Portable Generator that will run 2 A/C's?

[Rangerbazz]

We recently bought a new Oakmont Fifth wheel and we live in Texas where you need both generators at times. We boondock a lot at baseball tournaments in the summer months and sometimes we need to run both A/C's to stay comfortable. Is there a quiet generator that will run everything in the trailer including the two A/C's? Been looking into the Hondas but they don't have a 50amp plug, so how do you get the bigger generators to connect? Any help/experience would be appreciated.

 

[justafordguy]

Any generator with at least 5500 watts continuous should run both A/Cs. You will need an adapter if the gen doesn't have the right plug, you can get them at any RV supply store or Amazon.com.

 

[wdk450]

Be sure you have a few 5 gallon jerry cans of fuel. I did a test with an efficient inverter generator with my 1 AC running on a 100 degree afternoon. It ran 4 gallons of fuel in 4 hours of running the AC. That's about 8 gallons ($32) of fuel with the fuel prices at that time, per day. My new motto is "If you need to run Air Conditioning, get thee to an RV park with electrical hookups".

 

[TandT]

Question, did your rig come with the gen-prep option? I absolutely love our Onan propane 5500, that I had installed by HL when we ordered our rig 5 years ago.

They are available after market for around $4000. No muss-no fuss, push a button and you're done. Fuel already on-board and burns clean and quiet. Trace

 

[Cabindoc]

Subscribing. I just bought a Torque with gen prep and no gen and 1 ac. Do I get a 4 or a 5.5?

 

[whp4262]

Subscribing. I just bought a Torque with gen prep and no gen and 1 ac. Do I get a 4 or a 5.5?

Get the 5.5, you might want to upgrade with a second a/c later or whatever. Bigger is better within reason when it comes to generators.


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[RoadJunkie]

A word about the "quiet" element of your desired features: If you are running 2 air conditioners, your generator will be anything but quiet.

 

[avvidclif]

I had a Yamaha EF4500IES (IIRC) and it ran 2 AC's. It never changed noise level when they cycled and the 5 gal tank would last over 8 hours. I now have an Onan 5500 builtin. It burns abt 1/2gal/hr with 1 AC. I haven't been in a situation when I needed 2 AC's and didn't have electric power.

 

[IronJ]

Before I got the th with built in onan, I had a Honda 7000is that ran my 2 dometic 15k units (with hard start caps)...honestly in the Texas heat that was the only solution I could come up with that would RELIABLY run 2 ac in 105+ ambient temperature and at over 4k ft elevation....I also owned (and sold) a champion 4000 , 2 champion 2000 , as well as 2 honda 2000....the champion 4000 would USUALLY run one ac and the truck and converter. ..but not ALWAYS...the 2000s paralled would run one but they were screaming pretty good...with the tvs and converter going...had to shut down ac to run microwave also...

So if you have 15k btu units they take a lil more juice to run....especially start up amp draw. ..

Oh and I opted for the optional tank on the new th....so with around 50 gal of gas on tap I can run the genny with impunity...as for cost, it is what it is....30 yrs ago camping was cheap as we slept in a. Truck bed.....not so much anymore,as I'm older and more spoiled.....I ain't gonna be miserable in texas heat....no sir....



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[TandT]

Get the 5.5, you might want to upgrade with a second a/c later or whatever. Bigger is better within reason when it comes to generators.


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I agree, as there is not a whole lot of difference in cost. Reserve power is better than not enough power. I can easily run both my A/C's together with most everything in the rig with my 5500. Trace

 

[Cabindoc]

Thanx guys. The 5.5 will run me an add'l $1k but I guess when your spending that much, what's another G.


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[Rangerbazz]

So how hard is it to get my unit prepped for a generator if I go with the onboard Onan? Also, I have been told that the Onan sucks the propane dry in no time? I would love to go with the onboard, but my rig is not gen prepped, can I do that now?

 

[danemayer]

So how hard is it to get my unit prepped for a generator if I go with the onboard Onan? Also, I have been told that the Onan sucks the propane dry in no time? I would love to go with the onboard, but my rig is not gen prepped, can I do that now?

A large generator, like an Onan 5500 does take close to a gallon of fuel per hour of runtime, whether gas, diesel, or propane. If you have 30 lb. propane tanks, they each hold about 7 gallons. If considering gas or diesel, you'd need a good sized fuel cell somewhere to get longer run times.

Some people report better fuel economy putting 2 smaller gas generators together.

I don't know if your Oakmont can be retrofitted with generator prep like the factory provides. If there's a Gen Prep option for your model, it should be possible. If the factory doesn't offer that option on yours, there may be design limitations that prevent adding it. Gen prep includes an automatic transfer switch, modification of the front storage compartment, a junction box in the front compartment, and wiring for a remote meter/start button.