Forum Discussion

colonelcorto's avatar
colonelcorto
Explorer
Jan 20, 2018

LP vs. gasoline. New generator in old Motorhome.

Hello, I have a 1996 Southwind. At the end of the season last year, my 22 year old Onan bit the dust. I believe the alternator bit the dust. Luckily, there is an Onan repair center just a few miles away. If it cannot be repaired for a reasonable price, I am going to have it replaced. I am leaning toward the replacement as the generator burns oil and is prone to stalling on a heavy load.

My question is this: if I replace, should I choose LP or gasoline? The current generator is set up for gasoline. It draws from the 75 gallon fuel tank that is shared with gas guzzling Ford 460. Running the generator drops my fuel mileage by about 1 to 1.5 mpg. This is significant when I am only getting 5.5 to 7 mpg to begin with. I am considering switching to LP as the motorhome has a 24 gallon LP tank on board. This would extend my driving range, which I am happy about, but has me concerned about finding a place to refill the LP tank. Dual fuel would be the best of both worlds.

Any advice?

25 Replies

  • The generator doesn’t drop your RV’s mpg. The generator just uses gasoline. So do you want to buy gasoline and propane or gasoline and more propane? Personally buying gasoline is easier for me.
  • If you have a gas powered coach BE SURE you install a gas generator. If you have a diesel powered coach BE SURE to install a diesel generator. I made the mistake of buying a diesel coach with a propane generator and there is nothing good that can be said for having made that mistake.
  • Check the price of a new generator and converting to propane vs a new gasoline generator.

    Personally, I would stay with gasoline just to keep it simple.
  • I've never had problems finding propane. Almost every KOA, Flying J and Pilot station has it. Aubuchon and Ace Hardware has it and those are just the major suppliers. Look up AmeriGas and see how many sites there are.

    No worries about carb gumming up with LP. The only issue I worry about is the propane regulator icing up.
  • I would stay with the gas powered generator for maintenance reasons and not having to worry about propane usage.

    Bill