Installing a generator in 1999 Roadtrek 190 Pop

[Tim C-ClassB]

Hi,
I'm new to this and I found a Roadtrek 1999 Popular 190 im interested in buying.
It has no generator and I will be in Florida often so I need AC at night .

Any suggestions ?

How difficult / expensive is it to :
have someone install an Oman generator ?
Or Solar / Lithium ?

Thanks in advance ! Tim

 

[Captain Longbeard]

While I can't answer your questions directly, I will ask if you have been in a Class B (van) with a generator so you have a sense of how loud they can be? While it may not be particularly louder than the AC itself, having noise coming from above (A/C) and below (gen) might be challenging for sleeping. Also, pay attention to where you will be staying since a lot of places do not allow generators to run during quiet hours (typically 10pm-8am or something like that). Also, keep in mind that generators need to be serviced like any other engine (oil and filter changes, etc), which can be challenging while mounted underneath the vehicle.

If you can't tell, I am not a fan of generators. I understand that they can offer a much longer power-supply time than batteries, and might even cost less to install than an appropriate-sized battery system, but I still don't like them for the noise (primarily) and maintenance (secondarily). If you haven't experienced one in person, I highly recommend looking into it before paying to have one installed.

 

[Donbosch@sbcglobal.net]

Hi,
I'm new to this and I found a Roadtrek 1999 Popular 190 im interested in buying.
It has no generator and I will be in Florida often so I need AC at night .

Any suggestions ?

How difficult / expensive is it to :
have someone install an Oman generator ?
Or Solar / Lithium ?

Thanks in advance ! Tim

Hi - I have a 2000 Roadtrek 190 Popular. It doesn’t have the Onan but I have added a solar generator. I use a Bluetti 200MAX. It has enough surge power to operate the A/C and microwave. It fits in the clothes cabinet. I have a portable solar panel rated at 200amps. I also can charge it from the 20amp outlet while driving. For boondocking you would need to be careful and use the propane when you can and hopefully have good sun/or add another portable pane. We love our RT. It only has 32K on it now and we already have done a cross country trip, LA to Vermont and back.

 

[honeyboy]

Hi,
I'm new to this and I found a Roadtrek 1999 Popular 190 im interested in buying.
It has no generator and I will be in Florida often so I need AC at night .

Any suggestions ?

How difficult / expensive is it to :
have someone install an Oman generator ?
Or Solar / Lithium ?

Thanks in advance ! Tim

Hi,
I installed a new Onan 2800 generator in my 2001 last year. Not very hard if you have the parts. You will need an adapter bracket and maybe the remote start harness and the hour counter. Plan on around $4k.

 

[honeyboy]

PS, the new Onan generators are whisper quiet. People who say they are loud don’t have one. Original generators were horrid. New ones are fuel Injected and don’t have the problems of the old ones.

 

[GallenH]

I don't know the situation in Florida. But we did a trip in the late spring which took us through Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas. We had a few days where we needed AC in late afternoon until cooler evening temps hit. We don't like commercial campgrounds like koa and stayed in state parks and local parks. Every one of those had electrical hookup and we didn't need a generator to run AC. What's it like camping in Florida?

 

[RT-NY]

Hi - I have a 2000 Roadtrek 190 Popular. It doesn’t have the Onan but I have added a solar generator. I use a Bluetti 200MAX. It has enough surge power to operate the A/C and microwave. It fits in the clothes cabinet. I have a portable solar panel rated at 200amps. I also can charge it from the 20amp outlet while driving. For boondocking you would need to be careful and use the propane when you can and hopefully have good sun/or add another portable pane. We love our RT. It only has 32K on it now and we already have done a cross country trip, LA to Vermont and back.

From what I see online the Bluetti 200MAX has a battery capacity of 2000Wh -- I would think that even with a solar panel even on a sunny day it would not be able to run the A/C or microwave for very long.

 

[booster]

Hi - I have a 2000 Roadtrek 190 Popular. It doesn’t have the Onan but I have added a solar generator. I use a Bluetti 200MAX. It has enough surge power to operate the A/C and microwave. It fits in the clothes cabinet. I have a portable solar panel rated at 200amps. I also can charge it from the 20amp outlet while driving. For boondocking you would need to be careful and use the propane when you can and hopefully have good sun/or add another portable pane. We love our RT. It only has 32K on it now and we already have done a cross country trip, LA to Vermont and back.

That solar generator is a 2048 watt hours so about 170ah and that won't run and air conditioner very long, maybe a bit over an hour as long as it doesn't cycle and trip out from low voltage after the battery gets low.


I seriously doubt you have a portable solar panel that gives 200 amps as that would something like 2400 watts.
It is probably 200 watts that with good sun and efficiency will give 10-12 amps in most cases on average and 60ah or maybe a bit more ah per day on average.


Probably OK for an occasional microwave run and other loads in the van. Vans with propane frigs usually seem to use 15-40ah per day depending on how you live and use power, so frequent charging from shore power or driving is probably need as the solar probably won't keep up if an AC or more than a few short microwave runs. The solar will likely keep up with your use without the high drain AC and microwave uses, though, unless you get a few days in a row of bad sun and no driving.

 

[otr]

We have a 2000 RT 190 V, the generator is horrible, and also is located where the spare tire belongs, so the spare is mounted elsewhere. Our spare is now mounted on the rear bumper, the original rear door/hinge mounted spare rack caused the door to sag over time, the door was simply not engineered for an 80 pound wheel.

This said, we have never used the generator, bought the van in 2018, have upgraded to 2-6 volt AGM house batteries and 2-100 watt solar panels, only use the AC on shore power. If we needed a functional generator I would buy a Honda 2200 and connect it to the shore power cord from 50 feet from the van. I have seen similar generators in a hitch mounted box. The generators can be had for around $750 used, whisper quiet, easy access, no installation cost!
Solar generators are really a misnomer, a battery bank, and as others have said not really a way to run an AC functionally.

 

[mik mikgil@icloud.com]

Hi,
I'm new to this and I found a Roadtrek 1999 Popular 190 im interested in buying.
It has no generator and I will be in Florida often so I need AC at night .

Any suggestions ?

How difficult / expensive is it to :
have someone install an Oman generator ?
Or Solar / Lithium ?

Thanks in advance ! Tim

I live in FL. All the FL State parks have hook ups and most have showers. I installed a used Onan generator in a "generator ready" compartment. Due to the noise and difficult access, I regretted installing it and removed it. We head for mountain elevation where its cool and low humidity. Federal parks do not have hook ups. Federal Parks restrict generator usage so your on battery power. Stock up on batteries instead of generators. I added an over size alternator that keeps my batteries charged. My biggest battery load is the furnace fan, but I rarely need that. Inverters are energy hogs. Convert everything 12V so you don't need a inverter. I never use the microwave, so I don't need an inverter. TV/DVD, I converted to 12v. Only draws 1/2 to 1 1/2 Amps. If you must have a generator, beware it needs a extra fuel line pick up incorporated in the fuel pump assembly. Factory set up does not have the extra fuel pipe. Neither do the aftermarket pumps.
"Generator Ready Option" had that along with a transfer switch. Generators installed underneath are subjected to moisture from rain/snow/salt. It causes corrosion problems. Inside compartment is protected from rain, and snow. (but the tiny door is a PITA to access for service). Later Onans are Chinese. The fuel pumps are located inside generator case and are a high failure rate item. Remount it where its easy to replace. Carry a spare pump, gas filter, and air filter. Also beware of the different heigths between older and newer Onans. Engine location is also reversed. Forget boat ramps if generator is installed under neath.
Mike 1995 Chevy 210 Popular

 

[phantomjock]

Balancing battery Capacity, energy Consumption and Charging ability can be a Costly Conundrum. I pulled the Onan from our 2008 170P and replaced with 520Ah Lithium Battery Bank and a 3000Watt inverter - Check. Regarding energy Consumption, I replaced the CoolCat with an inverter AC unit - Consumption - Check. Charging is accomplished with a (very) high output - hot rated alternator. No solar thank you, we prefer to camp in the shade.

I posted a number of threads on the site - you can find some details and discussion by searching on my handle. Also a number of pics in my albums. Hope you find it useful.

Cheers - Jim

Where in FL? We are on the Red Neck Riveria. FWB.

 

[booster]

Hi,
I'm new to this and I found a Roadtrek 1999 Popular 190 im interested in buying.
It has no generator and I will be in Florida often so I need AC at night .

Any suggestions ?

How difficult / expensive is it to :
have someone install an Oman generator ?
Or Solar / Lithium ?

Thanks in advance ! Tim

Lots of opinions stated, but the whole thing is that you need AC. The normal recommendation is to get a generator if the places you go to allows them at all or during the night like you want. If they don't allow generators you are looking at a lot of cost in batteries and all the charging stuff needed, if you hire it done. Easy to get to $5 to 10 thousand range and you will need to drive or idle the van to charge them daily. 5+ hours is probably typical. The longer you stay in one place without long drives, the less attractive batteries for AC becomes, IMO.

If a generator is allowed, the least expensive is to use a portable one but they are more work to use and haul around.

The new Onan 2800i is much quieter than the older ones and most likely could be put in your van. I think folks are spending about $5K to do that. AFAIK, the only Onans from China were some private labeled portables. Easy for you to check if you go that way.

AC and no shore power is a problem not always easy to solve.

 

[phantomjock]

booster -

yer right~ $10K is a good gouge for the no-gen, big bank approach I took.
And a portable Honda 3200 is also a viable solution - when allowed.
I plan on keeping one in the racecar trailer.

Cheers - Jim