Onan Generator Question

[DennisTD]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 2015 29HFS. I know I can save money with a Honda or other portable generator, but like the convenience of factory installed/just push a button and start.

I am concerned about the noise/vibration, however, of the generator installed right below the bed. Can anyone who has the factory Onan unit comment on this?

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to learning and contributing once we get our XLR!

[dmdrj5]

I had a motorhome with the generator directly under the bedroom. NOT GOOD! I ended up buying a portable generator that I ran at night with a little distance from the motorhome. I ran the resident generator during the day.

Good luck,
Don

[John McClain]

I have Onan 5500 in my 5er and can not hear it running inside at all

[Kaboom]

I have the factory installed Onan 4000 in my 27 hfs. It is a bit loud inside and you can feel the vibration. It is also loud outside. If I had it to do over since I rarely stay at a site without power I would most likely not get the Onan, but two honda's instead. Having the start/stop switch inside is nice. I have read other posts about adding sound dampening to help with the noise inside, but I would hate to be my neighbor.

[Homebrew]

Originally Posted by Kaboom

I have the factory installed Onan 4000 in my 27 hfs. It is a bit loud inside and you can feel the vibration. It is also loud outside. If I had it to do over since I rarely stay at a site without power I would most likely not get the Onan, but two honda's instead. Having the start/stop switch inside is nice. I have read other posts about adding sound dampening to help with the noise inside, but I would hate to be my neighbor.

I agree, The generator in a TT is in the living space.

The 5th wheels have a space below the living space.

Most campgrounds have quiet hours and generators are not permitted over nite.
Small generator and extra battery's with a inverter will be the better plan with a TT.

[DennisTD]

Thanks for all the feedback. It's greatly appreciated!

[bigdog64]

I have a 27HFS with the Onan 4000 generator and before I installed it I insulated the inside of the box and the outside of the box (under the matress) with a product called Boom Mat.It is 1" thick with peel and stick on one side and heat resistant layer on the other side, (shiny foil). I never tried it without this insulation but with it the noise is not bad at all. Can watch tv in the bedroom no problem and with the air conditioner running you cant hear it over the noise of the a/c. Happy with the choice instead of having to get other generators out and hooked up I just push a button.

[mud yapster]

We have a 5500 watt Onan in our 5th wheel under the bedroom and it is quiet no noise issues for us. I was a little sceptical about it being under there but its quiet but the bedroom A/C is the loud part in ours.

[rsv4pilot]

Make sure the factory removes the plastic behind the screen in the access door for the generator. They didn't in mine and the generator overheated causing it to shut down continuously and causing some damage to the microprocessor board on the generator.

Forest River covered the damage under warranty after Onan Elkhart IN figured it out.

Other then that it is a great generator.

[DennisTD]

Thanks to all! New here...great forum!

[taken]

I too am very happy with onboard generators. Very little noise or vibration. Had the 5500 in my last hauler and also have it on my ordered unit. A couple of other benefits to onboard are first, you are running off a large onboard fuel tank. No running out of gas, refilling, etc. Also, no cords to plug in. Say you stop at a rest area and want to heat something up quick in the microwave. It's as simple as pushing a button and you have power. Lastly, and one that people often don't think of, is you can run an onboard genset while towing. This works fantastic when traveling to a campground on a hot day. We usually stop of an hour or two before pulling in and fire up the generator and AC. Nothing like setting up in a nice cool trailer on a sweltering hot day.

[ykdave]

Gotta say i am very pleased with mine.

You have to basically be listening for it to know its running when in the living room/kitchen. in the master bedroom, with the genset directly under the bed, its alot better than i had thought. minimal vibration, no droning, but its obviously audible.

If your one of those people that NEED their genset running 24/7 (seriously what are you running at night that cant run off 12v or an inverter!, though a/c can be handy some nights) and cant sleep if their is any noise at all, then its probably not for you.

[JohnRiordan]

It is a little noisy, but I can sleep through anything. I am going to install a inverter with a 2nd battery maybe in the bottom of entertainment center for the TV so I dont need to run genset just to relax as long as long as I dont need to run AC.