What size generator for a 50 amp RV?
Plan on a 6,500W portable or a paralleled pair of 3,400W inverters. Both rooftop ACs plus the converter, residential fridge, and TV put a 50 amp coach at 4,800 running watts with a 6,500W start peak; soft starts on both compressors bring the peak down to 6,300W. The table shows where each compromise lands.
The scenarios that matter
| Load list | Running | Peak | Bare min | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Both ACs (13.5k + 15k) + converter + fridge + TV | 4,800 W | 6,500 W | 6,500W portable | 6,500W portable |
| Same rig, soft starts on both ACs | 4,800 W | 6,300 W | 6,500W portable | 6,500W portable |
| Add water heater on electric + microwave | 7,200 W | 8,900 W | 7,500W portable | 9,500W portable |
| One AC only, everything else on | 5,400 W | 6,900 W | 6,500W portable | 7,500W portable |
Reading that table like an owner
Fifty amp service is 12,000W of theoretical headroom, and no generator you'd willingly lift matches it; the trick is that no real coach uses it either. The heavy row above (both ACs, water heater on electric, microwave hot) runs about 7,200W. So the buying question is really which compromises you'll live with: flip the water heater to propane, stagger the microwave, and both ACs plus life fits a 6,500W portable once soft starts are in.
The residential fridge changes the character of the problem more than its watts suggest. Unlike an absorption fridge it must have power continuously (no propane fallback), and its compressor adds a second real start surge to the mix. Coaches with residential fridges are where lithium banks plus inverters took over the overnight shift, with the generator running a few loud daytime hours to recharge and carry the ACs.
Questions people ask
What size generator do I need for a 50 amp RV?
6,500W portable territory if both air conditioners run, which is what 50 amp service is for: both units plus the converter, residential fridge, and TV total 4,800 running watts and peak at 6,500. Soft starts pull the peak to 6,300W. Two paralleled 3,400W inverters are the quiet way to the same place.
Can I run a 50 amp RV on a 30 amp-sized generator?
Yes, the way you run a 50 amp rig on a campground's 30 amp pedestal: one AC and load discipline. The one-AC row above is 5,400 running watts, 7,500W portable range. You lose the second AC in August, which is either fine or the whole reason you bought the coach; only you know which.
One big generator or two paralleled inverters for a 50 amp rig?
Parallel pairs win on noise, weight-per-person, and limp-home redundancy (one unit dies, you still have half power). The single big open-frame wins on price per watt and one pull-start instead of two. Boondockers who care about quiet hours overwhelmingly land on the pair; tailgaters and storm-prep buyers on the single.