Generator on then what steps next

[Billyk]

I know I have to wait for generator to get up to full power before I plug my 30 amp plug in it. Now go inside and what are my next steps ? I will have battery power switch outside in off position. What panel do I look for and what do Inturn on? Or just plug TV in and watch hockey

[Billyk]

I will run in series both generators so I can use AC and microwave

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Billyk

I know I have to wait for generator to get up to full power before I plug my 30 amp plug in it. Now go inside and what are my next steps ? I will have battery power switch outside in off position. What panel do I look for and what do Inturn on? Or just plug TV in and watch hockey

If your plugged into a generator, you don’t need the battery cut off switch turned off. Your gen will provide AC voltage to the breaker panel which will allow your converter to charge the batteries.

Your Television should work.

[Billyk]

Thanks Chuck good to know.

[bobbecky]

The twist lock outlet is only rated 30 amps, so even paralleled you will only still get 30 amps. You may not be able to run an A/C and a microwave at the same time with only 30 amps. You will also need to set your fridge and water heater to gas only to reduce load on the generator. One of those generators are rated 3000 watts which is 25 amps, so the second one will provide the other 5 amps to get you to 30 amps.

[Billyk]

Found this chart very useful. What a AC uses and how many amps left over hot use. I am printing and laminate for reference in my TT

[flybouy]

That chart is a generalization and NOT specific to your trailer. The amperage for the airconditioners for instance is not the start up amps and the running amps may vary from brand to brand and be higher in extreme heat. The microwave will depend on specific brand and rating. The converter will vary depending on the state of the battery charge and the converters rated output.

So don't be suprised if you "budget" 30 amps according to that chart but find the 30 amp breaker trips.

[dutchmensport]

Here's my take on your situation and here's my questions. A couple things I do not understand.

First, I don't understand why you need to run 2 of these generators in parallel to get 30 amp service. According the generator stats on the Westinghouse web site:

The Westinghouse WH3700iXLTc Inverter Generator ... It's engineered for maximum fuel efficiency with a variable engine speed to produce only the power you need at any given time, ...

Gasoline Peak Amps: 30.8
Gasoline Running Amps: 25

From what I understand, under normal running (not under a load) it will spit out a constant 25 amps at a minimum. However, if your power usage increases, it will produce a max of 30.8

Considering your camper is a 30 amp camper, you should never exceed 30 amps, same as if you are plugged into shore power. The results should be the same as if you are plugged into shore power, if you exceed the 30 amps.... first, the main breaker in your camper should trip. If it does not trip first, the breaker on shore power should trip once 30 amps is reached. Or in your case, the breaker (reset) on the generator will trip.

I have a Cummins Onan P4500i Inverter Generator. Granted, it's a bit beefier, but design wise, they are the same. Once the max AMP reaches on the generator, the generator trips and shuts off power to the trailer but the generator continues to run. I'm pretty sure the Westinghouse will operate the same way.

If your camper is 30 amp, and under normal conditions when plugged into shore power, you do not trip the shore power breaker, then you should not have any issues running your camper on one generator. Granted, the generator may be running at full load as it is a smaller generator, but it is designed to do that. The fuel usage will increase if you reach the 30 amp mark and the variable speed engine is running faster. So, you probably will not be able to run for a total 8 hours, probably about a 2/3 of that time (closer to 5.5 hours under a max load sustained).

If your camper is only a 30 amp camper, then you probably have only 1 air conditioner. The issue with 2 air conditioner on 30 amp then, is a mute subject.

Yes, you will need to practice "power management", exactly the same as if you are plugged into shore power. BUT don't sweat it either! If you exceed your 30 amps, one of 2 things will happen. The main breaker in your camper will trip, or the breaker at shore power will trip (or your generator reset button). And that's all. Nothing major. That's all. No biggie at all. Simply turn something off inside the camper, and then flip the breaker back on. (or the reset button on the generator).

One thing you can do is test out how well that generator works with your specific camper. Power up one generator. Plug in the camper. Go inside the camper, make sure everything electric is turned off. Now, turn on the air conditioner and monitor the difference in the generator. Better yet, have someone else turn on the AC and you stand beside the generator so you can hear the difference in the "variable" speed. Now turn on another appliance. Figure out what works well together and when it finally maxes out and trips. Again, that is the absolute worst that will happen. The breaker or the reset will trip. My money is on the breaker inside the camper first! Test it out, nothing will be hurt or damaged. Just give the Air Conditioner a couple minutes once it powers off before turning it back on again.

I'm still bewildered why you need two generators to run 30 amps, even with these Westinghouse models that do spit out 30 amps.

And oh.... one more thing. Keep that battery cut off switch. Keep the batteries turned on. If the batteries are not turned on. You should not turn that switch to kill the batteries unless you put the camper in storage.

[flybouy]

Running amps is just that, the rated output that the generator will maintain constantly. "Peak" amps is just as the name implies, it's the peak output, not intended for continuous use but available for short duration of starting a motor as an example.

[dutchmensport]

OK, help me understand, as I do not have this limitation on my Onan's.

If paring both of these together, will that produce 50 amps (same as plugging into shore power)?

If so, then then BillyK will need a an adapter to step down (dog bone) from the 50 amp back to 30.

If doing that, will he have full 30 amp available and neither generator be under "peak" load? Help me understand.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

OK, help me understand, as I do not have this limitation on my Onan's.

If paring both of these together, will that produce 50 amps (same as plugging into shore power)?

If so, then then BillyK will need a an adapter to step down (dog bone) from the 50 amp back to 30.

If doing that, will he have full 30 amp available and neither generator be under "peak" load? Help me understand.

I don't know the configuration of the OP'S generators. What I doo know is there's a difference in any electrical/electronic device between running and peak. Finding the amount of time it can operate at peak from the mfg is often elusive. The peak, or max is typically just a marketing ploy. Stereo mfgs have been playing that game forever. At one time they would use ridiculous "peak envelope power" numbers that were measured a split second before the amplifier would melt down. It wasn't uncommon to see ratings like "200 watts PEP" when the amplifier was some cheap junk that would have true rating of maybe 12 watts rms with about 5%THD(total harmonic distortion).

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

And oh.... one more thing. Keep that battery cut off switch. Keep the batteries turned on. If the batteries are not turned on. You should not turn that switch to kill the batteries unless you put the camper in storage.

I'd recommend just forget you have that battery disconnect, leave it "on/connected" always.
The reason being that even in storage with it disconnected your batteries could be dead in as little as a week depending on battery conditions due to parasitic drains that it does not disconnect. Your option for storage is to disconnect the negative cable that goes directly to ground from that battery, this totally/completely disconnects all 12 volt power, just be sure to reconnect before use.

[Billyk]

just got back from the yard. I hooked up the 2 generators in parallel and plugged into 30 amp TT plug. Ran the AC perfect. Then we ran the micro and TV and just a little drop in RPM on the generator. Then I ran AC with two generators on ECCO.AC ran perfect. So everything works fine. My wife will be a happy camper now. Still got to break in the Generators. Run at 30 hours adding and subtracting power usage . They say in Manuel it helps seat the rings.

[chuckster57]

Sounds like your getting it all dialed in. Is the hole fixed?

[Billyk]

Not yet. I ordered diamond aluminum sheet to replace the siding with. I been tracking it on FedEx and it is spending the weekend in Stockton. Should be here Monday.Then I can have it fixed.

[chuckster57]

Good deal!!

[bobbecky]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

OK, help me understand, as I do not have this limitation on my Onan's.

If paring both of these together, will that produce 50 amps (same as plugging into shore power)?

If so, then then BillyK will need a an adapter to step down (dog bone) from the 50 amp back to 30.

If doing that, will he have full 30 amp available and neither generator be under "peak" load? Help me understand.

A 50 amp RV connection is usually two 50 amp legs at 120 volts, so 100 amps total. If the generator configuration only has a 30 amp connection, that being one 120 volt hotleg, no matter how many generators are paralleled, you will still only get one 120 volt leg on the 30 amp outlet. One 30 amp circuit is 3600 watts, a 50 amp outlet with two 120 volt hotlegs is 12,000 watts.

[Billyk]

Everything is running AC and micro at same time. So double power from two generators. All good

[Javi]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

A 50 amp RV connection is usually two 50 amp legs at 120 volts, so 100 amps total. If the generator configuration only has a 30 amp connection, that being one 120 volt hotleg, no matter how many generators are paralleled, you will still only get one 120 volt leg on the 30 amp outlet. One 30 amp circuit is 3600 watts, a 50 amp outlet with two 120 volt hotlegs is 12,000 watts.

If the parallel kit is a 50 amp plug like the one available for my generator then wouldn't one get two 30 amp legs 🙄

[flybouy]

Lot's of varying opinions and some misunderstanding on how generators supply power. I'll throw my understanding into this.

A generators "running watts" or "continuous rating" is the maximum SUBSTAINED constant output available.

A generators "peak wattage" or "maximum wattage" or similar verbage is what the generator is cable for tolerating without tripping a breaker or sustaining damage for a brief amount of time. Think of it like a weightlifter. How much weight weight can they lift up for a second or two vs hold up all day long.

Paralleling generators. If your paralleling two identical generators with the OEM parallel kit then refer to the literature that came with the kit. If you don't have it then reach out to the mfg. If the combined output is terminated in a 30 amp RV plug then you have 30 amps available, period. It should be protected by a 30 amp single pole breaker. If you use an adapter to connect the 30 amp available to a 50 amp camper then there's no difference from connecting to a 30 amp cg pedestal. There will be a TOTAL of 30 amps available across the 50 amp breaker, not 30 amps for each leg. How you use that TOTAL, in whatever combination of amps per leg, the TOTAL cannot exceed 30 amps. If a generator or parallel kit offers a 50 amp RV receptical then it should have the ability to provide two 50 amp circuits and be protected by a double pole 50 amp circuit breaker. Again I would defer to the equipment manufacturer for clarification as to what they are providing and if they are considering the final output as a 50 amp double pole circuit or mearly an adapter for ease of connection.