Full time 50A service

[bridg73988]

Hello All! I am sure this has been covered in part or completely but I have been unable to find what I am looking for. So here it is, I want to set up my bus for 50A shore power, easy enough right.

Here are my questions, what size generator would I need to take the place of the 50A shore power when I can't "plug in"?

And the other is this, how big of a house battery bank and inverters would I need to maintain the "50A service" while driving down the road without running a generator and how big of a second alternator would I need to maintain that size battery bank? There is a place on my engine (3126 Cat) where the A/C compressors would be, can I mount a pair of alternators there to keep the bank of house batteries charged while running.

And finally, is this even a feasible plan? My logic is wire the bus from the breaker box out as if it were plugged into a 50A service then be able to switch sources depending on the situation, shore power, generator, or battery while driving.

[Timelord]

First, it is quite possible... if you wish to spend the money.

Second, a '50 Amp Service' is the potential amperage. You need to do some reading on electricity basics. Figure out how much power you intend to use.

A 50 Amp service generally means in the RV world that you have both legs of 120v @ 50A. This gives you 240v capability at 50 amps. Or combinations adding up to that. Get to reading.

[bridg73988]

LOL, reading is what got me to this point! The more I read the more I am leaning towards the 50A instead of a smaller simpler 30A. The money is what I am trying to figure out, I don't know the calculations needed to see what equipment (how many batteries, inverter sizing, generator size, etc) this would require so I can estimate the cost to see if it is worth it or not. Ultimately it would be very nice to be able to use anything on the bus anytime (parked or driving) whenever anybody wanted to. This really started with the possibility of using mini split A/C system(s) since the air conditioner on the bus is damaged and missing. I would need to be able to run the mini splits while driving, hence the battery bank/alternator option. I am somewhat knowledgeable about both home and auto electrical but not an expert in either and I have never dealt with battery banks. Like I said, I don't know the calculations and formulas needed for # and size of batteries and inverter size to run a given system or generator size (I have found generator charts that somewhat help).