Running generator for 12+ hours?

Do you have a inverter? A battery bank? Does your engine while running charge the battery bank? If so, and you have a inverter it will power those thing you wish without discharging the battery bank. No need to run the generator at all. Unless of course you need the roof AC.

copeland343 wrote:
Run the generator as long as you need power or have fuel no problems there. My thoughts on 800+ miles a day is going to take 16 to 18 hours in/or pulling a RV.

Where do you get 18 hours?? Other than stopping for fuel (maybe 15-20minutes added to trip) I don't see where ya got 16-18hrs from? 800miles divided by 62mph is 12.9 so with the added stop for fuel I'm gettin around 13.2ish hours. Correct me if I'm wrong tho, don't want to be getting into something I don't know about.

Fla904 wrote:

YC 1 wrote:
You can run it that long but why would you need to for that many hours? The refer should be able to run on propane unless it is a residential model. Your alternator will keep up once your battery banks are full.

The previous owner cut the propane line because she was scared to drive with the tanks full.. So it can only be ran on the gen or electric. Just wanna make sure I don't over do the gen.

Because cut propane lines are so much safer? SMH

Like others have said, if it's for the reefer I'd repair the lines. Much more efficient to run it on propane. The generator will run for that long without issue, but why? Really inefficient.

Fla904 wrote:

copeland343 wrote:
Run the generator as long as you need power or have fuel no problems there. My thoughts on 800+ miles a day is going to take 16 to 18 hours in/or pulling a RV.

Where do you get 18 hours?? Other than stopping for fuel (maybe 15-20minutes added to trip) I don't see where ya got 16-18hrs from? 800miles divided by 62mph is 12.9 so with the added stop for fuel I'm gettin around 13.2ish hours. Correct me if I'm wrong tho, don't want to be getting into something I don't know about.

Driving and or pulling a camper / RV is much different than operating a car or truck. A avg will be 50 mph. You wil probably get 8 or 9 mpg, resulting in more time at the pumps, and more time getting into and out of the gas stations.

If the generator has been maintained, running it that amount of time should be no issue. I would check the oil about every 8 hours or so.

Enjoy your trip, drive safely !

Steeljag wrote:
A avg will be 50 mph.

x2 - this is my guide, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less so maybe I would say 15-17 hours for that many miles. I don't travel super slow, but the longer I go, the more stops I need to make just for rest. Of course, I'm no longer in my 20's, so that could be part of that.

My son and I did a run in three days from PA to Boise, Idaho in a rental truck towing his car. So it is possible! Having multiple drivers is a key!!!

Fla 904.
I drive 55-63 mph. At the end of the day I only get 50 mph. I have tried to do better but pulling trailer, stops, fuel and traffic I only go 50 mph average for the day. You are not going to want to drive that long with a RV. We travel 250-350 a day that is 5 to 7 hours. Enjoy the trips, we have a beautiful country to see.

As others have said, there's no problem with running the generator for a long period of time provided you keep tabs on the oil. Shut it off (like the main engine) when refueling, even if only to comply with state laws—though it's better for safety as well. Many people run their generators for long periods while on the road to run the roof air conditioners.

Get a quote for fixing the propane line from a propane distributor/dealer, the sort of place that has trucks that deliver propane to residences. I would guess that it would be considerably less than $500...unless for some reason the entire propane system has been removed or disabled or tinkered with, and not just the fridge line.

Fla904 wrote:

rvten wrote:
Fix the propane line. You will find it cools the fridge better in summer. So you will need it. Some people are afraid of there shadow. Past owner must have been one of them.

I just don't understand why she didn't just empty the tank and turn it off.... Went to camping world (which I REFUSE to use for any mechanic work) just to get a rough guess on how much a new line will be and they quoted me at over 500.00!! So that's the main reason I didn't get it fixed.

Try getting estimates at a regular propane dealer.

Yes...run it!! have run ours for days at a time...have some at work we really abuse and just run full load all day long in the sun. Unless it's some real low grade junk generator, it's better to run it than leave it sit. Sitting around is bad for them.

Redterpos3 wrote:

Steeljag wrote:
A avg will be 50 mph.

x2 - this is my guide, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less so maybe I would say 15-17 hours for that many miles. I don't travel super slow, but the longer I go, the more stops I need to make just for rest. Of course, I'm no longer in my 20's, so that could be part of that.

My son and I did a run in three days from PA to Boise, Idaho in a rental truck towing his car. So it is possible! Having multiple drivers is a key!!!

Im still not seeing where the average 50mph you all are getting is coming from.. if my speedometer is at a constant 62mph on cruise control and I only stop two or three times for fuel my average would not be 50mph, right?