# What size and brand of generator do you have?



## canfossi (Sep 18, 2005)

I am curious what brand and size of generators you have for your off-grid homes. Also are they gas or diesel and do they have an invertor built right into them or not? Thanks Chris


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## artificer (Feb 26, 2007)

Main temporary generator: Honda 2000EU inverter - gas

For the well pump: Onan 4000 watt RV drawer generator - gas, but will eventually be fed from a biomass gassifier and/or propane

Once I get it out to the property: Lister(oid) 12-2 with 10kw ST gen head. Waste motor oil, used vegtable oil, diesel, biodiesel... We'll be planting rape seed for the oil to power this beast. This will be our main generator. I'm working on co-gen. Since its water cooled, that part is easy. Getting the last 1/3 of the energy from the exhaust will be more challenging, but not terribly difficult.

The Onan is overkill for the well pump, but it has 220v. It sucks down a gallon an hour of gas, however. The Listeroid will only use 1/4gal/hr baseline, and .08gal/kwhr additional. Its 7500 watts should power almost anything I need. Once the listeroid goes out to the property the Onan becomes a backup. I'll eventually put together a third generator based on a Chanfa 175. 3hp diesel that can burn all of the fuels the Listeroid can use. Should be more efficient as low power levels. 

Michael


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## no1cowboy (May 2, 2004)

I have an old generac 5000 watt & a newer 6500 watt brigs both are gas but im going to change the brigs to propane


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## VonWolfen (May 24, 2004)

I have a 12.5 KW Diesel manufactured by Imperial Diesel. I'm leaning towards the fact that this is overkill. We are 100% off grid. At 75% load, this generator uses 1 gallon every 2 and 1/2 hours...pretty good actually. My system is wired so that the generator recharges the batteries or with the flip of a switch, it can send the whole generated power straight into the house (not as pure sine obviously). After 3 and a half years I have never sent the power into the house directly...always into the batteries, then thru inverter into the house. I have been playing with the thought that a person could be far better off by buying 2 or 3 Honda 1000s and wiring one into the control panel and letting it run for about 3 hours an evening (after dark). This would take minimum fuel, keep the batteries basicly in ideal condition for their entire life, and afford all conveniences throughout the evening without worry. If you have some sort of special need...fire up a second one. Rotate them for long life and maybe even have a third as time goes by for special needs. You are still FAR cheaper than a decent large KW diesel, and your battery pack will be better and longer lived...and you will burn less fuel. I haven't totally sold myself on this yet....but I'm close.


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

i have a 5000 watt with gas briggs engine, a 3000 watt briggs engine, a 30kw tractor pto driven generator, a 10 kw st generator i belted to an india clone of a lister diesel engine that will burn multifuels if required, a couple of 5000 and 6000 watt generators that are belted to antique multifuel engines. a small dc motor that acts as a generator that is belted to a banki turbine that i built a few years ago (as an experiment) it can charge a battery when water flow is up in the pond. getting ready to make a 5000 watt system that will belt up to the side pulley of a couple of antique tractors i have. don't need them all , its just a hobby, and a possible way of educating people that have little scientific knowledge of power conversion...


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

Portable 4.5KW with a Briggs engine also. My Dad picked it up in the early 90's during an ice storm when thousands were without power for almost a week. It's not a very high end unit but it starts right up everytime. I use it on occasion as an emergency backup to run the fridge, freezer, well pump (not all at the same time) and a few lights during the blackouts which happen frequently throughout the year.


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

so here is my tip of the day...i .have an emergency light near the generator so that i have no problem with light at night....even the cheap emergency lights that the home builder supply sells will light the area of the generator for a few minutes when the power goes out. I wished one of my generators had electric key start,,,,i think my family would have some trouble starting if i were not around.,


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

Our backup generator is an old gov't surplus Onan 4 cylinder 3000 watt 28v DC generator that we use only to directly charge the batteries if we are without power for over 4 or 5 days. I try to run it at least once a year to keep it in running condition. If I were to do it over, I would seriously consider a Listeroid diesel because of the variety of fuels it could use.


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## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

I have a cheapo China built Wen Power generator. It is a 3500 watt. The genny is really good on fuel and it always starts, just not always on the first pull (or 15th depending on the weather). My dream is to some day have a wood gas powered generator.


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

i'm kinda reconsidering the wood gas thing myself..i've got a few oilfield engines (big tough 24/7 built engines) that will burn just about anything you feed into them...the wood gas would work great on a constant rpm engine.


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## Ed_Stanton (Dec 28, 2004)

I use a 7.5 kw Kubota diesel, which I'm extremely happy with. It uses on average 1.2 litres per hour to charge the 12 2v batteries & run AC loads at the same time. I have the phases split to run it this way, vs. one phase going only into the batteries via a seperate inverter. So I do heavy loads such as dishwasher, washing machine, vacuuming, table saw, etc., off one phase while the batteries/inverter charge off the other phase.

Which is best, gas vs. diesel vs. propane depends on several factors, such as budget and load requirements and the actual generator quality vs. motor turning the generator, BUT if you are charging high quality batteries, then you would be wise to investigate what the peak voltage that your generator puts out, as batteries do best charging from "peak" voltage, which is in the 160-170 volt range of the Sine Wave. This info though is VERY hard to find and usually absent in generator specs, as battery charging is not what the average consumer uses generators for. If you're not charging high quality batteries that you want to care for and to have a long life, then fuel economy might be your goal at the loads that your generator can easily run.

Remember too that there are 2 distinct units here (3 if you consider the inverter), the Generator that produces the quality of electricity output and the MOTOR running the generator. We lump them all into calling the whole thing as a "generator", but you can have a great Honda motor running a crappy generator and so produce poor power quality. Been there done that, learned my lesson. Now I have a high quality Kubota engine running a high quality Stamford generator with both producing good quality and consistant electricity at an economical rate and with extremely low noise. So IME, a "generator" needs to be shopped for as per it's several components of motor, generator and possibly it's inverter and not just as a "generator".

Gas & propane motors generally run at higher RPMs and so the motors may need replacing, rebuilding or servicing more often. An AE installer in my area, says he's had to replace his Honda engine for his 5000W unit about every 5 years. A good diesel motor I've been told should last 4 times that long. Either unit, change the oil regularily.

Gas units seem to have fallen a lot in price so lots of deals on new ones, but it may be hard to find out how good the power is from a cheaper unit vs. a more expensive unit, as not all generators are created equal. Diesel unit prices are also lower now, and tons of deals on used units, vs. new from what I've seen. From others and what I've read, I personally would not try to save money on a China diesel and so many other reliable brands are good deals if found used. But then I'm no mechanic nor want to be.

Consider for future power needs too. The only drawback with some diesels can be starting in really cold temps, though good winter fuel, thinner oil and fuel conditioners can help. I've not been stumped yet though with my Kubota here in northern Canada at -20 to -30 C. Couple of links here and a search of this site will produce older threads on the subject.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/thomsen28.html

http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/91/91-1/Rex_A_Ewing.html


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

artificer said:


> Main temporary generator: Honda 2000EU inverter - gas


Same here.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

If I told ya . .then I'd have to shoot ya.

But iffin I was looking for another one I too would think seriously about a Listeroid.

At an auction recently I found a good sized inclosed gen with a propane fueled three cylinder--Lister-- engine . . .WOW.
I forced myself to walk away from it and head home.....
I sure wonder what it went for........
There was a lot of folks there so some one was bound to know that that unit was worth a big buck......cry.........


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

We have a 5000 watt Honda a 5000 watt china built diesel (the generator its self is a clone of the one the Honda is running) and 2 Briggs powered Italian jobbies that put out 2500 watts. They're junk (very unstable voltage) but I'd run lights or engine heaters off them.


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

12.5kw Yanmar diesel that stays at 60hz no matter what load is on it...Try that with a cheapo gas or china crap.....My Trace gives me Hz readings and it's incredible the poor power put out by gens-Honda 5000 would stay at 60hz up to 8amps after that 55-56 hz.same with 6500Generac....I use 1/2ghr at 3/4 load.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Not exactly off-grid, but for backup.










40 kW Winco on a 90 hp 6420. Too much power but it's the smallest tractor I've got so I keep it idled well back.

Would like to get a smaller one, around 6000 watts, for the rental house to keep the well pump and heat on as well.

Chris, Hawley's Garage have a really nice lineup of generators now, I think the smallest is about 3500 watts right on up to about 80 kw. Baumalight and another brand I can't remember.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I came close to buying one of those..........didn't.

Dale . . . . How much fuel might you use if you were to run a moderate load for say 8 hours . . . .??

Hows the price of diesel in your neighbor hood....?

Offroad was $2.69 couple days ago here abouts.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Jim I haven't really checked lately. Last time I ran it was for about 5 hours, the fuel gauge on the tractor didn't move. I'd guess maybe 7-8 litres/hour just based on what I know it uses for heavier jobs. There's practically no load on the tractor, just barely more than idling it with nothing attached. Starting up my silo unloader, which is my biggest load (10 hp motor) barely draws the tractor down for a second.

Got 2000 litres of dyed diesel last week at 84 cents/litre. Can't remember the exchange rate this week.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

...84 cents a liter.......ouch.....


To the OP and anybody else reading this thread....please note that for the most part you have seen some serious equipment mentioned here. . . . . . . .and Not the $199.95 pieces of junk available today. A couple posters noted their "less expensive" hardware . . .as being such.

My bottom line here is don't be suckered into buying that >>low price junk<< . . . . . .If you value your water well the goodies in your fridge and freezer, etc. etc.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Jim if it's still anywhere near 84 cents in December I'm capping the price on my spring supply through June. This past May we were paying as much as $1.38/litre, on a good day in May I can go through 400 litres without too much trouble.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

2800 watt genny with a 5 h.p. Honda gas engine. I use it for my battery back up with a 50 amp battery charger and to operate the washing machine in the summer.


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## Matt B (May 15, 2008)

After coming across the website that gives information on how to legally make ethanol for fuel I got to wondering, is it a possibility to make your own fuel for use in a generator for off-grid power? 

(forgive me if this is a "DUH!" question. I'm just starting to research such things)


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Seems like a reasonable question.

In your research find out what its going to cost for the equipment to make the hooch.
Also any mods needed for an engine to run on alky.


. .$ 1.38 a litre . . . double ouch.

My crystal ball is suffering from an extremely cloudy condition so I'm very *hazy* as to the futures of diesel $$$. . . . .other than up up and away.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Matt B it would be much easier with a diesel generator. My neighbour is setting up a big generator now along with his own soybean press to make his own soymeal and soydiesel... whole different scale than what you'd be looking at, he's using this as a backup/supplement to a big methane digester, but I'd look at diesel rather than ethanol.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Not so very long ago on a thread about *fuel*, somebody posted a really good link about a farmer who is\has been doing just as Dale mentioned. Growing soy, pressing, filtering, etc. etc. . . .fuel for his big farm........very good.

Caught my eye since I've been doing the veggie oil fuel blending for a while now.

The home grown veggie oil/diesel fuel will have less storage issues then a alky fuel


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