Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

But is it possible (and OK for everything concerned) to drive our BFBF2 with the generator going? My husband said we would need to run the generator as we drove in order to run a regular-type crock pot (I don't want a 12-volt crockpot at this time). Has anyone ever done this? Thanks for your advice and opinions.

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Rick and Linda
2004 22' BFT
98 Honda Accord toad

Should be no problem. I have run the generator in the past after leaving camp on a hot day in order to run the rear coach A/C to speedily cool down the interior of the coach. So using it to power your AC crockpot should not cause any problems that I know of.

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Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad

Bill, it sounds like you may have run your generator for a limited time, just to cool down the living space in your BF. Do you think that running the generator for say, 6 or 8 hours is advisable? Thanks.

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Rick and Linda
2004 22' BFT
98 Honda Accord toad

I don't see any problem with it except that it will lower your fuel economy somewhat.

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Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad

Thanks for the info, Bill.

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Rick and Linda
2004 22' BFT
98 Honda Accord toad

Okay, I'll ask my dumb question. Can a 110V Crockpot be used with an inverter, while on the road?

Barbara

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Barbara & Ken

Thanks for your opinion, Sam. An inverter is something that would be wayyyy down the road for us, financially speaking!

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Rick and Linda
2004 22' BFT
98 Honda Accord toad

How big and expensive of an inverter would be needed for a Crockpot?

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Barbara & Ken

One of the biggest mistakes made by people owning RVs with generators for some reason they don't want to run them.

When they really do need them they find out the carborator is all full of varnish and the repair is expensive.

Don't worry about running the generator. If you do and it is the summer run your Crock Pot and use the 115 Volt air conditioner. If you use it in the winter, run your Crock Pot , and use a 115 true ceramic heater for a load. This will keep varnish off the slip rings of the generator, because the generator should be run at least one hour a month minimum with a load.

Don USN ret
2002 26' RSB
1987 Cabriolet Toad

We do make it a point to run the BF generator regularly . . . at least once a month, especially when it's winterized. It's fun to just take the BF out for an afternoon drive and give the engine and generator good workouts.

I think the original question was about running the generator for long periods of time . . . 6 - 8 hrs . . . to use a Crockpot, while on the road. And I would like to know if using a Crockpot with an inverter (while on the road) would be okay. If so, what size inverter would be adequate.

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Barbara & Ken

Your question on the generator.
We dry camped for three months at the Naval Air Staton in Key West Florida. The generator was run about 8 to 10 hour a day. We would top off the fuel tank once a week to insure we would have enought fuel to leave in case of an emergency.

No problem. Years ago you would have to get all the build up off the cylinder walls about every 500 hours. Since we have unleaded gas today this does not seem to give us the same problems as in the past.

The weather in the south in the summer is hot. If you are travelling along the coast it is humid. We travel with the generator running the house 115 volt A/C.

The cost of running a 4 kW generator with a full load is about 1/2 to 3/4 gallon per hour if you have a full load.

We have never had any trouble with the six RV's we owned by running the generators.

I learned years ago while working with the Federal Aviation Administration, as all our facilities had generators, run the generators.

Don USN ret.
2002 26' RSB
1987 Cabriolet Convertable Toad

Barbara and Ken,

You should be able to use an inverter to run your crock pot. I use a Samlex Model PST-30S-12A 300-watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter to run my 90 watt 20" Color TV in my 2002 BF 26' RSB. Read the posts including mine at the Topic <Inverter informations needed> on this same forum or you can click on the website address below for the same thing:
http://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin_ ... .php?t=132

In my case the 90 watt TV causes my 300 watt inverter to draw only 8 to 9 amps from the cigarette lighter plug that I use to plug the Samlex inverter into - well within the fuse and wiring rating for that circuit in the Born Free. However, if you start drawing 150 watts or more from the inverter, then the DC current draw will increase to 13 amps or more and drawing that much current via the Born Free cigarette lighter plug is not wise due to the wire size and fuse size limitations. You then should have the inverter wired directly to the coach batteries via heavy gauge wire and that is the type inverter installation Brent at Born Free probably provided Sam Ryan that he referred to in his post and that he decided not to do because of the cost.

My 300 watt Samlex inverter cost only $169 and installation was simple as explained in the other inverter topic. If you can find a crock pot that only draws 125 watts or less, then you should be able to do a simple inverter installation as I did and not involve the factory.[/u]

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Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad

Thanks, Bill. Don't want to install a permanent inverter at this time, so you've provided good info. We've discussed permanently installed inverters with the BF customer service folks and were told that the coach wiring wouldn't support what we were considering.

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Barbara & Ken

Don, thanks for the info regarding how many gallons' worth of fuel running the generator while driving would use. Yikes! I may just start looking for a 12-volt crock pot, after all.

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Rick and Linda
2004 22' BFT
98 Honda Accord toad

The reply from Sam Ryan about the using miles to calculate cooking time reminds me of a newspaper article I read many years ago about cooking meals using your car's engine compartment, along with a few recipes. It was really funny but the author attest to the results!

Living here in Northern New England, I run my generator 30 minutes every two weeks, with a small space heater as a load. Starting the generator below zero takes a LOT of patience, prayer and swearing....

I have heard heated discussions between expereinced RVers about which method uses less gas while travelling - using the dash AC or running the generator and the house AC.

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Chris Ng
2005 26RSB CE