so the wife and i are going to bite the bullet and get our first travel trailer.i am curious as to how big of a generator we will need to buy for when we are not hooked up to elec power.i have searched on the forum,and have found some info about generators.but nothing that really answers the question about how big i would need to run the elec system properly.the trailer has a 30 amp service. the fridge is a residential style that we were told does not run off of the propane. so it will need elec power. cant say that we will always be able to plug into electric.so a generator will be requiredwe would like to be able to also use the a/c,t.v.,coffee maker etc.i have never owned a generator before so i am curious at to how big of one would be needed to run the electric system of the trailer when not plugged in.i am leaning towards the Honda brand as i have read lots of great things about them as far a reliability etc.any insight is greatly appreciated,thanks in advance

A 3500 watt would be min. This should be enough to charge battery, run one AC unit and small appliances.

A 1000 watt will charge batteries quietly and efficiently. It will not run anything else. A single 2KW will run a few things plus battery charging. It will not run an AC. 3000KW or larger or a pair of 2KW with a parallel kit will run a single roof AC. Residential refers realpy are a poor choice for non hookup camping, but if you do choose to camp with no hookups, you first need to figure out exactly what you want to power while off grid.

30 amps of AC current (assuming 110-volts) is 3300 watts; assuming the post is delivering 120-volts the resulting watts is 3600-watts. you’ll likely never pull all 30-amps at one time but if it were me i’d be looking for nothing smaller than 4000-watts. that will give you plenty of power and handle your appliances start up surges.

9 times out of 10 my single 2000 watt Yamaha meets my needs, recharging batteries in a few hours as needed.Wild camping in July sometimes I need two generators to run the AC in the late afternoon during peak sun.If boondocking will be frequent, systems need to be matched and sized together for best outcome, batteries + charger + generator. Otherwise you'll be one of those trailers that has their Honda idling all day chasing 100% state of charge on a wfco converter.

Plan on at least 4,000 watts for a residential fridge and AC.

how big of a generator is needed | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

GordonThree
Explorer
Jan 28, 2018
9 times out of 10 my single 2000 watt Yamaha meets my needs, recharging batteries in a few hours as needed.

Wild camping in July sometimes I need two generators to run the AC in the late afternoon during peak sun.

If boondocking will be frequent, systems need to be matched and sized together for best outcome, batteries + charger + generator. Otherwise you'll be one of those trailers that has their Honda idling all day chasing 100% state of charge on a wfco converter.
rk911
Explorer
Jan 28, 2018
30 amps of AC current (assuming 110-volts) is 3300 watts; assuming the post is delivering 120-volts the resulting watts is 3600-watts. you’ll likely never pull all 30-amps at one time but if it were me i’d be looking for nothing smaller than 4000-watts. that will give you plenty of power and handle your appliances start up surges.
donn0128
Explorer II
Jan 28, 2018
A 1000 watt will charge batteries quietly and efficiently. It will not run anything else. A single 2KW will run a few things plus battery charging. It will not run an AC. 3000KW or larger or a pair of 2KW with a parallel kit will run a single roof AC. Residential refers realpy are a poor choice for non hookup camping, but if you do choose to camp with no hookups, you first need to figure out exactly what you want to power while off grid.
enblethen
Nomad
Jan 28, 2018
A 3500 watt would be min. This should be enough to charge battery, run one AC unit and small appliances.

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how big of a generator is needed

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