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Old 10-16-2013, 11:56 AM   #1
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Generator / Converter Question

Hey Gang,

Quick question for you guys. I'm heading out this week for a State Park camping trip. State Park means no hookups (at least for me). I'll be bringing along my Honda EU2000i Companion for my power needs. My question/scenario is this.

First thing in the AM I'm sure my little group 24 battery is going to be thirsty from having had the furnace on all night. When I go and hook my generator up after we wake up, I'm assuming that the converter is going to see the shore power and start bulk charging the battery. If I go and plug in my coffee maker a few minutes after connecting my camper to the generator, will the converter scale back its charging demand so that there is enough power for the coffee maker? Or am I going to overload my generator?

I'm asking before I kick myself not running the coffee maker directly off the generator (though if I have to do that, its a pain).

????

Thanks !
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Old 10-16-2013, 02:21 PM   #2
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I'm not an electrical guru..., but based on boondocking with my genny, your converter/charger output shouldn't be effected by the use of only the coffee maker with your genny supplying power through your shore cable.

With my Yamaha 2400 I've run my A/C and frig, while my converter/charger was charging my battery bank as it normally does (according to my Tri Metric battery monitor).

Bob
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Old 10-16-2013, 02:51 PM   #3
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... have to assume here the coffee maker is AC. The converter will take what AC is left while you brew your coffee and charge your battery at a lower rate while the coffee maker is on. No harm done - just takes a little longer.
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Old 10-16-2013, 04:19 PM   #4
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Excellent - thank you all.
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Old 10-16-2013, 06:38 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OnTheGo View Post
snip...... The converter will take what AC is left while you brew your coffee and charge your battery at a lower rate while the coffee maker is on. No harm done - just takes a little longer.
I would have thought if there was an additional DC load on the converter/charger that it may effect charge time, but not AC (per OP's condition). But then again, I'm a wrench and breaker-bar guy

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Old 10-17-2013, 02:59 AM   #6
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We do this all the time. However we use a Cuisinart Coffee Grinder/Brewer to make our first pot of fresh ground bean coffee each morning which is only drawing high 120VAC current for approximately 4-5 minutes run time. After this the coffee is poured up into a thermo Carafe which keeps the brewed coffee hot all day long. This is perfect for being used with the generator as it only draws power for 4-5 minutes each morning. Using the same brand bottled water we bring with us on our trips our fresh made bean coffee is always the same nice flavor no mater where we are camping.

Our PLAN B for this is to brew our coffee from the stove top Coleman coffee percolator - does not require the 120VAC at all doing this.

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Old 10-17-2013, 04:27 AM   #7
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The converter is another AC load just as the coffee pot is. As long as the total AC load does not exceed the generator capacity all is fine. The coffee pot WILL NOT affect the charge rate of the battery. The converter is only involved with 12VDC loads. It will reduce the battery charge rate only by the amount it needs to supply the lights, water pump, heater fan and other DC loads.
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Old 10-17-2013, 04:47 AM   #8
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The converter is another AC load just as the coffee pot is. As long as the total AC load does not exceed the generator capacity all is fine. The coffee pot WILL NOT affect the charge rate of the battery. The converter is only involved with 12VDC loads. It will reduce the battery charge rate only by the amount it needs to supply the lights, water pump, heater fan and other DC loads.
Good answer. But it left me with a question. ... limited amps available (about 13?) from generator. If the AC demand (in this case a coffee maker) uses a big portion of the supply, doesn't it affect (diminish) the DC supply from the converter?

Thanks in advance
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Old 10-17-2013, 04:54 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OnTheGo View Post
Good answer. But it left me with a question. ... limited amps available (about 13?) from generator. If the AC demand (in this case a coffee maker) uses a big portion of the supply, doesn't it affect (diminish) the DC supply from the converter?

Thanks in advance
Simple answer: No. The converter WILL NOT adjust charge rate based on AC loads. The converter has no way of knowing there is only 13 amps available. It doesn't work that way. If the AC load exceeds the generator capacity the generator will shut down. Then the coffee pot AND the battery charge goes to ZERO.

The coffee pot HAS NO EFFECT on the battery charge rate as long as the generator capacity is not exceeded. When that happens all loads not supplied by the battery cease.
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Old 10-17-2013, 06:22 AM   #10
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So ... how many amps does the converter pull when charging a battery if its been running the heater all night? I really don't want to bring both Hondas with me just so I can make a cup of coffee in the AM .... or maybe I need to run a extension cord off the Honda just to the coffee maker - which is really a ghetto way of doing it if you have a camper I think.
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Old 10-17-2013, 06:32 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s1njin View Post
So ... how many amps does the converter pull when charging a battery if its been running the heater all night? I really don't want to bring both Hondas with me just so I can make a cup of coffee in the AM .... or maybe I need to run a extension cord off the Honda just to the coffee maker - which is really a ghetto way of doing it if you have a camper I think.
Answers that precise will require actual measurements. What is the state of charge when the charge is started? How many amps is the converter capable of?

Running an extension cord to the generator gains you nothing. The converter and the coffee pot still provide the same load to the generator.

You are over-studying this minor problem. Connect the camper to the generator. Run your coffee pot. If it does not overload then all is great. I don't think it will overload. If it does overload the disconnect the battery until the coffee is done.
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Old 10-17-2013, 06:54 AM   #12
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Sometimes the simple solution is the best - disconnect the battery.

As for the extension cord, I meant run it to the coffee pot independent of the generator being plugged into the camper. But pulling the battery fuse is so much easier. Thanks.
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Old 10-17-2013, 11:13 AM   #13
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Our charger takes a little over 3amps, however yours could be different. Since you only have 13amps available on the genny, I would suggest flipping off the breaker that feeds your converter for the 4-5 minutes it takes to brew your coffee. Once the brew cycle is completed, then turn back on the breaker to the converter.
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Old 10-17-2013, 11:48 AM   #14
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I think my coffee pot is 900 watts. Which would be about 7.5 amps right? 900/120 = 7.5. Maybe it'll work out as is. Flipping the breaker is just as easy - its not a fuse I have to pull right? Sorry, but I'm not home to go look.
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Old 10-17-2013, 03:48 PM   #15
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The following JOF link lists both 12V DC & 120V AC Amp draw ratings (estimates) on many different items that may be helpful:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...C-amp-120V-AC)

Bob
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Old 10-17-2013, 06:22 PM   #16
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Found the breaker for the converter. Seems a easy thing to just turn it off until the coffee is done; no fuss no muss. I appreciate the idea guys - thanks much. And thanks for the link above !
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Old 10-17-2013, 10:06 PM   #17
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The limiting factor is your generator not the way it is connected. Adding an extension cord will not help. You need to figure out the actual draw of the converter and other loads while in use. This can be done before you leave. You can use a common multimeter or just plug the trailer into a "kill a watt" device available at hardware stores. You may need the p=ie formula where p= watts, i= amps, e= volts. This will give you an idea of the amount of power you have. (For the pursers out there I am assuming a power factor of 1 so technically p= Volt amps but this is close enough) Remember that everything you turn on will draw AC power even DC loads. The reason for this is because the converter is supplying the DC power up to its maximum output. E.g. 60 amps at 12vdc.
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Old 10-18-2013, 04:16 AM   #18
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I guess I still wasn't explaining myself correctly. I was going to use the extension cord from the generator to the coffee pot while the generator was disconnected from the camper's shore power line.

However, plugging the generator into the shore power line and flipping the converter breaker to run the coffee pot will work just fine for me for the little while the coffee pot is plugged in.

I do have another Honda that I can run in parallel, but I'm not going to lug them both out to make coffee. To run the AC yes, but not the coffee.
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Old 10-18-2013, 02:52 PM   #19
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As mentioned, just plug in your coffee pot and if the generator kicks off you will have to do something different. If the generator keeps running you are good.

We used to have a small tt and a small Honda 650 generator. If we wanted to run the vacuum cleaner we had to unplug the trailer and use a separate cord to the genny. The breaker on the generator would kick out.
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Old 10-19-2013, 08:25 AM   #20
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I must be missing something because I don't think your genny will be overloaded and I also don't think your battery charge will diminish at all (or at least not enough to make any difference) when running the coffee maker. Here's what I do; I get up, start the generator, start the coffee maker and go about my day. If my piece of junk, Champion 2000 inverter generator can do it, surely your Honda can
I would be a little more concerned about a group 24 battery making it through the night.
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