Running the generator while driving

[SteveWoz]

We just purchased our first motorhome after selling our beloved 5th wheel a few years ago. We're gearing up for our first trip in a few weeks. Since the whole built-in generator thing is new to me, I'm wondering if it's normal to run it while driving in order to keep the full interior cool on hot summer days.

Thanks in advance.

[tatest]

That's why the motorhome has a genset, to cool the house while driving, or parking enroute. Otherwise it is rarely run, I tend to stop at places with adequate AC service to run air conditioning.

I do shut it off at filling stations, as it is on the same side as the gasoline fill. I also shut off fridge and water heater, while they are on the opposite side, that doesn't mean the person at the pump across from me isn't going to do something stupid and dump a few gallons of gas on the pavement.

[Kennyg]

turbojimmy wrote:

Kennyg wrote:
Tried running both the house AC off the generator and the AC truck at the same time. After about an hour the truck battery trouble light came on and stayed that way until I turned off the house AC and turned off the house generator. Trouble light immediately went off. Any ideas??

That's odd - they're isolated systems, or should be anyway. All I can figure is that the trouble light might have been due to too much voltage rather than low battery. Might have been charging from the house and the truck alternator (a properly functioning isolator Would prevent this). Just a wild guess tho.

Thanks for the response. something to think about. How do I check?

[wa8yxm]

Flint Michigan area.. parker's propane on Carpenter RD and DORT

Tekonsha MI .. Carmichael's Propane 3635 14 Mile road 48082 NOTE this one is "out in the sticks" and can be kind of hard to find for most.. Easy for me though.. (I grew up on a what used to be a dairy farm. Today its' a Tank Farm).

Most anywhere Flying-J has propane
Many LOVE's stations now have propane as well

Many others

IN South Carolina I usually go to ACE hardware but the local Loves had good prices as well.

[malexander]

I live in Oklahoma City and go to Oshkosh, WI every year. It's a 2 day trip for me. I start the generator when I leave my house of a morning and don't shut if off till I'm set up in the campground the next day in the afternoon. I stop for the night somewhere about 2/3 of the way. Then do the same thing when headed home.

[olfarmer]

Last summer while coming home from the Black Hills, our engine AC clutch went out. I fired up the genny and the roof air and we stayed comfy all the way home! I run it any time it is so hot that the dash air won't keep up!

[turbojimmy]

Kennyg wrote:
Tried running both the house AC off the generator and the AC truck at the same time. After about an hour the truck battery trouble light came on and stayed that way until I turned off the house AC and turned off the house generator. Trouble light immediately went off. Any ideas??

That's odd - they're isolated systems, or should be anyway. All I can figure is that the trouble light might have been due to too much voltage rather than low battery. Might have been charging from the house and the truck alternator (a properly functioning isolator Would prevent this). Just a wild guess tho.

[bikendan]

zcookiemonstar wrote:
A lot of people have residential refrigerators in their RV and don't have much choice but to run the generator while driving.

Not necessarily. Every MH I've seen, with a residential fridge, uses an inverter that uses battery power to run it and the alternator keeps the batteries charged while driving.
So no need to run the generator.

[dodge_guy]

zcookiemonstar wrote:
A lot of people have residential refrigerators in their RV and don't have much choice but to run the generator while driving.

I think all the new ones have an inverter that will run off the house batteries. Those will be charged by the engine and/or solar panel.

[Happytraveler]

I bet we run our generator 90% of the time on the road. When the dog starts panting the air conditioning is on..

[Kennyg]

Tried running both the house AC off the generator and the AC truck at the same time. After about an hour the truck battery trouble light came on and stayed that way until I turned off the house AC and turned off the house generator. Trouble light immediately went off. Any ideas??

[zcookiemonstar]

A lot of people have residential refrigerators in their RV and don't have much choice but to run the generator while driving.

[wa8yxm]

Year around at least once a month I will run the Genny while moving CG to CG (Campground).

If it's hot enough the dash air is of little effect so I fire it up for ROOF air as well.. No problem so long as I'm moving right along. NOW if I'm stuck in stop and go it may set off the CO alarm or rather it used to (I think I fixed it).

WHEN PARKED.. Consider a device called a Gen-Turi.

Moves the exhaust fumes CO included up up up and above the roof. and since they are HOT (Well very warm having been diluted at this point) they keep right on going UP and UP.

[mountainkowboy]

Only way we could keep the Moho cool a few times. Hard to keep 36 feet cool in 107* in late August in Lompoc....lol.

[turbojimmy]

SteveWoz wrote:

turbojimmy wrote:
I know this is a redundant reply but yes - I do it all the time without issue. It's made to be run while in motion - or at any time for that matter.

Perfect! Thanks!

I should have mentioned that my rig is "vintage" and does not have dash A/C, so running the generator is a must while traveling in the summer. It also has 30A service, so the only way to run both A/Cs is with the generator. Even with all the glass in the cab, with both A/Cs running it gets COLD in there.