All electric GMC - old post -retitled [message #97906] |
Tue, 31 August 2010 07:04 |
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Matt Colie
Messages: 8547 Registered: March 2007 Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma: 7
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[quote title=larry erd wrote on Tue, 31 August 2010 00:33]Has anyone gone all electric on their GMC? I'm just starting on a total
resto which will be a Florida coach and i don't care for propane, and i would take out the gas heat and maybe put 12v heat tapes under the floor covering for the few times i might need it, I was thinking of putting 2- 8d's where the tank is and a 3'd one next to the onan and installing a 3000 watt inverter. till me if you all think that would work.WOW, thats adding 400 #.
thanks for the advise,
larry erd
Larry,
There are "All Electric" motorhomes available today, but they are really "Mostly Generator" systems. - More on this down the page.
Unless you expect near zero "dry time" you had best adjust your thinking.
Unless you plan to never venture north of Miami, your 12V heat tape in the floor will serve only to be an occasional annoyance. You could not provide enough heat that way to do any good at all.
One of the other programs that I worked on at Thetford (they did used to be a serious development company) was an all electric motorhome. It was very capable, but then it did have two 120Ah (group 31*10) 120Vdc battery banks. Even that was problematic at best. The hybrids (2) were much better, but the generators might be running full time. One had a 1200RPM (six pole) generator with a gasoline engine and the other a Swedish built Stirling powerplant (damn thing was 50Hz). Both had big house banks and large inverters to supply AC when load was light, and both used waste heat to provide both coach heat and hot water.
If you could find heatpumps to replace the rooftop units, you could be good to about 40*F. But, that is about where the heatstrip in my rooftop stops making the grade.
IF - you found a good used Honda 6010 and plumbed it in as described, you could get away from gas heat. Just do a real good job of soundproofing and get a better than stock muffler.
Remember - Thinking is the most cost effective thing to do.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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Re: All electric GMC - old post -retitled [message #98013 is a reply to message #97906] |
Tue, 31 August 2010 22:09 |
zhagrieb
Messages: 676 Registered: August 2009 Location: Portland Oregon
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If my math's not too fuzzy you'd need about 430 amps to equal the 18,000 BTU output of the propane furnaces common to our coaches. Them's a lot of very big batteries and humongous wires too.
Glenn
Glenn Giere, Portland OR, K7GAG
'73 "Moby the Motorhome" 26'
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