Last fall we wrote about how to check the oil in your Onan 2500/2800. The next thing to know is how to reset the circuit breaker on the Onan. If you try to run too many high power devices,  such as a microwave and hair drier,  at the same time you are likely to trip the circuit breaker on the Onan.  By high power we include things like the air conditioner and perhaps your coffee maker.  Don’t run more than one of these at a time.  Your generator is also recharging your house battery or batteries,  so you may be drawing more power than you know about.  You might hear the generator struggle and then die.  The generator may restart just fine, but even after the short built-in delay you may find you have no power in your camper.  You probably just tripped the Onan circuit breaker.  It is easy to reset, but is not be easy to get to it. Sometime in 1996, Roadtrek moved the Onan from a side compartment to under the vehicle in the center rear.  So crawling underneath is necessary. 

If you are physically not able to crawl under your camper, you may still want to know what to do and have photos.  ac unit making whistling noiseThen you can ask the young guy in the next campsite to do it for you.  atex air handling unitsThis photo is a 2800 (gasoline model) under a Roadtrek.car air conditioning repair northampton If you have a side compartment-mounted Onan,  you won’t have to do any crawling.  Either way, pull the two latches at the bottom of the access panel cover up and then out to remove the black panel.  Be careful to reinstall the access cover securely.  It is necessary for proper air flow when the generator is running and it is very expensive to replace if you loose it. Behind the access panel you will find this if you have a 2800. 

The 2500 is the propane model and it will not have a carburetor.  If you are lying on your back under your Roadtrek you may have to identify parts by feel.  Click on photo to view in larger scale. The circuit breaker is located on the side of the control panel below the 5 amp 12 volt fuse and next to the fuel filter.  To reset the circuit break flip the switch up and down a couple of times, but be sure to leave it in the up position.  You will probably have to do this all by feel. This photo clearly shows that the up position is “on”.  This photo was taken with the Onan disassembled, so you cannot actually see this perspective in an operating Onan. We hope resetting the circuit breaker will restore power inside your camper.  If not, check first the main circuit breaker at your electrical panel.  If that is not the problem you will need to trace the power lines from the Onan to the electrical panel to find the problem. If you want to understand more about your Roadtrek’s electrical system, check out John Slaughter’s Roadtrek Electrical Simulator.

Now you have learned one more thing that every Onan 2800/2500 owner needs to know! Click to see all of our Roadtreking RV videos! 50% Off of Campsites with Passport America What Size Generator Do I Need For My RV? How big a generator would I need to run a 110v Refrigerator, TV, VCR and an Air Conditioner in my motor home? I can buy this: Craftsman generator 2400-watt, like new, $200. Would this be big enough? Thanks, DonANSWER: Hi Don, I am not the bearer of good news, based on what you are going to be powering in your RV, I do not believe that a 2,400 Watt generator is going to be sufficient for your needs.Let's start by evaluating the wattage usage of the appliances you are planning to use.Refrigerator A standard Absorption Cycle RV fridge depending on size uses anywhere between 400 to 1000 watts of electricity. The majority of RV refrigerators use heat to cause a chemical reaction to cool down the fridge. The heat is either provided by Propane or a 110 volt electrical heating element.

The way you phrased your question made it sound like you are possibly using a home style refrigerator in your RV. A home fridge uses a 110 volt compressor to create the cold. When you use a refrigerator with a compressor you not only have to worry about how many Watts it uses when running but it take 2 to 3 times the wattage to start the compressor every time the fridge cycles the compressor on and off. A small Home type Fridge can use anywhere from 400 to a 1000 watts a larger fridge/freezer combination can use 1000 to 2400 watts.  Air Conditioner An air conditioner uses a compressor to create the cold, so it will also use 2 to 3 times more wattage as the compressor cycles on and off. You can expect an A/C unit to use anywhere between 1,400 to 2,400 watts.Other Items TV depending on size 200 - 600 watts. VCR 150 - 200 watts. Here are some other items that you may want to use when camping; Microwave 1,000 watts, Coffee Maker 900 watts, Toaster 1,150 watts and Hair Dryer 1,000 watts.

Just using the minimum wattage for the 4 items you mentioned; the total wattage comes out to 2,150 watts and that is not including the start up wattage of the compressor on the A/C and it is also assuming that you have an absorption type RV Fridge. If you use the Microwave or Coffee Maker or Toaster or Hair Dryer while using your other electrical items you will exceed the generator's 2400 Watt Rating.The bare minimum size generator I would suggest you use is a 3,500 Watt generator and that might even be cutting it close. For just a little over a $100.00 more then what you are paying for the used generator you are looking at you can get a brand new portable generator rated at 3,500 watts or greater. Buying new also has the advantage of having a manufacturer's warranty.The video below by Yamaha Generators explains how to calculate what size generator you need to run different types of appliances.I hope that this information has been helpful to you.Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic?