Propane vs. Diesel Generator...is the diesel a benefit or not?

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

When I purchased my rig I noticed that there were a lot of people advocating a diesel generator over a propane model..

My used Roadtrek Adventurous already has the propane and it seems to be fine.
In fact.. there were people saying that they preferred propane because with the diesel generator the fuel source is the same as your engine and if the vehicle tank goes below 1/4 tank the generator won't run..

They don't want you to run out of fuel.... safety feature ..

My question is ... what is the benefit of the the diesel vs. propane generator???

In my setup...I wouldn't change.. but is that something to consider with a future rig?????

[JohnnyFry]

Frankly, I doubt that you could find a diesel generator for a class B. They are pretty much limited to big class As because they weigh a lot more than a similarly rated gasoline or propane model. The gasoline/propane 2.8kW Onan weighs about 160 lb whereas a similar 2.8 kW diesel model weighs in at more than 300 lb. I also do not believe that they make a form factor diesel similar to the gasoline/propane models.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

Frankly, I doubt that you could find a diesel generator for a class B. They are pretty much limited to big class As because they weigh a lot more than a similarly rated gasoline or propane model. The gasoline/propane 2.8kW Onan weighs about 160 lb whereas a similar 2.8 kW diesel model weighs in at more than 300 lb. I also do not believe that they make a form factor diesel similar to the gasoline/propane models.

Hi Johnny,

I didn't know that... thanks.
Actually, I think that the propane generator is fine and has no downside at all...

Yes, I have the Onan 2800.....

One more thing..do you know if it would be worthwhile to put a resonator noise reduction device or is it even possible with the Onan.....

Found a resonator that says it works with standard 1 1/2 inch exhaust. And needs to be paired with a KY genset whatever that means???

Apparently it softens the noise by one decibel... again, doesn't sound like a lot??? Some people on you tube were raving about it....

[Mrprez]

Leisure travel vans offer them in theirs.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

Leisure travel vans offer them in theirs.

Thanks...do you recommend diesel or propane?

Diesel is probably safer...a propane explosion would NOT be good.

[Mrprez]

We have propane in our Airstream Interstate. We’ve never needed to use it. For the expenses of switching, I would stay with propane. On a new build I’d likely go to all diesel and no propane. Why carry two types of fuel?

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

We have propane in our Airstream Interstate. We’ve never needed to use it. For the expenses of switching, I would stay with propane. On a new build I’d likely go to all diesel and no propane. Why carry two types of fuel?

What are you cooking and heating with???

All batteries???

Yes... diesel has advantages...less combustible and one fuel source....

Only problem is when you are low on tank fuel...

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

What are you cooking and heating with???

All batteries???

Yes... diesel has advantages...less combustible and one fuel source....

Only problem is when you are low on tank fuel...

We have a single 100 amp Lifeline battery. Never went below 82% on our 11,000 mike trip to Alaska and back. Ran the refrigerator the entire time, water heater and furnace whenever we needed to do so.

[BBQ]

.

The downside to the propane Onan are:

1. louder than their gas counterpart.
2. it goes through propane very fast.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

[QUOTE=Mrprez;77255]We have a single 100 amp Lifeline battery. Never went below 82% on our 11,000 mike trip to Alaska and back. Ran the refrigerator the entire time, water heater and furnace whenever we needed to do so.[/QUOTE

Nice....I saw an E-TREK at an RV show... they wanted $143k...it was beautiful...

I didn't want to get too deep into debt... I have a lot in this rig....

Propane tank uses about 12 gallons per month... little more with extra use....

Here's a couple of pics of my rig...]

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

The downside to the propane Onan are:

1. louder than their gas counterpart.
2. it goes through propane very fast.

Noise?? Could be... it's not quiet... especially outside. .
When I turn it on ... people start lighting torches.. and march towards the vehicle,😁😁😁

No.. it's not that bad... but... seems like they might..
I try to be careful especially when I'm in campsites and use only when necessary.......

[Mrprez]

That is really nice. What year is that? Ours is a 2007 Airstream on a 2006 Sprinter.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

That is really nice. What year is that? Ours is a 2007 Airstream on a 2006 Sprinter.

My rig has the dual wheels .... here's a couple of additional pictures...I just had it washed and waxed....

Dual wheels on your set up?

How has the service been on your Sprinter? I know that you don't have the same emissions system like my Blue Tec.....yes, I've had some issues, Mercedes Benz paid for the replacement of the entire emissions system recently.....

I was curious about other things like brakes, water pump thermostat radiator, air conditioning...etc

Also, someone I know who has a Winnebago Via with the Sprinter diesel told me that his power steering high pressure hose went out around 50,000 miles....

I have 41,000 miles on my Sprinter.... taking it again across the USA in September....lots of highway miles.......

Here's a link to the exact vehicle I purchased in May 2017...has more detailed inside photos.... I like it ...I think it's pretty deluxe.....my "jet on wheels"...

https://www.conejowholesaleauto.com/...beffb59e9eb708

How long have you owned the Airstream???? Inside pictures...can you please post some?

[Mrprez]

We bought ours last October. Got it from a seller in Sedona, AZ. He had it kisted on eBay.

It is a 2500, so singles in the back. 58000 miles

Major issues are the intercooler hoses went out on us coming home from Alaska this month. Had to spend 5 days in Kamloops, BC waiting on parts at the Mercedes dealer there.

Also, the condenser on the ac is leaking so, no air. The furnace didn't work when we got it, I found wasp nests inside the exhaust/inlet pipe. Cleaned that out and it works like a new one. I also changed out the thermostat for a digital one.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

We bought ours last October. Got it from a seller in Sedona, AZ. He had it kisted on eBay.

It is a 2500, so singles in the back.

Your rig is nearly identical to our erstwhile 2005 Interstate. Wonderful, wide-open floor plan. We really loved ours, and I'm sure you will have great times in yours.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

We bought ours last October. Got it from a seller in Sedona, AZ. He had it kisted on eBay.

It is a 2500, so singles in the back.

Major issues are the intercooler hoses went out on us coming home from Alaska this month. Had to spend 5 days in Kamloops, BC waiting on parts at the Mercedes dealer there.

Also, the condenser on the ac is leaking so, no air. The furnace didn't work when we got it, I found wasp nests inside the exhaust/inlet pipe. Cleaned that out and it works like a new one. I also changed out the thermostat for a digital one.

How many miles and how much did you pay for the Airstream??
I was pretty sure that you had the single wheels and tires in the back...I know someone that has an 2008 RS Adventurous ... he's been a little UPSET because of limited weight issues..do you find this to be a problem???

Intercooler hoses?? Is this a common thing.... seems like I may have heard something before from someone else???

I've spent a few days cooling my heels at a few Mercedes Benz dealerships....had my glow plugs go out in Flagstaff...had to get my vehicle battery and two house batteries replaced...

Yeah... I've had an eventful first year...I call my "friends" at Mercedes Benz......."Dr. Feel Good"..... they're very friendly... charge a lot of money for everything...

People ask.... your Mercedes Benz broke down... I tell them...yeah... It's a Mercedes thing"

There's nothing quite like the Sprinter in terms of space, etc...if they made a Lexus vehicle the size of the Sprinter... I would prefer that... they don't....

Do you have more than 100,000 miles on this vehicle???

I'm not too surprised that your air conditioning condenser or even compressor might have gone out...your vehicle is essentially 12 years old being a 2006 Sprinter....

How quiet is it??? I understand that the older diesels are a little noiser than the ones with the Blue Tec engine?? Maybe I'm wrong??

Original transmission, and engine doesn't burn any oil???

Wasp nests....wonder how that happened but glad you fixed it...
What digital thermostat did you get??? I like the idea of this...we just have a regular one..old school....if it works I'm not fixing ....too many other things....

SO...you got it last October..? Where have you been taking it...

We took several regional trips in the western states.. last September we went across the USA on an 11,000 miles round-trip to the east coast via the northern states and down to Florida... back thru the southern route 66.....

You must have installed "solar panels on the rig"..or the previous owners did...?

Did you know if you purchased this from the original owner?

Overall, are you pleased with the Airstream RV quality ??
Any satellite TV??

---Mark

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

We bought ours last October. Got it from a seller in Sedona, AZ. He had it kisted on eBay.

It is a 2500, so singles in the back. 58000 miles

Major issues are the intercooler hoses went out on us coming home from Alaska this month. Had to spend 5 days in Kamloops, BC waiting on parts at the Mercedes dealer there.

Also, the condenser on the ac is leaking so, no air. The furnace didn't work when we got it, I found wasp nests inside the exhaust/inlet pipe. Cleaned that out and it works like a new one. I also changed out the thermostat for a digital one.

Which engine do you have?

The 5 cylinder?

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

How many miles and how much did you pay for the Airstream??
I was pretty sure that you had the single wheels and tires in the back...I know someone that has an 2008 RS Adventurous ... he's been a little UPSET because of limited weight issues..do you find this to be a problem???

Intercooler hoses?? Is this a common thing.... seems like I may have heard something before from someone else???

They are the hoses that bring the air into the intake manifold. If they get soft, the turbo will shut down on you at the worst possible time!

I've spent a few days cooling my heels at a few Mercedes Benz dealerships....had my glow plugs go out in Flagstaff...had to get my vehicle battery and two house batteries replaced...

Yeah... I've had an eventful first year...I call my "friends" at Mercedes Benz......."Dr. Feel Good"..... they're very friendly... charge a lot of money for everything...

People ask.... your Mercedes Benz broke down... I tell them...yeah... It's a Mercedes thing"

There's nothing quite like the Sprinter in terms of space, etc...if they made a Lexus vehicle the size of the Sprinter... I would prefer that... they don't....

Do you have more than 100,000 miles on this vehicle???

58,000

I'm not too surprised that your air conditioning condenser or even compressor might have gone out...your vehicle is essentially 12 years old being a 2006 Sprinter....

It is a common problem, the van runs against the condenser until a hole is formed. Everything else in the ac system is fine.

How quiet is it??? I understand that the older diesels are a little noiser than the ones with the Blue Tec engine?? Maybe I'm wrong??

It is noisy. Hard to even have a conversation much less music

Original transmission, and engine doesn't burn any oil???

Yep, original transmission and it doesn’t leak or burn a drop of oil.

Wasp nests....wonder how that happened but glad you fixed it...
What digital thermostat did you get??? I like the idea of this...we just have a regular one..old school....if it works I'm not fixing ....too many other things....

https://amzn.to/2Nz1H4B

SO...you got it last October..? Where have you been taking it...

Alaska was our first big trip other than the drive back to east TN from AZ where you bought it.

We took several regional trips in the western states.. last September we went across the USA on an 11,000 miles round-trip to the east coast via the northern states and down to Florida... back thru the southern route 66.....

You must have installed "solar panels on the rig"..or the previous owners did...?

No solar yet. It is on my mind though.

Did you know if you purchased this from the original owner?

2nd owner, the original owners had it until 2017. The second owner only had it a few months. He bought it and his wife hated it. She had some medical condition and wasn’t comfortable

Overall, are you pleased with the Airstream RV quality ??

It is typical Airstream. This isn’t our first Airstream so we knew what to expect. I can fix or improve most any part of it though.

Any satellite TV??

It had an outdated dish up there when we bought it. I took it off and sold it. We don’t watch TV when we are traveling.

---Mark

See in line comments above.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by BBQ

Which engine do you have?

The 5 cylinder?

Yes, the L5. Great engine. Plenty of power and averages 22 mpg. Our best was 27 mpg. That is measured between fill ups.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by avanti

Your rig is nearly identical to our erstwhile 2005 Interstate. Wonderful, wide-open floor plan. We really loved ours, and I'm sure you will have great times in yours.

Thanks, we are very comfortable in there, though sometimes I wish we had the rear sleeper.