Having a Recreational Vehicle makes you feel like you are still in the comfort of your home. You can freely use different amenities, like refrigerators, coffee makers, and microwaves, which are indeed convenient and can make your life easier. If your appliances use AC power, you can employ an RV generator to run these devices. Most motorhomes come with a built-in generator, but if your RV didn’t come with one, you might try to install it.
Before you decide to have an RV generator, you need to know that it requires enough time, effort, energy, and money. It also needs a maintenance check to ensure its power sufficiency. If you are ready to embrace these all, wait for a couple of days of work, you’ll have your generator installed in your RV. To help you with this, here’s how you should do it:
What Are The Materials And Tools To Prepare?
Before the installation begins, you need to gather everything to ensure that there would be no last-minute complications. So here are the pieces of equipment you need to have:
Materials:
- Brass Flare Union
- Flexible Split Tubing
- Liquidtight Non-Metallic Flexible PVC Conduit
- MB Sturgis High-Pressure Propane Hose
- Cummins Onan RV QG 2500 LP Generator
- Brass Pipe Tee FIP
- Rubber Grommet
- Liquidtight Non-Metallic Straight PVC Conduit Fitting Connector
- Cummins Onan A041L816 Exhaust Tube Kit
- Flat Black Rust-Oleum
- Teflon Tape
- Loctite RTV 598 High-Performance Silicone Gasket Maker
Tools:
- Reciprocating Saw with Metal Cutting Blade
- Hole Cutting Bits
- Electric Drill
- Hammer
- Various Drill Bits
- Carpenter’s Square
- Masking Tape and Permanent Marker
- Nail Set
How To Install RV Generators?
The following are the ways on how you can install the generator in your RV:
FIND THE BEST PLACE TO MOUNT YOUR GENERATOR
The first thing you should do is conduct a survey within your RV and plot out where it would be best to mount your generator. For example, if you use a travel trailer, you may place it on the A-frame at the front, near the hitch, and behind the propane tanks. If there’s no spot at the front, you may segway to another option, which is on the rear bumper of your RV. This way can support the weight of the generator.
However, many people are doubtful about whether this method is safe or not. The generator may technically fly off or might damage if this will be left unaddressed. This option can only be effective if you take all the safety precautions seriously, ensuring the bumper can support the generator’s weight. If it’s already guaranteed your RV generator’s protection, then it is good to go.
INSTALL A SUPPORT FOR THE RV GENERATOR
If you think there’s a dire need to fabricate support for the platform, this will be another step to the installation process. Like any other vehicle, the bumper in your RV is quite essential. Hence, what you need to do is to attach a metal channel perpendicularly to the rear bumper. You may choose to drill and bolt upon putting it, or you may also use U-bolts to ensure security.
This one piece of equipment helps protect you in case of an accident happens. Aside from this, it also gives an extra space to attach any items you want, such as grills, bike racks, etc. If you decide to put one in your RV, it does more than this. After all, installing support for your generation is a good tip you always have to consider.
MOUNT THE GENERATOR
You need to attach the generator first to your RV. In a travel trailer, you may mount your generator in an A-frame, which is a kind of generator mount that you can install over the propane tanks. Then you need to put U-bolts through the mesh over the frame. It would be best if you tightened its bolts for security purposes.
One of the reasons it is best to mount your generator over the propane tanks is its unusable space. So won’t have to worry about taking up space in this spot that you could otherwise use for any other purposes. However, if your propane tanks are more extensive than they used to be, the mount may not fit in. If this is the case, you must temporarily remove the generator’s support to add fuel to the tanks.
CONNECT THE GENERATOR
When wiring the generator, you have two options: First, you need to plug the shore power cord into the RV’s generator receptacle. This method is the simplest one, and many people usually choose to do this. More so, this way will concurrently supply the RV with shore and generator power. However, you must note that you are only limited to running the generator while the RV is not moving.
The second one is a transfer switch, which permits you to connect the two AC power sources. You only need to wire the generator’s AC output to one side of the transfer and then wire the shore power to the other side. Lastly, try to switch the two power sources to see if you made it right.
Conclusion
Installing an RV generator is indeed a challenging one. You need to prepare all the materials required and conduct thorough research to gain information on how to do it successfully. It might be a good idea to hire an expert for the installation to ensure that there would be no complications in the long run. But if your money is not enough to add an extra payment to hire them, or perhaps you are capable of how to do it, then you may do it all by yourself.
Your RV generator will always be there for you when you need to run all your appliances and, therefore, provide you with immense comfort inside your home-on-wheels. It might look hard at first when installing and cost you a lot of money, but you have to trust that this device will be worth having. After all, the tiring and arduous processes you have invested in making the installation a success will soon pay off.