Running the air all night from the generator

[gordonhks]

Hello,

We are leaving from KC to head to our Florida home on Monday. It is going to be pretty hot out, and we will be towing a U-Haul trailer. This is a quick dash as we are moving...not sight seeing.

Our preference would be to stay in Wally World parking lots, but the heat at night may be oppressive.

We have never ran the generator all night to power the AC. I have been concerned about the cost, vibration, noise and the remote, but possible chance of CO poisoning.

We are in a 2013 GWV legend SE.

Have any of you ran the AC all night off of the Genny? If so what was it like?

[slipbobber]

We have a few times this summer. Parking lot camping. When the air is on and the windows closed not too worried about CO issues. CO detector also works well (I think...). Our generator is in the front behind the drivers seat so the noise and vibration is minimal. As far as cost I think it uses about 1/3 gallon of gas an hour with the air on med. 2800 Onan. This figure agrees with what I have read. $1.25 an hour is worth it IMHO

[mlts22]

If worried, I'd buy a battery powered CO detector and mount it somewhere. Otherwise, "B"s are designed to run with it on (especially here in TX where unless on hookups, the generator and A/C will be running all day and well into the night.)

There is also the Gen-Turi, which attaches to the side of the vehicle and directs the exhaust up and out over the top, so the CO gas is moved and dispersed well away from any windows.

[teachergal]

Once I ran the generator all night in a Wal-Mart Parking lot. My generator is right under the bed! The vibration wasn't so bad - some hotels make you pay a quarter for that kind of thing and it only lasts a few minutes! LOL! The noise was actually nice - blocked out the other Wal-Mart noises! I usually sleep with white noise and Wal-Mart is usually so noisy it overrides my white noise, so that did the trick! The big problem however was that the generator changed speeds depending on the load. It would run fast for a few minutes when the AC compressor was running, then slow down, then run fast, then slow down. If it would have stayed a constant speed it would have been fine, but it switched every 5-7 minutes! I did eventually go to sleep, but it was the worst night of sleep I've ever had in my RV! Now I try to find a state park campground, which tend to be cheaper than commercial campgrounds & still have electricity, when I need an overnight so I can plug in. Although this summer I drove to Colorado and back to Virginia and only ran the AC 2 nights in Fruita, CO! Getting a good nights sleep is worth the $20-$30 for me!

[gordonhks]

Thanks for all the replies. We are heading out tomorrow and will most likely give it a try. Will report back then...

[Davydd]

Last night we slept in our house bedroom with one of those portable air conditioners. Boy was it loud. I think tonight I might consider sleeping in the B as it is much quieter.

[gordonhks]

Well, to close the loop, we tried this. It worked great for an hour or so until our generator started changing the rpm up and down...and then stopped entirely. Luckily the temps dropped down into the low 70's by the night time. But unluckily at around 3:30 AM a repaving crew started working (noisily) next to us in the Wallmart Parking lot in Jonesboro, AR. No problem, we took advantage of an early start and drove 800 miles that day to our home in Florida. Now off to schedule warranty work on the generator.

[Mike]

Just noticed this thread.
Better late than never, as they say.
I wouldn't run my generator/AC while sleeping in my RV, and I know of no RV company that recommends or condones it under any circumstances, either. Certainly Roadtrek doesn't. I can't imagine any other RV manufacturer suggesting it's safe to do, considering their potential liability and leaving themselves open for massive lawsuits if something fatal happens.
Honestly, I think it's better to wake up sweaty, than not at all.
Just my opinion. No offense to those who disagree.
As always, YMMV.

[mlts22]

I wouldn't worry about CO that much, especially if I had at least 1-2 additional CO detectors, and I used a Gen-Turi to have the exhaust exit well above the top of the van.

However, if the vibrations were not constant, that would wake me up. In addition to an onboard genset, I wonder about getting a good long security chain, a Honda eu2000is Companion, and using that for A/C at night boondocking. The noise would be there, but the generator would be far enough away that it wouldn't vibrate the rig. The onboard genset would still be usable for daytime and on the road.

[Davydd]

Before I spent a thousand bucks for another generator I think I would get a hundred buck hotel room for that one night.