We all love the idea of enjoying a weekend escape and lost completely in nature. A day at a national park or maybe a week-long road trip to explore the whole state. To live that fantasy to the max, RV is the best solution for adventurers who miss their luxurious lifestyle while being away in the mountains. However, unfortunately (or not) nature doesn’t have sockets to power up our essential electronic devices. And that’s just why having a generator in the RV is a must. But selecting a generator for an RV is not an easy task. And that goes both for an enthusiast and a newbie. Are you wondering what size generator you need for a 50 amp RV? Well read the following article “What size generator for 50 amp RV” to learn more!
As most of the latest RVs require 50 amp service, we’ll be figuring out the right size of the generator for this specific RV. But the same method can be extended for other amps RVs as well.
How to find out what size generator for 50 amp RV
Step 1: Calculate Power from the given Amp
First, we need to calculate the maximum electric power our RV can provide given 50 amps rating. To find that simply use the formula
Power (Wattage) = Voltage (V) x current (amp)
The defined voltage value in most of the countries is 120 V. Also, there are two 120 V wires in the 50 amp RV plug.
So, Power = 2x 120x 50 = 1200 Watts
However, buying a 1200 Watts generator would be expensive and unnecessary if you are not going to use the generator to its maximum power. Which is quite a possibility. Therefore, there is one more thing that we need to consider.
Step 2: Determine your Electric Needs
You might have seen wattage ratings written on the electric devices, well that’s the running watts that they consume when connected. Also, there is starting watts mentioned which is the power they consume while getting started. So, in order to determine your electric needs, you need to sum up the starting as well as running wattage ratings of all the devices that you are going to connect in your RV. Given below is the chart depicting standard ratings for general appliances*:
| Appliance | Starting Watts | Running Watts |
| Refrigerator | 600 W | 180 W |
| Laptop | 250 W | 250 W |
| Coffee blender | 600 W | 600 W |
| Microwave oven | 1000 W | 1000 W |
| Flat TV | 200 W | 200 W |
| Cooking Grill | 1700 W | 1700 W |
| Hair Dryer | 1900 W | 1800 W |
| Portable Fan | 120 W | 40 W |
| Sum | 6370 W | 5770 W |
You can add more devices based on your requirements*
Step 3: Make a Final Decision
Here, it is to be noted that starting power will always be greater than the running power. Thus, considering the worst-case scenario, you need to buy a generator that can support the total starting watts. That would be a safe option. But higher the wattage means higher will be the cost.
However, if you follow a practical approach, you are not going to start all the appliances at once. So instead you can consider the sum of running wattage for generator purchase. But for that, you do need to be vigilant about the appliances you are starting at once.
So, for given appliances and their ratings, it would be safe to have a generator rating 6000 watts.
What Size Generator for 50 amp RV Recommendations:
Here are the few generator options that we recommend for a 50 amp RV:
