How often do you use your genny?

[gowyn]

Was thinking of buying a genny but then I thought about it. Last year I would have used it once and even then I could of done without.

So is it a need or a want?

[Wayne&Sam]

Well it all depends.....
For me, I use it to run the A/C to keep me and Luke cool at agility trials. Almost all of the rest of the time we either have an electrical hookup or don't need the A/C

[Silverhobby]

A generator is a valuable investment. It is nice to be able to have all the electrical hookups of a camp when out in the boonies. The generator is something else to store or haul. Carrying gasoline to fuel it must also be considered. Consider how often per year you "might" possibly make use of a generator.

[starflyte1]

For 30 years we had MHs and each had a generator. Our AS does not.

I would like to have a generator because we travel with our Yorkies and it would be nice to have when we stop to eat, or when Burt goes into air museums.

We do not overnight without hook-ups, so we don't need a generator for that.

We travelled 20,000+ miles this summer without one, and really did not miss it. But, a generator is nice to have. If we could fit one on our bedslide in the back of our Avalanche, we would have one.

So, a generator would be nice, but I guess I would have to say that, for us, it is a want, not a must have.

[henw]

I have two Honda's I run in parrellel so we can use AC and oven.
But, they are a pain to transport and set up. Gotta haul gas. Then, there is the security issue. So, once or twice a year we use them. Wish AS's had room for built in Onans.

Tom

[RangerJay]

The answer to this question depends almost exclusively on your own habits.

For the most part we frequent national, provincial and state parks - where electical pedestals are often at a premium (or non-existent) - and where the best sites are often not those with a pedestal. Our little 1000W Yamaha pretty much becomes a necessity if we stay more than a couple of days.


Jay

[Boondocker]

With the exception of one night, I have been off the grid since mid November. I use it a bunch.

[rettoc625]

We use our Honda at agility trials and dry camping. When funds allow we will add a second Honda to allow for operation of the a/c. Our favorite campgrounds are the state and federal park systems that don't always have hookups.

Yes you do need to carry fuel, but you don't need a lot and if your tow vehicle is gas powered, you can siphon it from your tank.

Mary

[ESCAPE POD]

We are primarily boondockers, which makes a generator essential, IMO, if only to keep your onboard batteries charged. If you rely on hookups when you camp, then your need for one seems a lot less urgent.

[overlander63]

Newer vehicles are virtually impossible to siphon from. We got our generator when a hurricane knocked out our power for 5 days, we couldn't have stayed at home without it. It is also very good in case the power goes out at the campground.

[rickandsandi]

We have a 1000K Kipor and in the last three years have only used it twice. When we camp, we camp. We can survive 5 days completly selfcontained as long as we are careful with our use of lights and water. Everyone camps in their own fashion. Of course when we have full hook-ups we feel like we are in a Hilton with all the water and power we could ever want, but when boondocking conservation is the plan.

[Jim Foster]

We have golf cart batteries and a small inverter. We can run everything in our Caravel except the microwave, coffee maker and A/C. When we boondock, we forget the A/C. I put the Honda in the bed of the truck and hook up to it there. It is secure at night, and can hardly be heard when runniing. We only use it for the microwave and Espresso maker. Both are run for a short time. Using the microwave conserves lots of water when boondocking as does the coffee maker. Much less clean-up. The batteries get a little re-charge as well.

The 350 watt inverter will run the TV, if we wish, as well as the satellite dish and DVD player if we want to do "dinner and a movie". We can run these things up to 30 hours, if we wish, withour charging.

[Silvertwinkie]

I have had my Yamaha 1000 for about a bit over a year now and use it when boondocking and also when the power goes out. In reality, a 3000 would be better for when I'm at home and have an outage, but eventually, I will be putting in a Generac type system at the house. Yes the portable method is less expensive, but the Generac, particularly for longer outages as we exp last August (about 3-4 days), the Generac solution is better suited.

So to answer your question, several times a year.

[Fyrzowt]

My main use is two different annual trips we take, each about 5 - 7 days. Those are boondocking trips, the gen is very useful.
The other trips are usually shorter, and near the beach where A/C is not needed, and my batteries will last. I still sometimes take the gen set as insurance.
Dave

[Kajtek1]

It is all variable. Years ago I was working for company and camping on weekends at Sierra. In 2 years I put 2 HR on generator and I was forcing it.
So on the following season I pulled the generator out. Not only I lost 400 lb of dead weight from the motorhome, but gained nice storage compartment.
But those were years when our camping was limited to weekends and I boiled coffee water on propane, so even during longer vacations, the 2 batteries lasted for 3 days and we never parked motorhome for longer than that.
Now we have not only much bigger coach, but being self-employed I start my camping weekends on Sunday and end of Friday. I also got spoiled and am using electric coffeemaker.
So 4 batteries last for 3 days and than I have to start generator. Hate build-in Generac and am using Honda quiet generator most of the time.

[TinLoaf]

I use mine every year when I bow hunt in October and early November and then during the gun deer season in late November. It was 16 degrees overnight a few nights in a row and that drained my battery down to the point of recharge every night. The generator was essential for recharging.

When I bought my generator I decided to get the 3000 watt Kipor (back when it was only $800) so that I could use my A/C. I only used it once to run A/C in three years. I lost it in the RV fire, so now I have a chance to downgrade to a nice, relatively light 2000 watt unit.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by rettoc625

We use our Honda at agility trials and dry camping. When funds allow we will add a second Honda to allow for operation of the a/c. Our favorite campgrounds are the state and federal park systems that don't always have hookups.

Yes you do need to carry fuel, but you don't need a lot and if your tow vehicle is gas powered, you can siphon it from your tank.

Mary

We usually are Dock'n or Dog'n, neither of which have hook'ums, so the

Honda 2000 is a necessity, solved the gas problem with a dual mode

propane conversion.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

solved the gas problem with a dual mode propane conversion.

That's the way to go. Use those LP tanks and avoid the need for carrying gasoline. It also avoids the gasoline odor when I store my genset under the dinette table.

[thecatsandi]

Originally Posted by rettoc625

Yes you do need to carry fuel, but you don't need a lot and if your tow vehicle is gas powered, you can siphon it from your tank.

Mary

That only works if your generator uses the same fuel as your TV. Mine does not. Gas generator, diesel TV. LP conversion would be the best way to go but the conversion kit company is hard to get a hold.

[davidz71]

I bought my Yamaha 3000SEB in April '06 and used it for a few hours near the end of the month during two weekends while running my 2 Fantastic Vent fans. I also ran it for a couple hours with the air conditioning on because it was very hot and I needed a good rest before going back into the field. I bought the 3000SEB just for this purpose if it was needed. I have one grp. 27 battery so it also helped put a small charge on it. It really came in handy during Nov. '06 for a couple weekends when the weather got down in the low 20's and I was using the furnace as well as a catalytic heater.

In April '07 I ordered two 100 watt solar panels, installed them in May and then added another 65 watt a few months later. This eliminated use of the generator in Sept. '07 when I ran both Fantastic Vent fans on high and the panels kept the battery near full charge. I did run it all night (6.5 hrs.) after 3 days of gun hunting for deer in Nov. and I wanted to be sure the battery remained near full charge.

Since I bought a new Trojan 27 TMH a few months ago, I plan on adding a twin maybe this spring in additon to a Trimetrics meter to tell me exactly where my batteries are. This hopefully will give me some peace of mind. If I didn't run the air conditioning every once in awhile when boondocking then I could get away with a single Honda 2000 for those really cold nights in Nov. and Dec. to supplement the catalytic heater. I also run the generator for about 30 minutes each month sometimes under load to keep the gen battery charged.