A year ago when we purchased our 2005 Northern Lite with Onan generator, I was a bit apprehensive because of negative comments I had read about Onan generators. But we have been quite pleased with the (propane fueled) Onan. We love the convenience of pushing a button and having the generator come alive. And while not as quiet as we would like, it is much less noisy than we expected. When we are inside with the door closed, it is no more noisy than our furnace. And dry camping is much easier than before we had the Onan.

My experience is the same as Hedgehopper. Zero problems, not too loud, and the ultimate in convenience. Regarding fuel consumption, normal use for microwave, battery charging, etc. is fine. But extended running of the AC off the generator on a really hot day will show you the inconvenience of refueling propane. Since most of my traveling does not involve extensive dry camping on extremely hot climates like Georgia in August, it has not been an issue. I usually don't run the air much during the heat of the day, because I am outside enjoying life. but I will run it in spurts when I go inside. When it cools off at night, I open the windows and turn on the fantastic fan. For 2019, my modus operandi will change a bit, I will be spending more time at the drag strip in Jun, July and August. Extended ac use will probably be needed. I just picked up my new (used ) camper, it came "generator ready", so I might consider an Onan mocrolite 2800 powered by gasoline. Then install a side tank in the bed of the truck, with a marine outboard style fuel connector. Then I can easily top off the generator fuel whenever I am fueling up the truck. THe draw backs vs. propane would be stinkier exhaust and carb gummed up after sitting unused.

+1 to what the OP said. We had an Onan Propane generator installed when we bought the camper in 2006. We had one problem which was brought on when the propane continued to 'refine' in the fuel line, thus gumming the carburetor up with oil. I had to remove the generator and take it in for service.As for fuel consumption.... I have never run it for such a time that I have sucked the tanks dry. Running the A/C on the generator is occasional as we are typically not in those types of situations. Much more common is DW wants to run the microwave or hairdryer when along the road somewhere, and the convenience of a built-in push-start really pays off. I imagine a gas generator would also burn through plenty of fuel if it was left on for an extended period of time cranking the A/C.Would I take this rig out to the desert in August and run the generator 18+ hours a day to keep the A/C running? Nope. That would certainly empty the tanks on a daily basis. Would I run the generator to cool off the camper when we arrive at a hot dry-camping location after a day of driving? Sure. And I may run it an hour or two the next day when we return to the camper after a day of activities. But frankly that hasn't happened to us yet. Those times we have gone camping in hot locations we paid for hook-ups, so I just let the A/C run on the campground's power.Not sure what the OP's purpose is for starting this thread....but I will have to say I have not experienced all the problems the negative hype told me to expect.Thanks,-Eric

We love our Onan as well for the same reasons, the convenience of powering our entire coach as if plugged into the power pedestal sure comes in handy as we tend to do most of our RVing off the beaten path without hookups. To that end, we are planning to get a new rig which will not have a built in Onan, we picked up a Champion inverter generator and made sure it was a remote start model to have the same one button convenience we are accustomed to.We have sufficient solar and 12 volt reserves on our rig, but when consumption is abnormally high or weather is not cooperating, having a generator along ensures we get to enjoy all the amenities we purchased our RV for.

I'm on my third Onan built into RV's and the last two were in TC's powered by LPG. Both my TC's had dual 30 lb tanks, so I really do not worry about running out with the TC. When I bring my trailer along, I have an additional 100 lbs of LPG used for outside heaters, fire pit and cooking which can also be swapped into the TC if needed. We boon dock up to a week and never have worried about LPG supply due our setup.

hedgehopper wrote:A year ago when we purchased our 2005 Northern Lite with Onan generator, I was a bit apprehensive because of negative comments I had read about Onan generators. But we have been quite pleased with the (propane fueled) Onan. We love the convenience of pushing a button and having the generator come alive. And while not as quiet as we would like, it is much less noisy than we expected. When we are inside with the door closed, it is no more noisy than our furnace. And dry camping is much easier than before we had the Onan.What model is the Onan? I may be looking for a small one to replace the Generac in the motorhome.

Onan Generator | Good Sam Community

41 Replies

huasnaian
Explorer
Mar 06, 2019
deltabravo wrote:
Kayteg1 wrote:

Than for smaller loads, the $150 inverter generator from Home Depot will run whole day on couple cups of gasoline it takes.

What is the model of this $150 inverter/generator that Home Depot sells?
I've never seen one that cheap.

This is on sale right now for $149 with free shipping, just bought one. I have missed this sale previously. Internet item #300792167 on homedepot.com

edit: short sale ending in 7 hours (11:59pm PST 03/06/2019)
deltabravo
Nomad
Nov 16, 2018
bwlyon wrote:
....We love boon-docking and when you run the gas and electric together on the water heater the water heats up fast and you don't run out of hot water in the shower.

Eric&Lisa wrote:
Not sure I understand the scenario.
-Eric

Ditto. The original comment really made no sense from a logical perspective.

Running two heat sources to heat up the water is not going to prevent you from running out of hot water.
Bedlam
Moderator
Nov 15, 2018
In my case, I have an outdoor shower and tent when boon docking to reduce how much goes into my gray tank. My enclosed trailer carries an additional 25 gallons of LPG and 84 gallons of fresh water that can be transferred to the camper. When we boon dock, we are not roughing it...

BTW: We also have a 30 gallon gray tote in case we do fill up that gray tank in the camper or do not want to shower outside.
Eric_Lisa
Explorer II
Nov 15, 2018
bwlyon wrote:
....We love boon-docking and when you run the gas and electric together on the water heater the water heats up fast and you don't run out of hot water in the shower.

Uhhh, huh?? Okay, I get it. You want to take a longer shower and not run out of hot water. Thus you want to run electric AND gas heating on your hot water tank simultaneously. The problem is the generator supporting the electric heating on the hot water tank.

But... Just what size tanks are you running on that camper? You are boon-docking, which means self-contained, and truck campers are not known for their large tanks. I don't care how quickly the water re-heats, you will run out of tank space really quick. A 6-gallon hot water tank, mixed with cold water for a comfortable temperature, is going to burn through a good 10-gallons of water before the hot runs out.

Of course if you are hooked up to water & sewer, then go for the long shower. But you are hooked up - so why would you run the generator??

Not sure I understand the scenario.

-Eric
Bedlam
Moderator
Nov 15, 2018
When I run the electric element and gas flue at the same time, I can run 1/3rd hot flow easily for 15 minutes and get hot water. You need to upgrade to a 1.5 gpm or less shower head to get a sufficient stream yet not empty your hot tank.
deltabravo
Nomad
Nov 15, 2018
bwlyon wrote:
We love boon-docking and when you run the gas and electric together on the water heater the water heats up fast and you don't run out of hot water in the shower.

The water heater only holds 6 gallons, so once you use that water, the heater still has to recover... which still takes time... so I'm not sure how it could "not run out when using electric and gas at the same time"

The gas heats it up faster than electric in my experience, so running both does improve the recovery time, but not my enough to prevent the hot water from running out while showering.
deltabravo
Nomad
Nov 15, 2018
Kayteg1 wrote:

Than for smaller loads, the $150 inverter generator from Home Depot will run whole day on couple cups of gasoline it takes.

What is the model of this $150 inverter/generator that Home Depot sells?
I've never seen one that cheap.
broark01
Explorer II
Nov 15, 2018
bighatnohorse wrote:
broark01 wrote:
After running a 30 lb propane tank dry, I finally did the calculation. The 2500 watt Onan burns 2.25 lbs per hour at full load. A full 30 lb tank holds holds 7 gallons of propane and weighs 55 lbs full. 30 gallons / 2.25 lb/hr = 13.33 hours with full load.

I'm not very good at math but you lost me here.
30 lbs vs 30 gallons?
Shouldn't it be 55 gallons / 2.25lb/hr ???

Nope, see Bedlam's response. I should have said "30 pounds", not gallons. I will revise it.
Bedlam
Moderator
Nov 14, 2018
The tank weighs 25 lbs empty and holds 30 lbs of LPG which is about 7 gallons.
bighatnohorse
Explorer II
Nov 14, 2018
broark01 wrote:
After running a 30 lb propane tank dry, I finally did the calculation. The 2500 watt Onan burns 2.25 lbs per hour at full load. A full 30 lb tank holds holds 7 gallons of propane and weighs 55 lbs full. 30 gallons / 2.25 lb/hr = 13.33 hours with full load.

I'm not very good at math but you lost me here.
30 lbs vs 30 gallons?
Shouldn't it be 55 gallons / 2.25lb/hr ???

Forum Discussion

Onan Generator

41 Replies

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Onan Generator

Generator operation

Dead Onan Generator

Generator noise reduction

Onan Generator Code 58