Owning a travel trailer is surely a great feeling. As it brings you closer to adventures and fun, it adds many responsibilities too. When living in a moving house, taking care of basic needs gets a bit difficult, let alone the luxury.
Speaking of basic needs, one of the most important things to take care of while traveling is the power backup. A travel trailer requires to have a power source or backup that you will need when you run out of energy fuels.
Some trailers have accommodation that runs only on power generated through generators. Therefore, choosing the appropriate source of power for your trailer is important.
What Kind of Generator Do You Need?
If you want a power source that works for a travel trailer, you cannot use just any generator that is available to you. When you visit a store, you come to realize how different generators are used for different purposes.
Generators used for travel trailers make sure to grant you a stable source of power. They work for all kinds of appliances you can have up in the trailer. They do not get damaged while working in a moving vehicle. Durable and heavy-duty, they can be easily trusted by a travel enthusiast.
Size
If you are thinking of bringing home a trailer generator, you need to make sure to choose the right size and style. Depending on the kind of trailer you have, the two factors would get influenced.
One way to guess the right size of generator for your trailer is to check the kind of power requirements the trailer has. This will make all the difference. There are some ways through which you can easily guess the future power needs.
The Appliances
The appliances you have in your trailer make the greatest influence on your choice of generator. There could be some appliances that are small in size and do not consume a lot of energy. Meanwhile, there could be some appliances that use a lot of energy.
For instance, machines such as refrigerators, TVs, air conditioners, etc. use up a lot of power. In some cases, refrigerators prove to be the heaviest. As they use heat to provide coolness to the entire unit, they consume a lot of energy. In case you have an air conditioner, the entire consumption of the two comes to be a lot for a small generator.
Therefore, it is always wise to calculate the watts that the appliances consume. A normal size generator uses around 500 to 1000 watts of electricity. If you choose an even larger fridge, the consumption could be more.
On the other hand, a normal-sized air conditioner would use 1200 to around 2400 watts of power. Other appliances such as TV, laptop charger, speakers, etc. would not use anything more than 500 watts.
However, if you keep a hairdryer, toaster, or even a coffee maker, the consumption again reaches very high. It is important to keep in mind that only the most essential commodities should be kept in the van with you. This would require you to purchase a cheaper generator that works well.
Compressor
When discussing appliances for a travel trailer, you should always keep in mind the factors that will make them more manageable. If you are buying an appliance that has a compressor, they will have a high-power consumption factor. For instance, fridges and ACs consume more power.
An appliance that could be using just 500 watts will start to consume more than 200 watts when the compressor would kick in.
Once you have all the factors mentioned above checked in, you can start to add up the total watt usage. The result will give you a clear idea of the size of generator you should buy.
When you visit the store, you will find the power of the engine mentioned on the generator. Compare both the numbers and make your decision accordingly.
Other Factors to Consider
Once you are sure about the size of the generator you want to go for, you can start looking for the right style of the generator. The style for a generator would depend on the manufacturers you are going for.
Portable
Most manufacturers have started stressing the portability factor when designing power generators. Since you would be living in a moving home with no stable arrangements for anything, having a generator that can move comes in handy.
Situations out in the open are always unpredictable. Since you will be your own mechanic and helping hand, you may require to move heavy appliances from one place to another. Therefore, choosing light-weight and easy-to-move appliances, including generators, is always a wise decision.
Noise
Another very important factor while choosing a generator is to go for the one that makes very little noise. Moving on a silent road with a noisy generator would simply spoil the fun. Noisy generators may also bring you unwanted trouble when moving from silent places, especially at night.
If you are not able to find a generator that keeps it low, you can always go for stronger inverters. Inverters work great if your power consumption is controlled. They are portable as well.
Type of Fuel
The type of fuel your generator would use also makes a huge difference in your comfort and convenience. Usually, a generator would consume only one out of the three options. It could either be gas, liquid propane, or diesel.
Gas
If you use gas, it will be easier for you as it is readily accessible and does not cost that much. However, it burns more quickly than the other fuel options.
Liquid propane
LP is easier to store and manage. It can be stored in a much better condition than gas or diesel. Although, you may not consider it to be the best source of power. It has lower efficiency and is not preferred by the users as compared to gas.
Diesel
Diesel generators are the most preferred ones when compared to gas and LP. They are more environmentally friendly and can produce much more power in a small amount. Diesel generators produce more power than LP generators.
Some generators would also go for a dual fuel system in which the generator will have two tanks. Depending on the requirement, the generator could use any of the two. In this way, you do not run out of fuel easily and always have an option.
Selecting an environment-friendly generator should also be one of your priorities. An energy-efficient generator will not only save you money but will also help in saving non-renewable resources from the planet.
Affordability
It is essential to check your budget when choosing the right generator for your travel trailer. As has been mentioned above, situations out in the open can get a bit unpredictable. Therefore, it is important to choose a generator that is heavy-duty but is within budget too.
You should also remember the service charges and maintenance charges that would add up to the total cost of the generator. Overhead charges, when added to the total expense, bring you a hefty bill. Another factor to remember while making your budget is the size of the appliances.
If you have very heavy appliances, the budget for your generator would stay high. However, if you have appliances that do not consume a lot of power, a low-costing generator will also work well.
To Sum It Up
A travel trailer has specific power requirements that are a bit tricky to understand. This may stand in the way of you and an efficient generator. Finding a generator that is of the right size and meets the other important factors too is important to look for.
Therefore, going by the information mentioned above, you can easily find the right choice for you and your travel trailer.
