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Old 05-12-2018, 07:02 AM   #1
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Generator living in the interstate

Just got to Texas around 1pm yesterday and tried my first time without hookup. Just used fridge , air for 3 hours, then fantastic fan overnight. LP tank ran from 85% to 0 by 8am next morning. So if you going to try going without hook up in the hot months, its going to be a little rough.
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Old 05-12-2018, 07:04 AM   #2
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Just got to Texas around 1pm yesterday and tried my first time without hookup. Just used fridge , air for 3 hours, then fantastic fan overnight. LP tank ran from 85% to 0 by 8am next morning. So if you going to try going without hook up in the hot months, its going to be a little rough.


What size is your tank?
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Old 05-12-2018, 07:20 AM   #3
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First, welcome to Texas! Yesterday wasn't that hot. It was just a sneak peek at what's to come.


Second, something about your description might not add up. Yes, you will quickly exhaust your propane if you try to stay off grid here in the hotter months. But it should not happen THAT fast. IIRC from other threads, your 2018 Interstate should get at least 16 hours of generator time + a/c out of your tank.
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Old 05-12-2018, 07:22 AM   #4
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Thats about right tho, i got there at 1pm, and ran it till 8am. I think its about 18 gallons. It was 90 degrees when I arrived.
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Old 05-12-2018, 07:33 AM   #5
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My bad. When you said you ran air for 3 hours, I assumed you meant that you ran the genset for 3 hours (there's that word "assume" again, and we know how that word breaks down into its constituent components).

Unless you are running air, you should try to avoid running the generator at all. Your batteries should take care of the rest. Or if they don't, this forum is replete with stories of upgrades both AGM and lithium.
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Old 05-12-2018, 07:50 AM   #6
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Yes, and if you have a spot conducive to it, best with some shade, opening the sliding and rear doors allows a cooling tunnel of air and breeze to run thru your Interstate, avoiding the necessity of using the AC and therefore the generator.

I did this recently during the day at a beach campground, where it was warm but not hot, and stayed very comfortable without AC.

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Old 05-12-2018, 08:28 AM   #7
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I was limited in being able to open it up..im travelling with a cat and my screen door fell off, so I had to get somewhere where someone could help me get it back on...it takes 2 people to get it back on and I'm traveling solo. I'll refill and see how it does now that I can open it up more. Love this forum and everyone's input. It is so helpful. Thanks a lot!
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Old 05-12-2018, 10:50 AM   #8
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Might get a harness and leash for that cat, too.

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Old 05-12-2018, 10:57 AM   #9
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Working on that. This is his first road trip. First 2 days a bit rough. Now he hops in the seat or dash as soon as I turn the engine
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Old 05-12-2018, 11:32 PM   #10
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Thats about right tho, i got there at 1pm, and ran it till 8am. I think its about 18 gallons. It was 90 degrees when I arrived.
I haven't experienced that much fuel use with the generator running, I think I get 30+ hours from a full tank on my 2015 which should match yours fairly closely. Here is how I work out the fuel use:

The tank in my 2015 holds almost 19 gallons. The tank isn't really full when it reads full to allow for the propane liquid to evaporate to a vapor and then flow through the system so you should have 15 gals or so at the max. I recall that the generator used 1/3 to 1/2 gallon per hour depending on the load so that would equate to 30+ hours of run time with a full tank.

A couple of caveats here. I'm assuming no propane use for the water heater or the furnace. Stove top use shouldn't really matter, you'd have to cook a ton of food to use a lot of propane. Also, make sure that the overflow/check valve is open during the fill process so you have a full tank when you start, I've had to point it out to a couple of the attendants at the propane fill station.
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Old 05-13-2018, 07:58 PM   #11
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Well living in the interstate in Texas with 90 degree humid weather for a few weeks turning out interesting. Parked with a little shade. Turned off everything except fridge after running generator fuel down. After less than 24 hours found my house and chassis batteries almost to zero. Turned on ignition immediately and let it run. Batteries came back up but not sure they will hold a charge. Im plugged in now. I dont know how you can dry camp in heat without sweating it out and no fridge. I do not use water heater. Only turn on water pump intermittently to use water. They call this thing self sufficient, but I find it only self sufficient if you plug in. You do not have much time if its hot with the generator or solar if fridge remains on.
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Old 05-13-2018, 08:06 PM   #12
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We generally consider that our camping season ends in April. Resumes some time around October.
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Old 05-13-2018, 09:06 PM   #13
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Wow, good to know. My family is in Texas but I left many years ago to Ohio. Tried to get down before the heat, but I'm 1-2 months too late. Will definitely keep that in mind. thanks for the info. The heat has been my issue on this forum, but the bugs are a whole nother story. My interstate is covered in bugs. Hope I'll be able to scrub them off soon.
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Old 05-14-2018, 12:45 AM   #14
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We are talking TEXAS heat here folks. It doesn't cool down at night. Just stays in oven mode till about December.
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Old 05-14-2018, 05:16 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by Mansderm161 View Post
Well living in the interstate in Texas with 90 degree humid weather for a few weeks turning out interesting. Parked with a little shade. Turned off everything except fridge after running generator fuel down. After less than 24 hours found my house and chassis batteries almost to zero. Turned on ignition immediately and let it run. Batteries came back up but not sure they will hold a charge. Im plugged in now. I dont know how you can dry camp in heat without sweating it out and no fridge. I do not use water heater. Only turn on water pump intermittently to use water. They call this thing self sufficient, but I find it only self sufficient if you plug in. You do not have much time if its hot with the generator or solar if fridge remains on.
I think it’s possible to reduce frustration by keeping expectations realistic, here.

Our Interstates are not grounded space ships, not intended for full time living in all temperatures, nor extended periods off-grid whilst keeping inhabitants effectively and comfortably insulated from the extremes of Mother Nature.

Many of our general travel/camping philosophy is to go north in summer and south in winter, seeking more moderate temps within which to use our rigs while avoiding the extremes...and seeking electric hookups when extended use of air conditioning or heat are required.

From my experience, if you want to camp in the extremes, hookups or not, comfort will be a struggle and your rig may take a hit in some way from trying to function effectively in a temperature environment it was not meant for.

We are fully self contained and self sufficient, but within reasonable expectations.


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Old 05-14-2018, 07:34 AM   #16
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It'd be easier to keep expectations realistic if the hype were equally realistic. All of life boils down to one kind of "buyer beware" situation or another, but it still pains me to see people who appear to be taken off guard because their megabucks investment doesn't do anything close to what they assumed it would.

On one hand, of course the consequences for that perceptual gap are on the buyers. But on the other hand, Airstream's current frontpage for the GT says (among other completely unrealistic things), "From the very first time you step inside the Grand Tour, you’ll find we’ve thought of everything." Really? But they haven't even thought of how to keep the danged fridge running for more than a day at a time! Would a reasonable person look at that and call it "thought of everything"?

Where does creative advertising end, and false advertising begin? Our court system will continue to be the place where that question is addressed - court of law, and court of public opinion.
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Old 05-14-2018, 07:57 AM   #17
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They did, in many respects, think of everything, but unless they are advertising freestanding living, people need to temper expectations to predicted performance.

Minus that, others of us are present here for a reality check.
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Old 05-14-2018, 08:18 AM   #18
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... unless they are advertising freestanding living,...
But it's very easy for a buyer to interpret that they ARE advertising something quite close to that.

"...wherever the road takes you, you’ll travel in total style and comfort" is what Airstream explicitly says about the Interstate.

They do NOT say, "...wherever the road takes you, you’ll travel in total style and comfort *AS LONG AS* you drive quickly from one stinky plywood-box-overrun, sardine-can campground hook-up to the next." They don't say anything remotely like that. They say WHEREVER. With those kinds of statements, they paint a convincing picture which arguably does not match reality.

OP, just for your perspective, this is a long-running point of contention on this forum, and posters can be counted on to fall reliably into two camps (pun intended) based on their personal interpretations as to how far they think advertising should go.

When people post reality-check threads such as you have done here, it resonates with me. I have sympathy for such posters because I identify so strongly with them. My husband and I are rumored to be smart people (he's a licensed mechanical engineer who helps space ships to fly; I've got a Master's degree in science and I run my own consultancy selling intellectual services for a living). We knew to expect some degree of sales pitch, but we didn't consciously realize how much pitch we'd unquestioning fallen for, when we bought our Interstate. We didn't expect the thing to take us to the Moon and stars and back, but we DID expect to be able to park in a national forest area and not have its battery go tango uniform within 24 hours. Our bad - that misperception was on us. But I feel for other people who make similar discoveries about their own rigs. We've been there.
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Old 05-14-2018, 08:47 AM   #19
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Reasonable due dilligence should be part of any significant purchase especially if one is not experienced. When my expected use of what I am buying turns out to be flawed, I blame myself not advertising brochures. Buyer Beware is still a good practice. Assumptions about product suitability for any set of specific uses, will often lead to disappointment. No surprise in that.
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Old 05-14-2018, 09:02 AM   #20
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Reading this thread and asking the question... Is there a better alternative to the AI?

Are we talking Advaced-Rv at a higher cost?

Seriously, what other, better, alternatives in this package (ClassB) are really better options? or provide better capabilities to stay off-grid?

We are too newbies to know... and have not done any boon-docking. And I will be the first to admit not doing enough research before jumping into the AI we bought...

We are happy with it so far. But again, have not really put it to the test in all aspects...
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