Generators and RV's

[Whamo]

   Does anyone do Peri on a generator? or in an RV?  Do you travel?

[Vt Big Rig]

I do hemodialysis in my RV and yes we travel. I know others do PD.

[Charlie B53]

Curious if you run off a gen set or battery/inverter?

I have been wondering about looking at the data plate on my Cycler to see just how much inverter I would need.  Then I could figure what battery capacity that would take, thenn how much solar panel that would need.   Not a lot of room in a tent but if it didn't take too much solar panel area I could possibly cover the canopy on my truck.  A mobile solar charging station, battery and inverter.  Just use any of my extension cords to the tent.  DONE.

Now I just need to find a CLEAR river here in the mid-West.  Most all that I've seen are liquid mud.   Not at all like growing up in the PacificNorthWest.   Yea, I made that ONE word, like it should be.   Cause there ain't no other place like it!

[Vt Big Rig]

I just run off campground power.. I have thought of a gen set but I would need enough for the machine and for the AC in the trailer. Them boxes get hot! A generator that size gets too big to move around....

[Charlie B53]

Many campgrounds restict the time a genset may be run.  They want quite time during the night.Some inverters do waste a lot of energy as heat.   The better ones are not cheap.   Maybe we should be asking Baxter if they will design 12 DC equipment?      What really gets me is most every electronic item has a transformer and rectifier inside as most everything runs on DC.      It shouldn't be too difficult for a manufacturer to built a DC machine.  I would be willing to bet there are a number of us that would jump at the chance to get our hands on one!

[jcanavera]

Been a while since I've been here but we did buy a generator/inverter this summer as a backup for electrical power when we go camping in our trailer or for at home.  It is a 3 way fueled generator and can run on gasoline, propane, or natural gas.  That's important to us since gasoline will degenerate over time and the safety factor in carrying gasoline in our tow vehicle.  We had to use the generator at home for the first time about 8 weeks after we bought it.  We lost power at home around 5:30 am and I connected the cycler to the generator to finish the dialysis cycle.  As it ended up we were without power for about 5 hours and we needed about 3.5 hours of run time on the generator.  I ran the generator off a propane tank.  I also have a BBQ grill on the deck that has a quick connect natural gas hookup.  My plan is to use natural gas when home and propane on the road.  I'm also going to add a transfer switch and outlet so that we can power the circuit in the bedroom that powers the cycler.  Then it's just a matter of connecting the generator/inverter to an outside outlet and activate the transfer switch.

As noted you do need clean power and a generator/inverter should be used to prevent damage to the cycler.  I have a Yamaha 2000 generator/inverter.  I did some wattage measurements and our Baxter cycler uses 380 watts max.  That high end occurs when the bag heater is in operation.

Jack

[Simon Dog]

I'm also going to add a transfer switch and outlet so that we can power the circuit in the bedroom that powers the cycler.  Then it's just a matter of connecting the generator/inverter to an outside outlet and activate the transfer switch.

Transfer switches are generally per-circuit, and you have a panel with a certain number of circuits you can transfer (commonly 6 or 10).

I suggests you look into an interlock (https://www.interlockkit.com/ makes nice ones) so you can switch over the entire house.   You still need to be careful about overload (no fair running the A/C; electric drier and electric stove on a portable generator), but don't have to deal with "which circuits switch over".  Interlocks are basically backfeed arrangements, however, the interlock kit prevents the dangerous situation where you have the main power on and the generator power connected at the  same time.  It's an easy project if you feel comfortable working in a hot panel; if not, it's not an overly expensive job for a pro.

[jcanavera]

Yep there is a good video on You Tube of a guy with an interlock.  Problem is I'm not sure if an interlock meets local codes where I live.  Home owners are not allowed in my county to do any transfer switch modifications to their electrical panels.  It also requires a permit and inspection and a licensed electrician.  Even with an interlock you still need to turn off some breakers for individual circuits to make sure you do not exceed the capacity of the generator/inverter when you fire things up. 

I've seen a nice transfer switch unit that is available on a Internet site that sells Propane modified Honda portable generators.  As you noted it will handle 6 to 10 circuits.  The beauty in this unit is that you can preset some of the transfer switch circuits to be hot and others not to be.  When utility power is lost and generator power becomes present, the transfer switch automatically removes the circuit from utility over to generator.  No need to go down to the panel and touch anything (unless you want to change the mix of what circuits are live on generator).  Once utility is up and restored, removal of the generator power triggers the transfer switch to move the selected circuits back to utility. 

Jack

[Simon Dog]

The automated transfer switches are nice.   My comments were specifically about the manual transfer switches like the Reliant ones they sell at Home Cheapo.

[jcanavera]

Yes they are.  My plan would be to have the furnace and fridge and a few light outlets in the mix.  That way I can pick and chose what devices I want to activate.  I already have checked out the power requirements for the cycler.  It pulls about 380 watts with the heater on. 

I even went as far as checked out the power draw in the travel trailer and I know I can run the furnace, the refrigerator set on gas or electric and vent fans (if it was summer) and interior lights along with the cycler for about 1,300 watts maximum.  That's well within the limitations of my inverter/generator. 

Funny that the first use of the generator was at home and not out on the road where power can be a lot more flakey.  We've been using the cycler since September of 2014 and never lost power in a dialysis session.  Get a generator and within 8 weeks of purchase we have a 5 hour outage during dialysis. 

Jack

[jcanavera]

Well for the second time in a year we had to use the generator for about 2 hours early yesterday morning.  I was awakened by an alarm at 3 am with a beeping alarm and realized the house power was out.  I went to the garage and pulled out the portable generator and propane tank and placed it on my front porch.  It was raining but the porch is covered.  Once getting the gen connected to propane and started I ran an extension cord from the gen to my wife's Baxter cycler.  Cycler picked up where it left off and we continued on till the power was restored a couple of hours later.  At that point after I was convinced the power was stable, we switched back over to utility power.  So glad I bought this.  Here's a picture of it running at the time. 

Jack

[Charlie B53]

This may be a good spot to mention the LED Light Bulbs I ordered.

Sono is a cheaper SOB than I am.  I didn't think that was possible.  He surprises me once in a while.  He has swapped all his lights out for LED's.

I looked at some of the prices and I was too cheap to buy them yet.

I saw a TV Ad the other day for LED bulbs that have built in batteries.  These will still switch ON even when the power is Out.  Pretty cool.  Max run time is est about 4 hours.  4 bulbs 29.95 + freight.  Oh, and of course, buy now and they will DOUBLE the offer, just pay seperate handling.

So I bit.

Before I did I looked up the manufacturer and found retail outlets for these very lights advertising them for $24 EACH.

My total was very near $45. One package of 8 and also came with two light 'sockets that have apush button switch on the bottom and a hook so you can hang it most anywhere.  Push the button, the light comes on.

Oh, and these are WHITE, not that yucky yellowish light.

I think they were advertized as LyfeLite.  Not real sure.

[Whamo]

I haven't brought a generator yet.   I wonder which one will work best with the new cyclers that talk. 

[Simon Dog]

I haven't brought a generator yet.   I wonder which one will work best with the new cyclers that talk.

The "talking feature" should not change the power requirement, since there is already plenty of digital electronics in a generator.  If you want to be sure, an inverter generator, or one offering THD (total harmonic distortion) of 5% is best.