Where does the generator go? August 01, 2009, 02:15:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 104358Is there a place to install an onan generator on a 1982 foward lounge 22ft Lazy Daze?
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #1 – August 01, 2009, 02:42:22 am Yahoo Message Number: 104359"Is there a place to install an Onan generator on a 1982 forward lounge 22ft Lazy Daze?"Ferris I believe it mounts in the exterior storage compartment on the driver's side.Larry
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #2 – August 01, 2009, 02:46:41 am Yahoo Message Number: 104360Quote Is there a place to install an onan generator on a 1982 foward lounge 22ft Lazy Daze? By "forward lounge" you mean front lounge, right. If so, the answer is none. I have a 82FL, and the factory did not build a place for a generator. But that should not prevent you from fabricating one. The ideal place would be on the left side, just behind the driver seat.Sam
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #3 – August 01, 2009, 11:18:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 104368"By "forward lounge" you mean front lounge, right. If so, the answer is none. I have a 82FL, and the factory did not build a place for a generator. But thatshould not prevent you from fabricating one. The ideal place would be on theleft side, just behind the driver seat.Sam Your LD does not have an empty spot for a generator because the Factory installs an exterior cargo when the optional generator was not installed. If a generator had been installed, it would be in the same place where the exterior box in located on the driver's side.Larry
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #4 – August 01, 2009, 02:17:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104376Thanks Sam! Behind the driver's seat. Do you have any pics or links that may be useful?
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #5 – August 01, 2009, 03:21:40 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104382Quote Thanks Sam! Behind the driver's seat. Do you have any pics or links that may be useful? I have seen many pics before in photos section, but I can't remember which ones. You might want to browse that section, and look for any Front Lounge LD from 82 to 87, give or take.Sam
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #6 – August 02, 2009, 01:01:54 am Yahoo Message Number: 104394Quote Thanks Sam! Behind the driver's seat. Do you have any pics or links that may be useful? I just ran across an ad for an 85 Front Lounge. The top 2 pictures show the compartment door for the generator. http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/rvs/1300067238.htmlSam
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #7 – August 02, 2009, 01:16:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 104395U tha man Sam!
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #8 – August 02, 2009, 01:23:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104402Hi, I have a 1985 22' front lounge Lazy Daze. The owner's manual says that all 20' and 22, are now prepared for a future generator. So I think that all 1985 models on up has a generator size compartment installed, whether or not the buyer orders the motor home with a gen set. Mine wasn't ordered with a gen set, but has wires ran from inside the box table that's between the barrel chairs to the gen box and battery cables to the 6 volt batteries. I installed a 3000W xantrex inverter/charger inside the box table and installed additional batteries inside the gen box. I'm
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #9 – August 02, 2009, 04:21:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104409Why do you need an alternator with such high amp capacity (270 amps)? Do you believe the eight batteries will ever request that many amps?best, paul"Thriving not surviving" - Paul Schaye (at 2008 NYC Marathon)
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #10 – August 02, 2009, 04:40:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104411I was wondering about the excess weight factor.....8 batteries?? you are only allowed so much in the design of the genset compartment I thought.
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #11 – August 02, 2009, 04:54:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104412John,There double A's, not much weight at all:8 X 1.5 volts + 12 volt (grin) Seriously, think I'd be leaning towards solar to charge all those batteries instead of a big alternator. That is, unless you will be traveling all the time anyway. It's not so very efficient running the chassis engine just to charge batteries.bumper
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #12 – August 02, 2009, 04:56:52 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104413Hi, If the house batteries were completely discharge at 10.5 volts, the 270 amp alternator would allow each battery to get about 30 amps each for a faster charge rate compared to the the factory alternator or the xantrex 130 amp charger. Also if needed, I could run the roof a/c while traveling. Of course it all depends what the engine rpm, and alternator temperature is at for what the amp output of the alternator would be.Billy J. Brower 1985 22fl diesel Lazy Daze
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #13 – August 02, 2009, 05:08:43 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104414Hi, I only have four batteries inside the genset compartment plus two batteries mounted on the front side of the genset compartment underneath and the other two are
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #14 – August 02, 2009, 05:22:14 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104415Billy, like others here, I'm wondering whether you've had a four-wheel weighing done since adding those batteries. As someone who owned a 1985 22' Twin/King with four house batteries, and who constantly struggled with weight problems, I hate to think of what it would have been like to add another 250 pounds of batteries to that old Chevy chassis, which didn't have all that much CCC TO begin with. And if they're all one one side, one could have a serious imbalance problem as well. You've probably already put plenty of thought into this, but I'm curious: what kind of batteries did you install? Are they vented to the exterior, or did you use AGMs? As for the behemoth alternator, I'm inclined to agree with Bumper that unless you drive for several hours every day, it isn't going to be much help. Idling the engine is a very inefficient way to charge batteries (although I tried it when I got desperate, since like you I had no generator), because most alternators don't produce anywhere near their rated output until you're up around 2,000 RPM, which you'll never get when idling. Also, I can tell you from painful experience that long periods of running the 350 c.i.d Chevy V8 at idle are a good way to blow your righthand exhaust manifold. Have you thought about solar panels? They don't put out hundreds of amps, of course, but they can give you a steady dozen or two amps day in and day out, silently charging your batteries whenever the sun is up. I had nine panels on my 1985 22-footer. Just a thought... :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #15 – August 02, 2009, 05:22:14 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104416Hi, My motorhome only has one 53 watt solor panel. I know I could add more panels but the cost of the alternator was a lot cheaper and would allow the use of the roof a/c while traveling. When I go camping, I use the motorhome as transportation which would charge the batteries some, depends how much amp/hours I used. My buddy and I are still making brackets for this alternator on a spare diesel engine I have in the garage. Once it's all complete, I'll share the results.Billy J. Brower 22fl diesel Lazy Daze
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #16 – August 02, 2009, 05:22:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104417QuoteIf the house batteries were completely discharge at 10.5 volts, Yikes!Quotethe 270 amp alternator would allow each battery to get about 30 amps each for a faster charge rate compared to the the factory alternator or the xantrex 130 amp charger. Over
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #17 – August 02, 2009, 05:33:14 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104419"If the house batteries were completely discharge at 10.5 volts, the 270 amp alternator would allow each battery to get about 30 amps each for a faster charge rate..." Whoa! I hope you're not planning to make a practice of that, Billy. Letting your batteries get below about 11.5V is asking for permanent damage. Oh, as we've discussed here recently, if it happens once by accident you can probably get away with it... but doing it again and again, and relying on a super-alternator to bring the batteries back up, is going to lead to short lifespans. And since all batteries in a system should be replaced at the same time, that's likely to mean a whopping bill not so far down the road. Again, this brings into question the use of such a large alternator. If it doesn't work efficiently at idle (and I have yet to hear of one that did), and if you'll be treating your batteries kindly and not running them down so much that it takes massive current to recharge them, then I have to wonder whether this strategy is the most cost-effective one.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #18 – August 02, 2009, 05:40:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104420Hi, Yes, I could run the roof a/c off the alternator/inverter. When the batteries are fully charged, the inverter only requires 100 d.c. amps from the batteries when the a/c is on high speed.Billy J. Brower 22fl diesel Lazy Daze
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #19 – August 02, 2009, 06:14:54 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104421Hi, I havn't had it on the scales yet. According to the Lazy Daze owner's manual, the gen set weight is 260 lbs. I might be 100 lbs. over that with four batteries
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #20 – August 02, 2009, 06:27:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104423Hi, 10.5 volts was just an example for what I think the amps per battery would be with the 270 amp alternator at the right rpm. I know if the batteries were discharged at 11.5 volts, the alternator amp output would be less to mainta
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #21 – August 02, 2009, 07:39:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104428The normal rulle of thumb is not to discharge batteries below 12.2v (at rest) for good battery life.best, paul"Thriving not surviving" - Paul Schaye (at 2008 NYC Marathon)
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #22 – August 02, 2009, 09:06:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104430"I know I could add more panels, but the cost of the alternator was a lot less." Good point. There's a big difference in cost there. And if you do a lot of driving, then you'll get the full benefit of the extra alternator power. I agree that dashboard gauges are a good idea to avoid overcharging. Do you have a Link-10, Xantrex Battery Monitor (XBM) or similar? That's tremendously helpful in managing an upgraded DC power system such as yours.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #23 – August 02, 2009, 09:57:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104431Hi, The xantrex 3000 watt inverter has a led control panel that has an audio alarm warning that comes on if the battery voltage is above 15.5 volts or below 10.5 volts and is adjustable. It also has a battery temperature sensor on one battery. I don't have any other monitor devices.Billy J. Brower 22fl diesel Lazy Daze http://www.flickr.com/photos/22122583@N02/
Re: Where does the generator go? Reply #24 – August 02, 2009, 10:43:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 104432"I don't have any other monitor devices." I probably confused the issue by mentioning the issues of overcharging and the Link-10 type battery monitors in successive sentences. In fact, the two are unrelated. Any good converter/charger will prevent overcharging. (An alternator will not, which is why you need those gauges you're planing to install.) But a microprocessor-based battery monitor like the Link-10 or XBM is something else entirely. Old-timers here have heard me sing the praises of these devices before (and those who own them agree), so I won't go into detail here. But to summarize: a Link-10 will tell you your batteries' ACTUAL CHARGE STATE, something no voltage readout can do. It does this by monitoring every milliamp of current that goes into or out of your battery bank, and keeping a running total. At any moment it knows exactly how much you've charged them up, and how many amp-hours you've drawn from them. A Link-10 or XBM will tell you, among other things, that you can keep running for another 6 hours and 37 minutes at the current rate of power usage before draining your batteries to the critical 50% level. It can also tell you the exact power consumption, down to a tenth of an amp, of every 12VDC light and appliance in your rig. No voltmeter can give you those kinds of vital information. If you're doing a lot of dry camping (and you wouldn't have put in all those batteries and that big inverter if you weren't), there's just no substitute for one of these computerized battery monitors--Link-10, XBM, or the less well known Tri-Metric. You can search the archives for posts that describe these devices and their advantages more fully.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
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