What type of generator do you need: An inverter generator is highly recommended when running a caravan air conditioner, as caravan air conditioners are a electronic appliance, and inverter generators produce a 100% pure sine wave with no power fluctuations, so with clean power from a inverter generator there is no chance of causing any damage to your caravan air conditioner and any other appliances like laptops, televisions etc.

The key benefits of a inverter generator over conventional generators

• Size and Weight - Inverter generators are much smaller and more compact than most other model generators, sometimes weighing up to 50% less.
• Pure Sine Wave - Inverter generators provide a output of clean pure power that has no surges and spikes that conventional model generators can which can damage appliances.
• Very Quiet - Inverter generators are a lot quieter that your normal conventional generator because they do not need to run at full speed, they rev up automatically to the speed needed to produce the required power needed to run your appliance. The inverter generator range have sound proof casings, insulators and quiet mufflers which keeps any noise to a minumum.
• Fuel Efficiency - A inverter generator allows the engine to automatically adjust the engine speed to only generate the power that is needed at any time, maximising the fuel efficiency while maintaining a perfect power supply.

What size generator do you need: Nearly all caravan air conditioner models will need somewhere between 2000 – 3000 watts to start. So, in order to get the right sized generator, you need to find out how much power your particular caravan air conditioner requires when starting up. Sometimes this is not available on the product data plate or in the product manual found with your air conditioner, so it is recommended you contact the manufacturer of your caravan air conditioner and ask them what size generator you would need to comfortably run that model. The most popular size generator purchased is a 2Kva model, as this size is very popular for its physical size and fuel efficiency, but with alot of the new caravan air conditioners on the market today this size generator is not big enough, and with other factors like temperature that effect the generator, models that are around the 2.4kva to 3kva are now being recommended by caravan air conditoner manfacturers.

Also be aware that budget generators often over-quote their rated output and it may refer to just a short burst, being unable to maintain that level for very long at all. If you are intending to use a generator for an air conditioner stick with a well known brand with a proven agent network like Honda, Yamaha and Briggs & Stratton.

Outside Temperature and Extension leads also need to be considered: As the outside temperature / humidity increases, the power required to start the caravan air conditioner is greater and the power output of a generator decreases. This means unfortunately at the time when you need more power to start the caravan air conditioner, the generator is actually making less power than it is rated at due to the higher outside temperature. The rated power input of an airconditioner is that steady state power input at the rating point of the aircon. This is usually measured at an outside temperature of 35C and an inside temp. of 27C & 50 % humidity. As the outside temperature increases, so does the power requirement of the airconditioner. Typically an aircon rated at say 1300W may well require 1400Watts when the outside temp reaches 40C. So you can see that as the genset is losing power as the outside temp increases, so the aircon is requiring more! A good rule is to allow a 1.5% decrease in output for every 5 degree C above 25C. So on a 45 C day, a genset will be de-rated by 4 x 1.5 = 6%. It is also suggested that a short lead from the generator into the van (no longer than 3-4 meters) is used in very hot conditions, as there is amperage drop over longer leads.