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JimM68 · 11-06-2011, 09:08 PM

When shopping for gennies, I think the most important isn't the fuel, but the "type"

My first coach had a 5000 watt gas genny. This was a "constant speed" unit that was made to run only at 1 rpm regardless of load. It was a fussy machine, didn't always run at the correct rpm or respond to load smoothly. It was pretty noisy regardless of load.

The new coach has an 8000 wat Onan "quiet diesel" This is an inverter generator. At low loads it runs at a very slow rpm, barely ticking over and virtually silent. Higher loads mean more rpm and more noise, but even at full load it is quieter than the gas genny.

Bjsrv · 11-06-2011, 09:22 PM

Also with a propane generator the deration is greater. This should only be an issue if you are at altitude and need lots of electrical power.

wirelessenab · 11-06-2011, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

Generally a propane generator is easier to start than a diesel.. However the difference is not worth talking about since it's not that great.

The big difference is fuel supply.... If your main engine tank is full.. Then you have 3/4 of however many gallons of diesel fuel you hold.. and diesel is a fairly "Dense" fuel when compared to propane.. You'd need a small tank truck to get the same run time before refueling.

Diesel 129,000 BTU per gallon
Propane 92,000 BTU per gallon.

Mr_D · 11-06-2011, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimM68

When shopping for gennies, I think the most important isn't the fuel, but the "type"

My first coach had a 5000 watt gas genny. This was a "constant speed" unit that was made to run only at 1 rpm regardless of load. It was a fussy machine, didn't always run at the correct rpm or respond to load smoothly. It was pretty noisy regardless of load.

The new coach has an 8000 wat Onan "quiet diesel" This is an inverter generator. At low loads it runs at a very slow rpm, barely ticking over and virtually silent. Higher loads mean more rpm and more noise, but even at full load it is quieter than the gas genny.

The Onan variable speed gens run at 1800 to 3600 rpm per the Onan specs on their web site. Our PowerTech 8.0KW runs at a constant 1800 rpm and uses less than .8 gal per hour under full load.