5
2008 IMPERIAL
GENERAL INFORMATION — 1
TIP:
Tips contain information, helpful hints
and/or suggestion for ease of operation of the
motorhome or its components.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
AGM Batteries
-
A type of battery that
suspends acid in a special glass mat.
Air Compressor -
Pumps air to and builds
pressure in an air system.
Air Dryer -
Cools,
fi
lters and dries the air
delivered by an air compressor.
Air Governor -
Controls the operation of
the air compressor by constantly monitoring
pressure in the supply tank of the air system.
The air governor initiates the unload cycle
when cut-out pressure is reached.
Alternating Current (AC) -
A current
that varies periodically in magnitude
and direction. A battery does not deliver
alternating current. Also referred to as
shore power, utility power, inverter power,
generator power, etc.
Ampere (Amp) -
The measure of electron
fl
ow rate (current) through a circuit.
Ampere-hour (Amp-hr. AH) -
A unit of
measure for a battery’s electrical storage
capacity, obtained by multiplying the
current in amperes by the time in hours
of discharge.
Example:
A battery that
delivers 5 amperes for 20 hours delivers
100 Amp-Hours of capacity.
ANSI -
American National Standards
Institute.
ASTM -
American Society for Testing and
Materials.
Black Water -
Term associated with the
sewage holding tank. The toilet drains
directly into this tank.
CCA -
Cold Cranking Amperage is the
amount of current a battery can deliver for
30 seconds at 0° F without dropping below a
speci
fi
ed voltage, usually 10.5 Volts DC.
Chassis Battery -
Powers chassis 12 Volt
accessories and starts engine.
Circuit -
An electric circuit is the path of
an electric current. A closed circuit has a
complete path. An open circuit has a broken
or disconnected path.
City Water -
A term associated with
the water supply that you hook-up to at
campgrounds. It is called city water because
water is pulled from a central source (like in
a city) and not the fresh water tank.
Compressor Load Cycle -
The time
during which the air compressor is building
pressure.
Compressor Unload Cycle -
The time
during which the air compressor is idling
and is not building air pressure.
Curbside -
This refers to the side of the
motorhome that faces the curb when it is
parked. Often called the door side or the
passenger side.
Current -
The
fl
ow rate of electricity or
the movement rate of electrons along a
conductor. It is comparable to the
fl
ow of
a stream of water. The unit of measure for
current is the ampere.
Cut-In Pressure -
The pressure level in
the air system supply tank that triggers
the compressor load cycle. May apply to
some water systems, such as water pump,
accumulator tank, etc.
Cut-Out Pressure -
The pressure level in
the air system supply tank that triggers the
compressor unload cycle. May apply to
some water systems, such as water pump,
accumulator tank, etc.
Cycle -
A battery discharge and subsequent
recharge equals one cycle.
