Afternoon. I recently purchased a champion 3100/2800 watt inverter generator. I am using this in my 21 foot hybrid camper with a 13500 but ac. This unit seems to struggle to get the compressor to kick on. After further research I am seeing that I should switch the fridge to gas and turn off the power converter as it takes about 1000 watts at times to charge the battery and somewhere around 500!watts to run fridge. The fridge is easy, but I'm not sure how to make it so the the generator doesn't power the converter/charger? There doesn't seem to be a breaker for it. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Is there a list of the breaker assignments on the converter itself? The converter "might" be combined with something else, although I doubt it.

yup, don't try charging the battery, running the HWH on electric, fridge on electric AND start the AC. Actually, you'd be best to run everything you can on propane while running the AC and have the batteries mostly charged before starting the AC. then you should be able to keep the converter on. And, by NEC code, a 30A service in a trailer can only have something like 5 breakers if you don't have a load shed device. Since the AC, microwave and HWH must be on their own dedicated breakers by code because of the power draw, that only leaves 2 other breakers free. So...... virtually every one I've seen the converter is on one of the 2 breakers left for the outlets. Which is somewhat problematic, since if the converter is working properly, if your charging a discharged battery bank, it will be drawing in excess of 1000W, and that doesn't leave much for everything else on that breaker.

I have 4 breakers plus the main 30 amp. How would I tell which breaker runs the converter? If plugged in or on generator everything works. What would be the sign that would tell me if that's the right breaker to turn off the converter?

http://s61.photobucket.com/user/shwthomas1975/media/IMG_0055_zpsthejoklo.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Running ac from generator | Good Sam Community

36 Replies

pianotuna
Nomad III
Jul 19, 2017
Hi,

Do you know how much the voltage drops while using eco mode when starting up the air conditioner?

DSteiner51 wrote:
I have a 2800 Subaru/Robin generator that couldn't start my 13.5 AC without a soft start kit. I then bought a new 5th with a 15 btu AC and no way it would start it. I purchased a Micro Air soft start and now with it on economy mode it starts it just fine. No need to turn off the convertor or fridge. BIG difference!
TurnThePage
Explorer
Jul 19, 2017
Just to add to the confusion, my converter plugged directly into a 15 amp plate on the back of the power distribution panel. There was no circuit breaker for it. Like a previous poster said, I installed a light switch near it and wired it to that.
MrWizard
Moderator
Jul 19, 2017
The water pump is only a few amps of 12v power typically been 4 and 7 depending on the pump, and that only when water is being used
It's not going to affect the generator and A/C unit
Shwthomas1975
Explorer
Jul 19, 2017
Thanks again
2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 19, 2017
Shwthomas1975 wrote:
Does the water pump draw much juice?
Its amp draw is printed on the pump.
Shwthomas1975
Explorer
Jul 19, 2017
Thank you all so much. I'll try to locate which breaker it is but also like idea of just having the main breaker and ac breaker until running. Then turn others on. I'll make sure to keep refer and hot water on gas.
Does the water pump draw much juice?
DSteiner51
Explorer
Jul 19, 2017
I have a 2800 Subaru/Robin generator that couldn't start my 13.5 AC without a soft start kit. I then bought a new 5th with a 15 btu AC and no way it would start it. I purchased a Micro Air soft start and now with it on economy mode it starts it just fine. No need to turn off the convertor or fridge. BIG difference!
MrWizard
Moderator
Jul 18, 2017
that Fridge probably has heating element in the 340w range

BUT the a/c can pull 40~50 amps SURGE for compressor start
it is the compressor start that is the 'hard' part, keeping the compressor running uses less power

if the a/c will not start at reasonable ambient temp say 85F
then you need to look at replacing the start capacitor on the a/c compressor
and/or adding a 'soft start/hard start' add on kit
to the a/c compressor startup
time2roll
Nomad
Jul 18, 2017
Turn all breakers off except the main and A/C.
Start the generator and give it a minute to warm up.
Start the A/C.
Set the fridge and water heat to propane only.
Turn on all the breakers.
Don't use anything big like microwave, coffee pot, hair dryer.
By the time the A/C cycles the battery will be charged and there will be minimal converter draw.
Go have some fun.
ktmrfs
Explorer III
Jul 18, 2017
Shwthomas1975 wrote:
All I have is main, micro, refer, ac and gfi. I'll try with a meter tomorrow to see if I can figure it out. Also try with everything else on gas

it is NOT on the micro or AC circuit if it is wired to code.

It is probably on the refer circuit, that is the most logical in terms of keeping excess draw off the outlet circuits.. Possibly on the GFI circuit, but definitely on one or the other.

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Running ac from generator

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