When you move around with an RV a lot, you’d often find yourself in places where there’s no electricity to plug into your RV.
The answer is to add a portable converter to your RV. Furthermore, to keep all the appliances powered up, you’d need to keep sufficient fuel onboard.
Start with calculating full-load power requirements, and from there, you can deduce how much fuel does an RV generator use.
Is It Important to Know the RV Generator Fuel Consumption?
There are some good reasons why keeping track of your RV generator fuel usage is the smart thing to do.
It Could Use up all the Fuel in Your Tank
A built-in generator is a great addition to any RV. It’s often placed in an appropriate location where it can use the fuel from the main tank of the vehicle.
This saves you the hassle of filling up the RV with gas, then replenishing the reservoirs of the generator. Moreover, the vehicle and generator could be using different types of gas, so things could get a bit complicated.
The downside of this setup is that the generator could use up all the gas in the tank if you’re not careful. An air conditioner gobbles up loads of power, so it’s best to keep track of fuel consumption, to avoid a situation where the tank is empty, and you’re tens of miles from a gas station.
To Bring Sufficient Fuel for the Trip
Not all RV generators are built-in or feed on the fuel in the main tank. Usually, RVs have portable generators.
To maintain a consistent supply of power to your various devices, you need to get a sufficient amount of fuel. This is best done by calculating the total wattage needed, the full-load capacity, surge power, and total run time.
From the ratings on the generator, you can tell how much fuel is needed for peak power requirements for the course of the trip. Why do we take the extremes into consideration? It’s a better safe than sorry kind of thing.
Some devices take up a bit more fuel on startup, and at the beginning of operating cycles. The air conditioners and fridges are notorious for that. Some appliances are only ON briefly, like the hair-dryer or the microwave oven, while others go on for hours on end, like the TV set.
To avoid power outages, always assume spikes and operation for a full day. Then, bring enough fuel to last throughout the trip. If there are known stops where you can replenish, then by all means do that.
To Keep Track of Your Power Spendings
Fuel doesn’t feel like a capital cost, as it often comes in the form of a small bill. Spending $10 per day on fuel is not a big deal, but by the end of the month, this translates to $300. If you operate power-gobbling appliances, this figure could easily go up.
Having demonstrated that generator fuel could be a sizable cost, it’s wise then to offer some friendly advice: a solar or battery-powered generator is a sound environmental choice. It’s also the way to go if your power requirements are limited.
If you only need a few lights on and charging your smartphone plus your laptop, then using a fossil fuel generator could be going over the top. Otherwise, if you need to spend megawatts on your appliances, then a regular fuel generator is needed.
Types of RV Generators, Power Output, and Fuel Consumption
Fuel consumption depends largely on the type of fuel inside the machine. Some fuels are efficient and provide high power. While others are less so, but are quite easy to find.
Gas Generator
Gas generators aren’t the most efficient machines, but despite that inconvenience, they’re quite popular. That’s because it’s relatively easy to get hold of gas in most places.
The WEN GN4500 generator provides a continuous power of 3600 watts plus a startup power of 4500 watts. A 4-gallon fill can keep your systems running on half-load for around 13 hours. A smaller generator like the WEN 56125i Inverter Generator gives about 5 hours of runtime, for a half load, on a 0.7-gallon tank.
Diesel Generator
Diesel is like a gold standard for fueling generators, as it burns efficiently and without much waste.
The Onan QD 3200 for RV is among the most popular diesel-fuelled generators. It uses up 0.3 gallons per hour for a half load. In addition to its optimal performance, it’s a premium quality product that delivers consistent power for years.
Dual Gas/Propane Generator
Propane is an efficient type of fuel, but it’s not readily available. Gas presents the opposite situation, where it doesn’t burn too well, but it can be found everywhere. Dual generators provide the best of both worlds. The Champion 100574 4000-Watt RV Generator is a good example.
This type of RV generator generously offers the choice of operating it with gas or propane. It seems that it’s normally run on gas, as the data shows that it can run for 14.5 hours with that fuel. The gas capacity is 2.9 gallons.
Can You Improve the Efficiency of an RV Generator?
An efficient generator would use less fuel to generate more power. Most often, you can’t exceed the rated efficiency on your generator. But what you can do is make sure that this figure doesn’t deteriorate.
Retaining factory settings for an extended period of time depends on two things: the mechanical components of the generator and the quality of the fuel you use. It’s best to change any worn out or defective parts in a timely manner and use high-quality fuel.
Remember that fuel has a shelf life. If you use expired fuel you’d get unsatisfactory results, and this might also spoil the generator.
Generators are like pets, they need frequent exercising, or else they get cranky. Several sources recommend running the generator once every six months. This is pretty much the bare minimum. A monthly run would be much appreciated by your generator.
Machines perform really nice when you show them care. You don’t need to spend a fortune on preventive maintenance checks at the dealership, just a few timely interventions are more than sufficient.
To Sum Up
Knowing how much fuel an RV generator uses helps in operating your power systems optimally. If you’re well prepared ahead of time and carry with you enough fuel to power your RV, you’ll have a much higher chance of enjoying your trip.
Running out of power is no fun at all. On the other hand, there’s nothing better than enjoying a night out in nature, along with an air conditioner, a fridge full of refreshments, and a TV set. A few luxuries that add a lot of glam to camping.