Shore Power vs the Generator January 10, 2013, 11:44:04 am Yahoo Message Number: 136118Good Morning! I'm staying at an RV park that has some power issues, where the voltage will drop below 105 during a peak hour and my Progressive Industries surge/power protector will shut off the AC temporarily. My question is this: Can one safely turn on the generator while still connected to shore power, or should I unplug the shore power first? If they can be connected simultaneously, will the generator take precedence over the shore power so as to provide good power during those peak times?Thanks for any advice! --Dan, 2003 RB
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #1 – January 10, 2013, 11:56:48 am Yahoo Message Number: 136119Dan Sure you can run the generator while plugged in, the transfer switch takes care of the details. I do it all the time at home when exercising the generator. Is the Surge Guard wired so both the generator and shore power are monitored?Larry
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #2 – January 10, 2013, 12:11:40 pm Yahoo Message Number: 136120Quote Good Morning! "I'm staying at an RV park that has some power issues...Can one safely turn on the generator while still connected to shore power," Thanks for any advice! --Dan, 2003 RBDan If I were in your shoes I'd unplug from shore power so that the automatic change-over switch will not become confused as to which source to select. But about that generator thing, I've NEVER seen an RV park that would allow a generator to be run under any circumstance.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #3 – January 10, 2013, 02:50:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 136137QuoteIs the Surge Guard wired so both the generator and shore power are monitored? Yes, it is. --Dan
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #4 – January 11, 2013, 11:34:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 136149I personally wouldn't get too excited about 105ish volts, especially if the weather were cool and I was mainly drawing for resistance heat. Any component which would suffer from high current draw/overheating due to low voltage would be less inclined to overheat in cool or cold weather. You may want to post what is on in your rig and what of that could be damaged from low voltage.
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #5 – January 11, 2013, 12:23:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 136151Quote "You may want to post what is on in your rig and what of that could be damaged from low voltage." tpildYour fridge for one!Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #6 – January 11, 2013, 07:46:42 pm Yahoo Message Number: 136163Actually not the fridge. It uses a resistance heater. No harm no fowl if it runs under voltage. Resistance heaters simply draw less power. FWIW my Dometic AC unit is rated at 115 volts, not 120. Plus/minus 10% spec takes it down to 103 volts minimum. I'd be much less concerned operating it at 103 volts (or slightly less) in cool or cold weather vs. extremely hot weather.
Re: Shore Power vs the Generator Reply #7 – January 11, 2013, 09:24:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 136167According to the Dometic manual Lazy Bones linked to:The proper operating range is 100 to 132 volts. If voltage drops below 100 volts, cooling efficiency will decrease with voltage decrease. So, even a 100 volts is within the normal operating range, and less than 100 volts will not damage it.Eric Greenwell
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Topic: Shore Power vs the Generator (Read 7 times)
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