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Old 07-17-2015, 06:05 PM   #1
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Brand: DRV
State: Florida
Posts: 17
THOR #2360
Onan 5500 Generator Installed

Hi guys

Having a hard time from a company who told me they did generator installations "all the time"...

I ordered and had an Onan 5500 LP generator shipped straight to this local place... They quoted me 4 hours installation time, but I know Onan who installs for DRV had a 6-7 hour installation, so going over the 4 hour mark was not a problem with me...

They had my 2016 DRV all last week... I was called with questions asking me " which side of the generator would you like the wires on"...? "Which side of the coach would you like your exaust pipe on"...? The best question was "where would you like us to put fuel tank at"...? It's an LP generator...

But I let them finish the job.... On the bill they wanted to hit me with 20 hours labor... I raised a little hell and they lowered it to twelve hours which I was ok with...

So I get it home and I plug the DRV in where we always plug it in... It tripped the breaker.... All I wanted to do was charge my batteries... So I' m thinking I'll just turn the generator on... Did just that and was setting next to the RV reading my new generator book when I smelled something like electrical burning... I lifted the storage compartment up front and didnt see anything wrong... I opened the generator door and also nothing... I kind of put it off as maybe some part of he generator burning of some paint or something..

I went back to reading and the generator shut down... I was next to the open storage bay and noticed smoke coming out of my inverter... Scared the hell out of me and the only thing I could think of was to disconnct the batteries... I had notice that the inverter was giving of 5 quick red flashes that means it needs service...

So I called and took it back... I told the mechanic about the 5 lights and he told me it was flashing like that when I brought it in last week... I asked him if he knew what that meant and he said no... So i explained it to him... His next thing was to take the generator wires off the inverter and ask his boss if he had hooked it up wrong...

I' m just venting a little...Tons of red flags and I should have taken it out of there after the first stupid question...

I know I will never have confidence in their work and need to take it somewhere else, but I have tons of money in it already and wanted to give them a chance to fix their mess...

Should there be an extra battery installed...
Should I put a vented door on front and if so does anyone have a contact where to get one?

Thanks all

Joe & Diana

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Old 07-17-2015, 07:12 PM   #2
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Brand: DRV
Model: 41RSSB4
State: Wyoming
Posts: 173
THOR #2094
I can't answer your questions, but I do hope it gets fixed in a timely manner.

Really makes me glad the Cummins is doing the install on ours.
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Old 07-17-2015, 07:39 PM   #3
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34E
State: California
Posts: 524
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Originally Posted by Joe & Diana View Post
Hi guys
Should there be an extra battery installed...
Should I put a vented door on front and if so does anyone have a contact where to get one?

Thanks all

Joe & Diana
If you boondock, the more batteries you have the more amp hours you get to enjoy between charging, (running the genny).

No vented door is needed. Onan generators are enclosed in a steel box and they vent from underneath, if properly installed. They have minimum clearance requirements around the sides. If you notice any RV or motorhome, the factory mounted Onan is behind a unvented compartment door.

You must ensure that it's wired properly before you crank it on. It can and will fry your entire electrical panel, and all wiring going to it. And then it will proceed to self-destruct. It's absolutely critical to have the installer demonstrate it's operation in front of you when you take delivery, or else they will blame you for all the things that get burnt out from their mistakes. Sorry about your inverter. I'm sure it was fine before the installation.

Take a look at the installation manual. The electrical connections are actually very basic, straightforward, and easy to verify, (with the service writer or electrical technician pointing at the wires).
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Old 07-17-2015, 08:20 PM   #4
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Brand: DRV
State: Florida
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THOR #2360
Thanks Beacher...

Originally we wanted to take it to an Onan shop in town but the only one listed was closed down... Just spoke to Onan in Indiana and he found me one close by... After all said and done, I'm going to take it to him and let him make sure everything is properly done... I feel like a bank in the 30's... Thanks again...

Joe & Diana
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Old 07-17-2015, 09:28 PM   #5
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State: South Dakota
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Originally Posted by Joe & Diana View Post
Thanks Beacher...

Originally we wanted to take it to an Onan shop in town but the only one listed was closed down... Just spoke to Onan in Indiana and he found me one close by... After all said and done, I'm going to take it to him and let him make sure everything is properly done... I feel like a bank in the 30's... Thanks again...

Joe & Diana
One additional point to the vented door question. As Beecher stated a vented door is not required, however, in all of my motor homes the generator was installed in a compartment without a floor. According to the Onan manual for my 5500 the generator primarily vents to the bottom rather than the sides although there are side clearance requirements for air flow.
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Old 07-17-2015, 09:57 PM   #6
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Brand: Still Looking
State: Texas
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Originally Posted by Beacher View Post

....cut...

You must ensure that it's wired properly before you crank it on. It can and will fry your entire electrical panel, and all wiring going to it. ....cut....
I completely agree, and will add that most owners should not be put in a position to ensure it's wired properly. That's beyond what most people can do, which is why they pay others to do it for them. The installer should ensure it's wired correctly with the owner testing the system's operation to his/her satisfaction.

I would also add that when starting-up or troubleshooting any electrical system, if a breaker trips, it is critical to find out why it tripped and fix the problem if at all possible before taking any other action.
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Old 08-06-2015, 04:05 AM   #7
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Brand: DRV
Model: 43' MS Atlanta
State: Arizona
Posts: 117
THOR #1683
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Originally Posted by Joe & Diana View Post
Thanks Beacher...

Originally we wanted to take it to an Onan shop in town but the only one listed was closed down... Just spoke to Onan in Indiana and he found me one close by... After all said and done, I'm going to take it to him and let him make sure everything is properly done... I feel like a bank in the 30's... Thanks again...

Joe & Diana
Joe & Diana,

What did you find out from the other shop? What is the conclusion to your generator problem?

Joe
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Old 08-06-2015, 03:29 PM   #8
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Brand: DRV
State: Florida
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THOR #2360
Yes, we've had it checked out and all is fine...

Turns out the original mechanic wired it wrong... It fried the inverter... Only reason I took it back to the original place was I didn't think I should pay for a new inverter... Didn't see the old mechanic there... However the company put a guy on the job who has been doing generators for quite some time... Where was he before? After talking to him, I felt better about the job getting done correctly... They paid for everything, including the inverter... When we picked it up, there was very little conversation with the manager... He handed our keys to us and we went through it with the latest mechanic... We then had it checked out and all is well, so far... Lesson learned on our part...
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Old 08-06-2015, 04:19 PM   #9
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Brand: DRV
Model: 43' MS Atlanta
State: Arizona
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THOR #1683
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Originally Posted by Joe & Diana View Post
Yes, we've had it checked out and all is fine...

Turns out the original mechanic wired it wrong... It fried the inverter... Only reason I took it back to the original place was I didn't think I should pay for a new inverter... Didn't see the old mechanic there... However the company put a guy on the job who has been doing generators for quite some time... Where was he before? After talking to him, I felt better about the job getting done correctly... They paid for everything, including the inverter... When we picked it up, there was very little conversation with the manager... He handed our keys to us and we went through it with the latest mechanic... We then had it checked out and all is well, so far... Lesson learned on our part...
Excellent!! Glad you are back in business!

Joe
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