First time using a generator

[Jim Van Ostran]

Just bought my first Honda 2000 Companion generator. I have never boondocked before but will be when we go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in a couple of weeks. Question 1. My Norcold refrigerator on my 29RS does not have a switch to choose gas or electric. Just on or off. Do I need to shut the circuit breaker off to make it kick over to gas while using the generator?
Question 2. How do most of you secure your small generators when in use in order to keep someone from walking away with it.
Question 3. I only have one battery. It seems that I should add a second battery. Your thoughts?
And finally. Having never boondocked, as far as camping etiquette is concerned when and how long do you run a generator.

I know that this is a lot in one post but I want to do it right for all concerned.

Thanks

Jim


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[TucsonJim]

Great questions Jim (Great name too).

1. What Norcold refrigerator do you have? Mine has a switch that says "Auto" and "Gas". When dry camping I flip the switch to "gas" which forces it to run on propane all the time, even when running a generator.

2. I use a chain or cable to lock the generator to the frame, ladder, axle, etc. so it doesn't decide to walk away.

3. A second battery will certainly extend the time you can run on battery power without having to recharge. But remember, it will take longer to charge two depleted batteries than one. One of the biggest draws on the battery when dry camping is running the furnace. The furnace fan draws a lot of power. If you can get by without the furnace, you'll probably be able to make it a full 24 hours without having to recharge.

4. As far as etiquette, I liked to run my generator from about 9am to noon to recharge the batteries if parked close to other campers. I find it especially annoying when someone runs theirs in the late afternoon to early evening. That is when most people are sitting outside and enjoying the evening. We camped at one campground where another camper fired up their very loud generator every evening just when we were sitting down at the picnic table for dinner. The nice thing is that your generator is very quiet, so as long as you're not right on top of someone you should be okay most of the time.

Jim

[LCBoyer]

A friend told me to turn refrigerator off for a few minutes every day when off the grid. That would reset the defrost timer, and conserve energy

[m&mjones]

Hi Jim, just a comment about your refrigerator in your 29RS. Our 2016 29RS has a Norcold N811v I believe. Possibly that's what you have also, mine had only on/off control, and was automatic by design only. We had some trouble with it not working on electric a few months ago, so I took it to my dealer for repairs while under warranty. When we got it back, a new control board and front face was included that now allows me to select gas/electric, much nicer for exactly what you want to do with it. I used my Honda 2000 companion this past weekend. Right or wrong, I turned the main breaker off before starting the generator, then flipped it on with the generator at full power, then switched it to power saver mode. Hope this makes sense, and good luck!

[Barbara & Dave]

Many campgrounds will have quiet hours posted, but as noted above, try to avoid dinner time and early evening. Lacking a posting, 10pm till 6/7/8am is a good starting point.

Dave


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[Jim Van Ostran]

Jim
I have the same refrigerator as you. I too have had problems. I have replaced 1 control module and 2 heating elements in a year. Unfortunately they put the same controller model back so I still don't have a choice. Just on and off. Thanks for the input. So your saying that the generator will power the refrigerator. That's great. Will it charge the battery at the same time. I have a CPAP that draws 6.75 amps so I'm needing enough reserve to get through the night.

[TucsonJim]

Jim V. A typical 12V lead acid battery will have about 90 amp hours of charge. That kind of battery will be considered fully depleted at 50%. So in effect, you have 45 amp hours of charge you can work with. If your CPAP draws 6.75 amps per hour, you have 6-2/3 hours before your battery is fully discharged. And that is if there is NO other draws on the battery. The refrigerator needs 12V even when working on propane. The LP gas detector draws current too. So in effect, one lead acid battery will probably be depleted in about 4-5 hours with your CPAP and other loads running.

You can greatly increase this time if you add a bigger battery bank. Ideally, if you have four six volt golf cart style batteries, you could go for many, many hours.

And the generator will certainly run the refrigerator and charge your batteries while it's running.

Jim H.

[jmbopp]

I don't use a CPAP, but I've heard there's a heating element that can be turned off to conserve power(?)

On a standard G24 battery, which is what most dealers install, figure on one night's running especially with a CPAP. Turn the water heater off & fire it up when you need it. Hopefully you have LED lighting. And forget about using the furnace.
You do have a 50A to 30A adapter, right?
Factory WFCO converters don't make good chargers when running on a generator. They fall out of the initial bulk mode way too soon. And the factory wiring isn't adequate for quick charging either. Consider using a separate battery charger of 30A or so.
If you can swing it, another 12V battery will help. If you run 2 batteries and use a separate charger look for a 40A one or better. Yes, 2 or 4 6V golf cart batteries are ideal but I'm still running dual 12V batteries. When they die it'll be 2 6V batteries replacing them.
FYI - my factory WFCO is turned off at the breaker and I'm running an IOTA-55 converter. It's mounted in the pass-through and wired with 6ga welding cable. The cable is run through the mouse-hole, under the frame, and to the batteries (Imagine 2650.)

[Gold Country Livin']

So if the generator is used strictly to charge the battery (or batteries, since I have two 12v), which is the best method: hook up the large shore cable from the trailer via dog bone, or use a direct alligator type clip to the battery direct? I have a Champion 2000 which I bought just in case I need it and it comes with a 12v direct connection and alligator clips. It says "only use this plug when hooking directly to a "car" type battery". In other words, not any other 12v device. So obviously, it has both the 12v direct plus standard 120v plug. This model does not have the RV 30 amp plug.

[Jim Van Ostran]

Thank you for your input. I think that I am going to need to add to the battery bank. I fortunately do not run my heater on my CPAP and i didn't eve think about the hot water heater. I have a G27 battery but I'm thinking that it still won't make it through the night. 55 amp converter went out on me and the tech put a 75 amp in its place. I don't know if that helps any or not.

I do have a 50 amp charger. Are you saying to plug that into the generator and then hook that up to the battery in order to charge it? As you can see I know nothing about electricity and how all of this works. And yes I do have all LED light s