A Look at the RV Generator

Are you one of the lucky people of the world who owns an RV? Recreational vehicles are more than just glorified camping gear and can actually feel like a home outside of your normal home. For instance, they are decorated, have modern and almost full-sized appliances, all kinds of electronic gadgets, and most the comforts of our traditional homes. This is one of the reasons that so many people are now happily enjoying the RV lifestyle and why so many "RV camps" are appearing in scenic and popular tourist locations.

Of course, you can have an RV and yet not have the great conveniences of home if you are without a source of power. For example, if you are not near one of those handy RV camps, and you want to stop for the night, you may have to live without a lot of those comforts.

If, on the other hand, you pop an RV generator in your gear compartment you can just stop, plug, and play! This is because an RV generator is just a smaller variation of the popular portable generators used by so many home and property owners during times of emergency or foul weather.

The Pros and Cons

If you have never used an RV or have not considered going outside of the RV camps, you may wonder why the unit's battery couldn't just handle the needs of the vehicle. Stop and consider what that means...if you wanted to use lighting, some of the cooking gear, and any of the pumping systems it could mean that you drain the battery. Most RV makers don't recommend operating the systems without a direct source of energy. At the camps, the sites usually have the outlets required, but with an RV generator and some gas or diesel, you can make your own electricity.

So, what are the pros and cons of choosing to do this? Let's consider:

  • Just like the larger portable generators, the RV generators can have electric or manual starting switches. If you are not keen on investing in the costly batteries for the electric starts, you can easily opt for a traditional pull activated unit.
  • Like the other gas and diesel powered generators, you will also need to carry a small supply of gas for the RV generator too. Because it will require three or more gallons to run the system for any length of time, it usually means that the owner has to have one or two five-gallon cans on hand. There are also some propane models becoming available and this may be a better option.
  • The size has to be carefully considered. Do you know how many watts the RV will pull from the RV generator? If you do not consider the amount of electricity you will actually consume, you could cause yourself a lot of headaches. It is always tempting to pay as less as possible, but when you are considering the RV generator, don't short change your needs. There are some units that promise more wattage than they deliver and this can cause appliances to overheat or to even be harmed by the power.
  • Because they are light in weight and easy to tote, the RV generators are an easy item to steal. This means that you do want to consider investing in some sort of security. There are rolling bags and covers that can enable you to also chain or secure the generator in place, and this is an easy and affordable solution.

There are clearly many more "pros" than "cons" to owning an RV generator. The use of RVs has increased so dramatically during the last decade that many of the top manufacturers are also offering such amazing options as remote controls and automated functions too.

You do want any home away from home to feel as welcoming and comfortable as possible. This is not going to be the case if you are too hot because the air conditioning cannot be used or too hungry because cooking was not possible. When you supply your own electricity through an RV generator, you are guaranteeing that you get the very most out even a short getaway or lengthy vacation.