Generator Advice

[AriaOwnerX]

Hi all,

I recently bought a 2022 Thor Aria 4000. We LOVE it so far. I am a musician, and my band uses the Aria for out of town, out of state, shows. We recently made a 4 day run through about 6 states, and spent the entire time boondocking. That said, our generator ran constantly for 4 days. Being kind of new to RVs and to the Onan 8000 generator, my question is...is it okay to run the generator for that length of time, because we did have a few instances where the generator just shut down. It started right back up each time (well, except for when my wife was trying to run the washer, the dryer, all 3 AC units, the main TV, lots of lights, and someone was using the convection oven)...that was a big ol' NO!

So, again, question is: how long can you realistically run your generator, assuming you have enough fuel? Given that it has run for that long, should I have it serviced already?? (I can probably do that myself).

Thanks in advance for any replies.

AOX

[MJC62]

First off get the VIN number and go to the THOR website. Then click on owners resources, use the VIN and register your unit. There is all kinds of information about the systems in your MH including using & servicing the genny. I wouldn't think you require service after 100 hours run time but the owners manual should tell you.
I have never run either my Onan or my previous Generac for the 100 hours continuous run that you did. A 10-12 hour overnight has been about it.
That said if the genny gets hot it will shut down. I am not sure if the genny shuts down when you try to use too much power. I would think it would trip its breaker first

[dkoldman]

Yes, you should have had it serviced already. The 1st oil change should have been around 25 hours and then 150 hours is general rule thereafter.

But generally speaking checking your oil after any major continuous run is all that you need to do. Check with manual on limits. For some reason 8 hours is popping in my mind, but your real limit is fuel to 1/4 tank.

You should have error codes to tell you why it shut down.

Glad to see somebody that really uses the generator

[Judge]

Your first service is at 50 Hours.... Oil and Filter. I have the QD6000 and just did my first oil change. Below is the maintenace for the 6000 and 8000.

One tip if you do it yourself..... everyone says to loosen the oil filter and then retighten before starting the generator to warm the oil before draining. They put the filter on extremely tight at the factory... to the point of almost having to damage it to remove it. Warm the engine and then try to remove the filter, it will come off much easier warmed up than cold.