Do you love to travel? Well, the motorhome is the best way to travel for days, months, and even years. However, to supply your mini-moving home, you will need a device. We call it a motorhome generator!
When you get yourself a motorhome generator, you should know what size of the generator best fits your motorhome. Here in this blog, we have provided all you need to know about the motorhome generators.
Types of Motorhome Generator
Motorhome generators are essential for powering your RV's electrical appliances when you're not connected to a shore power line. They vary in type, size, and fuel source, with each having its advantages and disadvantages depending on your needs, budget, and the size of your motorhome. Here are the main types of motorhome generators:
1. Portable Generators
The portable generators, as the name suggests, are easy to travel with. These use fuels like gasoline, propane, diesel, or even dual. With a surge in solar power generators, these portable generators can also be solar-powered.
One of the cons is that they can be louder options than the built-in ones. Furthermore, those that are run by solar energy are obsolete at night or at times when the sun is not bright.
2. Built-in or Onboard Generators
The built-in motorhome generators use the same fuel as the motorhome itself, making its usage management a cakewalk. The built-in motorhome generators are integrated into your motorhome and also come with an automatic start feature. You will find these quieter than other motorhome generator options.
Furthermore, these onboard generators are usually safer than the other motorhome generators because these are designed specially to suit the RVs. However, these can sometimes exceed your budget as the market rates of built-in motorhome generators are higher.
Furthermore, if these built-in generators need any repair, it can be complex and expensive. In addition to this, the built-in motorhome generators add to the weight of your mobile home.
3. Inverter Generators
The inverter generators run on fuels like gasoline, diesel, or propane. However, some brands also built generators that can run on dual fuel options. The inverter generators assure you a continuous and stable power supply which is good for your sensitive devices.
These inverter generators are also fuel efficient and even quieter than the typical generators. They can adjust the speed of the engine with the electrical demand.
4. Solar Generators
Solar generators, as you would expect, are powered by solar panels, which convert solar energy into electrical energy and store this converted energy in the batteries. You can then use the stored energy during times when there is low sunlight and during nights.
It does not emit toxic gases or produce noise pollution. Rather, these generators operate silently and are cost-effective. If you are environment conscious, this medium of power supply for your motorhome is the best choice.
On the other hand, installing a solar generator in your motorhome can be little too hard on your budget compared to other motorhome generators. You may also need to plan your energy consumption while using solar motorhome generators due to weather restrictions.
What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Motorhome?
Getting yourself a motorhome is one of the biggest luxuries one can have. Not only do they help you feed your wanderlust, but they also with a comfort that resembles your home. When we speak of the comfort of a household, it simply means the usage of appliances like refrigerators, charging adapters, stoves, kettles, and many other devices of daily use.
Hence you must know the size of the motorhome generator you need that will supply all of these daily-use appliances. Usually, motorhome generators range between 2,000 to 12,000 watts, depending on many factors. However, for an average motorhome, the generator size should be 2000 watts.
The 2000 watts generator can supply almost all of the daily use appliances including devices like stoves, laptops charging, mobile phones, TVs, etc. On the other hand, if you are going solo, you can survive on a generator with a power supply of 500 to 1000 watts.
In addition to this, if you are always on the roads and looking for motorhome generators that can supply almost all of your household appliances, you can go with generators that can supply 3000 watts.
The good news is that you can calculate the size of a motorhome generator you need. Start with calculating the number of appliances you plan to use. You must also estimate the number of hours you run a specific appliance.
You can find out the running wattage of the device through the brand tags or product descriptions provided by the manufacturing companies. Furthermore, you should also know the surge wattage appliances need to start off.
To calculate the total running wattage, you can add the running wattage of all the appliances you plan to use. You can then calculate the total daily requirement of your motorhome by adding the total running wattage to the highest surge wattage.
Solar vs. Propane Generator: Which One is Better?
Solar and propane generators come with various pros and cons that make each of these options better than the other. However, when selecting between the two you must consider multiple factors from operating costs, production noise, and your power needs to the environmental impacts of either of these.
Here is a brief comparison of both types of motorhome generators:
Solar Generators
Solar generators are an eco-friendly mode of energy production as they have little to no carbon footprints and they are cost-effective after you are done with an initial investment. Furthermore, these solar generators do not produce noise pollution which makes your days and nights comfortable.
In addition to this, the maintenance of a solar powered generator is quite easy compared to the fuel powered generators. You do not need to leave your errands to fuel the motorhome generator. On the other hand the upfront cost of motorhome generators of this kind is higher than alternative options.
Likewise, the solar motorhome generators are dependent on the weather conditions. For instance, during cloudy days, energy production can be reduced to a minimum.
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Low Maintenance |
High upfront cost |
|
Cost-effective |
Weather-dependent |
|
Eco-friendly |
|
|
Low operating costs |
Propane Generators
The propane motorhome generators can supply you uninterrupted flow of energy production as the energy production does not rely on weather conditions. Furthermore, these motorhome generators can produce more electricity supply compared to the solar generators. In addition to this, the Propane has lesser carbon footprint compared to the gasoline or diesel motorhome generators.
On the other hand, the operating cost is higher than the solar motorhome generators as it requires a continuous supply of fuel. It may also produce noise, which is the biggest drawback, and it also demands your regular attention for maintenance.
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
More power production |
High operating costs |
|
Reliable source of power supply |
Harmful environmental impacts |
|
Eco-friendly when compared to gasoline-powered generators |
Noise and regular maintenance |
Hence, to determine which one is better than the other, you need to know what your preference is. If you need a continuous supply of electricity, you should go with the propane motorhome generators, however, if you are eco-conscious, solar generators are the choice for you.
Likewise, if you need a budget-friendly motorhome generator, you should go with the solar motorhome generators.
How Much Power Does a Motorhome Use?
To determine how much power a motorhome consumes depends on various aspects like its size, the number of appliances you use inside the motorhome, and the number of hours you use these devices.
Usually, the motorhome requires power supply from 20 to more than 100 amperes per hour per day. If you are using the power for your basic needs like lighting, fridge or charging, the power consumption can vary between 20-50 amperes-hour per day.
On the other hand, if you add more power-hungry appliances like air conditioners, heaters, or microwaves, the power consumption per day can go up to 100 amperes per. In case you want your power consumption in Watt-hours, you can multiply your total Ampere-hour by the voltage of your motorhome system, which is usually 12V.
For instance, if your daily consumption is 50 Ah, multiplying it with 12V we get 600 Wh.
BLUETTI Solar Generators: The Quiet RV Generator
You need a quiet source of electricity production which comes with low maintenance requirements. The BLUETTI solar generators can feed your motorhome energy requirements. Here are some of the BLUETTI solar generators that prove to be the best motorhome generators:
1. BLUETTI AC200P + 3*PV200
The BLUETTI AC200P + 3*PV200 can supply 2000W of electricity and comes with an overall capacity of 2000Wh. This power station comes with a LiFePO4 battery and has 17 outputs to supply multiple devices at a time. Furthermore, you will get 3 PV200 solar panels with this kit.
2. BLUETTI EP500 + 3*PV200
The BLUETTI EP500 + 3*PV200 has a capacity of 5120Wh and comes with three PV200 solar panels, each of which can supply 200W of power. This mobile power station can load multiple devices on the go and can be managed remotely even when you are not at your motorhome.
You can find out more about the Best Solar Generator for Van Life and RV.
Final Thoughts
If you love to travel, getting yourself a motorhome is the best way to treat yourself. You can supply this mobile mini-home using the motorhome generators that come in a variety in the market.
These can be solar generators or propane generators. You can go with either of them, depending on your personal preferences.
