Air Conditioner: Auto or On while using generator?

[marksiemer]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed. I tried to search but could not find anything specific to what I am asking.

Also, please keep in mind, I am VERY new at all of this so don't be too harsh.:cool:

I recently purchased a 2017 Hideout 272LHS. It is equipped with a Coleman Mach 3 Plus 13,500 BTU. Most of my camping will be dry and will use two Yamaha 2000's in parallel. I am trying to understand Auto VS On and believe I have a firm grasp on it. Am I correct to assume that while on Auto the AC will periodically kick in causing a surge in watts each time? And while ON, it will maintain a constant draw in watts? Since I am using generators, would it be okay to constantly run AC for a 48 hour period, or is this bad?

My guess is with the two generators running in parallel on eco mode would not be adequate to handle a periodic surge in watts while the AC is in auto mode? Or am I just completely and utterly wrong!?!

[chuckster57]

In "AUTO" mode the entire unit (fan and compressor) will cycle based on set temp of thermostat. In "ON" position the fan will operate constantly and compressor will cycle based on set temp.

Which is better? I can't say.

[BuxCamper]

In "AUTO" mode the entire unit (fan and compressor) will cycle based on set temp of thermostat. In "ON" position the fan will operate constantly and compressor will cycle based on set temp.

Which is better? I can't say.
With the fan running constantly the camper temperature should be more even. The fan by itself does not pull a lot of power. The compressor will definitely make your generators work harder.

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[Outback 325BH]

When the air conditioner is set to "auto", both the fan and compressor will cycle off and on based on temperature setting. When the air conditioner is set to "on", the fan will run continuously but the compressor will still cycle off and on based on the temperature setting.

Since we are discussing generator use, keeping the air conditioner set to "on" doesn't help too much (although it does a little) because the fan is a much smaller load than the compressor.

What you will have to test is whether or not your generators can start the air conditioner when they are in "eco" mode. If they cannot, you will have to leave "eco" mode off on them. At that point, you can let your air conditioner be in "auto" mode because your generators will be able to start both the fan and compressor at the same time.

In hot weather, your single 13,500 btu air conditioner may run non-stop anyway... so you might be able to turn on eco mode on your generators after the ac starts. This will quiet things down a bit. (If the ac runs non-stop, you don't have to worry about start-up load with generators running in eco mode.)

My Mach 3+ only draws 11 amps (3 amps for fan; 8 amps for compressor) once it is running. Dual 2000 inverter generators should idle down a little after ac startup.


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