Onan install – ’05 30’ Classic

[GetOutDoors]

I am installing a LP 2500 Micro-light in my 2005 30 foot Classic. If interested, go http://www.cumminsonan.com/rv/products/propane for specifications.

This is the second Micro-light I have installed: the first was installed in my ’66 Safari which I rebuilt from the frame up (and sold last fall). Pictures of that install can be found in my uploaded images (photo gallery).

Before beginning, I needed answers to the following issues/questions:
1) Can the LP 2500 run the 13.5K BTU air conditioner?
2) Where should the unit be installed?
3) Is the structure (frame, etc.) such that it can be installed without conflict?
4) Can I get the LP line ran to the generator?
5) Is there adequate 12 volt power available to that site (for auto-start)?
6) What access is there to the shore power and how hard is it going to be to install the transfer switch?
7) Is there a logical place close by to install the external control switch?

So far I have the transfer switch installed, the floor/structure work mostly complete (thanks to a productive weekend), the generator bolted to the floor, and the propane fitting that spans the sub-floor installed.

I still am trying to determine the best solution getting the LP line past the holding tanks (issue 4 above), and need to locate the main 12 volt source to the back of the trailer (issue 5).

I plan on posting a lot of pictures … please be patient. If there is something you really need to see and I haven’t posted, I’ll do my best: some things you just can’t get a visual once you progress past it.

So here, the adventure begins …

[withidl]

I have title built in gasoline powered genset. Go the the following link (page #2 and page #4) and read the entire post for details and complete photos of installation which may be of some help/comparison in your project:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f448...ors-68808.html

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by GetOutDoors

1) Can the LP 2500 run the 13.5K BTU air conditioner?

Sometimes but not on hot days at altitude especially as the generator gets older

2) Where should the unit be installed?

Not sure but I myself wouldn't want it under the bed without a firewall.

5) Is there adequate 12 volt power available to that site (for auto-start)?

There is no "main line" to the rear of the trailer, just lines for individual loads, since the 12v breakers are all in front under the gaucho. You can probably get away with 6 gauge boat cable and run it with the propane. Use a suitable sized fuse or breaker.

6) What access is there to the shore power and how hard is it going to be to install the transfer switch?

Not sure how it is with a queen but with a twin there's a panel in the rear outside compartment you can open.

Keep the photos coming. Not sure this project is for me but I'll still be interested to see what you put together.

[GetOutDoors]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Not sure but I myself wouldn't want it under the bed without a firewall.

That is part of the plan: not only does the firebox serve as a means to provide fire protection, but it also provides the means to "sound proof" the generator. If you look into my photo gallery, you can see the fire box and proofing I used in my last install.

[GetOutDoors]

Using the metal floorplate I created, I cut away the carpet where I wanted to install the generator to expose the sub-floor. I then used my stud finder, in steel stud mode, to locate the cross-member. My findings forced me to move the generator rearward about 2 inches.

The stud finder went nuts throughout the entire location, so I decided to drill a 1/8 inch hole using a drill bit thats about 15 inches long, and go under the trailer to cut away part of the belly pan to see what was going on.

The picture show you what I found: a big wide piece of metal welded between the cross members going down the middle of the RV.

This created a problem, because though the template I made offset the oil plug (which is located on the bottom side of the generator), the iron was still in the way.

Not wanting to reduce the support this iron provided, I came up with a work-around ... See the second and third pictures ...

[GetOutDoors]

Progress picture ....

[Airslide]

Looks like a nice installation. I had a similiar unit in my motorhome and it got pretty warm when running a while. What is your solution for cooling?

Vinnie

[GetOutDoors]

Cooling, venting, and exhaust will occur through the floor. The air under the trailer should be the coolest around the trailer.

The exhaust will be piped away toward the side.

[Airslide]

Originally Posted by GetOutDoors

Cooling, venting, and exhaust will occur through the floor. The air under the trailer should be the coolest around the trailer.

The exhaust will be piped away toward the side.

Does the manufacture give a specification on venting? Maybe there's a way you can monitor the temp of that box?

[GetOutDoors]

They do.

My buddy is an Onan engineer. The template shown in one of the earlier pictures was traced from his shop. Onan has specific installation requirements to properly cool the unit. In addition to the specifications link provided earlier, I'll provide a picture with containment parameters tomorrow. Without proper square inch venting the unit will not cool properly.

[Airslide]

Sounds great.. keep us posted.

Vinnie

[GetOutDoors]

Here is the footprint of the gen (Bottom of the fire box).

[GetOutDoors]

Pictures of the install ...

[GetOutDoors]

Views from the underside ...

[Skater]

This is the first I've noticed this thread. Have you had one of those under your bed before? The B190s have them mounted in a cabinet under the jackknife couch, and I slept there once with it running - major vibrations. I would look for a way to mount it to dampen as much vibration as possible (I'm pretty sure it was mounted without any vibration damping in the B190...at least, it felt that way!).

Also, keep in mind you're adding ~130 lbs behind the wheels, so it may lighten your hitch a bit.

It's a great project and I'd like to hear how it turns out.

[GetOutDoors]

Actually it's a done project.

Your estimate of weight, after adding all the components, to include the sound proofing on the fire box, is probably close to actual. We don't have much weight (except the gen) under the bed, and compared to may friends who like to store things like sewing machines under there, I don't think we have have as much there as others (we don't full time).

The lost space was hard to get to, and unused.

The vibration topic has been raised by friends many times. Some think it would add a special "twist" on the romantic side. Really though, it doesn't vibrate as this particular unit is very smooth.

Noise would be another issue with regard to sleeping, but it is very quite: even with my hearing loss of 82 percent in one ear and 80 percent loss in the other I can still easily connunicate with my wife while sitting on the bed.

Tha t said, I have never ran the gen while sleeping, as I think that would be very rude to others around me. In fact I will not run it before 9-10 in the morning or after 7 at night.

I love my install, that it is quiet and does not vibrate the trailer. Neither my wife or I rally notice it running from the front of the trailer.

I know that with it 'permanently' installed it goes where the trailer goes, but that's actually very nice. For example, we were on a three week caravan, where one day we had to wait for a couple hours for our camp spot to become available. We pressed the switch, turning on the gen to microwave some leftovers for lunch without hassle, or mess.

[Skater]

Sounds good. I was in a situation where the battery was depleted (actually, it was toast) and my only source of power was the generator, so I was basically stuck sleeping on the generator. I didn't sleep well that night, but the camper was also very off-level, and there was the stress of not having power for over a day after an ice storm, so I don't know precisely what caused the poor night of sleep.

It looks great, though!