Onan 4kw -- Hours per gallon = ???

[KodiakRV]

Any idea how many hours (or minutes) per gallon of gas you get with a 4kw Onan generator under load?

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Any idea how many hours (or minutes) per gallon of gas you get with a 4kw Onan generator under load?

My Tioga had a 4kw Onan -- and during longer boondocking camping times of 2 to 4 weeks running every day for about 6 or so hours, I averaged 4.6 gallons per hour. I kept tabs on the numbers all the time so for my onan, that was a pretty accurate figure. That was running whatever I needed at the time -- such as TV w/TivO, air, 40 amp 3 stage charger, and a 3 computer network with peripherals. That was one fine genset . . .

 

[Ray D]

I have been trying to figure this out. But, haven't been boondocking, yet. Have been running the 5.5 Onan for AC, while driving. Had it figured out at around 3/4 of a gallon per hour. I was pretty happy with that! May have to refigure.

Bob, are you sure it's not 4.6 hours per gallon, rather than 4.6 gallons per hour? One sounds really high, to me. The other pretty good, low, in fact. Do I need to do my numbers, again?

 

[Bob Buchanan]

I have been trying to figure this out. But, haven't been boondocking, yet. Have been running the 5.5 Onan for AC, while driving. Had it figured out at around 3/4 of a gallon per hour. I was pretty happy with that! May have to refigure.

Bob, are you sure it's not 4.6 hours per gallon, rather than 4.6 gallons per hour? One sounds really high, to me. The other pretty good, low, in fact. Do I need to do my numbers, again?

I had a math professor that used to write on my homework, "Robert, your higher math is coming along very well -- your third grade arithmetic is atrocious".? The decimal point is misplaced. It should read 0.46 gallons per hour. Onan states that under load, it should get 0.5 -- so I felt OK with the numbers.

Thanks, Ray . . .

 

[Shayne]

I caught that, Bob but I didn't want to comment and give you a chance to correct.  It cost me about 1/2 gal an hr on ours and I run the heck out of it. That's why I got it to use. Don't understand these people that don"t use them.  Must be saving them for the next buyer.The more you run them the better they run.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

I caught that, Bob but I didn't want to comment and give you a chance to correct.? It cost me about 1/2 gal an hr on ours and I run the heck out of it. That's why I got it to use. Don't understand these people that don"t use them.? Must be saving them for the next buyer.The more you run them the better they run.

Thanks, Shayne. I run my genset a lot too when boondocking--but make sure I'm not bothering anyone sound or fume wise. When I first started coming to QZ, the location you saw me in last January was actually away and removed from the rest of the folk. Of course now, rigs like yourself and Smoky continued on past me.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

My 5.5 kw Generac uses about 0.5 gal/hour, even when running the a/c. The range appears to be something like 0.4-0.6, though I have not attempted to measured it really accurately.  Most people report a similar number, so yours should be no worse than that.

 

[John From Detroit]

You can get the estimates direct from Onan, but as someone else posted for a 5.5 it's 1/2 gallon light load, 1 gallon per hour full load, I suspect the 4kw is going to be right close to that as well

 

[KodiakRV]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'll use the 0.5 gallons per hour [2 hours per gallon] figure until I can determine otherwise.