Thor Forums

[FW28z]

If you do a class action suit, you will probably eventually have to sue the entire RV industry.

I don't have a horse in this race, so I am not affected by the outcome, however, the generator installation guide states that the RV manufacturer must conduct a "representative" (i.e. sample) test on the generator to ensure it will not overheat in operation (due to the location and air circulation). The generator is to be tested under full load in an ambient air temperature of 60deg F to 100deg F.

This may let the RV manufacturer off the hook unless the generator is overheating and shutting down in air temperatures of less than 100deg F., as this is a generator manufacturer test procedure.

It is interesting that while the generator is rated to 120DegF, testing is only required up to 100DegF ambient air at the installation location.

In the summertime, the heat from the daytime hot asphalt pavement could reflect right up into the generator and exceed 100deg F ambient in about half of the continental US.

You will probably need someone to conduct such a test to determine if the fault lies with the RV or generator manufacturer. If it is shutting down in ambient temperatures of greater than 100deg F, then it seems to be beyond the design criteria of the generator.

I have to tell you though, the 120Deg F max operating temperature of the generator is very low. In the electronics industry, even the least stringent commercial-grade temperature range is 0DegC~70Deg C (32DegF~158Deg F), so a 120Deg F rating is not even considered a commercial-grade standard.

That is why I would not give the generator manufacturer a mulligan here. They had to know people in RVs visit hot climates in the summertime. A gasoline powered generator should have the more realistic Automotive Grade rating of -40Deg~125deg C (-40~257Deg F).

I guess it is just another example of products from the RV industry, and I wish you luck.