Fulltiming

[Leroy Eckert]

Mine is 15k Power Tech. Follows are their numbers as published. 50%-.675gph 75%-1.012gph 100%-1.35 gph Operating costs include but are not limited to: Oil change reserve- $.40 per hour($40/100 hours) Equipment reserve engine and genset- $1.00 per hour ($12,500/12,500 hours if it makes it that long) Fuel cost per hour- average- $4.00 per hour Inverter charger reserve- $.07 per hour ($3,000/43,000 hours expected useful life)That's 5 years of continuous use. Batteries- $.03 per hour ($1,200/ 43,000 hours useful life) Coolant change per year-.$.025 per hour ($25/1000hours) Labor cost not estimated. Typical labor cost is $95 per hour. Add that into the maintenance reserve cost and convert it into cost per hour. Estimated replacement equipment cost is new because that is the way it started. Bailing wire and chewing gun will reduce the overall cost (ie. used equipment) Maybe. All numbers rounded. Most information obtained from my bus historical files. Others may be more or less but probably not significantly so. Operating costs are real. The only component that can change operating costs significantly is the fuel cost and the hours of use. Turn it on it costs money, leave it off, it still costs money but less so. One bad thermostat combined with a failed auto shut down system and the above numbers are out the window in a matter of seconds. Leory Eckert 1990 WB-40 Smoke N Mirrors Dahlonega, GA Royale Conversion --- On Sun, 9/28/08, Ryan Wright wrote: From: Ryan Wright Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Fulltiming To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008, 1:43 AM On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 6:59 AM, Leroy Eckert <"jwasnewski%40yahoo.com"> wrote: > I got it and understand the process and reasoning.. I have even done it > also. I think it is more than fair to say it costs a minimum of $6 per hour > to start the generator. For some reason, I had it in my head that my genset draws less than half a gallon per hour at nominal load. More than a gallon per hour on a ~12-15kw diesel genset seems like a lot unless you're under heavy load. Anyone have accurate figures on this? Anyway, when we've camped, I've typically run the genset less than 2 hours total. Once during dinner and to top the batteries off before bed, and again during breakfast. If it's 110 degrees outside and you need A/C the whole time, absolutely you'll burn more fuel than if you'd just plugged into shore power, but since I live in a desert I try to vacation in cooler climates and avoid that sort of thing. -Ryan '86 PT-40 8V92