Using Fords on board 2k gen to power AC, rather then carrying 110 lb inverter.

[ARhappycamper]

Originally Posted by Tiggerdad

Why shouldn't it power an AC?
Ford advertises it powering an entire house.

That's the 7.2KW. A 2 KW is what the OP has.

[ARhappycamper]

Yet another post where folks with old tech minds are commenting on new tech they know nothing about.

[FrankG]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

Yet another post where folks with old tech minds are commenting on new tech they know nothing about.

You are so right, take a look at "out of the box" house powering ability of the F-150 lightning.


https://fordauthority.com/2022/02/20...y-power-homes/

[D W]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

Yet another post where folks with old tech minds are commenting on new tech they know nothing about.

Nothing new about an inverter. They've been around for 100 years. In the early 60's, Kaiser-Jeep Corp. offered a generator/inverter option on their Jeep Universals (CJ4/5). During this same time you could order an inverter add-on for your vehicle from the back pages of Popular Mechanics. There's some things that you just can't re-invent.

[Theo]

FWIW, some states have laws limiting vehicle idling. In MA, the law states that a car cannot be idling more than 5 minutes unless it is being serviced or it is being used to deliver or accept goods where engine assisted power is necessary. If someone is caught, they can be levied with a $100 fine for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.

Does delivering power to your RV or home qualify as "goods"? Worth checking with your state legislature.

[GFD47]

F150 2K is a generator/invertor setup that produces sine wave output regardless of the engine RPMs, and can therefore be used while the vehicle is in motion. Since my Honda 2000i will start and run my 13.5k equipped with a soft start, I would expect the Ford unit to do the same. I would not expect the F150 2K to start a 13.5k AC unit without a soft start.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by llr

I wish I had one, we almost always camp with power but a real hot spell a couple of years ago we had 2 campgrounds with extended outages in the same week. I don't typically carry a generator unless I plan to need it. Having one available just in case would be very helpful. I would probably still bring a separate generator if I planned on using it.

And aftermarket inverter along with an adequately rated alternator could do the job in a pinch.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

It's worth doing a bit of research before poo-pooing something. I quickly found the following from Road and Track: about the 2K setup: <<SNIP>>

SMH
I believe I covered that with this question: "Is your alternator rated for that?"
No, I didn't go find an issue of Road and Track. You've got me there.

[D W]

Originally Posted by Theo

FWIW, some states have laws limiting vehicle idling. In MA, the law states that a car cannot be idling more than 5 minutes unless it is being serviced or it is being used to deliver or accept goods where engine assisted power is necessary. If someone is caught, they can be levied with a $100 fine for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.

Does delivering power to your RV or home qualify as "goods"? Worth checking with your state legislature.

Oh my, do you actually have the "idle police" running around timing idle times? Sorry, I couldn't live like that.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by D W

Oh my, do you actually have the "idle police" running around timing idle times? Sorry, I couldn't live like that.

I'll bet this is one of those laws that only gets enforced when someone calls in a complaint or the idler has seriously annoyed the LEO...

[moose074]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

I'll bet this is one of those laws that only gets enforced when someone calls in a complaint or the idler has seriously annoyed the LEO...

I remember living in ND and Fairbanks in the 90’s Some people would leave cars running in the parking lot of the local mall, grocery store or movie theater. Even knew a guy that had an Isuzu pick up the really small one. He claimed that during the winter he never shuts it off. I never saw it off but I didn’t hang with him frequently.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by D W

Seems like an expensive proposition to run a 5.0L V8 to produce 2kw. I can see the utility for a business as you can bill the customer for the fuel. On top of that, I can't imagine the exhaust fumes generated at your campsite.

Plus, running the engine for hours on end sitting still cannot be good for the engine. I think that's one reason remote start only runs the engine for 10 minutes or less.

[elob_tx]

I had a 12 vdc Tripplite 2000 watt sine wave inverter back in the late 1960's. Used it to power vacuum tube radio equipment in the field. About the only major improvement to the technology is the IGBT semiconductors handle more power and some more sophisticated models are dual stage to improve on the efficiency.

Largest inverters I personally have worked on were 150,000 watt three phase 480 VAC output operating on 400 vdc battery banks with 2000 AH 2 volt batteries. There are much larger inverters used for utility power conversion on high voltage DC transmission lines.

Just here in town Tesla commissioned a Megapac lithium battery storage system rated at 100 MW / 200 MWH. Those battery packs are 400 VDC. The point is to charge the batteries using off peak utility power (cheaper juice) and then sell it at higher peak rates when there is a shortage (higher priced juice). ERCOT used to pay my employer for spinning reserves or for interruptible power where they could turn off some of our large rectifier loads when needed and pay us big bucks when they needed it.

[Bhrava]

First its an invertor, taking 12v to 120/240, so instead of mechanically induced sine waves, they are electronically produced making a far cleaner one than from a spun generator. Now, because of this, there are also more controls built in, and TFL had tried to power a house with one and failed. The Ground Fault protection kept tripping.

This could be an issue with the RV as well. You wont know until you try. The setup TFL was trying was a very BAD configuration, Dangerous in that it used a male plug at both ends creating a shock hazard. It could very well be that the setup wasn't properly grounded that caused the issues, but from what I read, the house needs the Ford transfer switch in order to use the invertor.

Unless you have soft start, 2K won't be enough to get the AC started, using my Watchdog I watched the watt draw when each of my AC kicked in, and they both (not running at the same time) exceeded 2400 watts on start up. I installed a soft start on the rear unit and it ramps up to about 1500 watts until settling down. I will be adding soft start to the front unit this spring so I can run both on 30 amps.

[FrankG]

Originally Posted by Bhrava

First its an invertor, taking 12v to 120/240, so instead of mechanically induced sine waves, they are electronically produced making a far cleaner one than from a spun generator. Now, because of this, there are also more controls built in, and TFL had tried to power a house with one and failed. The Ground Fault protection kept tripping.

This could be an issue with the RV as well. You wont know until you try. The setup TFL was trying was a very BAD configuration, Dangerous in that it used a male plug at both ends creating a shock hazard. It could very well be that the setup wasn't properly grounded that caused the issues, but from what I read, the house needs the Ford transfer switch in order to use the invertor.

Unless you have soft start, 2K won't be enough to get the AC started, using my Watchdog I watched the watt draw when each of my AC kicked in, and they both (not running at the same time) exceeded 2400 watts on start up. I installed a soft start on the rear unit and it ramps up to about 1500 watts until settling down. I will be adding soft start to the front unit this spring so I can run both on 30 amps.

The issue with TFL's setup, was the bonding within the house main panel. The Ford setup will not accept the common/ground bond.

[Flybob]

If you are using close to the 2K you will be pulling 150A. I seriously doubt that your alternator will be producing 150A while idling and I am sure you don't want to be running the engine at 2100 rpm for hours to run the A/C. Yes their ads show the truck powering an entire house, but common sense says that is not possible. You would be much better off getting the appropriate size inverter gen to use when needed.

[Bhrava]

Originally Posted by FrankG

The issue with TFL's setup, was the bonding within the house main panel. The Ford setup will not accept the common/ground bond.

Thats what it was, so the RV setup may also exhibit the same issue.

Originally Posted by Flybob

If you are using close to the 2K you will be pulling 150A. I seriously doubt that your alternator will be producing 150A while idling and I am sure you don't want to be running the engine at 2100 rpm for hours to run the A/C. Yes their ads show the truck powering an entire house, but common sense says that is not possible. You would be much better off getting the appropriate size inverter gen to use when needed.

Also keep in mind that the Powerboost and Lightning are the two trucks designed to power a house. If it's a 5.0, it's not meant to power a house. Without the battery pack it can't sustain a heavy draw with just an idling engine.

[FrankG]

Originally Posted by Flybob

If you are using close to the 2K you will be pulling 150A. I seriously doubt that your alternator will be producing 150A while idling and I am sure you don't want to be running the engine at 2100 rpm for hours to run the A/C. Yes their ads show the truck powering an entire house, but common sense says that is not possible. You would be much better off getting the appropriate size inverter gen to use when needed.

Ford has so many external power packages available it is hard to keep them separated. I don't believe Ford ever advertised or promoted using the 2.0kw for powering a house. Upgrade to the Powerboost with the 7.3kw and yes, Ford has promoted the use for powering a house as well as the RV. Proper installation is required. When the F-150 Lightning is available in a few months if it is optioned with the larger battery pack the charging station will automatically allow the truck battery pack to back feed the house in the event of a power outage.

https://fordauthority.com/2022/02/20...y-power-homes/

If the OP is seriously considering the A/C truck generator combo, I would get a soft start installed on the A/C and find a truck to plug it into.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by gw1800

Plus, running the engine for hours on end sitting still cannot be good for the engine. I think that's one reason remote start only runs the engine for 10 minutes or less.

I suspect the 10 minute cut off was to meet mileage requirements. My current 3.5 EB is only running at about 1700 RPMs when on the a level xway and not towing, not really much above idle.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

I suspect the 10 minute cut off was to meet mileage requirements. My current 3.5 EB is only running at about 1700 RPMs when on the a level xway and not towing, not really much above idle.

Correction, I was out driving yesterday. At 55 mph on flat ground, I was clocking about 1250 rpms in 10th gear. Idle is about 900.