Generator Questions

IowaNomads · Jul 3, 2017

Have some questions I'm sure many of you know the answers to,

In a motor home does the generator draw fuel from the same tank as the engine or does it have it's own tank?

How many hours on a generator should I start to get worried?

Are the generators that come with a motorhome large enough to run appliances and AC/heat at once or do you still have to turn off the AC to use the microwave?

Are installed in such a way that someone can service them themselves without having to take it to a shop?

I appreciate your help in this.

mel s · Jul 3, 2017

IowaNomads said:
Have some questions I'm sure many of you know the answers to

In a motor home does the generator draw fuel from the same tank as the engine or does it have it's own tank?
My generator burns liquid propane from the same tank that fuels the refrigerator, water heater, furnace and cook top.

How many hours on a generator should I start to get worried?
Worried about what?

Are the generators that come with a motorhome large enough to run appliances and AC/heat at once or do you still have to turn off the AC to use the microwave?
My 6.3KW Onan is large enough to run both appliances and AC/heat at the same time.

Are they installed in such a way that someone can service them themselves without having to take it to a shop?
Some service on my generator is difficult to do because if where it it's installed

Kevin Means · Jul 3, 2017

The fuel pick up for most gas and diesel generators is at about the 1/4 to 1/3 level of the RV's main fuel tank. It's done that way so your generator won't drain the tank completely - leaving you with enough fuel in the tank to drive for awhile.

Most motorhome generators will power everything in the coach simultaneously, although some may struggle more than others. Larger gensets are sometimes an option. In our previous coach, for example, the Onan 5 was standard, but the person who bought the coach new opted for the Onan 7.

My brother-in-law has an Onan 5 in his coach, with more than 2300 hours on it, and it starts and runs fine. That's because he exercises it regularly.

Kev

Larry N. · Jul 3, 2017

IowaNomads said:
Have some questions I'm sure many of you know the answers to,

In a motor home does the generator draw fuel from the same tank as the engine or does it have it's own tank?

Most rigs have a fuel source the same as their road engine (gas or diesel), but there are some (as mel s indicates) that use propane. So it's rig dependent. But note what Kev says, too.

IowaNomads said:
How many hours on a generator should I start to get worried?

On most rigs you're looking at industrial grade generators, made to run and run and run. A thousand hours is just getting broken in good on a lot of them. I once ran the genny on my Beaver for almost 72 hours straight, and it wasn't even breathing hard.

IowaNomads said:
Are the generators that come with a motorhome large enough to run appliances and AC/heat at once or do you still have to turn off the AC to use the microwave?

That will also be rig dependent, but often they can run everything. Some, though, might require some care in what you run.

IowaNomads said:
Are installed in such a way that someone can service them themselves without having to take it to a shop?

That, too, is rig dependent. On my Beaver, the genny was on a slide that came right out the front of the rig, where everything was easy to get at. On my Bounder it was in a side compartment that required it be removed for anything other than oil changes. My Ventana is in between, but the Cummins shop had to pull it from the rig to access an internal problem area (thankfully under warranty).

John Stephens · Jul 3, 2017

If you take care of your generator and service it properly, it will probably last as long as your coach. Follow the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual and change the oil, filter and air filter when required, usually every 150 hours. Change the spark plug at around 500 hours. Exercise it every 2-3 weeks at half load for at least 30 minutes and preferably 2 hours. This keeps everything running smoothly and keeps the gas (if it is a gas generator) from gumming up in the carb. You don't rebuild carbs on these things; you replace them at a cost of around $400.

As Larry said, these things are built to run. I put over 300 hours on mine on a five week trip last year and had no problems with how it ran.

Generator Questions

IowaNomads

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