Generators - Gas, Diesel or Propane, Best makes models?

[SKSCCI]

Good Morning All!

At a recent weekend campout, the entire campground lost power for some reason.

Not a hardship as it was mid Sunday morning and we were preparing to leave anyway.

However, if it were any other time it could be a hardship.

My AC Voltage needs are minimal as the propane provides for heat and cooking.

However, Air Conditioning in Florida is a must, especially with the dogs.

So, as a minimum I probably need a 2KW generator.

I have a diesel truck so there is a ready supply if I want to siphon, or have a can for dual usage for the vehicle or generator.

Recently at TSC I saw a propane fueled generator and that seemed like a great idea since I already have 2 20 lb tanks and could always replace them with 2 30 lb tanks.

I have also seen conversion kits that would allow me to use gasoline, diesel or propane for a generator. Would something like this be better?

Another factor is being able to move it around conveniently.
The only available storage would be the back of the bed of the pickup
truck tow vehicle, so it has to be light enough for me to lift it in and out of the truck.

So . . . basic questions . . . fuel type pros/cons, make/model pros/cons and KW capacity considerations.

Thanks.

Regards,
Steve.

[Almot]

About propane...

I hope to never ever need a generator at all, didn't need it so far, South of the border my solar generates more energy than I can consume. But you know what they say - never say "never". So I did some digging on propane gennies in terms of noise, fumes, and portability. Here is what I found:

Propane generators (meaning propane-only) have several times shorter life than diesel or gasoline gennnies. Same goes for natural gas generators - short life.

Propane generators are hardly portable - in any event this isn't something that you can lift or carry. Loading and unloading it would be a pain. For running it more than few days non-stop (or more than 12 hours a day) you would need a stationary tank.

Fumes - no contest here, propane is cleaner than gasoline or diesel genny. Cleaner exhaust and less smell around the tank.

Noise - marginally quieter than gasoline. Which means - too loud for me to use it regularly. As an emergency-only, maybe yes. To be fair to propane gennies, all so-called "quiet" gasoline gennies like Honda EU2000 are understating their noise, quoting 55-59 db while in reality it's 70-75 dB at 10ft distance.

[Carb_Cleaner]

I continue to consider one of these:
HERE
They have a range of tri-fueled Yamahas and they sell converter kits for a bunch of different brands. I guess my main reservation is propane consumption. Our truck camper has 2, 20lbs tanks, and I'd rather not carry an extra. Boondocking, I'd like to get three days of cooking, hot water, fridge and A/C from our on-board 40 pounds, but I'm not sure how realistic that is. If I gotta carry extra fuel, it may as well be a gasoline can. Plus, there's the matter of the $350 up-charge for the installed trifuel conversion.

[Almot]

Swedish_Steel wrote:
{Propane} Fuel consumption is rated at 0.3 gal/h at no load; 0.4 gal/h at half load and 0.6 gal/h at full load.

Oh yeah...125 pounds!!!

It must be 125 lbs generator weight, not fuel weight.

If it runs 24 hours at full load, it will burn 14 gal or 60 lbs.

[jalichty]

The Honda 2000s and the Yahama 2000s are pretty light, less than 50 pounds if I remember correctly, and can be paralleled to provide 4000 watts of surge with about 3600 constant watts. At about 50 pounds apiece they are pretty easy to get out of the back of your pickup. They are also very pricy compared to the Champions and the others that are vying for a part of the market. I have two Honda 2000s but have yet to use them together while out camping. I did parallel them when I got the second one and it ran my AC here at about a mile high very nicely. Didn't run it for a long time though so wouldn't be able to tell you how they work over time. Maybe this summer. Champion and Powerhouse generators are much less expensive and people here on the this site have said they are quite happy with them so you might consider these if you are a little concerned with price.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Lightweight and Air Conditioning don't mix well.

The exception is an expensive generator assist inverter like a new Magnum and a decent bank of batteries. Then you can size the generator to air conditioning run wattage rather than air conditioner start wattage.

Even when diesel was 15 cents a gallon here my Yamaha diesel ate 12 gallons a day 24 hours, three dollars X 30 = 90 dollars a month not counting generator wear and logistics of getting fuel, changing oil and filters. My bus soon acquired a window 5K unit and 1 cylinder diesel alternator setup powering things through the inverter.

Diesel is heavy, loud, most efficient, PITA dirty oil change, gasoline is the cheapest to buy medium maintenance, LPG is not cheap to convert fuel is a PITA to obtain, maintenance is a snap, and economy isn't the greatest.

[SKSCCI]

mlts22 wrote:
I'm confused... is the OP wanting a portable generator that is dual fuel or triple fuel, or is a built in genset something he wants?

Thanks for all the great responses. These things are never as simple as I originally think that they will be.

To clarify, I've been doing weekend camping in a TT (pic below) for the past 9 months. So far in all that time, only once was there an outtage at a campground. So not a big issue based on experience, but the Boy Scout in me wants to be prepared.

So . . . extended dry camping (at least for now) is not an issue.

Requirements (most important from top to bottom):
1. Portable. I have no storage in the TT so I will need to heft it in and out of the back of the pickup tow vehicle. So, 50 to 75 lbs max fully loaded.
2. Capacity. It has to be able to run my AC unit.
3. Fuel. Don't care too much about fuel type, but fuel storage is the main issue. Propane tanks are most convenient since they are already mounted on the trailer frame. Any other fuel will have to be stored in the generator fuel tank and a bottle in the back of the pickup truck.

Thanks.

Regards,
Steve.

[mlts22]

I'm confused... is the OP wanting a portable generator that is dual fuel or triple fuel, or is a built in genset something he wants?

A portable generator is one thing. However, if he wants to go the Onan route with a fuel tank under the rig, I'd go with the same fuel that the tow vehicle uses. There are some places which can install a gasoline tank underneath a trailer, weld on a place an Onan generator could go, then wire it in with an ATS near the RV converter... doing the job up to building fire/electrical codes and state/federal DOT codes. An advantage of this setup is that the gasoline tank installed under the trailer can be used with a fuel pump to give an auxiliary tank for the tow vehicle, similar to how some toy haulers are set up.

I thought about having this done, but the upfit cost was fairly steep (north of $4500) because of all the custom fab work involved (having it installed is one thing... having it installed with shock mounts, acoustic deadening, exhaust resonators and baffles to reduce vibration is another.) However, having 25-100 gallons of fuel for a generator ready to go at a push of a button on a boondocking trip is a pretty nice thing.

[Swedish_Steel]

Only as a point of reference (and related specifically to a truck camper)...

Lance specs an Onan 2.5 kW propane generator as their standard on board generator when purchased as a factory option.

Lance provides two different air conditioners as factory installed options from which to choose. One is a 9K BTU model and the other is an 11K BTU model. While these are sized to provide relief inside the small volume found in a truck camper, neither unit would be adequate for a mid-range TT, let alone a FW.

This thread did get me thinking about running air off a genny so I checked the specs on the Onan 2500 and learned that;
1. Power output decreases 1% for every 10 degrees of ambient air temperature above 77F.
2. Power output decreases 3.5% for every 1,000 feet above a baseline of 500 feet.

Cowboy math approximates that one would lose about 9% of output at 97 degrees and 2500 feet of elevation.

Onan also warrants that the 2.5kW propane unit will start and run one 13,500 Btu high efficiency air conditioner plus a 600 watt base load with no additional watts of power available...provided one is at/below 77F and 500 feet of elevation.

Fuel consumption is rated at 0.3 gal/h at no load; 0.4 gal/h at half load and 0.6 gal/h at full load.

Oh yeah...125 pounds!!!

[Horizon170]

MrWizard wrote:
If you intend to run the A/C I recommend sticking with gas
A dual fuel conversion can be handy for quick eng use and easy storage, no gas to gum up carb
But not so much fun changing propane cylinders every day when powering the A/C
And get one at least 3000 watts 2000 is very IFFY for powering a/c
It depends entirely on a small easy start a/c with low power needs and not already 100° outside

X2----only way to go IMO. StaBil in the gas to prolong life of fuel and a dose of Sea Foam on occasion to keep carb jets clean. You can add additional gas tanks also and it is easier most of the time to get gasoline rather than propane. The only time I would want diesel is if my MH was a diesel. I would never want Propane in an RV although My ONAN 6.5KW home backup runs on Natural Gas.

[time2roll]

You will want several 40# bottles of propane if you plan to run the generator 24/7 for a few days. Gasoline is the easy solution but adds one more fuel for only just in case 😞

I guess I would try to go without and see how often this really happens and for how many hours. Might be just as easy to move campgrounds or run out for a generator if desperate. But I am thinking most outages are going to be short enough and infrequent enough to be tolerable. So try to pass on getting something for now.

[mguay]

I wouldn't let fuel gumup sway my decision. If I had a mounted generator, I would go LP because its already on board. I have a Honda 3000 is EU and love it. I only use it once or twice a year and never have had gumming issues. The day I bought it, I went to the local airport and filled it with Av-Gas. It has seen nothing else as my dealer sets them up with it. The thing about Av-Gas is there is no corn fuel in it and it never goes bad. I've found it for about $1 more per gallon than super!

[MrWizard]

If you intend to run the A/C I recommend sticking with gas
A dual fuel conversion can be handy for quick eng use and easy storage, no gas to gum up carb
But not so much fun changing propane cylinders every day when powering the A/C
And get one at least 3000 watts 2000 is very IFFY for powering a/c
It depends entirely on a small easy start a/c with low power needs and not already 100° outside

[Dusty_R]

There are not as many BTU's in a gallon of LP as there is in gasoline so a LP generator will not put out as many watts.

[JiminDenver]

The Honda Handi is nearly identical to the Champion 3100i and it doesn't have electric or remote either. It not only is more expensive than the Champion (2x the price), it is more expensive than the Honda EU 3000 which is a much nicer/ quieter generator than either of the other two.

Champion is releasing a 3100i with electric/ remote start this year. I doubt adding those features will double the price.