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How much to run generator when dry camping

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Vernon Boen:
I have a 2001 Beaver Marquis. We are camping a couple nights next week with no hookups.  My coach is not equipped with auto start on the generator. My question is how much do I run the generator? Can I monitor the house battery charge to determine when to fire it up or do i need to run it continuously?

David T. Richelderfer:
Our Marquis is a real power hog.  If we leave the Marquis for more than 5 or 6 hours, then the house batteries will be weak.  I suppose if I turned off the inverter, then that would help.  lol  In answer to your question, consult the voltage of the batteries.  If they are at 12.4v. then they are 1/4th discharged, at 12.2 they are 1/2 discharged.  Don't let them get far below 12.2v.

Anyways, we carry a Honda 3000 in the towed pickup that we run when dry camping.  It has a 3.6 gallon gas tank and will idle along for about 16 hours on a fill.  I should also note that we run the bedroom TV all night.  lol  I turn the inverter charging amperage down to 10 amps from its maximum of 30 amps... just in case some device gets turned on that would kick-out the Honda.

Frank Bergamo:
I run my generator 90 minutes or so in the morning and the same in the evening when not plugged in to keep house batteries charged. I also monitor the batteries, with the control panel, or with a volt meter at the batteries. Your coach came equipped with an Echo Charger, it will keep your chassis batteries charged if working properly when generator is running. If batteries are in good shape, this should be sufficient. Hope this helps, good luck.

David Ciotti:
How much diesel does the generator consume at idle? At full load?

David T. Richelderfer:
Another simple GOOGLE AI question and answer for a 10kw diesel generator:

Fuel Consumption Breakdown by Load
While diesel generators use a baseline amount of fuel just to stay running (idling to maintain its governed RPM, typically 1,500 or 1,800 RPM), consumption scales up as electrical demand increases:

• Idle / No Load: ~0.3 – 0.5 gal/hr (1.1 – 1.9 L/hr)
• 1/4 Load (~2.5 kW): ~0.25 – 0.35 gal/hr (1.0 – 1.3 L/hr)
• 1/2 Load (~5 kW): ~0.4 – 0.55 gal/hr (1.5 – 2.1 L/hr)
• 3/4 Load (~7.5 kW): ~0.6 – 0.8 gal/hr (2.3 – 3.0 L/hr)
• Full Load (10 kW): ~0.85 – 1.1 gal/hr (3.2 – 4.0 L/hr)

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