The standard answer to all vehicle electical questions is: (you must imagine me nodding sagely at this point and perhaps spitting as I reply) "You've got a bad ground."
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
My question is with the running watts being 3500 and the starting Watts being 4000 will an extension cord rated at 3750 Watts be enough ??
On the one hand I have read that Amps x Volts = Watts So 12 Volts x 30 Amps =3600 Watts Max draw by the generator and Camper(30 AMP System) Right ?
Short answer is yes, it should be adequate. The 3750 watts means it can handle 30 amps at 125 volts. 3750W/30A = 125V. The receptacle on your generator is rated at 30A so that's as limiting as the cord. All of them have a bit of a fudge factor built in so a momentary surge to 4000W like starting an air conditioner isn't going to hurt anything, you're only going up to 32 amps for a moment. The longer the cord you have the more resistance you have so you have more voltage drop and loss of amperage to heat. The cable will get hotter on a longer cord than a shorter one if you're pulling a lot of amps through it. You're better off going with a shorter cord than a long one if you can get away with it. It'd really only be a factor if you're planning on running a lot of stuff all at once.
Most of the time a 30A circuit is going to use 10 ga. wire.
Most of the time a 30A circuit is going to use 10 ga. wire.
If the ext. cord is 25' or less, 10 ga. is what you need. If 25'-50', go with 8 ga. This may be a bit of overkill, but you will never have problems with the ext. cord.
Most RV air conditioners are either 13500 BTU's or 15000 BTU's. A 3500 watt generator is plenty for either of those, RV'ers use that size all the time. The honda EU3000i is very popular (3000 watts) and it'll run most air conditioners.
You need a 5000 kw to run AC without gutting generator or f--king up Ac.
Why is that ? Explain please
Not so true. I run 1 AC unit on a 4kw generator. You can't run a micro and a gen at the same time though. My gen has 300 hours on it. No problems with my gen. The larger 30'+ 5th wheels and big rv run 5-6 kw gens because they run 2 AC units. I can't imagine OP needing AC during dear season. so likely he will use the gennie to recharge batteries and nuke food in the microwave. OP, check here for all thing generator. No reported issues of fried gens, mostly fuel issues. Buy a real RV extension cord that matches your amp ration. You will likely nee and adapter to connect to your gen. It will likely have a standard house plug and a twist lock plug for construction use. Also if you are not yet set up, switch to 6v. deep cycle batteries run in parallel to get the best battery performance.
Fight fire, save lives, laugh in the face of danger.
What he is trying to say is that when an electric things, such as a ac, freezer, refrigerator, other things with motors, start-up they draw more amps than they do when running. Think of pushing a car on flat surface. Getting it rolling is harder than keeping it rolling. The generator you have will run at 3500 watts, IIRC, and can surge to 4000 watts for a short period of time.
I'm not sure what the starting amps of the ac is. If its more than 4000 watts or 30 amps, the generator will not start it. The blower will run, but the compressor might not. The other thing is that when something else is running and the ac tries to come on, you haven't got the full 30 amps going to the ac. You might only have 20 or 25 available to start the appliance, and maybe even less.
If the ac, which is probably the biggest load, starting amps is less than 30, then you are probably ok, if you haven't got a lot of things on when the ac comes on.
The larger generator would let the ac come on even if there were several other things running.
Old Turd- Deplorable- Unrepentant Murderer- Domestic Violent Extremist
You need a 5000 kw to run AC without gutting generator or f--king up Ac.
A 5000 kW generator would be about the size of the camper. (I know; you meant 5000 W)
If you are going to run an air conditioner, you need to know the current and voltage rating of the air conditioner. For example most 120V window units are rated at 15A. You would be fine with something this size.
If you are just running a refrigerator, microwave, and a couple of lights , you are good or even a little over sized with the 30A generator and power cord.
My camper is a 1989 that has 1 rooftop A/C according and to Literature is either a 11000 BTU or 13500 BTU,I cant tell which one as there is nothing on the A/C and I have taken the cover off and looked everywhere.
I will not be using a Microwave or Coffe maker nor using the A/C during deer season as it is cold during deer season but wanted a Gen Capable of running the A/C to use during the summer months next year when the wife and I are fishing.
I will be running an interior camper light at night and the fridge(dometic)and a small Tv (any recomendations ?)a couple of hours nightly. Along with an continious flow oxygen concentrator that I use when I sleep that uses about 290 Watts . I will also be using the Hot water heater and water pump to take an short shower each night. Mostly canned food and sandwiches so limited cooking on the propane stove.
I will be using a Mr Heater Big Buddy for warming the camper up(with proper ventilation).
Keep in mind that things like the water heater igniter, reefer igniter, water pump, heater and interior lights are all 12v. Your outlets, micro, and AC are 120v. I changed my trailer batteries to 6v golf cart batteries in series and changed most of my interior lights to LED and the difference was dramatic as far as run time. I have an on board Onan 4kw gen and run it to use the micro, make coffee and toast but otherwise only run about every 3 days to recharge the batteries. You may need to use an inverter to power your o2 concentrator which will necessitate the use of the generator to recharge the batteries a little more frequently. You will develop you own routine as you spend more time with your trailer and learn the ins and outs of it's performance.
Fight fire, save lives, laugh in the face of danger.
You need a 5000 kw to run AC without gutting generator or f--king up Ac.
Why is that ? Explain please
Not so true. I run 1 AC unit on a 4kw generator. You can't run a micro and a gen at the same time though. My gen has 300 hours on it. No problems with my gen. The larger 30'+ 5th wheels and big rv run 5-6 kw gens because they run 2 AC units. I can't imagine OP needing AC during dear season. so likely he will use the gennie to recharge batteries and nuke food in the microwave. OP, check here for all thing generator. No reported issues of fried gens, mostly fuel issues. Buy a real RV extension cord that matches your amp ration. You will likely nee and adapter to connect to your gen. It will likely have a standard house plug and a twist lock plug for construction use. Also if you are not yet set up, switch to 6v. deep cycle batteries run in parallel to get the best battery performance.
I believe the OP's generator comes with a factory installed RV type receptacle as well as a standard twist lock and house receptacle.
If you have a local electrical supply house, you can usually get them to make a cord exactly how it should be made. I did and it works like charm. I had my Gen on the back of my truck so they could see what plugs it took, they asked a few ?'s concerning what I would be running with it and made the cord for me. Electrical for Dummies is me.
I have used the Mr Heater in a Pop Up camper with no problems BUT before I bought it I researched it carefully On a LOT of RV Forums and a Lot of people use them and the consensus is as long as there is 8 to 10 square inches of ventilation (preferably cross ventilation) there is no need to worry. Some people shut it off when they are sleeping and some dont.