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wtr · 10-12-2011, 10:10 AM

I just got a 99 fleetwood discovery and it has the onan 6500 lp generator. I was wondering how much lp this thing should use per hour. The salesman told me the generator should run for a couple of days. The first time out with the rv I ran the generator for a total of 24 hours and it used 15 gallons of lp. Is this right? Thank You for any help.

Dunner · 10-12-2011, 11:58 AM

There should be a chart in the owner's manual that tells you how much it uses at idle, half or full load. My Generac 4500 used .75 gallon at idle and I think it was 1.25 gallons at full load per hour. After I got my Yamaha i2000, I cut my propane use by 75%.

Gary RVRoamer · 10-12-2011, 06:34 PM

That sounds like the right ball park if you had air conditioners running. Propane consumption depends on the load on the generator (watts it has to put out), but a LP genset the size of yours typically uses about 0.6 gal/hr at 50% load, meaning 3250 watts. 15 gallons divided by 0.6 equals 25 hours of run time assuming a constant 50% loading.

Your generator manual should have the estimate numbers for your genset, but most mid-sized Onan LP gensets are 0.6 gal/hr @ 50% load.

wtr · 10-12-2011, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dunner

There should be a chart in the owner's manual that tells you how much it uses at idle, half or full load. My Generac 4500 used .75 gallon at idle and I think it was 1.25 gallons at full load per hour. After I got my Yamaha i2000, I cut my propane use by 75%.

So u used the small generator and started the big one only when u needed it.

Dunner · 10-12-2011, 07:57 PM

The only time I needed the onboard generator was for the microwave and air compressor. Ran the i2000 to replenish what the heater depleted from the batteries at night and depending on how much sun my solar panels got during the day, I might run it in the evening for an hour or so. Rarely needed the AC as we camp during the winter months.

I didn't have to recharge the batteries as often after I converted to LED lights. A 1156 will draw over 1 amp and an LED will draw .1 amp.

Dunner · 10-12-2011, 08:11 PM

I must add that the above info was for the Generac that was in my 5er. My friend says his Honda 2000 will run the microwave in his MH. I will find out in a couple of weeks if my Yamaha 2000 will run the microwave on my MH.

Papa_Jim · 10-13-2011, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wtr

I just got a 99 fleetwood discovery and it has the onan 6500 lp generator. I was wondering how much lp this thing should use per hour. The salesman told me the generator should run for a couple of days. The first time out with the rv I ran the generator for a total of 24 hours and it used 15 gallons of lp. Is this right? Thank You for any help.

We have the same generator. Your LP consumption sounds about right. The manual states rated consumption, I believe at full load it is about 1 1/2 gallons per hour. However, it is really hard to know how much load is on your generator. I assume that it averages out about 1/2 load, because the generator seems to consume about 3/4 gallon/hr on average.