Propane Generator

[wtbuck12]

Hello, everyone. I have been watching this forum for several months and find it very informative. Now I have a question and was hoping someone might be able to give me some advice.

About three months ago my wife and I purchased our first diesel motorhome. We have always had gas units prior to this one. This unit has a propane generator and a 38-gallon propane tank. We do a lot of free camping and 30 gallons of propane just doesn't last very long, about 30 hours. Does anyone have any suggestion on how to extend our propane capacity?

Thanks.

Ronnie

[wolfe10]

Ronnie,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Best advice is to go to a propane dealer who converts vehicles to run on propane. Review with them the size of additional tank you could fit (permanently mounted) under your coach and how to plumb it to your generator/house.

Were you remaining in one place for a long period of time, you could also consider an extend-a-stay. Again, you would need to consult a propane dealer to verify that your generator would operate OK on propane supplied by the remote tank connected by the extend-a-stay (some are Liquid LP generators, some Vapor LP generators).

[tbutler]

There are several possible answers here. One is to add more energy, hook up a supplemental tank to your current propane tank. There is an adapter kit available from Camping World, Brett got that one while I was composing this. It allows a supplemental tank to be easily connected to your current system. I thought that was pretty much universal but read recently of some models of motor homes where the propane tank is installed in a location where it is inaccessible for this system. If you could use this system then you are faced with refilling the supplemental tank. If you have the means to transport it to a propane dealer, that could work for you. The larger the tank you can handle, the fewer trips to town for refills.

Since what you want is more electrical energy, using solar panels to provide your electrical needs when possible would help. The generator is only necessary for loads like the air conditioners, microwave and possibly a washer/dryer if you have one. Your inverter can likely handle the rest. If you can keep the batteries charged with solar panels, then you only need your generator when you run your heavy loads. We have a 2' x 4' panel on our roof and that isn't enough to make a serious dent. It provides about 4 or 5 amps for about 8 hours on a good clear sunny day. It helps but you would likely be looking for a 3 or 4 panel installation. Even a single solar panel will extend the time between running the generator for charging batteries. I've seen some people transport these and set them up adjacent to their camper but a permanent installation would be much more convenient.

The other side of the coin is to conserve energy and reduce the need to run the generator by this means. I won't discuss not watching TV or not using your coffee maker. You need to use the appliances you enjoy. Think in terms of keeping lights turned off when possible. Minimize use of air conditioners by using your awnings to limit the heat entering your motor home. Ventilate rather than air conditioning when you can live with the temperature. Adding sun screens to the cockpit area is another aid to reduce temperature in the motor home and reduce the need for air conditioning. We have sun screens for all our windows and it does help to keep the motor home cooler. If you can reduce the number of hours you need the air conditioner by 2 or 3 hours each day, that will stretch the time you can run the generator to 2 or 3 days beyond your current limits. Then you would only run the generator to air condition or to recharge batteries.

Combining several of these suggestions might make your generator run time last two or three times as long per stay.

[wtbuck12]

Thanks for the information. The "stay a while" kit is not really an option, the tank is mounted between the rails and not easily accessible. I have thought about mounting an additional tank, but I don't think I have enough room for any kind of substantial additional tank. I was thinking of trying to find a larger capacity tank and replacing the existing tank, depending on the dimensions of the larger tank. I was hoping someone had a similar problem and had found a solution already. I think I would need about an 80 gallon capacity tank.

Thanks

Ronnie

[DanStern]

I have been considering alternatives for my situation and wonder if you might:

1. Try a smaller generator to run on the propane for the smaller loads.

2. Put your propane generator for sale on the craigs list or ebay and replace with a diesel generator. This is probably the most practical.....

Hope I may have helped....

Dan

[shields]

Another option might be to use a small portable gas generator for those periods where you just need to charge the batteries. That would allow you to save the larger propane genset to handle large loads like the AC units.

Good luck!

Tim

[desertdeals69]

Have you used all 30 gal in 30 hours? I have a Onan 6300 propane gen. Originally it was plumbed into the same tank as used for the other appliances. It runs on liquid so I added a 38 gallon with a liquid withdraw tube and mounted it between the frame rails just ahead of the rear end. Because the original tank had two outlets, one vapor and one liquid it is easy to tie the liquid lines together with the ability to select which one is being used. Manual shut off on the original tank and electric solenoid valve on the center mounted tank. When I am using the gen for charging batteries and some cooking and ac use I average about 1/2 to 5/8 gallon per hour. I have installed high efficiency ac's and cook using induction cook top.

[wtbuck12]

Thanks Desertdeals69, that sound like the solution I am leaning toward. I have an Onan 6300 gen also, but it uses about 1 gal per hour with the A/C on. Where did you find your auxiliary tank, and were there any modifications other than plumbing involved in the install? That would double my capacity and would probably solve my problem. How did you solve the refill aspect on the auxiliary, do you fill your tanks individually or are they connected together?

Thanks

Ronnie

[hermanmullins]

Ronnie, as Brett said welcome to the Forum.

There are several other concerns I might have other then the generator.

How about Fresh Water? What is your capacity and how long will it last for your needs?

How about holding tanks? What are their capacities?

Putting it all together and 30 hours might be enough before you have to go dump, get water and fuel.

All the thoughts of getting a additional tank installed, separate stand alone tank, changing out your propane tank for a much larger one (enough room?) to changing to the generator for a diesel (very costly, 5 to 6 thousand of dollars and again space) might be too costly.

If your coach was plumbed for a diesel generator your fuel line is set for 1/4 tank so as not to empty your tank. If is wasn't plumbed you will have to tap into a fuel line and then not have that safety factor.

With all these factor out there I think you have a lot to think about before you spend a lot of money. Go have fun, you and always got replenish when needed.

[desertdeals69]

The tank came out of a 98 discovery on a freightliner chassis. It has a remote fill with the switch to close the valve at the tank so you can fill the tank with the remote fill fitting. The other plumbing is straight forward, just a tee as the valve position control which tank you are using.

[wtbuck12]

Thanks for the info. I did contact Holiday Rambler and it seems they have a 58 gallon tank available, and I have room to put the tank just forward of the existing tank. All I have to do is fabricate a mounting bracket and do some plumbing. I haven't decided whether to replace the existing tank or add a second tank, but either way, I should have plenty of capacity.

Thanks

Ronnie