Product Manual

2-5
AUTOMATIC STARTING AND STOPPING
The vehicle may be equipped with an inverter-char-
ger or other automatic genset starting device
(AGS). Always follow the instructions and safety
precautions provided by the manufacturer of the au-
tomatic starting device when enabling automatic
genset starting.
WARNING
EXHAUST GAS is deadly. MOV-
ING PARTS and ELECTRICITY can cause severe
personal injury or death. To reduce exposure to
these hazards, always disable automatic genset
starting before:
S Sleeping in vehicle, unless vehicle has a
working CARBON MONOXIDE detector
S Parking vehicle in garage or confined space
S Parking vehicle for storage
S Servicing genset
S Servicing batteries
S Servicing electrical appliances
S Fueling vehicle
LOADING THE GENSET
The genset can power AC motors, air conditioners,
AC/DC converters, battery chargers and other ap-
pliances. How much appliance load* can be pow-
ered depends upon the genset power rating. The
genset will shut down or its circuit breakers will trip if
the sum of the loads exceeds genset power. See
Section 4. Troubleshooting.
To avoid overloading the genset and causing shut-
downs, compare the sum of the loads of the ap-
pliances that are likely to be used at the same time to
the power rating of the genset. Use Table 2-1 or the
ratings on the appliances themselves (if so marked)
to obtain the individual appliance loads. It may be
necessary to run fewer appliances at the same
time—the sum of the loads must not be greater
than genset rating.
The genset may shut down due to overload when a
large motor or air conditioner is started or cycles off
and then on again, even though the sum of the loads
is less than genset rating. The reason for this is that
a motor’s startup load is much larger than its running
load. It may be necessary to run fewer ap-
pliances when large motors and air condition-
ers are cycling on and off.
Maximum power decreases as altitude increases
because air density decreases. For every 1000-foot
(305 m) increase in elevation you can expect power
to decrease approximately 3.5 percent. See
Table 2-2. It may be necessary to run fewer ap-
pliances at higher altitudes.
TABLE 2-1. TYPICAL APPLIANCE LOADS
Appliance
Load (watts)
Air Conditioner 1400-2000
Battery Charger Up to 3600
DC Converter 300-900
Refrigerator 600-1000
Microwave Oven 1000-1500
Electric Frying Pan or Wok 1000-1500
Electric Stove Element 350-1000
Electric Water Heater 1000-1500
Electric Iron 500-1200
Electric Hair Dryer 800-1500
Coffee Percolator 550-750
Television 200-600
Radio 50-200
Electric Drill 250-750
Electric Broom 200-500
Electric Blanket 50-200
TABLE 2-2. POWER VS. ALTITUDE
Altitude
(Elevation above Sea Level)
Maximum Power Maximum Power
at/below 500 ft (152 m) 10,000 W (genset rating) 12,500 W (genset rating)
at 2500 ft (762 m) 9300 W 11,620 W
at 5500 ft (1676 m) 8250 W 10,300 W
above 5500 ft (1676 m)
8250 W minus
350 W every
1000 ft (305 m)
10,300 W minus
440 W every
1000 ft (305 m)
* Appliance load and genset power are measured in terms of watts (W) or kilowatts (kW), where 1 kilowatt (kW) = 1000 watts (W).