Realistic Generator usage

[SwampRV]

So the word on the street is you can get 36 hours of "continuous"generator usage from our 17 gallon propane tank while using "continuous" air condition and usual AC stuff.
Can y'all wonderful Airstream minds and experiences back that number up (or not)

I know there are many different sceneries and locations, so let's keep it simple to narrow down the different answers we have researched and got in the past.....we are in Louisiana, its summer, and it's hot. How many hours can I continuously run the generator with the A/C set to keep it decent inside all day and sleep able at night?

My camping family thanks you for your input!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by SwampRV

So the word on the street is you can get 36 hours of "continuous"generator usage from our 17 gallon propane tank while using "continuous" air condition and usual AC stuff.
Can y'all wonderful Airstream minds and experiences back that number up (or not)

No. Unless they started putting larger tanks on the Interstates when I wasn't looking, your 17-gallon tank only holds 14 gallons, or about 60 pounds of propane. If you're running your generator by itself, no other propane appliances, you'll be lucky to get 22 to 24 hours of continuous usage on your generator. If you run the water heater or the furnace, you'll be lucky to get even 18 hours of use.

[amirm]

Looked up the specs, it says 0.3 gallon/hour with no load, 0.4 gallons/hr for half load and 0.6 gallons/hour for full.

AC use would put it at near full load. So let's use 0.5 gallons/hour or 28 hours. In other words, as always Protag is right.

[73shark]

Depending on outside temp, mine would run the A/C and a TV for about 8-9 hours on a full tank of propane. Must have had an out-of-spec generator.

[InterBlog]

For the T1N Interstate, which has both a smaller propane tank and a lower-BTU air conditioner, I estimate based on my recent burn-down that one could get two nights out of it, if it were just turned on for sleeping purposes. Maybe 16 hours at most. Assuming it didn't run at maximum compressor load all the time (which I wouldn't expect it to, after dark).

This makes me curious: "your 17-gallon tank only holds 14 gallons".

Why is that?

Our 5.4 gallon nominal tank (23 lb with propane being 4.23 lb/gal) holds 5.8 gallons. I know this because we recently ran it bone empty before replacing the propane flex lines (see the Maintenance thread), and when we filled it 2 days ago, that's what the meter read. Why such a big discrepancy in the NCV3 tank? I would think that they'd want to be closer on their nominal representations so as to not confuse people.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

This makes me curious: "your 17-gallon tank only holds 14 gallons".

Why is that?

Because just like the portable DoT cylinders, you can only fill an ASME tank to 80% full. Propane liquid expands and contracts with temperature changes, and there has to be room for expansion in the tank.

The tank on my 2012 Interstate is a nominal 18.0 gallons, but only holds 14.4 gallons, 80% of 18. I round down to 14 for most purposes. 14.4 gallons translates to approximately 61 pounds of propane depending on temperature.

A nominal 17.0 gallon tank holds 13.6 gallons, and I rounded up to 14 for convenience.

I'm not sure how your 5.4-gallon tank can hold 5.8 gallons. Unless it's actually a 7-gallon tank.

[toskeysam]

UIM....the fill limit (~80%) lets you only put ~14 gal in the 17 gal tank.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

...

I'm not sure how your 5.4-gallon tank can hold 5.8 gallons. Unless it's actually a 7-gallon tank.

I just looked it up. Airstream provided a non-nominal representation to start with - in other words, they declared the tank size based on its actual working capacity, not its stated capacity as supplied by the manufacturer. I have the original window ticket sales representation from Dave Arbogast, so I can see this.

Nominal capacity might sound more enticing for marketing purposes, however, and so perhaps they switched their approach, just so they could confuse people.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by SwampRV

So the word on the street is you can get 36 hours of "continuous"generator usage from our 17 gallon propane tank while using "continuous" air condition and usual AC stuff.
Can y'all wonderful Airstream minds and experiences back that number up (or not)

I know there are many different sceneries and locations, so let's keep it simple to narrow down the different answers we have researched and got in the past.....we are in Louisiana, its summer, and it's hot. How many hours can I continuously run the generator with the A/C set to keep it decent inside all day and sleep able at night?

My camping family thanks you for your input!

Seriously, and I just need to say this...trying to maintain your propane tank while running a generator continuously for a couple of days so that you can run AC continuously without being connected to electricity seems like an exercise in frustration, to me.

Having spent a lot of time in Louisiana dozens of times over the past 25 years, how much boondocking down there is actually available?

We learned early on that if we needed AC, or ongoing heat, it was simply easiest and the least stressful to have electric hookups.

Just sayin....

Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Having spent a lot of time in Louisiana dozens of times over the past 25 years, how much boondocking down there is actually available?

There are plenty of places to go boondocking in Louisiana. But who wants to, when even the overnight low is still over 80°F and the humidity is over 80%?

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, and okay...I stand corrected.

When I think of potential boondocking areas in Louisiana, tho, I think of swamps...where there are alligators, that can sneak up on you and your domesticated animals.

Moderate temps are best for boondocking and dry camping, in my opinion...and they invite the simple luxury of it.

One wants to relax, not be concerned about whether the propane will last the weekend.

I would run my AC off the generator only in the most extreme emergency...such as heat stroke/exhaustion, mine or someone else's.

But, that's just me.

Maggie

[Protagonist]

I make a point of exercising the generator about once a month, whether it needs it or not.

When I run the generator even as a monthly exercise, it's best to run it under a load, and the a/c makes an excellent load bank for that purpose. So I start the generator, start the a/c, start one of the televisions, and watch about an hour of mediocre broadcast TV or a couple episodes of a good TV show on DVD, then turn everything off and call it a job well done.

[TravlinMan]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

There are plenty of places to go boondocking in Louisiana. But who wants to, when even the overnight low is still over 80°F and the humidity is over 80%?

Me.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by TravlinMan

Me.

I just returned from a trip to central Florida where it was 93* with 85% relative humidity. I think my weather app said the heat index was something like 105*. I prefer to boondock, but if I had been in my coach on this trip, I would have been hooked up to shore power at night to avoid a mutiny by the family. Conditions would improve dramatically after a thunder shower moved through (generally later in the afternoon), but that combination of heat plus humidity is tough to deal with. Even if your body can take it, if you don't have a way to "dry out" your rig, everything will eventually get damp and then bad things happen. I was reminded of living aboard a boat and the steps needed to prevent mold, corrosion, etc.

To the OP, if you really need to camp in those conditions, do yourself and your camping neighbors a favor and get a quiet, gas-powered external generator w/ a 5 gallon gas can (or two) and a long power cable plugged into your external power (shore power). Put the genny as far from you and other campers as possible (behind a tree or rocks if possible to help block the noise). With the genny pulling from the external 5 gallon can, you should get about 2 days of continuous run time. If you want/need longer run time, just add more cans (lots of info on the web on how to hook them up). I know you were asking about the on-board genset, but frankly it wasn't meant to be run continuously for days so you'll be frustrated if you try to make it do what it wasn't designed for. That, and you'll quickly grow tired of the racket the thing makes. The A/C is loud enough. Add in the noise of the on-board genny and I think it would be quieter if you camped next to a freeway.....

[TayaraTravel]

Just my two cents reinforcing all the good advice above: we quickly learned that our ears can stand (barely) either the A/C or generator alone. The thought of trying to sleep through a night with both is frightening.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

... Even if your body can take it, ...

Even if your body can take it, the problem is that your metabolic rate will remain so elevated during the process of cooling your body temp to the proper level that you'll still end up screwed. You will enter a light sleep but heart rate and blood pressure do not settle down as they normally would, and deep sleep is not possible. The next day is correspondingly exhausting. If a person were acclimated to doing this on a daily basis, that might be another story. But it's generally a bad idea as a one-off. I know - I've boondocked in Houston in July, in the urban areas to boot (heat island effect). It's not pretty.

Louisiana people are as tough as hell, though. Seriously, their constitution developed under a history of socioeconomic conditions that would kill the rest of us, so YMMV.

On my impending trip north, I intend to run generator and a/c for after-lunch naps. I'm a morning person and will drive from 6 or 7 a.m. until noon, then eat, nap, then continue. Maybe run it overnight if I get really stuck in a parking lot somewhere and a heat wave is in progress locally. I have to be alert for the next day's driving so I'll just suck up the noise - noise would be preferable to having my heart pounding away at an elevated rate all night. And because we replaced our Dometic 3-way fridge with a Vitrifrigo 2-way, I don't care about the amount of propane consumption any longer. As long as I depart Bangor with a full propane tank, I'll be golden.

[Mcrid]

Originally Posted by TayaraTravel

Just my two cents reinforcing all the good advice above: we quickly learned that our ears can stand (barely) either the A/C or generator alone. The thought of trying to sleep through a night with both is frightening.

I find that at bed level the AC is not to bad. That said I wear ear-plugs if I have to. As for the generator, we finely have ours acceptable.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...se-106494.html

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Mcrider

I find that at bed level the AC is not to bad. That said I wear ear-plugs if I have to. As for the generator, we finely have ours acceptable.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...se-106494.html

I always wear ear plugs if I have the A/C running at night while sleeping. Also thanks for the link to your generator mods to bring the noise down - great work.

[TayaraTravel]

Originally Posted by Mcrider

... I wear ear-plugs if I have to

We added that to our list from last trip.

[wolf146]

Originally Posted by TravlinMan

Me.

I had to laugh!!! Ask a simple question, get a simple answer!!!!

I am curious though, why do you like camping in that type of environment?

We are from NJ so we get some bad heat and humidity days. When it's that hot we don't camp.

Wolf146