Generator fuel usage?diesel vs gas

[Ed Hackenbruch]

We can get by with our 4kw generator. We have solar panels also. Of course we don't drycamp much either.

[Chopper Scott]

You are talking about a lot of juice. Running 2 a/c's on the grid along with the common draw on the bus, and the wife hitting the microwave blows a breaker. Where can you plug into a campsite and run 5 ac units? My genset is a Honda 6010 propane unit. It's rated at 50 amps and runs everything I have except both airs and the microwave  at the same time. Pretty similar to the 50 amp dry dock. If it's just a 30 amp hookup I have a switch that lets me alternate the front or rear ac or isolate just one or the other. I quess my question is not about having the generator to run 5 acs but where can you plug into that allows you to run all 5?

[TomC]

I have a 40 x 102" transit with very large single pane windows.  My only A/C are the three 13,500btu roof top A/C's.  The hottest I've been in is 108 when driving, and two of the A/C's were sufficient to keep the inside at a comfortable 75 degrees.  I have run all three-then my wife has to put on a sweater.  Everything on the bus is electric except for the stove and furnace.  My 10kw Powertech takes care of all electrical needs just fine.  So even going up to 4 A/C's on a 45 ft'r, I don't see that you'd need more then a 13 or 15kw genset.  Good Luck, TomC

[niles500]

Chopper - a true 50 amp 240 will easily handle 3/ 13.5's on one leg and 2 on the other with no problem - HTH

[luvrbus]

This one started as a fuel question the reason I said he would need a 17 or 20 kw is because all the big guys in the generator gig say calculate the peak power that is going to be used and add 25% for your generator size seems to work for them.
I know in AZ in the summer folks have problems when the temp is 115 and the amp draw goes up on the Ac's and the generator is marginal it gets hot and shuts down they are not happy campers.
Generators are lot happier running with 80% of their load capacity than they are at 100%  


good luck

[robertglines1]

lots to digest...have enough parts to repair bus air ,so will do that for the road.In past didn't have bus air  gen problems twice left us driving 100 mile each time with no aircond...Wife not happy!(95 plus)....will be doing basement air....zoned....so will size for use on 50 amp service,plus 20 amp available by hooking up double at post.so total design will be a 70amp max load..from what I have gleaned from this post;diesel is more fuel efficient than gas,and would not require a separate tank..I have a 15kw onan to do some trading if the right diesel comes along...looks like a 12kw would give me a good cushion for the max 70 amp coach design....have not considered lpg because coach will be total electric..Thanks to all!!!!!Bob...

[TomC]

Because of the fact that I was an early user of a generator on big rig trucks (started in the 80's) and there really weren't good small generators being made yet, I used an Onan 6.5 Emerald Commercial with a PTO shaft out the back of the alternator that I belt drove my sleeper A/C (much more powerful then electric).  Even though I got nearly 12,000 hours out of the first generator before it quit, I would NEVER have a gasoline generator again.  Granted it had a manually controlled carburetor that needed adjusting every time you were in higher or lower altitude.  And my first gen had points!  Had to clean the sparkers every other oil change (150hours), and had to run an exterior fan blowing the exhaust away from the truck so not to gas me out.

A Diesel, on the other hand-change oil at 150 hours-that's it!  I have a removable stack to run the exhaust up when in the campsite. That's it.  Plus-Diesel gensets can run into the 20-30,000 hour range before overhaul.  Good Luck, TomC