- We idle the V10 in noise sensitive areas for short-run coach air conditioning.
- We idle the V10 in non-noise sensitive areas for longer term coach air conditioning with the generator powered roof top air conditioning boosted for a fast initial cool-down by using the cab air conditioning short-term along with the roof top air conditioning.
- We idle the V10 in noise ultra-sensitive areas for battery charging when even our quiet little Honda is too loud, since we don't use solar.
- We can idle the V10 for coach heating in a situation where both the built-in generator system can't power enough portable electric heaters and for some reason the propane system isn't functioning.
We always try to camp in our small motorhome knowing we have reliable backups that we can count on as a last resort ... cell phones don't always get out and neighbors aren't always close.