Thor Forums

[TurnerFam]

correct, the AGS is not designed to simply 'start' just because external 120v shore power is lost - it is designed to have the ability to start to Charge the House batteries should they fall below a SET level, and/or the ability to start on TEMPERATURE...

now, in order to 'mimic' the idea of a whole house generator starting on loss of shore power, you can simply set the AGS 'VOLTS' setting to it's highest setting... the higher the number, the quicker the AGS will trigger to start the generator...which may be fairly quickly if your coach only has two house batteries.
I'm giving you my experience with the Magnum AGS unit that I have in my coach, though it's probably very similar to the EC30 or others.

The TEMP setting is a little different, though, as yes, the actually temperature has to reach a certain point in order to trigger the AGS, though the lower the setting, the quicker and/or more often the AGS will be called the start the generator. The idea is that if you lose 120v shore power, and the inside temperature reaches your trigger Setting, it will start the generator, and the Air Conditioner(s), if in the 'ON' setting, will then come on, and run either the total of the 'RUN TIME' you have set(such as 30mins, 1hour, etc), or will continue to run if the inside TEMP is not yet reached your trigger Temp setting.
You could say that this would also apply to the Furnace, as you might be also concerned about COLD temps inside, but since the furnace runs off 12v from the House batteries, it's not anything the generator would have to power - THOUGH, as the 12v levels drop in the House batteries due to the furnace running, the AGS 'Volts' setting would then be available to crank the generator to keep the House battery levels adequate for overnight furnace runs while you are sleeping.

You'll want to also understand that the AGS will be in play, if Enabled, EVEN if you are on 120v active shore power... so even if you have power, but the batteries fall below the Volts setting, or the Temp rises above it's setting, the Generator WILL be asked to start, and it will then OVERRIDE external shore power, as your ATS will then use your generator's power rather than shore power, at least as long as the RUN TIME is set to allow it. Once the generator stops, the 120v shore power will then take over again.

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The AGS is a powerful tool for RVing, giving you the ability to not only have a 'back up' power source if 120v external shore power is lost, but the ease-of-use of the automatic starting of the generator in keeping the House Batteries charged, and/or to power up your Air Conditioners when off-grid as the temperature rises inside, even while you are there.