Generator Sizing

[JeffPhillips]

My camper has gen prep and if I would have gotten the gen it would have been the 5500 watt. I have two 15,000 ac units and a residential refrigerator that requires more wattage than 5500. Cummons Onan says to go with 7,000. Jayco told me with the 5500 I would only be able to run one ac and the refrigerator. They also told me to ask my local dealer. I'm looking for answers from people who have this same set up as to what actually works.

[Mopar_Earl]

My Onan 5500 runs both 15k AC units, my RV 12 cu ft fridge, the converter/charged on high and the TV. Not sure what the residential fridge will pull compared to the RV fridge. You could always run the residential fridge on the inverter.

That's not at high altitude. If you are at high or plan to run all that, you will need a larger genset to compensate for the altitude. Engines loose power the high they are in altitude.


Earl

[bdreinv]

one 15k ac unit need 2900 start watts unless you have a micro air soft start. I think that would leave out most 3000 inverter generators!Then as Earl mentioned altitude another consideration!

[JeffPhillips]

Originally Posted by Mopar_Earl

My Onan 5500 runs both 15k AC units, my RV 12 cu ft fridge, the converter/charged on high and the TV. Not sure what the residential fridge will pull compared to the RV fridge. You could always run the residential fridge on the inverter.

That's not at high altitude. If you are at high or plan to run all that, you will need a larger genset to compensate for the altitude. Engines loose power the high they are in altitude.


Earl

Thanks. I thought once the transfer switch went from shore power to gen power that the fridge only had one option. Is it as simple as turning on the inverter after switching to gen power? Thanks again, that was what I was wanting to know about my two ac units

[Mopar_Earl]

Originally Posted by JeffPhillips

Thanks. I thought once the transfer switch went from shore power to gen power that the fridge only had one option. Is it as simple as turning on the inverter after switching to gen power? Thanks again, that was what I was wanting to know about my two ac units

Depends on how Jayco wired it. It could be as simple as turning off the breaker to the fridge or you may have to turn the breaker off to the inverter or unplug the 120 to the inverter. Again, no idea how Jayco wires their inverters and residential fridges.

You could step up to the 6500 Onan. Not sure how much more it is than the 5500 or much less then the 7000.


Earl

[Marine71-76]

We went ahead with the 7000 - we asked questions and no one could say definitely that a 5500 or 6500 could run both a/c's & residential fridge plus the microwave and/or coffee maker. Sure we could turn off one of the a/c's but wife sometimes forgets the details, especially when she hasn't had her coffee! The cost for us wasn't that much of a difference between the 5500 & 7000.

[JeffPhillips]

Originally Posted by Marine71-76

We went ahead with the 7000 - we asked questions and no one could say definitely that a 5500 or 6500 could run both a/c's & residential fridge plus the microwave and/or coffee maker. Sure we could turn off one of the a/c's but wife sometimes forgets the details, especially when she hasn't had her coffee! The cost for us wasn't that much of a difference between the 5500 & 7000.

Thanks. I certainly understand what your saying about definite answers! The price difference when you consider that you know you have enough power for everything isn't that much. The one thing all the Cummins Onan people agreed on and made sure to tell me was the possibility of a $40,000.00 fine if I didn't go with the EVAP model if choosing the gas gen

[vcbice]

I think you made the right choice. Residential refers draw quite a bit of current on starting, just like AC units.

If you had gone with microair soft start units for the ac you probably could have lived with the 5500.