Posted: 5/4/2011 5:26:15 AM EDT
| Is there any advantage to having a propane over a gas/diesel unit? |
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The storage of propane can easily be underground and therefore less visible. OPSEC.
Propane will last indefinitely. It doesn't go bad like gasoline or grow algae like diesel. Many tri fuel generators can be run on gasoline, propane or nat gas. More options. In a pinch a smaller tri fuel generator can be run on a BBQ propane tank. |
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Around here, unleaded is $4 a gallon. Propane is about the same if gotten as a 20lb refill. Now my big (330Gal) tank is like $2.50 a gallon. Just need a siphon hose to refill the grill bottles. Other than your 'gas tank' is metal (by that I mean heavier than plastic) that is the only downside I can see, other than maybe availability post SHTF. Get 2 500gallon tanks buried and you should be GTG for a longtime running something like a honda 2000i. Just my $.02 not adjusted for inflation. |
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I have a tri-fuel kit on the way for my genny. (We just spent 5 days on genny power due to the tornado swarm here in AL.) When it's installed I'll run the genny off the natural gas already plumbed to the house. I'll retain the ability to run on gasoline and add the ability to run on propane, too. Gas was unavailable here for 2-3 days unless you were willing to wait for hours in line with a thousand frustrated, ill-prepared people, many of whom had their cars run dry and die right there in the lines. Worse yet, some tried to drive long distances on fumes to get gas elsewhere. Many of them ended up with dead vehicles on the side of I-65 and local highways. I had sufficient fuel for the genny and cars, so I sat home and helped out family and neighbors. The NG conversion will help me stay out of fuel lines in an emergency. It will also get my genny off of a gasoline supply contaminated with ethanol and God only knows what else. I'm sick of draining tanks and cleaning carbs for our small engines because of this crappy E-10 that's been foisted on us. |
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http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/
I have a 6600 and a 2400 both Tri-Fuel. Both work and run great, not having to deal with Gas is a huge +. |
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Basically the fact that you can buy in bulk with fewer storage issues. Buy when it's low, have a large tank, and just refill now and then when the price dips, it's pretty seasonal and more stable overall than gasoline in pricing.
It's also easily used for other things around the house. For your grill, consider just plumbing it in. If you routinely move the grill to store it then bring it out for use you can leave a hook up and then use a flexible hose between that point and the grill itself. You can convert or replace appliances with propane versions and generally save money over pure electric and often natural gas versions. Of course, this assumes you shop around for propane, there are big differences in price even locally sometimes. If anyone's in CT and wants to get good service check out All-Gas & Equipment Company. I'm semi-associated, in the sense that I'm close friends, but that just means I'm well aware of how much effort they put into being better than their competition. |
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I already had a 6500w Coleman before I even thought of the multi fuel option.
This kit went on easily, and works like a charm. It was about $250 with the extra hoses etc. http://www.propane-generators.com/coleman-generators.htm If you'd like to retro-fit a genny that you already have, this might be the way to go. |
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I already had a 6500w Coleman before I even thought of the multi fuel option. This kit went on easily, and works like a charm. It was about $250 with the extra hoses etc. http://www.propane-generators.com/coleman-generators.htm If you'd like to retro-fit a genny that you already have, this might be the way to go. That is where I bought my tri fuel kit for my Yamaha inverter 2400. Like you said, easy install and works great! With my 1000 gallon buried propane tank I should be able to run for a long long time! |
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How long will a 20lb tank run something like a Honda 2000? Fuel consumption doesn't just depend on the size of the generator - It also depends on how much electrical power the generator is producing. A generator that is producing no power will consume MUCH less fuel than the same generator when it is producing full rated power. For a typical generator, propane consumption is 0.25 gallons (1.055 pounds) per hour, for every 1,000 watts the generator is producing. So, if your propane tank was actually filled to 20 pounds, it would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 20 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = almost 19 hours. However, a 20 pound tank is normally only filled with about 17 pounds of propane - which means that your "20 pound tank" would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 17 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = approx. 16 hours. |
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How long will a 20lb tank run something like a Honda 2000? Fuel consumption doesn't just depend on the size of the generator - It also depends on how much electrical power the generator is producing. A generator that is producing no power will consume MUCH less fuel than the same generator when it is producing full rated power. For a typical generator, propane consumption is 0.25 gallons (1.055 pounds) per hour, for every 1,000 watts the generator is producing. So, if your propane tank was actually filled to 20 pounds, it would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 20 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = almost 19 hours. However, a 20 pound tank is normally only filled with about 17 pounds of propane - which means that your "20 pound tank" would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 17 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = approx. 16 hours. 20 lb. BBQ tanks hold about 4 gallons of propane when full. So, at .25 gallons an hour you would get an 8 hour run by your math. Unless I am calculating it wrong. |
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How long will a 20lb tank run something like a Honda 2000? Fuel consumption doesn't just depend on the size of the generator - It also depends on how much electrical power the generator is producing. A generator that is producing no power will consume MUCH less fuel than the same generator when it is producing full rated power. For a typical generator, propane consumption is 0.25 gallons (1.055 pounds) per hour, for every 1,000 watts the generator is producing. So, if your propane tank was actually filled to 20 pounds, it would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 20 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = almost 19 hours. However, a 20 pound tank is normally only filled with about 17 pounds of propane - which means that your "20 pound tank" would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 17 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = approx. 16 hours. 20 lb. BBQ tanks hold about 4 gallons of propane when full. So, at .25 gallons an hour you would get an 8 hour run by your math. Unless I am calculating it wrong. 4 gallons / 0.25 gph = 16 hours. |
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How long will a 20lb tank run something like a Honda 2000? Fuel consumption doesn't just depend on the size of the generator - It also depends on how much electrical power the generator is producing. A generator that is producing no power will consume MUCH less fuel than the same generator when it is producing full rated power. For a typical generator, propane consumption is 0.25 gallons (1.055 pounds) per hour, for every 1,000 watts the generator is producing. So, if your propane tank was actually filled to 20 pounds, it would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 20 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = almost 19 hours. However, a 20 pound tank is normally only filled with about 17 pounds of propane - which means that your "20 pound tank" would allow your Honda to produce 1,000 watts for: 17 lbs. / 1.055 pounds per KW = approx. 16 hours. 20 lb. BBQ tanks hold about 4 gallons of propane when full. So, at .25 gallons an hour you would get an 8 hour run by your math. Unless I am calculating it wrong. 4 gallons / 0.25 gph = 16 hours. Egads. My brain must have not been functioning. I fail at simple math. 
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