Generator Advise

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Lyle,

That's what I thought, too until I researched it using google. A demand governor on the non inverter is what keeps the frequency correct, so under low loads they use little fuel. The inverter type has to speed up and that takes extra energy. I was pretty shocked to find that the inverter type used more fuel.

I'd prefer to be 100% solar and burn no fuel at all.

laknox wrote:
Hmmm... The Honda 7000i burns 0.784 g/h at rated load while the 6500 burns 0.887 g/h at its rated load; a 13% difference. The 6500 runs wide open all the time; the 7000 will idle down based on load. Pretty straight-forward to me...

Lyle

Hard to run the A/C on solar, at night. :-)

Lyle

Hi Lyle,

That's what I thought, too until I researched it using google. A demand governor on the non inverter is what keeps the frequency correct, so under low loads they use little fuel. The inverter type has to speed up and that takes extra energy. I was pretty shocked to find that the inverter type used more fuel.

I'd prefer to be 100% solar and burn no fuel at all.

laknox wrote:
Hmmm... The Honda 7000i burns 0.784 g/h at rated load while the 6500 burns 0.887 g/h at its rated load; a 13% difference. The 6500 runs wide open all the time; the 7000 will idle down based on load. Pretty straight-forward to me...

Lyle

We boondock 10-12 trips a year for an average of 4 days per, our 5er has two ACs. I have a 6500 Honda with remote start in a ducted enclosure in the truck bed. If no AC in needed the gen runs in Eco mode at about 3 hours per gallon, out in the desert with both ACs running it drops to 1-11/2 GPH with power to spare. You could "get by with less" I prefer to have plenty.

pianotuna wrote:
This is slightly true but ONLY if the two generator types have similar outputs. i.e. compare a 5k inverter to a 5k traditional--and the inverter may not win on fuel economy.

laknox wrote:
If you want long run-time, then get an inverter-style generator as it will only run at the speed needed to supply the load demand. You'll burn a =lot= less fuel than with a straight genny, like the Onans.

Lyle

Hmmm... The Honda 7000i burns 0.784 g/h at rated load while the 6500 burns 0.887 g/h at its rated load; a 13% difference. The 6500 runs wide open all the time; the 7000 will idle down based on load. Pretty straight-forward to me...

Lyle

fulltime5er wrote:

Lantley wrote:
I currently have a built in Onan LP genset. Works very well.Simple push button convenience. No cords,cables, locks,no gas tanks etc. Perfect for quick breaks and spontaneous use. WE can eat at a restaurant while traveling and leave the dog inside RV with A./C on. We can eat in the trailer with A/C and microwave 5500 Onan will run entire trailer including both A/C units.
On my prior TT I had a Robin Subaru 4300is mounted on a rear platform. This set up was not quite as convenient or powerful but worked very well. Genset was semi permanently mounted. There were no security issues. I had to plug in trailer vs. current push button start. I also had to have gasoline for the genset vs. lp which is already on board.
In the end I prefer the genset to be attached to the trailer vs.the truck. If the truck leaves the power is still with the trailer. I prefer the genset to be mounted to avoid any set up or carrying of the genset. A mounted genset is more convenient to use . It requires no preparation to use it. It can be used spontaneously without a lot of thought or set up.As a result we use more often.

How long can you run those on a 30# propane tank?

My 5'er came factory with 4-20# tanks. My unscientific usage seems to be about 6-8 hours per tank.
If you need to run your genny constantly 24/7 for multiple days on a regular basis lp may not be the way to go from a consumption stand point.
However if your a weekend camper with periodic genset use or you don't use genset for long periods regularly, lp may meet your needs. lp is clean and doesn't create carburetor issues that often plague gensets. Lp gensets can also sit idle for longer periods without having to deal with stale gas issues.
lp is already present on most RV's and is readily available without using additional tanks.

This is slightly true but ONLY if the two generator types have similar outputs. i.e. compare a 5k inverter to a 5k traditional--and the inverter may not win on fuel economy.

laknox wrote:
If you want long run-time, then get an inverter-style generator as it will only run at the speed needed to supply the load demand. You'll burn a =lot= less fuel than with a straight genny, like the Onans.

Lyle

This is such a personal call, there are definately pros and cons to both onboard generators and portables. It's so handy to just push a button but on the other hand how often are you going to use the onboard? Onans aren't cheap.

We have on only a couple of occasions used our portable generator so for me it isn't worth it we pretty much travel shore power to shore power. But I can see where if you're going to boondock a lot an onboard would be the way to go. Your money, your call.

Dan

ianmac23 wrote:
My wife and I are thinking about getting a 5th wheel this year and are trying to plan things out. We travel about 45 nights a year and like to go to races where we would use generator power for up to 4 days at a time. I was thinking about a Onan 5k or doing 3 Honda 2000's. We would use the generator twice a year when traveling to our vacation sites on breaks and at night. We would also use it once a year at a track. If you use your generator when traveling I would like to hear about your experiences and options.

If you want long run-time, then get an inverter-style generator as it will only run at the speed needed to supply the load demand. You'll burn a =lot= less fuel than with a straight genny, like the Onans. Personally, I'd go with the Honda 3k (or similar), at minimum. Has electric start and optional remote start. Put on a cargo rack on the rear of your FW. Will run 1 A/C, but not much else, so power monitoring is a requirement. Personally, I'd go bigger and I'd go gas, rather than propane. Gas can be drained fairly easily; run dry to empty the carb.

Lyle

fulltime5er wrote:

Lantley wrote:
I currently have a built in Onan LP genset. Works very well.Simple push button convenience. No cords,cables, locks,no gas tanks etc. Perfect for quick breaks and spontaneous use. WE can eat at a restaurant while traveling and leave the dog inside RV with A./C on. We can eat in the trailer with A/C and microwave 5500 Onan will run entire trailer including both A/C units.
On my prior TT I had a Robin Subaru 4300is mounted on a rear platform. This set up was not quite as convenient or powerful but worked very well. Genset was semi permanently mounted. There were no security issues. I had to plug in trailer vs. current push button start. I also had to have gasoline for the genset vs. lp which is already on board.
In the end I prefer the genset to be attached to the trailer vs.the truck. If the truck leaves the power is still with the trailer. I prefer the genset to be mounted to avoid any set up or carrying of the genset. A mounted genset is more convenient to use . It requires no preparation to use it. It can be used spontaneously without a lot of thought or set up.As a result we use more often.

How long can you run those on a 30# propane tank?

I second that question. I have a 4000 watt champion and it runs around 12 hours on 4 gallons of gas

2oldman wrote:
I'll advise you, but first, why so much power?

You haven't read any of the hundreds of generator posts on here?

My Husky, wife and I do not like the heat. So if we stop for lunch, dinner, over night stay we like to have the A/C blasting.