Tri fuel conversions for generator? - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tri fuel conversions for generator?

Posted: 2/18/2017 11:41:53 PM EDT

I seem to remember a discussion about a company that sells this conversion? And that there was a sale?

I've got a honda powered generator I'd like to convert to propane since I store 1k of fuel on site. Who sells the best kit for the best price?

Posted: 2/19/2017 12:48:56 AM EDT

[#1]

US Carburetion occasionally runs half-price specials on their Motor Snorkel kits.

Good product, and good support.

Posted: 2/19/2017 11:53:11 AM EDT

[#2]

I got a Honda 2000 already converted by Central Maine Diesel and have been happy with it. I believe they also sell kits.

Posted: 2/19/2017 11:43:16 PM EDT

[#3]

I bought this kit from Amazon: Century for my Honda EU2000i. Wanted to avoid drilling holes in my carburetor and epoxying in plastic fittings. The aluminum adapter with brass fitting is nicely made. The gasoline cutoff valve OTOH, while doubtless functional, is a POS. The alternative suggested by Amazon is a great replacement.

Posted: 2/19/2017 11:54:06 PM EDT

[#4]

I have the Motor Snorkel. It works well. Good company too. Highly recommended.

Posted: 2/22/2017 1:55:41 PM EDT

[#5]

Are there issues with running a gas generator on lp or natural gas due to loss of horsepower on the lp/natural gas versus gasoline?

Posted: 2/22/2017 1:58:56 PM EDT

[#6]

Not "issues" you just get a slightly lower power output.

Posted: 2/22/2017 2:06:48 PM EDT

[#7]

I have the motor snorkel. I like it, even though it now prevents my generator from running on gasoline, let me explain.

The generator is a Brute, powered by B&S. They did not have a kit for it, so I send pics with measurements of the carb and they sent me a kit that will fit. While the kit fits, the "snorkel" just happens to line up perfectly in front of a jet, so when I try to run on gasoline, it runs very rich.

The engine runs perfectly on propane. Should I need to run gasoline, it would take 10 minutes to remove the snorkel from the carb and be running gasoline again.

Posted: 2/26/2017 11:07:20 AM EDT

[#8]

I've got the kit from US carburetor. It got me thru two Hurricanes this past year. I have no complaints.

Posted: 2/26/2017 2:28:40 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
I've got the kit from US carburetor. It got me thru two Hurricanes this past year. I have no complaints.

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May I ask how many hours you put on the generator while running NG/LP? And may I ask how many watts the generator is rated for? Thank you.

Posted: 2/26/2017 3:38:06 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
US Carburetion occasionally runs half-price specials on their Motor Snorkel kits.

Good product, and good support.

View Quote

I put the natural gas kit on my Honeywell (Generac) 5500 since I have NG piped to my garage. I got about $250 in the conversion so I will probably never need the generator again. Kind of insurance. When I bought it we were out for about 5 days to a week regionally. The hardest part was finding gasoline and getting enough home. It was pretty easy to install though.

Posted: 2/28/2017 3:43:32 AM EDT

[#11]

Motor snorkel tri-fuel kit. Runs great, can switch from gasoline to propane without shut down. Have not come up with a safe solution the other way around yet.

Posted: 3/1/2017 8:46:24 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:

May I ask how many hours you put on the generator while running NG/LP? And may I ask how many watts the generator is rated for? Thank you.

View Quote

Genny is rated for 7000 watts. After all is said and done, I probably put close to 60 hours on it this year. We lost power for a day the first storm and a day and a half the second storm. In addition there were some intermittent power outages here and there.

Posted: 3/2/2017 11:07:54 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Motor snorkel tri-fuel kit. Runs great, can switch from gasoline to propane without shut down. Have not come up with a safe solution the other way around yet.

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p659/WSS01/Around%20the%20house/IMG_2867_zpsz3w5ixxe.jpg

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From Motor Snorkel's site

"To change from gasoline to propane you would simply turn off the gasoline valve on the control panel (or the petcock under the gasoline tank) and then turn on the propane cylinder or valve to the natural gas line.........To go back to gasoline, turn off the propane or natural gas and as the engine is fading out turn on the gasoline valve and the engine will pick back up and run on gasoline."

Have you found this to not be the case?

Posted: 3/5/2017 10:43:01 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
US Carburetion occasionally runs half-price specials on their Motor Snorkel kits.

Good product, and good support.

View Quote

Used it for my honda. Worked great

Posted: 3/5/2017 11:20:30 PM EDT

[#15]

I have the snorkel kit on a 3000 watt Yamaha and was able to install it without drilling a single hole although I had to make a frame for that. With quick connects it is a system that can be set up and run by a child or elderly person even if they need to use the pull start. It can be safely refueled without a gasoline spill or splash hazard. If I am traveling I don't have to worry about family being able to handle a power outage easily.

Something to keep in mind when choosing brands; Honda will void your warranty if you install accessories like this. Yamaha will honor its warranty unless the modifications caused the problem.

Posted: 3/6/2017 3:50:56 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:

From Motor Snorkel's site

"To change from gasoline to propane you would simply turn off the gasoline valve on the control panel (or the petcock under the gasoline tank) and then turn on the propane cylinder or valve to the natural gas line.........To go back to gasoline, turn off the propane or natural gas and as the engine is fading out turn on the gasoline valve and the engine will pick back up and run on gasoline."

Have you found this to not be the case?

View Quote

I have found it not to be the case. The fuel bowl takes too long to fill once the lp/propane begins to run dry, which is almost instant. Maybe three to four seconds and the engine is stalling. It takes about 8-10 seconds for the gasoline to fill bowl and start the vapor flow. I am comfortable turning on gas valve and then shutting lp off. I can do it with just about the right timing, slight high idle. But I am not sure I could write these instructions down in a way that it would be safe for someone of limited ability, say a child or wife. Also, if the transfer does not go as planned and engine stalls while under load, you risk demagnetizing fields. If your loads are open, you would eliminate that possibility.

Posted: 3/6/2017 1:25:30 PM EDT

[#17]

I see no reason you can/should not shutdown the engine when switching fuels. The sputtering and very "dirty" power you will create during the process would be very hard on your appliances anyway.

Option B: Have two propane tanks and valves setup where you can hot swap propane tanks (swap one while running on the other, an RV type auto-switch valve would help here). Disclaimer: Doing so is dangerous as you have spilled raw fuel around a running engine, etc., legal, OSHA, naughty finger..

Posted: 3/15/2017 9:14:06 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
US Carburetion occasionally runs half-price specials on their Motor Snorkel kits.

Good product, and good support.

View Quote

a few times a year they run them on sale at 1/2 price. great product and awesome support. i put in a gas line for mine and had some issue getting it to run on ng. propane worked perfectly. they spent hours on the phone with me until i finally got it running.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tri fuel conversions for generator?

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