Exercise genny while on shore power?
New to on board generators. Parked for the winter with 50 amp service, and it's time to exercise the genny. Do I have to disconnect first? 2006 Bounder, Onan 5500, ATS
Forum Discussion
Bobbo wrote:
Depends. You need to exercise it once a month for 2 hours with at least 50% load. Can you get a 50% load on it while still plugged into shore power? When I had an on-board genny, I used the A/C in the summer and a pair of space heaters in the winter, but I had to unplug from shore power for that.
Why two hours? I am not being snarky, I am being sincere.
My brother works on electric motors and said to make sure to give the windings a regular workout, but he said it doesn't need to be a large load, but they do need a load. I have been doing monthly runs on my Hondas for over 10 years, and running them 10 or 15 minutes, enough to warm up the oil good and give them a load.
