Running generator through the night?

[blw2]

My wife and I were discussing upcoming trip options, and our eventual trial run of staying at one of the free overnight options (Flying J, Cracker Barrel, Walmart, etc...)
How many of you run your generators through the night for air conditioning?

I'm reluctant, concerns with
CO (yeah, i know we have a detector)
also concerns with fire
& I'm unsure if these things are considered "continuous duty" rated or not.  I didn't notice anything in the manual about it one way or the other....

I've seen the genturi things, which is an idea I like for many reasons..... but with or without it, I'm wondering if running overnight is considered a good idea?

 

[JFR]

When A/C is required it is either generator or shore line. If your RV in untested in this regard test it for 10 hours or so and observe. check to make sure all breaker are functioning properly and check for fumes.  This should give you the confidence your are seeking.
I use my generator all night one many occasions. Good Luck

 

[COMer]

Another consideration is the neighbors.  I would think that most would want to park away from others if they plan to run the generator all night. 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The built-in generator is rated continuous duty but the risk is how well the coach interior is protected from exhaust fumes and CO. Either the smell or the risk of deadly gas often makes it impractical or unwise to use the genset overnight. We even have a Genturi-like exhaust stack to take the exhaust above the roof line, but still do not want to gamble on CO. If it's hot enough to need a/c after 11 pm, we use a campground with electric.

But we have stayed in boondock situations where we ran the a/c from afternoon through evening and then shut her down at bedtime. If the RV is already cool and the outside temp has dropped to 70 or less, we find that using the roof vent fans is sufficient for our comfort. Your criteria may be different.

 

[SeilerBird]

Unless you are going to be staying in Las Vegas in the summer time I don't think you will need the A/C at night. A few fans might be useful but not the A/C.

 

[blw2]

If it's hot enough to need a/c after 11 pm, we use a campground with electric.

I like that advice.... just in line with my gut check!

Your criteria may be different.

From the looks of it, I think we are on the same page!

If your RV in untested in this regard test it for 10 hours or so and observe. check to make sure all breaker are functioning properly and check for fumes.  This should give you the confidence your are seeking.
I use my generator all night one many occasions. Good Luck

It is new and therefore untested for sure..... this is a big part of my concern.  I don't think I'll want to run it that long just for a test, but I do like the line of thought.  Running for an extended period of time durring the day will test the system and give me a better understanding of what to expect for sure....

Unless you are going to be staying in Las Vegas in the summer time I don't think you will need the A/C at night. A few fans might be useful but not the A/C.

It's not the heat so much, as the humidity for me here in the South East.  There are often times when it is just plain miserable to sleep.... it's why I have never had an interest to camp in the summer.  Now with the MH, I'm not cmaping, I'm RVing in the summer! ;D

Thanks everyone!

 

[Campfire RV]

Most of our camping is without hookups and some places it is still hot even late at night when we go to bed. We will run the generator during the day when we are in the coach to run the A/C but when we go to bed we turn off the generator and turn on our battery powered fans which work well enough for us.

 

[allygerry]

Today at the cost of fuel for the generator running all night I would probably get an RV site at a camp ground. Ten hours of running generator at will say 7ths gallon an hour and the cost of 3.60 a gallon is about the same price of a campground at PPA prices. You don't have to hear the generator run all night or worry about the CO level getting so high that you don't wake up. Just MHO.

 

[Wendy]

If I had to run the generator all night, I'd find a campground with electric. No desire to listen to the gen running all night.

 

[Campfire RV]

Today at the cost of fuel for the generator running all night I would probably get an RV site at a camp ground. Ten hours of running generator at will say 7ths gallon an hour and the cost of 3.60 a gallon is about the same price of a campground at PPA prices. You don't have to hear the generator run all night or worry about the CO level getting so high that you don't wake up. Just MHO.

I wish gas prices were only $3.60 a gallon here.   I wouldn't want to listen to the generator run all night as well, I don't think I would get much sleep.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Ten hours of running generator at will say 7ths gallon an hour

How many gallons per hour?  A typical RV generator uses about 0.5 gal.hr at 50% load, which would usually run at least one a/c. Larger generators could easily run two a/c at 50% load. But if the genset is small and needs to run at 80-100% of its max load, the gal/hr gets steep.

 

[BusterBus]

On our trips in and around NC (we live here) and when we head further south in the summer I always run the genny.  You have got to have it for the AC here because of the heat & humidity.  On trips to Alabama to visit in-laws the genny may run 24 hours continous.  On a recent trip to the US Open at Pinehurst we had to boondock and genny ran for at least 36 hrs. without a spit or spudder.  Not once have I smelt any exhaust fumes inside or has the detector gone off.  I try not to think about how much fuel it is using because you just have to have it in the south east if not hooked to shore power.  I have a 7.5kw Onan Quiet Diesel in an 36ft Allegro Bus. 

 

[Ernie n Tara]

I recently spent three days collecting material and converting our pole to 50A service. The generator just kept running day and night. It's an 8 kW quiet diesel and we had no trouble. Fuel consumption was low enough that we could have gone for at least another week (this was N. Texas in late Sept.)

Ernie

 

[Procrastinator]

Fans, vents, and good sleeping pills.... ;D

 

[blw2]

Today at the cost of fuel for the generator running all night I would probably get an RV site at a camp ground. Ten hours of running generator at will say 7ths gallon an hour and the cost of 3.60 a gallon is about the same price of a campground at PPA prices. You don't have to hear the generator run all night or worry about the CO level getting so high that you don't wake up. Just MHO.

I was thinking about this discussion yesterday evening....
allygery, you bring up a point I think...yes, there is an expense to running the genny, and the noise but that's not the whole of the equation.....
The point I'm thinking towards is there may be times when I want to drive untill 9 or 10PM or whatever, and pull over for a few hours rest at a flying J or whatever.... no finding a campground, no minutes or miles off the interstate, no late check-ins, no finding the spot, no going outside to plug in, etc....

Just seconds from the exit, gas up, park, and sleep..... then the next morning, a few minutes for a quick shower and brew a pot of joe, and a mere seconds later I'm merging onto the highway....

If we were going to stop at say dinner time and relax a few hours then I would tend to agree that finding a park might make sense....