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Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Yahoo Message Number: 62496
Well after having a new generator, radiator, hoses, belt & thermostat installed in my '97 Intrigue w/47k mi & just a little over 200 hours on the gen I have a question for an electrician out there. It would be nice to have a meter/guage to show how many amps you are actually drawing at any given time to see how close to the limit I'm getting on my "new" Power Tech 7000. Is this practical or available? I have always considered electricity FM (friggin magic) so I'm lost unless it's a mechanical problem.
I bought the CC (my 2nd) about 3 months ago and it had not been used for at least 3 years - bet the batts go next. I asked the shop to have the rad. rodded out - now they do it with chemicals. The rad. shop reported there was a lot of rust in the rad. and that the top & bottom tanks were metal - not brass - never heard of that - told the shop to order a new one.
By the way, Power Tech offers oil pressure & water temp guages for the 3 cyl Kubota. Think I'll ad 'em and look for a place in the driver's area to do a nice clean mount.

Regards,

bojangles5169

'97 Intrigue (Cherry) #10414

My child bride is tired of me and the shops working on the coach and wants to get on the road - imagine that.

Re: Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 62499
Yes, with a couple of AC amp meters (digital or analog)and matching current transformers its possible. If you locate the current transformers after the shore/generator transfer switch you would also be able to monitor your shore power current draw. I would also consider volt meters, one for each leg to help monitor how good the AC voltage is...low voltage causes more amps. Watts/volts = amps.

Terry Keeler, former employee.

Re: Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 62500
I feel for you on a first hand basics. Also purchased a 97' Magna that had not been used for close to four years. Lots of issues. Required the first summer and all my spare time-retired, plus an additional $13000 plus, to make it road worthy. A year later, think I almost have them fixed, knock on wood. We love the coach and the power is very good. Fun to drive and so easy, does not wear me out after a day's drive. Hope from this point forward things will work as they should. Ours has the all the electrical gauges for the gen set. Very helpful. The gauges are analog, should be a way to install what you need. Maybe some of the great tech's will jump in with help.

Don't forget to check the tire dates. We had to replace tires and all batteries.

Leonard Kerns
97' Magna 5418

Re: Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 62509
Bo...

Re: electricity being "F Magic"...

I am sure you have heard the trite old story:
All you need to know to be a carpenter is: Measure twice, saw once and payday is on Friday... All you need to know to be a plumber is: s_ _ t runs downhill and payday is on Friday... And, all you need to know to be an electrician is payday is on Friday IF THE ELECTRICITY DOESN'T KILL YOU...
With that in mind, I advise you to let someone else do this project for you if you really think electricity is magic...
If you only want to monitor the output of the genset, you can install ammeters and voltmeters in both 120V legs from the genset before it reaches the Transfer switch... The voltmeters are not critical and are simply connected from each 120V leg to ground in order to read voltage... I suggest you use 0 to 150V AC meters. You can connect them to the 120V legs with #16 stranded wire... Use solder lugs on the wire ends to make good connections...
The ammeters are a different story, and MUST BE INSTALLED IN SERIES with the 120V legs to read current. Ammeters are available with an external or an internal "shunt"... The "shunt" actually sends only a small portion of the available current to the meters, so if you use external shunts, they can be installed in the 120V legs and smaller wires can be used to connect to the actual meters you install on the dash... If you use internal shunt meters, you will have to run the large (probably #6 or larger) wires from the genset thru the meters and then to the transfer switch. Working with #6 wire is a pain in the neck, so I advise you to use meters with external shunts. If the breakers on your genset are 50 amp, use 50 amp AC meters...
If you install the meters in the output from the transfer switch, you can monitor either the genset or the AC Land line power, depending on whichever you are using at the time...

To see how much power you are drawing from the genset:

voltage X current = Power (in watts)
Simply multiply voltage X current in each AC leg and add them together to get total wattage being used in the coach at any given time.
I have no trouble at all believing that your "child bride" is tired of you and wishes you would "hit the road"...
I am not a technician or an electrician... just an ol' farm boy from Texas...

Buck

k7wn, '99Magna5653

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Re: Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 62515
Quote from: buck"
Buck... We always referes a something in shop we didn't understand was running "On he FM principle" or as said "F Magic".

Norm

Re: Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 62517
Thanks for the clarification Norm...

Buck

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Re: Amps, Watts, Ohms, etc. ??????

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 62524
I didn't want to spend a fortune so I went to Radio Shack (on line) and bought 2 volt meters, 150VAC meters and 2 Amp meters, 5 Amp. Think I paid under $10/meter. Went to Granger and bought a 2 ea 50 amp to 5 amp transformers and installed them in the power panel in the bedroom. One set on each leg. Meters are analog and probably accurate to 3% full scale. You can spend a lot more on better analog or digital meters, but these do the job for me. I used my accurate VOM (digital) and that gives me an idea of the accuracy.

Judy n Joe

98 Intrigue 10578