I don't know if a thread like this has been started before but I think it would be interesting to know what folks consider their best or most impactful modification is and why.
I'll go first. For me and my family the most impactful mod I've done to my SV34 is swapping to a macerating toilet and then adding a bidet seat. Without going into too much detail my very large teenage son would regularly clog the original toilet and a macerating toilet has completely resolved that. Its my understanding that Thor has upgraded to them because the 90 degree elbow below the toilet made this a common problem. Adding the bidet seat was a no brainer when installing the new toilet. We have them in every bathroom at home and the wife loves them.
For me and my family the most impactful mod I've done to my SV34 is swapping to a macerating toilet and then adding a bidet seat.
Not my favorite Mod, but related to your favorite point; we added a FloJet Macerator Pump. It is Portable and comes in a nice case. We bought it to pump out at home. We have a sewer drain line outside about 97' from RV. I connect a dedicated 100' hose that we keep at the house to pump the gray and black water. I like it so much that if I can make it, I will pump out at home versus the campsite. More often than not; we never connect to pump out or drain when at RV Park.
My unit did not come with a AGS system. I bought the Onan EC-30 and I use it on every trip. It is connected to thermostat so genny starts if temp gets to hot based on my setpoint. We use this a lot while driving; so if it gets too hot on inside while driving it urns on automatically so we do not have to get up.
We never worry about topping off batteries because if House batteries ever get to 12.5vdc it will start genny to recharge batteries (takes exactly 2 hours). Also if we have shore power and for some reason Shore power is loss, the AGS will start the genny to keep ACs running and the fridge cold. When Shorepower is restored the genny will automatically shut down.
It just takes a lot of the risks out. I see a lot of posts about drained batteries, and with this system it makes that concern almost foolproof. When you add that I rewired my Norcold fridge to run off the Inverter, the risk went up, but as a rule we only use the Norcold fridge on Inverter when driving. But if I forget to switch it back to Propane, the AGS will start up genny and remind me if battery voltage drops to 12.5vdc
I also have a macerator, always attached.
A quick garden hose fitting and I start dumping in less than a minute.
Hose coils, attach inlet to outlet, I'm put away in less than a minute. Next step is permanent hose mount.
My unit did not come with a AGS system. I bought the Onan EC-30 and I use it on every trip. It is connected to thermostat so genny starts if temp gets to hot based on my setpoint. We use this a lot while driving; so if it gets too hot on inside while driving it urns on automatically so we do not have to get up.
We never worry about topping off batteries because if House batteries ever get to 12.5vdc it will start genny to recharge batteries (takes exactly 2 hours). Also if we have shore power and for some reason Shore power is loss, the AGS will start the genny to keep ACs running and the fridge cold. When Shorepower is restored the genny will automatically shut down.
It just takes a lot of the risks out. I see a lot of posts about drained batteries, and with this system it makes that concern almost foolproof. When you add that I rewired my Norcold fridge to run off the Inverter, the risk went up, but as a rule we only use the Norcold fridge on Inverter when driving. But if I forget to switch it back to Propane, the AGS will start up genny and remind me if battery voltage drops to 12.5vdc
The Magnitude comes with an AGS but I dont think its tied to the thermostat. Its a great option and I use when boondocking and generators are allowed. Would be pretty neat to have it tied to thermostat and have it kick on while on the road and its getting too hot back there....
My unit did not come with a AGS system. I bought the Onan EC-30 and I use it on every trip. It is connected to thermostat so genny starts if temp gets to hot based on my setpoint. We use this a lot while driving; so if it gets too hot on inside while driving it urns on automatically so we do not have to get up.
We never worry about topping off batteries because if House batteries ever get to 12.5vdc it will start genny to recharge batteries (takes exactly 2 hours). Also if we have shore power and for some reason Shore power is loss, the AGS will start the genny to keep ACs running and the fridge cold. When Shorepower is restored the genny will automatically shut down.
It just takes a lot of the risks out. I see a lot of posts about drained batteries, and with this system it makes that concern almost foolproof. When you add that I rewired my Norcold fridge to run off the Inverter, the risk went up, but as a rule we only use the Norcold fridge on Inverter when driving. But if I forget to switch it back to Propane, the AGS will start up genny and remind me if battery voltage drops to 12.5vdc
Hey, thanks for that mod info. I did not know one could buy an aftermarket AGS or that they are so easy to install. I just ordered one from Cummins. It is a newer model I guess as it works from a phone app like everything else these days. No wifi, though. Anyway my dog definitely will love this.
1. Let's say one morning it is a nice cool 70 degrees outside. We have a 6 hour trip coming up. I will set the thermostat at 78 degrees We drive and after a few hours it starts to heat up outside, maybe 85 degrees, but inside the cabin air is running and we are okay. But at some point it may hit 92 degrees outside and it really start to get warm especially in the back. It will be really uncomfortable if we stop. Worse as we have driven in 100 plus temperatures quite often. Our AGS tends to kick on when the outside temperature is 92 degrees plus. The setpoint on thermostat calls the AGS when inside hits 79 degrees, it will run some minimum time before it kicks off, but usually once it kicks on it stays on for the trip unless we going North and see dramatic drop in outside temp.
Why I like this aspect; because my wife does not have to get up and go start the genny to turn on AC while I am driving, and we don't have to run it at the beginning of the trip when we don't need. She would then complain she is too cold.
2. My setpoint on low voltage is set at 12.5vdc. That is highest permissible setting in my model EC-30. I could set at 12.2vdc and I could run longer off my batteries, but my Onan Manual says for AGM 50% SOC is 12.4 vdc ( some dispute), but I am one of those that want my genny to start and run as much as possible. So as a rule, I don't even bother with battery management, with no shore power; I just run stuff without a care in the world (the fridge on inverter notwithstanding). Only exception is if in a place that has Quiet hours for Genny; then I put in Quiet Mode and it will come on around 6:00 PM ( it calculates when it needs to start) and run to 8:00PM to ensure batteries are topped off. It stops at 8:00 PM regardless of charge because that is my setpoint for Quiet Time. It is very rare I use Quiet time, but I do have to use it when I get a dry campsite.
3. Something I do use a lot especially in summer. Let's say ACs are running full blast due to AGS starting up the genny on a trip. We pull up to campsite with good cold air. When I finally get parked and leveled. I go connect Shorepower, the AGS will turn off the Genny and the ATS in turn will switch to Shorepower. Not the greatest thing in the world but kind of cool everytime I do it. I also like knowing that if hot, and I leave the RV guest or relatives and if power goes off the genny will start automatically. I don't have pets, but we loss shorepower one night (my wife and I) as there was a power outage in the middle of the night and our genny kicked on (scared the crap out of me ). It ran as needed until the power was restored the next morning.
As you can see it is my favorite toy. I might add the AGS is the one thing that my WBGO did not come with; when all of the TMC I looked at buying (Windsport 27B, ACE 29.3) all had one standard as part of the Firefly system. So as you can imagine, the AGS was the 1st Mod I made and the one I use the most. I chose Onan in part because they said with the installation of a new EC-30 from authorized dealer, they extended the warranty on the generator itself for 3 years. Of course the warranty is over, but I never had an issue with the genny or EC-30.
Hey, thanks for that mod info. I did not know one could buy an aftermarket AGS or that they are so easy to install. I just ordered one from Cummins. It is a newer model I guess as it works from a phone app like everything else these days. No wifi, though. Anyway my dog definitely will love this.
My unit is from Cummins (EC-30); I think I bought 2 years before the wireless model that works with the phone came out. There are some other aftermarket brands available, WBGO had this model (EC-30) installed in their premium version of my model called Adventurer. I wasn't about to pay $35k more just to get AGS, for what was otherwise same coach short Full Body Paint
I had every EC-30 feature installed, most don't have the Shorepower sensor connected. The picture above in the electrical bay shows the 24vdc transformer that is BEFORE the Switch, so when it is hot, I have confirmed shorepower, the 24vdc signal from transformer then goes to the EC-30; so it knows how to function based on setting.
We just run the generator when the 3000w inverter won't do the job.
I have the ags set, we're just never under voltage.
Ags would kick on, just hasn't.
I keep forgetting that you and the Judge are the Big Dogs. I only have 1000w Inverter. Imagine the hell I had before we bought the two 125ah vMax tanks
I allowed the vendor who accidently sold me two additional 3k inverters, for $17ish each, off the hook.
Or
I'd have stacked to 6kw and 300a charging.
Mine and (I think)judges, allow the inverter to add to low voltage shore power. We can bring 108v up to 120v shore power by tapping the batteries WHILE charging the batteries from shore power.
We have a 2k inverter in the zr2. Coffee and microwave while others are trying to build a campfire....
Worth investigating.
Xantrex sw3012. I think it weighs 76lbs.
My unit did not come with a AGS system. I bought the Onan EC-30 and I use it on every trip. It is connected to thermostat so genny starts if temp gets to hot based on my setpoint. We use this a lot while driving; so if it gets too hot on inside while driving it urns on automatically so we do not have to get up.
We never worry about topping off batteries because if House batteries ever get to 12.5vdc it will start genny to recharge batteries (takes exactly 2 hours). Also if we have shore power and for some reason Shore power is loss, the AGS will start the genny to keep ACs running and the fridge cold. When Shorepower is restored the genny will automatically shut down.
It just takes a lot of the risks out. I see a lot of posts about drained batteries, and with this system it makes that concern almost foolproof. When you add that I rewired my Norcold fridge to run off the Inverter, the risk went up, but as a rule we only use the Norcold fridge on Inverter when driving. But if I forget to switch it back to Propane, the AGS will start up genny and remind me if battery voltage drops to 12.5vdc
My generator requires at minimum 30 seconds of priming... probably because of the distance between fuel tank and generator. It will NOT start without this 30+ second "big gulp". Question: How does the Onan gen start module handle a priming sequence... or at all?? My generator will likely time out cranking if not primed.
The inverter I'm installing has an auto gen start feature, and I'm trying to decide if it's a worthwhile feature for us. The Onan module is listed at $400... not exactly cheap. For not much more I could add a third lithium battery.
My generator requires at minimum 30 seconds of priming... probably because of the distance between fuel tank and generator. It will NOT start without this 30+ second "big gulp". Question: How does the Onan gen start module handle a priming sequence... or at all?? My generator will likely time out cranking if not primed.
The inverter I'm installing has an auto gen start feature, and I'm trying to decide if it's a worthwhile feature for us. The Onan module is listed at $400... not exactly cheap. For not much more I could add a third lithium battery.
But the first hurdle is the priming issue.
Agreed the EC-30 is not cheap. The $400 for module is not bad if it includes the harness and Y connector you will need? The labor can cost $500 to $600. If you forgo the AC shorepower sensing cost for labor may be $300 to $400. If you plan to install yourself the $400 for parts only is cheap IMO.
I have not seen it lately, but Onan has a wireless unit that anyone can install, it works with a App on your phone. You have to go one way or the other, and I can't give up my wall mounted EC - 30 controller. I don't want to pull out my phone just to see what the genny is doing all the time. Which reminds me, my EC-30 shows me the last 10 error codes. Only bad thing is there is no time stamp as to when the error code occurred.
On the priming...
I never prime or have to prime my genny. I have read many posts and get amazed when I see others that have to prime. I just press the button and it starts right up like a car. I have Prime buttons; so I know Prime must be need for some setups. I thought ads the years go by, I would need to prime, but it is 4 year now. I actually once prime just to see how it works and got some error code. I freaked out but tried again and it started right up.
I have no proof of this but I do believe that when the AGS send signal for genny to start it may have a routine to prime for few secs before the red light comes on where you can visually see it is trying to start? But again, you are talking to a person that runs that genny all the time. It is like the self fulfilling prophecy. Because my AGS is always set and starting my genny for something (2hrs/day), it is exercising itself; so perhaps it works better. If my genny took anything over 4 secs to start, I would be calling Onan. If it were not you telling me it takes 30 secs to prime & start, I would say I didn't believe it. There must be something else wrong? Gas tank distance shouldn't cause that much delay?
Now for the fun part,
Assume you hired me to come fix your priming problem. You give me the greenlight to fix by any means necessary...
So I rip out your solar, toss the lithium batteries, and get you a good pair of AGMs, install the EC-30 or even use your AGS built into Inverter. That way when your house batteries drop to low voltage your generator will run at least 2 hours everyday. I am wiling to bet good money, your priming problem goes away.
I THINK my ags(xantrex) has a 6 second crank, a 6 second wait and a recrank, twice.
Mine also requires a bit of a crank.
More battery might indeed make more sense.
The gen start feature seems like a way to avoid a "good morning surprise" of drained batteries. Although the system I'm installing has a low voltage alarm, if I did something stupid, having the generator start at 3 in the morning to save the day might be a welcome jolt from sleep.
Adding a third battery now could just result in an extra dead battery in the stupidity scenario... and take longer to charge.
We typically chase cooler camping, so A/C probably doesn't play into the auto start requirement. 200Ah should handle evening TV, full time reefer, lights and probably a couple Maxxair fans at night. But we'll soon see...
The gen start feature seems like a way to avoid a "good morning surprise" of drained batteries. Although the system I'm installing has a low voltage alarm, if I did something stupid, having the generator start at 3 in the morning to save the day might be a welcome jolt from sleep.
Adding a third battery now could just result in an extra dead battery in the stupidity scenario... and take longer to charge.
We typically chase cooler camping, so A/C probably doesn't play into the auto start requirement. 200Ah should handle evening TV, full time reefer, lights and probably a couple Maxxair fans at night. But we'll soon see...
I was boondocking in Arkansas about a month ago. Temp dropped and it got really cold, the furnace was working fulltime all day as no shore power. About 5:00 AM my genny started. My batteries were not dead or below 50% SOC but at 12.5vdc my setpoint. At around 7:00 AM we were fully charged.
The reverse is true during hot days when boondocking. When it gets hot enough the AGS turns on ACs which in turn is topping off batteries for the night. It actually works great.
Agreed the EC-30 is not cheap. The $400 for module is not bad if it includes the harness and Y connector you will need? The labor can cost $500 to $600. If you forgo the AC shorepower sensing cost for labor may be $300 to $400. If you plan to install yourself the $400 for parts only is cheap IMO.
I have not seen it lately, but Onan has a wireless unit that anyone can install, it works with a App on your phone. You have to go one way or the other, and I can't give up my wall mounted EC - 30 controller. I don't want to pull out my phone just to see what the genny is doing all the time. Which reminds me, my EC-30 shows me the last 10 error codes. Only bad thing is there is no time stamp as to when the error code occurred.
On the priming...
I never prime or have to prime my genny. I have read many posts and get amazed when I see others that have to prime. I just press the button and it starts right up like a car. I have Prime buttons; so I know Prime must be need for some setups. I thought ads the years go by, I would need to prime, but it is 4 year now. I actually once prime just to see how it works and got some error code. I freaked out but tried again and it started right up.
I have no proof of this but I do believe that when the AGS send signal for genny to start it may have a routine to prime for few secs before the red light comes on where you can visually see it is trying to start? But again, you are talking to a person that runs that genny all the time. It is like the self fulfilling prophecy. Because my AGS is always set and starting my genny for something (2hrs/day), it is exercising itself; so perhaps it works better. If my genny took anything over 4 secs to start, I would be calling Onan. If it were not you telling me it takes 30 secs to prime & start, I would say I didn't believe it. There must be something else wrong? Gas tank distance shouldn't cause that much delay?
Now for the fun part,
Assume you hired me to come fix your priming problem. You give me the greenlight to fix by any means necessary...
So I rip out your solar, toss the lithium batteries, and get you a good pair of AGMs, install the EC-30 or even use your AGS built into Inverter. That way when your house batteries drop to low voltage your generator will run at least 2 hours everyday. I am wiling to bet good money, your priming problem goes away.
Back on topic... I'll know in a couple days if my current (pun intended) project is my favorite upgrade to date. I'll know when I turn that battery disconnect switch, power up that inverter and it runs EVERYTHING in the coach... no generator or shore power required. Heck... I might even set a jug of distilled water in by the batteries for nostalgia.
Seriously though, I think the priming issue is related to the fuel line angle. Mine likely drains back to the fuel tank - yours might be slanted (smart) toward the generator to retain prime... so it fires right up.
It certainly wouldn't be too difficult to engineer a Raspberry Pi solution to it. Use a timed relay to do the priming - but I'm going to run out of summer!!
My favorite mod was taking out the oven and replacing the cook top and adding a dishwasher. Not a big unit but it’s enough to do a family load from a meal. Two best things about it is not having to stand over sink. And we save so much water. Uses about a gallon of water per load way less than had washing.
Before this becomes a 475 post thread about AGS let me add mine:
1) A 2nd 13,500 ac unit. I’m in Joshua tree Ca. 98 outside 73 inside
2) Exchanged the jackknife “sofa” for 2 manual recliners
3) Slide out wire shelves in the pantry
4) Verizon home modem
5) Sunguard window shades
6) Snap pads on the jack feet
). It ran as needed until the power was restored the next morning.
I keep forgetting that you and the Judge are the Big Dogs. I only have 1000w Inverter. Imagine the hell I had before we bought the two 125ah vMax tanks 
Linear Mode
