Generator installation

[spindrift]

What home guy said. There aren't many things that will tear up one of these units more than shutting them down under load. Very, very bad. An unfortunate design feature of this system.

I went with a gasoline unit for several reasons. In the future I'll be installing a dual fuel system to get the best of both worlds.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Buddy

Can you hear it run in the bedroom?

Yes I can hear it run but it's a low rumble that doesn't keep you awake

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Adamsvr

Cummins says that under full load, the Onan 5.5 uses 1.1 gallons of LP gas per hour. For half load it is .8G/Hour.

The only complaint I had about the genny is that I had wanted a gasoline one and the dealer wouldn't instal one. Now that I have the propane, I'm happy with it. It does burn much cleaner and I don't have to worry so much about exhaust fumes. I do carry an extra LP tank in the bed of my truck.

My 5.5 is very quiet and effective.

[Adamsvr]

Originally Posted by spindrift

What home guy said. There aren't many things that will tear up one of these units more than shutting them down under load. Very, very bad. An unfortunate design feature of this system.

I went with a gasoline unit for several reasons. In the future I'll be installing a dual fuel system to get the best of both worlds.

In addition, the lack of use kills most generators. They need monthly run cycles to maintain optimal performance. And keep a vigual check on the oil levels.

[atom ant]

How long before lack of use starts impacting performance? Mine is 11 years old now, runs like a top, and I guarantee it doesn't get started at all for 9 months a year. The beauty of propane.

[spindrift]

There are always exceptions to the rule. I imagine you check oil though.

[Dave&Ginny]

I had to take my trailer into an Onan service center because the genny wouldn't continue running when I first got my trailer. It was an easy fix but the techs working on it made the statement that they've never seen one of these gennys not work because they were wore out. They said most of the problems were because of lack of use. Because of this I run mine at least 2 hours a month under a load.

I simply love the freedom of having full power anywhere I want to stop.

[spindrift]

Can't argue with that. Generators are a beautiful thing.

[mhs4771]

I talked to an Onan Rep at the Nov GS Rally about the need to run them every month. He agreed propane isn't as bad as gasoline, but said they did need to be run to keep the armature and stuff clean. So really, running a propane genny every few months should be ok, but gas gennys need to be run to ensure clean fuel.

[BradPAjax]

All,

I ran my genny under load of furnace, fireplace, stereo, and all lights the 1st of each month since I put it away in October as part of my check for snow load, leaks, and critters!

Great excuse to spend an hour or so having a drink and checking out the trailer.

Started genny and ran it for 5 minutes... added loads and ran for 1 hr to get unit up to 65 deg... shut off all loads after 1 hr and ran genny for 4-5 minutes prior to shutdown.

Checked oil every 3 trips as well... hope this adds to the life of the unit.

[subdoc4]

Originally Posted by atom ant

How long before lack of use starts impacting performance? Mine is 11 years old now, runs like a top, and I guarantee it doesn't get started at all for 9 months a year. The beauty of propane.

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