Generator - how big?

[camplight]

I have not used a generator to power my 50AMP 5th wheel. I will run into a couple of trips where I will need run both A/C's, fridge, lights and tv this summer. Who can offer some experience with sizing generators or personal experience using them?

Is there anywhere (Kansas / Missouri) that you can rent an RV generator? I would rather not get a standard generator as these are much louder compared to RV generators.

What is the difference in a generator and an inverter generator?

Thanks for the help!

[emm-dee]

Inverter generators equal much less noise and much more money. Lots of choices but Honda and Yamaha lead the pack. A pair of Honda 3000 should do the job. A Honda 7000 would definitely do it but it's really heavy (250+pounds).

It has been discussed a lot on here and a lot of people have good knowledge they'll share about what you'll need for a 50amp RV (I just got the pair of Honda 2000s for my 30amp unit).

[dontay]

We had a 5500 watt generator on our last motorhome to run the equip you are talking about, 2 a/c's, refrig, microwave, water heater, etc. It ran all with no problems except when altitude became an issue. Then the a/c on the same power leg as the microwave had to be turned off. That only happened to us at about 6700 ft.
Regular gensets use the motor to turn an alternator for the output. Inverter sets use a generator to produce DC power and electronics to convert it to AC for use.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by camplight

I have not used a generator to power my 50AMP 5th wheel. I will run into a couple of trips where I will need run both A/C's, fridge, lights and tv this summer. Who can offer some experience with sizing generators or personal experience using them?

Is there anywhere (Kansas / Missouri) that you can rent an RV generator? I would rather not get a standard generator as these are much louder compared to RV generators.

What is the difference in a generator and an inverter generator?

Thanks for the help!

SO many questions. For one thing a 50 amp RV is actually a 100 amp RV with 50 amps on both legs from a 240 volt feed. SO you need lots of power. For a second thing you can probably rent a Honda or Yamaha Inverter generator in many places, and will need a largish one like a 4500 or larger. For a third thing the inverter generators produce a cleaner sine wave and cause less problems with sensitive electronics. For a 4th thing, I am not sure what you are talking about an "RV" generator as anything you can rent will be a portable generator and some are loud and some are quiet, but an RV generator by the standard usage of the term is a permanently mounted unit which cannot be rented.

Find a rental center that has large Honda or Yamaha inverter generators and go with that. An 4500 would be minimum and a 6500-7000 size would be better. Make sure you have the generator plug to RV 50 amp adapter for the connection.

Good Kuck

[Fairenatic]

To run both ACs will get heavy and expensive. If you can live with running just one AC on generators, then I think you will be much happier with your lighter options. Hauling out a 7000 watt generator (50amps), will get old quick.

You also have to consider the noise levels. Inverter generators are far more neighbor friendly, can usually be hooked up in parallel to get 30+ amps, are much lighter if you get two, and will give you some redundancy, should one or the other give you trouble.

See product review section for the Yamaha generator review I submitted for more details.

[camplight]

Originally Posted by garbonz

SO many questions. For one thing a 50 amp RV is actually a 100 amp RV with 50 amps on both legs from a 240 volt feed. SO you need lots of power. For a second thing you can probably rent a Honda or Yamaha Inverter generator in many places, and will need a largish one like a 4500 or larger. For a third thing the inverter generators produce a cleaner sine wave and cause less problems with sensitive electronics. For a 4th thing, I am not sure what you are talking about an "RV" generator as anything you can rent will be a portable generator and some are loud and some are quiet, but an RV generator by the standard usage of the term is a permanently mounted unit which cannot be rented.

Find a rental center that has large Honda or Yamaha inverter generators and go with that. An 4500 would be minimum and a 6500-7000 size would be better. Make sure you have the generator plug to RV 50 amp adapter for the connection.

Good Kuck

Thank yo for your reply. As I have become more educated, I realize that I initially thought an "inverter generator" was considered an "RV" generator. But now know that an inverter generator is just much quiter and prefered for camping since it does not produce as much noise as a conventional open frame generator.

So far I can't find a rental facility in my area (Kansas) that rents this size of generator. The largest rental I have found is a Honda EU3000 which is not enough. I guess I could rent 2 and get the parallel adapter but then I am lugging around 2 units, possibly more fuel...etc. I can find them in CA and NV...LOL!

I would really like to test out / rent a Honda EU7000 to see if I really want to drop that much money on a generator. I would also use this in the event of a power outage at my home.

I am not concerned with the weight of the EU7000 and taking it with us. I would not be doing it often or maybe I would if we really liked it! I will keep searching! I am just hesitant to spend that much right now.

[j free]

I use a Onan 5500 built into the RV I use propane to power mine and I run both A/C's and all other electrical. It has two 30 amp on it and it cost about $4500 for purchase and install.