Generator Use

You question has pretty much been answered but yes everyone is different. Some people need to have power on at night to run a cap machine. If no power is available then they need to have a genset going. If hot then gen set. Microwave etc. Some people don't use them at all.

Sorry. I didn't give enough details. We will be a family of 5 in the heat of Utah and Arizona in June so AC is a must. We have budgeted for the RV campgrounds with electric. We will be out during the day touring the National Parks but I imagine the AC will run while we are traveling like the long stretches between the Grand Canyon and Arches and then Arches and Bryce/Zion. Total side note- I am a she but my husband is the primary driver. I am the planner and budgeter. I have found all of your information information interesting and helpful. Every time I come up with another question, I think "I need the ask the guys (and gals) on rv.net. We are looking at a trip of a lifetime and you have helped make that happen.

ferrelldebbie wrote:
I decided to enter my question in green since I am such a newbie at RV's. How much do you use the generator? While driving? While parked? For the record, we will be plugged into the electric at the RV parks. The rental company is charging $3/hour for generator use and I am trying to make a budget and learn a bit in the meantime.

The OP's questions resemble "How long is a piece of string". No offense to the OP, but we are all different, and what I may do may not work for you at all. What climate will you be traveling in? determines the need for air conditioning. What home conveniences do you have to have. Generators are just another tool that is worth whatever the cost when you have to have one but can be avoided with planning and circumstances.

I agree it IS a ridiculous charge
But that doesn't help the OP
He just needs to budget the extra funds
Because unless he goes to full hook up park and stays there,
He IS going to be using that generator, for things besides the coffee maker and the MW

Just as a for-what-it's-worth rant ... we rented our a Class C motorhome to see if we'd like it before we bought and we were faced with that ridiculus fee adder for generator usage. That's a ripoff and just an excuse to up their bottom line. 50 cents per hour would be more like it!

We use our built-in generator all the time and also carry along a 2nd portable one. Considering what you have to pay for them to us a "self contained" RV is supposed to be a mini mobile version of our home, so full power capability is a must and the generator is there to be used - along with the inside and outside showers, microwave, oven, air conditioner, and furnace. Our tenting and backpacking days were spectacular in their time, but now they are pretty much over.

OP should ask themselves if they want to budget for nightly RV park fees with hookups, instead of budgeting for generator hour run times. Either way, one needs to inevitably budget for both, or be shocked at the bills at the end of the trip.

This discussion has wandered all over the place

I hope the OP has gained some useful insight

His question was how to figure out , how much he would use the generator so he could budget funds , for the run time charges

I own a Honda and use it one hour, has no context to the question

We don't know how many people or where their going, where they will be camping

The best answer is budget excess money for the generator charges
$30 per day, and hope it doesn't come out to that

Better to budget for it and not use it than have to pinch the wallet and travel with no A/C in a hot Rv on 100 degree days

If one wants all the amenities of home, like hair dryers for the dog and microwave ovens, then a generator becomes a necessity when not plugged in to shore power. Many campers want this, many don't.

Rented a class C in Alaska in September for three weeks.
Never once used the generator.

Bought a new class C last fall.
Went on a four week trip and use generator for about an hour total.

If dry camping in the hot summer I will assume the generator use will go way up to power the AC

We always bring our generator -- we boondock a lot. We almost never use it -- even though it is a Honda, it is not silent. We depend on our solar panel to recharge the battery. But I am one of those risk-averse people -- what if it is cloudy for several days in a row, and we start to run out of power? That is when we would be forced to use the generator.

So you have to ask yourself -- do you really need one? If so, get the quietest one you can find and can afford. And learn how to take care of it. Don't do what I did -- leave bad gas sitting in it for months at a time. Run it every month, under load, and learn how to drain the carb. It is not hard, as I belatedly discovered. (No permanent harm done -- the mechanic rescued my carb, with some damage to my wallet.)

By the way, as a newbie, be sure to ask lots of questions -- we were all newbies at one time. You will get some good answers and some rude ones, and some will be both rude and good. (That's why we reluctantly put up with the resident curmudgeons -- they are old and cranky and often wise.) ;)