When we purchased our 2010 CampLite 11 TT, it was very basic and probably one of the "early" Travel Trailers off of the LivinLite CampLite production line with empty weight of 1400lbs & GVW 2200lbs. It has a 13,500 BTU AC & heater system, goucho couch & dinette that converts to a 60"X80" queen bed. The AC is very powerful and cools the CL 11 quickly. We leave the dinette down 100% of the time with a 60"X80" memory foam mattress installed. Sit side by side on the couch with small aluminum table making our dinette. This CL 11 does not have an LP gas system, stove, or refrigerator. It had a small sink with hand operated pump faucet drawing water out of a portable tank under the sink.
We wanted more countertop space and decided to remove the original countertop, sink, & water tank. Purchased & installed a 2'X4'X1" wood table top from Lowes for less than $30. We cook with a 110V teflon coated skillet, 700W microwave, and make coffee with a 110V coffee maker. Clean cookware, coffee mugs, & hands with Clorox wipes. Use paper plates, too. Carry bottled water for coffee & drinking.
Purchased an Engle DeepBlue High Performance 35 qt ice cooler and it works great using much less ice than our previous cooler. Keep it in the back of our pickup with shell to keep the bears out of it.
Wide Angle Shot, only way I can make it look BIG:
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How did the genny do for you? I have a small knock off honda 1000w genny that can run the AC unit in my QS 10.0, but only if I avoid the onboard power cord. I found this out the hard way when I went to plug in the genny to the onboard power and it tripped the overload circuit. I assume the larger unit you have didnt have any issues.
My guess is that even though I wasnt drawing anything off the genny it was still tripping the circuit due to the high guage of the wire. Especially since I took a smaller gauge extension cord and ran it directly to the AC unit and everything worked great again.
[quote source="/post/2026/thread" timestamp="1405533819" author="@admin"]How did the genny do for you? I have a small knock off honda 1000w genny that can run the AC unit in my QS 10.0, but only if I avoid the onboard power cord. I found this out the hard way when I went to plug in the genny to the onboard power and it tripped the overload circuit. I assume the larger unit you have didnt have any issues.
My guess is that even though I wasnt drawing anything off the genny it was still tripping the circuit due to the high guage of the wire. Especially since I took a smaller gauge extension cord and ran it directly to the AC unit and everything worked great again.[/quote][font size="3"]Sean,
I'm a bit confused by your phrase "even though I wasnt drawing anything off the genny it was still tripping the circuit due to the high guage of the wire" and your terms "high gauge" and "smaller gauge". Please excuse me if you already know this and I'm just reading it wrong.
If you were not drawing any current the generator overload should not have tripped unless the extension cord was faulty. In this instance wire gauge has no effect. In wire nomenclature a lower gauge number means larger wire; a higher gauge number means smaller wire. A higher gauge wire ( smaller wire) has more voltage drop. An AC electric motor tends to be a constant power device, drawing more current as the applied voltage drops. Therefore a smaller sized extension cord will drop more voltage to the A/C motor causing it to draw more current. This is what burns out motors when the line voltage goes low. If the genny is close to its limit it will sense this and shut down. Replacing the cord with a lower gauge (#16 going to #12) may actually lower the current at the genny and allow it to run.
I suspect you already knew this and it was just the wording that confused me, but I don't see this tidbit discussed often.
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You are right, my wording was a bit off in my earlier statement. Let me see if I can try again :)
The generator is a small inverter style 1000 watt produced by chicago electric (harbor freight).
I originally plugged in a typical household extension cord and plugged the AC unit directly into the genny. Per the rated number I was right at the limit of the genny but it worked and I was excited since I honestly didnt think it could do it.
Later on I was hoping to run the the AC unit by simply plugging in the campers shoreline power cord (a much lower gauge line) and using the onboard outlet. This oddly some sort of overload sensor on the genny. I shut the genny down, confirmed everything was turned off in the camper and tried again.
I know the electrical control unit will draw some currently especially on startup, but I knew my battery had just been topped off and I had nothing else plugged in. So in essence the only thing that could draw any current would be the electrical control unit. I started the genny, made sure it was fully operational again and plugged in the shoreline power cord. Again almost instantly the sensor tripped.
Keep in mind calling it a sensor is the best term I can think of at the moment, because its not like a circuit breaker. When this sensor trips, it puts the genny in a low idle and cuts all power output. The only way to reset it is to shut it down and let it reset for about a min.
My first reaction was similar to yours. Providing a lower gauge (thicker wire) and possibly even shorter connection should allow the genny to power the AC unit more effectively. However I dont believe this issue is due to any specific draw, unless the electrical control unit has a massive spike in its draw when its first plugged in.
Its low on my priority list to figure out and I havent had a chance to look at the specs for the control unit.
[quote source="/post/2028/thread" timestamp="1405539077" author="@admin"]
I originally plugged in a typical household extension cord and plugged the AC unit directly into the genny. Per the rated number I was right at the limit of the genny but it worked and I was excited since I honestly didnt think it could do it.
Later on I was hoping to run the the AC unit by simply plugging in the campers shoreline power cord (a much lower gauge line) and using the onboard outlet. This oddly some sort of overload sensor on the genny. I shut the genny down, confirmed everything was turned off in the camper and tried again.
I know the electrical control unit will draw some currently especially on startup, but I knew my battery had just been topped off and I had nothing else plugged in. So in essence the only thing that could draw any current would be the electrical control unit. I started the genny, made sure it was fully operational again and plugged in the shoreline power cord. Again almost instantly the sensor tripped.
[/quote][font face="arial" size="3"]As you know we've had some issues with ground faults on this forum. I wonder if your generator has a built in Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)? If there is a ground fault leakage path in the camper it would explain why it trips with the camper cord and not with the extension cord direct. Fasteddieb has been battling LL on this and it was traced to an A/C wiring or installation problem.
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My bet is that the converter has a bit of a surge when it's first connected. My experience with chargers is that they actually go through all stages (hopefully quickly) each time they start. So it might try bulk charging for a bit and that's enough to push you over your 1000 watt limit. You could also try just turning off all breakers except the A/C and see if that works.
The Yamaha performed fine and very quiet, too. Tried it out last week while camping, it was cool enough not needing the AC. Told my Wife it was OK to run the drip coffee maker & electric skillet or coffee maker & 700W microwave at the same time. Watched the overload light on the gen-set and everything stayed in the green. Would not try running AC with anything else running. Tried the 13,500BTU AC at home with Yamaha Gen-Set while the outside temps were 85 to 90F and the AC compressor cycled on & off during operation without issues, it cools nicely. During AC/Gen-Set test the indicator lights stayed green with out overload problems.
Only issue with the gen-set is the wet weight of 75 lbs. Found the LL factory cord to be long enough to connect to the Gen-Set on the tailgate of the pickup in this photo. Once I have it loaded in the pickup, prefer not to be setting it in & out of the back of the pickup during a camping trip, if I don't have to.
When we first purchased the camper, had issues with the ground fault in the exterior 110V outlet. Replaced the outlet and no more issues.
Here's a link where I purchased the Yamaha with additional info.
http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Yamaha-EF2400ISHC-Portable-Generator/p4433.html
LL factory electrical cord was long enough to reach the Gen-Set on the tailgate on the passenger side of the pickup!
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Speaking of generators, does anyone have any experience with www.generatorsite.com ? On the ones with electric start they will add a remote start for $299 which could be of interest to me. Pricing appears essentially the same as the link above, but the one above does not offer the remote start as an installed option, but do offer the kit [a href="http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/power/remote-start-kits.html"]http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/power/remote-start-kits.html[/a] for $375.00 and you would have to do it yourself. Those who have read my postings know that is a non starter for me.
Have not purchased from generatorsite.com. Our Yamaha gen-set is manual start, so no help here.
Decided to mount the microwave & television permanently, so I would not have to unpack & set them up & repack before moving the camper.
Used some scrap aluminum angle, to secure the microwave & build fixed TV mount/brackets. Next thing to, drill holes through the counter-top securing TV mounting brackets with bolts. Ran out of time today, back on the project next week.
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(http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu299/vstromklr/2013/2014/IMG_3685_zpsf1e99f46.jpg)Will install TV on counter-top next week!
Finished the permanent TV installation and it's very sturdy:
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Thank you for posting, like your mods especially the attic antenna.
Trying to get everything out of this basic CampLite 11, that we can. Enjoy modifying & making improvements!!!!!!
The attic antenna has worked everywhere we camped so far, picked up anywhere from 6 to 26 digital stations,
less in the mountains & more in the flat lands!
Thanks,
Some other electrical appliances we like to use:
Used this Lasko heater in the upper 20s so far, works well and stores easily under the bed:
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