Generator Options

[markfairris]

Wife and I (and the dogs) are planning to full time, actually only 6-8 months a year, when we retire in a few. We are going to go ahead and buy a 2014 Savannah and get it set up as needed and begin our "education", but we want to get it right the first time. Never RV'ed before but we are going to this. Want to try limited boondocking in the west. She needs lots of AC for the "hot flashes" so I know a gen is in the picture. What is going to be the best (translated most economical in the long run) option for us...Onan, 2 Hondas, etc. I like the gas option better, but how much fuel will I use, how much fuel will I need to have, and where does one store it? VERY open to your experiences and suggestions.

 

[danemayer]

Hi markfairris,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. There's lots of useful information here along with a great bunch of friendly and helpful people.

If your limited boondocking plan is for more than a day or two at a time, you probably won't want the on board propane generator. It uses close to a gallon of propane per hour when running air conditioning. Two 40# propane tanks contain about 18 gallons.

I'm sure you'll get suggestions shortly.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

LOL....can't stop laughing at your "hot flashes" comment. My wife has had them for about 2 years now....trust me, no AC in the world could put that out. We joke around that she is more like the superhero "Human Flash".....


..but back to your question.

What does "out west" mean to you? You mean PNW? Cal? Arizona? Reason I ask is, depending on where you camp in PNW, you probably won't need the AC. We camp all summer and never turn ours on (I don't have the ability to power it) and never once wish I had a generator to power the AC units. LARGE trees...very low humidity = No need for AC.

Now...if you're heading to say Texas or Arizona in the summer...then you're going to need a Onan (built in gen) to be able to run both AC units 7x24.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Onan 5500 LP, no fuss, no muss. Install "auto gen start" and your fuel consumption will be held to a minimum. I cool the coach well utilizing both units, then I run only one ac unit once the rig is cooled down. If hot flashes are a problem, might I suggest a quality 12v fan from NAPA, and running the bedroom unit only. It works for me.

 

[Bohemian]

A small built in generator, 2500lp or 3600lp. A hybrid 5kw inverter/charger, Victron Multiplus. A large bank of batteries. A large solar array.

Peak starting power spikes will come from the batteries and the genset.

 

[LBR]

Personal fans for our ladies... some even recharge by USB... lol

https://www.amazon.com/O2-Cool-1280-DLX-Necklace-Fan/dp/B007OYTJE8

 

[rxbristol]

Your only option is to head to cooler locations.

 

[danemayer]

A lot of people get a pair of Honda EU2000i generators and run them in parallel. They're lighter than a comparably sized single unit and I think you'll be able to get some air conditioning.

 

[markfairris]

Ohhh...we already do fans. One by the bed, and the ceiling fan on helicopter mode!

 

[markfairris]

Actually, all of the west. I figure we can do the north in the summer and AZ/NM in the fall and spring to help keep things comfy. We love AZ and New Mexico and have made about 5 trips to date with another planned this spring to Flagstaff/Sedona. Last time in Santa Fe (in the summer) the resort did not have AC. Being from South Alabama, that seemed odd. I was OK but a little warm for sleep, but Vicky went into meltdown mode. Might not need much AC if we plan well, but I am not prepared to risk the repercussions if she is not comfy.

Sounds like you figured out how to do it...might need to contract you to plan out 1st long trip...lol

 

[deardorffs]

Question for Bohemian.....

installer/vendor is questioning a hybrid inverter's ability to transfer power quick enough to avoid the voltage drop at generator that aborts a/c startup.

He say most hybrid inverters have a transfer/transition time of 20-50ms which is not fast enough to avoid the voltage drop a small generator (3000 watts) will suffer when hit with the startup surge of the 15,000 btu a/c.

Due to the voltage drop either the a/c controller or the digital thermostat will go dark aborting the a/c startup, generator voltage recovers, so inverter spins down, and the whole cycle keeps repeating until something breaks.

I've read another post where the user said to get generator support out of many of the hybrid inverters requires that their automatic generator start (AGS) unit be in the system. May be to assure the inverter is spun up before the generator starts and before the a/c attempts to start. A wild guess....

Anyway have you experienced any issues like this?

Do you have AGS in your system?

 

[Bohemian]

Question for Bohemian.....

installer/vendor is questioning a hybrid inverter's ability to transfer power quick enough to avoid the voltage drop at generator that aborts a/c startup.

He say most hybrid inverters have a transfer/transition time of 20-50ms which is not fast enough to avoid the voltage drop a small generator (3000 watts) will suffer when hit with the startup surge of the 15,000 btu a/c.

Due to the voltage drop either the a/c controller or the digital thermostat will go dark aborting the a/c startup, generator voltage recovers, so inverter spins down, and the whole cycle keeps repeating until something breaks.

I've read another post where the user said to get generator support out of many of the hybrid inverters requires that their automatic generator start (AGS) unit be in the system. May be to assure the inverter is spun up before the generator starts and before the a/c attempts to start. A wild guess....

Anyway have you experienced any issues like this?

Do you have AGS in your system?

See the above link to Technomadia. They have a video of running AC off a Victron Multiplus. It switches plenty fast. In the video they are on 15A house.

 

[deardorffs]

i watched it early as you had suggested on the my original post about the hybrid inverter question, and their system does have automatic generator start, which may be the trick to making it work, but unfortunately you can't do that with an external generator.

do you have AGS?

See the above link to Technomadia. They have a video of running AC off a Victron Multiplus. It switches plenty fast. In the video they are on 15A house.