Sundance - Generator

K

kendallerin

Member

• Apr 21, 2015

• #1

My Husband and I are brand new RV owners and are getting ready to go on a 3 year full time adventure. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking so we are going to need a generator. My question is will the generator charge the battery, or do we need to purchase a power inventer? We have a 2015 Sundance SD3380

 

cookie

Administrator

Staff member

• Apr 21, 2015

• #2

If your generator is providing 120 volts to power your Sundance, the converter will be charging the battery.

Peace
Dave

 

B

branson4020

Icantre Member

• Apr 21, 2015

• #3

Not sure what you mean by "a lot" of boondocking, but, if you plan on being without shore power for more than 2-3 days at a stretch., you should consider upgrading your battery pack and adding solar panels.

 

caissiel

Senior Member

• Apr 21, 2015

• #4

I feel that solar panel should be considered before a generator.
I always had dead batteries and spend a fortune on batteries due to improper charging. After 20 years I installed solar at the price of a generator and leave the generator home. Peace of mind with batteries at 100% charge by noon and can also charge friends dead batteries in the afternoon. It's a no brainner solar panels before the genny.

 

Bohemian

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #5

Your converter will charge your batteries, but you might want to change oit out or add a battery charger to get a much higher charge rate and make much better use of your generator. Sit down and calculate the charge times for your converter and the percent of capacity that your converter/charger is using.

 

dbbls59

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #6

If you need the air conditioner you will need a generator. Solar panels and batteries won't do it.

 

avvidclif

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #7

caissiel said:

I feel that solar panel should be considered before a generator.
I always had dead batteries and spend a fortune on batteries due to improper charging. After 20 years I installed solar at the price of a generator and leave the generator home. Peace of mind with batteries at 100% charge by noon and can also charge friends dead batteries in the afternoon. It's a no brainner solar panels before the genny.

Click to expand...

Will solar run my 3 A/C's?. A/C is a requirement in Texas where they are from.

 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter

• Apr 22, 2015

• #8

Clif, short answer....no.

 

danemayer

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #9

Sundance with 3 A/C units?

 

HornedToad

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #10

You guys up north of the Mason-Dixon line probably only snowbird in Texas during the winter.
In the summer it's HOT, and you gotta have an AC generator to run your ACs.
Solar with an inverter is great, but it won't run an AC for long.

It's only spring time and and the West Texas forecast this week is for high temps pushing 90 degrees.
This weekend I'll fire up my generator Friday when I set up, and run my ACs until Sunday when I head home.

My camping buddy has a Sundance and he bought a 7000 watt Honda generator to run both (two) of his ACs.
He had a welder build him a custom detachable bumper rack, similar to the one available on an Elkridge, to tote it around for boon-docking.

 

avvidclif

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #11

danemayer said:

Sundance with 3 A/C units?

Click to expand...

Nope Cyclone, just pointing out that when it come to power "one size does not fit all".

 

caissiel

Senior Member

• Apr 22, 2015

• #12

You might run a genny for AC but for charging batteries to me its a lost cause.

 

Bohemian

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2015

• #13

You can get a Magnum 125A charger and a BIG bank of batteries.

 

Bohemian

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2015

• #14

Or this Xantrex Freedom 3000 watt with 150A charger.



http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/inverter-chargers/freedom-sw-12v_newgen.aspx