What Size Generator for Camper

Adventures always bring smiles on faces while exposing the desire to live a thrilling life. To endure such a lifestyle right amount of investment in the right direction is needed. For instance, it is super adventurous to reside in campers but for that, petty cash is required to sustain yourself. Besides food and travel expenses, you will have to bear the electricity cost by installing a generator. 

Now, the question is genuine to ask what size generator is required for a camper? To get a genuine answer for this genuine question make sure you stick to the article till the end. Let’s dive in deep to check out what size generator is needed for campers. 

What size generator for my camper

First and foremost before installing any generator in your camper, you need to decide what kind of appliances and how many appliances you want to run in your camper. Because more the appliances more will be the power consumed by the generator. Secondly, for different campers, there are different types of generators available. 

For checking out the power consumption by different appliances you can calculate the power consumption by yourself. The formula is simple and interesting called Watts Law which states P = I * E (P measures the power in watts, I is for ampere or current, E measures the voltage). 

Further explaining the Watts Law, Amp is the amount of electricity consumed, Volts measure the pressure of electricity. The number of Watts is equal to amps multiplied by volts. Once you are familiar with the requirement of exact wattage, you can easily select products that best fit with your chosen generator size. 

The generator comes with indicators or tags that include the data needed to understand the power and usage of the device. This data includes voltage settings of the device, Horsepower or HP (how much power a device could perform), Phase or PH, Amps, Code( represent the power required by a motor to start), and Hertz(Hz) or Cycles( shows how many cycles per second a motor can do). The U.S. electrical appliances own an average of 60 cycles.

What size generator do I need for my camper?

The data tag also provides you data about the power produced by the generator in a short and long period of time. There are two types of power rated power and maximum power. Rated power indicates the average power a generator produces in long term use. It is usually around 80 to 90% of the maximum power. Maximum power indicates the maximum or optimum power output produced by the generator that only lasts about 30 minutes or less. The purpose of this data is to determine the capability of your generator to continuously provide a sufficient amount of power for all your applications needed.

The required minimum wattage of the generator is equal to the starting wattage of your air conditioner which is 2400W. Once the air conditioner is running you could also run other electrical appliances. Now, the issue rises how much watts are required to run the appliances along with air conditioners. Thus, to resolve the problem market is loaded with generators, offering a range of watts starting from 2000W-6500W. 

A 2000 watts generator supplies 20 amps in total, making it perfect for plugging your camper in. It allows you to use household products for smaller devices like charging cell phones to TVs, and more general smaller things. It is not meant for running the air conditioners or the microwave, or even things like electric water or a refrigerator as these would require a little more power. Therefore, a 2000 Watt generator is optimal for the appliances that consume minimum power. So, if that’s what you require for your camping trip, then make sure to check out Champion 2000 watt portable inverter generator.

Champion Power Equipment 100692 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator, Ultralight

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If you want to power your gas refrigerator, this will consume 540 watts while the hot water heater around 1340 watts. Therefore, it is preferable to use a gas-powered fridge rather than a hot water heater on a smaller generator. By following this norm you are not using the heating element and saving a lot of watts from the generator. The same goes for the hot water heater if you have one that runs on gas and electric, the electric element on it will pull a lot more watts, which is a bit unfair with a small-sized generator. Therefore, when using a smaller generator, opting for gas appliances is always a power-saving idea.

If you want to run air conditioners with your generator, this will usually require a larger amount of wattage. Hence, a 3500-watt generator will serve the job seamlessly while running the air conditioner, fridge, plus the converter, the trailer, and a few more appliances. You can look for No products found. for making your camper life even easier than the 2000 Watt generator. 

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If you are looking for a reliable and more powerful generator that can last a long time, then perhaps you will benefit from 4500 – 6500 generator in comparison to previous generators.  Of course, this sized generator is more expensive, but it is capable enough to power a lot more household appliances. It can incorporate air conditioning, refrigerator, hot water, TV, cooking hob, battery chargers, and various other appliances. This is a mini opulent product meant for campers to achieve easiness and relaxation. Surely, it brushes away all the worries about running out of power while on your camping trip. You can check out iPower SUA4500 4500 watt portable gas powered generator.

A-iPower SUA4500 4500 Watt Portable Generator Gas Powered Wheel Kit Included, EPA/CARB complied

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One final factor in considering the size of a portable camper generator is the weight. The larger the generator, the more it weighs. To offer standard features 3000-6500W generators include a wheel kit as well. A wheel kit becomes a must option because getting the generator in and out of your camper. For a light weighing generator, consider buying two 2000W generators that can be linked in parallel to offer up to 3600W together. Each generator at less than 50 lbs making them more portable. You can even use one when you don’t need to run your AC.

The smaller the generator in size, the fewer appliances it can power. The larger the generator in size, the more power it is likely to have. Recreational generators are well-built and perfect for camping trips as they can power the basic appliances such as cell phone charging and some lights. The larger, portable generators are preferred for powering longer trips with more number of people, as they have enough power to support multiple appliances in a single time for a longer period.

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My career as an Industrial Electrician with over 20 years experience in maintaining small, medium and very large generators plus repairing small engines and working in an auto electrical shop have placed me in the unique position to provide quality advice on all your generator needs. 😉

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