We have a 2008 Beaver Contessa.  When we bought our motorhome we also bought an extra long air compressor hose in case we ever needed to inflate our tires.  My question is this.   Does the motorhome need to be running when we use the air compressor which is located in the generator compartment?

Karen
712555

No, but the generator does, it powers the air compressor.

If you use the air chuck connector that comes off the air tanks, you should find 110 to 130 psi available.  I also bought a long air hose, but had to get the correct fittings to match the coach's female quick connector.  I've never actually had occasion to use it in practice, but would assume one would run the engine to maintain tank pressure.  The connector is also used by tow trucks to maintain system pressure (brakes and bags) in your coach when towed.  Unfortunately, though most coach's connectors are in front with the generator, and easy to get to for a tow truck's air line, ours is back in the battery bay, requiring 40 feet of air hose draped over side mirrors and bungied to awning arms all the way back.

Your engine air compressor does not have a lot of air storage capacity so needs to be running when using the air hose. If you have a fast idle it will increase the volume a bit but it is not designed for large volume applictions.

If you don't have the engine running and on "fast idle" you'll have a hard time getting the pressures up for tires on our coaches.  I used to try inflating (topping off) without the fast idle and was never successful.  Then I learned from another Beaver owner the secret of fast idle.  Yes it sometime takes a little time to get to the desired psi, but it does work!

OK, I don't mean to be stupid but am I reading from the replies that my engine and generator need to be running when using the air compressor?

Just the chassis engine for the service air compressor. You run the generator if you want to use an electric air compressor and need power to it.

The compressor you refer to in the generator compartment is only a small auxilliary one, used to help keep the air leveling system functional if you auto-leveled your coach and have been parked for awhile;  it kicks in to maintain level if the main air tanks get below a useful pressure, which commonly happens due to leakage over time.  The main compressor is on the engine and pressurizes the tanks with dried air when the engine runs.

Unless something has changed since we bought our coach, the chuck connector you see in the generator compartment is from your tanks, not the auxilliary compressor, and as Richard and Leah have indicated, you will need to run your engine, probably at fast idle, in order to get satisfactory use from that port.

-Joel  

When you say "Fast Idle" I assume you mean raising the engine RPM (to around 1200) and set the cruse control? Cuz thats what I do??

I don't know about your reference to the cruise control.  Our coach has, as many do, a fast idle switch among those on the driver's control panel.  In this case it is used to increase engine RPM so the engine air compressor can put air into the tanks as fast as you're taking it out to inflate something.  It also helps to more quickly pressurize depleted tanks when you first start a cold engine, or whenever the tanks have very low pressure.

JOEL,

WELL DONE....YOUR EXPLANATION(S)!!  

Leah

If you do not have a fast idle switch, Be sure the engine break is off, turn on the cruise control, and hold down the Resume button until the RPMs reach the desired level (about 1100 RPM).  When you release the Resume button, the idle will stay there until you push the Cancel button.

Larry

Quoted from cnlshirk

If you do not have a fast idle switch, Be sure the engine break is off, turn on the cruise control, and hold down the Resume button until the RPMs reach the desired level (about 1100 RPM).  When you release the Resume button, the idle will stay there until you push the Cancel button.

Larry

Yea, that's what I do!

I downloaded and read the instructions for the Smart (steering wheel).  With the Pacbrake off, pressing the cruise control"On" button followed by the "set" button below it (on the steering wheel) will put the engine in "fast idle".  

I use the feature regularly.  I only have manual hydraulic leveling.  If the engine is in fast idle, the coach does not squat as much when I put the jacks down.  It makes it easier to get stuff out of the basement.