10KW Generator

[Jerry Pattison]

Dang, coach is in Findlay RV service facility in Las Vegas for genset repair.  Generator failed nearing our last day in Quartzsite, and left us unable to continue our trip to TX via Yuma.  Clear that the fan belt broke, and since it is a side mount, not too many places are willing to service it.  Anyway, we left Quartzsite for home, so at least we could be at home whilst the repair is taking place, and the puppies are happy with that.  I did a brief analysis of fuel usage of the generator at Quartzsite, and it seems the gen uses about 0.8 gallons per hour of usage.  Just so you know.  Hope all y'all are having a great time!

[Jeff Johnson]

Jerry,

Hopefully you get your coach up and running soon and you can finish your trip.

If you generator is burning .8 gph it is running right close to 100% load. i'm guessing it is a Kubota or some other quality diesel engine.
Do you have an amperage gauge in your coach? Just wondering if you could verify the actual load of the generator. Maximum load would be 41.66 amps @240 volts or 83.2 @120 volts. In the perfect world 65-80% load is optimum for longevity and fuel economy. And I'm being probably overly cautious on the load factor without knowing how much you actually run the generator.


I was involved in generators for over 40 years before retiring, having sold Northern Lights (my fathers company) and Kubota engine/generators at another company.

Safe travels,
Jeff

[Fred Brooks]

  Did you use your Hurricane diesel or just the electric side of the water heater?

[Jeff Johnson]

Fred,
Great point on what type of heat Jerry had on at the time.


Jeff

[Fred Brooks]

  I looked up the brochure and it said the coach came with an AquaHot and not a Hurricane.

[Jerry Pattison]

I always keep the diesel on for the AquaHot, but I do not turn off the circuit breaker for the water heater, so I reckon the generator is heating water when it is running.  Sounds like a good idea to turn that breaker off when boondocking, perhaps some other times also. 

I occasionally monitor the current load of the generator, and the highest I can remember seeing is 18 amps on one side, and 12 amps on the other, at the same time.  This is when both A/C are on and the batteries are charging. 

An update;  service facility found the fan belt broken, water pump near the life end in their opinion, the fan shroud with multiple cracks, and one minor leaking injector.  They also will replace some other parts while they are in there, I'll update y'all when I get the repair documents.  I cannot remember exactly what was described to me.  This is an approved Onan repair facility, and I am there because I have heard anecdotal positive comments about them.  We shall see.

[Jerry Pattison]

Jerry,

Hopefully you get your coach up and running soon and you can finish your trip.

If you generator is burning .8 gph it is running right close to 100% load. i'm guessing it is a Kubota or some other quality diesel engine.
Do you have an amperage gauge in your coach? Just wondering if you could verify the actual load of the generator. Maximum load would be 41.66 amps @240 volts or 83.2 @120 volts. In the perfect world 65-80% load is optimum for longevity and fuel economy. And I'm being probably overly cautious on the load factor without knowing how much you actually run the generator.


I was involved in generators for over 40 years before retiring, having sold Northern Lights (my fathers company) and Kubota engine/generators at another company.

Safe travels,
Jeff


Jeff, my estimate of 0.8 gal/hr includes any diesel used by the AquaHot, and it is very much a non-scientific estimate because I did not accurately gauge the running time, and only estimated the fuel used getting from Las Vegas to Quartzsite.  So, you have encouraged me to do a more accurate measurement of usage during our next trip!!  Chuckle

[Jerry Pattison]

New update on the generator repair;  the alternator in the genset had frozen and caused the belt to break.  The belt breaking shattered the fan shroud.  I should mention that this occurred in Quartzsite on Jan 19.  We had scheduled to go to Yuma for a week from there, then on to Texas for a couple of  weeks or so to visit Sharon's Aunt and Uncle!  While still in the desert in Quartzsite, we searched for generator repair facilities in Yuma and onward, and did not find anyone who we felt confident could really repair the generator.  The generator must be removed to make the repairs, and not everyone is capable of doing that.  We made the decision to go home to Vegas (only a 4 hour drive) and a facility we thought could handle the repair.  We would then be in our own home with the dogs and would be able to settle in.  What a wise decision in hindsight!!  We would be in Texas in this terrible winter event if the generator had not failed!!  Now, if someone would send the money for the repair we would be in great shape!!  Chuckle!!  I have been able to get my covid shots, attend some doctor appointments, play some golf, fertilize some plants.  By the way, parts for a 23 year old 10 KW Onan are not necessarily easy to find.  Blessings to all!

[Fred Brooks]

   Jerry,
Amazing how this intuitive decision making process works. Look at the mess you avoided. I was scheduled to give a seminar at Quartzite but came down with covid the week before it started. All good now, just waiting my 60 days before my vaccine shot so my "army" won't have to go to "war". Sorry about the alternator but a blessing in disguise. Fred

[Jerry Pattison]

Well, all done with the genset repair.  In the end, the following parts were replaced: fan belt, fan shroud (cracked in several places, perhaps hit by the flying belt?), alternator (frozen solid), water pump and thermostat (recommended by the service facility), expansion tank (leaking), oil and filter, and coolant.  $4775.  With 2000 hours on the generator, $2.39 per hour not including fuel.  Oh, well, motor coaching is fun, eh?  I have the parts, and can do a show and tell at a rally!  Of course, I will charge a nominal fee to cover the cost of the repair!   Chuckle!!

We were blessed by coming home after Quartzsite where the failure occurred rather than continuing on the road to find a service facility.  The age of the generator (23 years) causes parts to be rare.  It was in the shop over a month, but since we were home, that was almost painless (except for the cost).

Be safe out there, everyone!  Hope  to see you in Amana!  Blessings.