generator sizing for wildwood 26 tbss

[bigdaddy]

We recently bought a Wildwood LE 26TBSS and we love it! We are planning on camping in some state parks next summer and need to purchase a generaor. I have a monster 5500W that i use for my house in the winter but wanted sometnig quieter for the RV. does anyone know what the minimum wattage i need is to run the lights, fridge, freezer, and A/C at a minimum?

I was thinking that if the generator had a 30A outlet, it should suffice. i don't think ive seen a 30 A outlet on anything smaller than 3000 W.

Your thoughts or experience would be appreciated. I've got a long New England winter to think about it!

[Dave_Monica]

If you want to be able to run the A/C along with lights and frig, you'll need a generator that will handle close to 30A. The Honda EU3000i or two Hondas EU2000i's in parallel would do the trick.

Dave

[NWJeeper]

As an example, any class A motorhome sold with a generator will have a minimum 3500kw generator to run the A/C. Remember that an A/C compressor must draw quite a bit higher load on startup then when running and the generator must account for this.

[acadianbob]

And please do your fellow campers a favor and buy a QUIET generator like the Hondas. Per a previous post, I think you best bet is 2 Honda 2,000 watt generators hooked in parallel. Easier to haul around, good power, real quiet.

[TulsaSteve]

I like the idea of 2 2000s. 120V * 30A = 3600W. So with 2 2000s you would be all set. Also if one generator has an issue, your not completely dark.

And on cooler days (i.e. no need for A/C) you can save fuel and create less noise running a single unit.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by bigdaddy

We recently bought a Wildwood LE 26TBSS and we love it! We are planning on camping in some state parks next summer and need to purchase a generaor. I have a monster 5500W that i use for my house in the winter but wanted sometnig quieter for the RV. does anyone know what the minimum wattage i need is to run the lights, fridge, freezer, and A/C at a minimum?

I was thinking that if the generator had a 30A outlet, it should suffice. i don't think ive seen a 30 A outlet on anything smaller than 3000 W.

Your thoughts or experience would be appreciated. I've got a long New England winter to think about it!

You didn't mention what elevations you will be camping at. Higher elevations sometimes require a bigger generator because of the loss of efficiency due to the thinner air.

We have a Yamaha EF2400is that will run our 13,500 BTU AC only, and I have not had a problem with it at 3500'. I have heard others say they have used it at 5000', but haven't heard of any experiences above that. But, there a a couple of things that I do as a precaution that I don't have potential problems. I run the genny a little while to warm up, and also so that the converter will get the initial charge on the batteries up. I cut the fridge on "gas" only, so that won't be a draw.......on automatic once you plug in the genny, then the fridge will switch to AC unless you do that procedure. You shouldn't have any lights on........most campgrounds won't let you run a generator after dark anyhow, so that should not be a concern. I cut the AC on low fan only, and then turn the switch to low cool.......that way the fan is already turning and that is not an additional draw when the AC compressor starts. The overload lite will flicker on for a second or 2, but goes off after the compressor is up to speed.

So, a 2400 watt genny will run the AC, but I have not tried other stuff yet while the AC is running.

[bigdaddy]

Thanks to all, I think we will opt for the 2 x 2000W Hondas. I like the idea of having power options should 1 unit decide to quit. I'll let you know how it works out. Today is winterizing day!!! Our season is officially done, be back at it in April!

[edman87k5]

Watts works like this. Your 30amp service at 120volts equals 3600 watts. A lot of the rv stores locally are marketing the 3600watt yamaha for this reason.
Your home generator being a 5500watt will put out (5500/120) about 45.8 amps at 120v or 23amps at 240volts.
Of course this is claimed output and I dont know whether you are referring to running watts or surge.
So, in summary, if you have 30amp service, you should be looking for around 3600 watts or more. If you opt for more, it will be a waste because the breaker in the rv will trip long before the rv can make use of 5000 watts.
Myself, I would definately prefer an inverter type generator for rv use such as the honda or yamaha (plus they are quiet). I have a subaru 5000 for home use, but dont use it on the camper(BTW, the subaru is even quiter and easier to start than a honda!)

[Herk7769]

We agonized over this very thing and opted finally for a Yamaha EF30iSEB with 500 watt "boost." The best part of buying the Tri-Fuel powered generator was the ability to run on Propane, Natural Gas, and Gasoline. Since I have a deisel pickup, I just fill the tank on the Yamaha with gas and run it on the 20# in the truck. If needed we can switch back to gasoline if we run out of propane in the cylinder. US Carburation was terrific. They modified the generator in a very professional manner and installed some electronics (remote start and run time/RPM meter) in less time than they estimated. The Yamaha is VERY quiet and has an economy setting that varies throttle based on load.

http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-ga...m/ef30iseb.htm

Photos:

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/284...I?vhost=travel

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/272...o?vhost=travel

[slpybeartx]

One of these...

http://www.cabelas.com/p-0040261522130a.shtml

...is all I would buy. Unless you run 75 or 80% off of gens, I wouldn't get anything else.

[Dave_Monica]

With 68dB noise, you'll won't be very popular with your neighbours. I believe some national parks have a generator noise limit of 60dB.

Dave