Beaver Contessa - Glossary of Terms

5
20 08 CONTESSA
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
Air Compressor - Pumps air to and builds
pressure in an air system.
Air Dryer - Cools, 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 the 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 unit of measure of
electron ow rate of current through a circuit.
Ampere-hour (Amp-hr. AH) - A unit
of measure for a battery electrical storage
capacity, obtained by multiplying the
current in amperes by the time in hours
of discharge. Example: A battery which
delivers 5 amperes for 20 hours, delivers 5
amperes times 20 hours, or 100 Amp-Hr. 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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 which faces the curb when it
is parked. Often called the door side or the
passenger side.
Current - The rate of ow of electricity
or the movement rate of electrons along a
conductor. It is comparable to the 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 which 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 which triggers
the compressor unload cycle. May apply to
some water systems, such as water pump,
accumulator tank, etc.
Cycle - In a battery, one discharge plus one
recharge equals one cycle.
Desiccant - A granular substance with
a high afnity for water used to retain
moisture from the air stream owing
through the air dryer cartridge.
Direct Current (DC) - Power that is
stored in a battery bank or supplied by
photovoltaics, alternator, chargers and DC
generators. Direct current is also known as
battery power. Current only ows one way.