I gotta ask, why? 1000 gal of fuel is a lot, like more than most commercial businesses store around here.
Generac generator propane to fuel conversion
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
I gotta ask, why? 1000 gal of fuel is a lot, like more than most commercial businesses store around here.
Everyone around here has them. It's nice just because it means I have to go into town less.
As an point of data, my Class C motorhome has an onboard 4KW Onan generator. It supposed to use 4 gallons of gas per 24 hours.
We have a propane backup generator (was here when we bought the place), it's so much nicer than the gas generator at my last place. Carb never needs cleaning, fuel never needs cycling, literally zero issues- Change the oil once a season just because, Battery every 3rd year, just because. It just runs with zero problems.
The gas generator at the old place was always irritating. Bad gas, oil dirties up quicker, carb had to be cleaned each season and there really was no "season" because of hurricanes in the summer and snow or ice in the winter. Most power lines are above ground here, which means they come down...a lot.
I'm jealous of your propane prices too! Dang! I wish I could get it at $1.99!!!
The gas generator at the old place was always irritating. Bad gas, oil dirties up quicker, carb had to be cleaned each season and there really was no "season" because of hurricanes in the summer and snow or ice in the winter. Most power lines are above ground here, which means they come down...a lot.
I'm jealous of your propane prices too! Dang! I wish I could get it at $1.99!!!
Do you have a tractor? Maybe find a PTO generator for a backup. They were common on farms since there were several tractors available in gas or diesel to drive the generator. In winter the gas tractors were easier to start when it was stupid cold.
We had a 1000 gallon propane tank, 500 gallon gas tank, and 500 gallon diesel tank. The gas tank usually was filled 1/2 full because our gas tractor was small. We had 2 disel tractors. Both tanks had water seperators and filters.
https://www.wincogenerator.com/product/winco-w15pto-generator/
We had a 1000 gallon propane tank, 500 gallon gas tank, and 500 gallon diesel tank. The gas tank usually was filled 1/2 full because our gas tractor was small. We had 2 disel tractors. Both tanks had water seperators and filters.
https://www.wincogenerator.com/product/winco-w15pto-generator/
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do water separators still work with ethanol-tainted gasoline, since the water and alcohol like to comingle with one another? I'm not a chemist but that's what I understood was the main contributor to the reduced shelf life of E-10, etc was that the water would mix in solution with the ethanol instead of sinking to the bottom and separating.
Ethanol free gas is readily available here but I know it varies state to state.
I'm not sure. When I was a kid on the farm unleaded vs leaded was the debate.
As far as I've read, no. A few years ago I was looking to store some in a 55 gal drum and that was one of the main issues that kept me from going the drum route.
When E10 first came out, I read up about it because we couldn't get ethanol-free gas locally, and I was concerned about all my small engines on the homestead here. I'm taxing my memory, but I think the concern with E10 in long-term storage is phase separation. The hydrogen bonding between water and ethanol occurs at a much higher rate then the hydrogen bonds between water and the main additives in gasoline. This can lead to two layers in a gas tank. On the bottom is water/ethanol and on the top is gas with less ethanol. An engine will not run at all on the bottom layer, but it will run on the top layer. The problem is that the missing ethanol in the top layer reduces the octane level, so if the engine lacks a knock sensor (most small engines), mechanical damage can occur from the low-octane-induced knocking. Oddly enough, there were posts on the Internet about adding water to the gas to purposely use it to remove the ethanol (by draining the water/ethanol layer after phase separation occurs), but those ill-informed people didn't realize it affected octane ratings, leaving the resulting layer low in octane.
Bottom line: The last fuel I would choose for long-term storage is gasoline with ethanol in it due to repeated atmospheric condensation, assuming the container isn't sealed, causing phase separation issues.
Bottom line: The last fuel I would choose for long-term storage is gasoline with ethanol in it due to repeated atmospheric condensation, assuming the container isn't sealed, causing phase separation issues.
Yep, and that can happen in as little as 8-12 weeks. Not to mention the potential for internal corrosion.
IIRC that reduces the octane by about 5 points with E10, which could be detrimental to an engine. Some old engine with low compression could probably pas it through, but nothing made within the last 20 years.
Even the ethanol free stuff isn't as stable as gas was many years ago. They say the E-free stuff is good for about a year if kept correctly. I've been keeping E-free in Jerry cans inside a garage for up to a year with no issues, but I try to cycle it out every 6 months.
Solution:
Take out the gasoline, leaving water/ethanol.
Add salt to the water/ethanol, they will separate. Take ethanol out, put it back in the gasoline, and hope you didn't get any of the salt.
Disclaimer: DEFINITELY NOT A CHEMIST, I just watch some YouTube and I wouldn't actually try this in a million years.
FYI - ran across this being discussed elsewhere
https://support.generac.com/s/artic...or-for-extended-periods-during-a-major-outage
When your generator runs continuously for 24 hours, shutting it down for at least 30 minutes is essential. This downtime allows the unit to rest, oil levels to be checked, and a visual inspection to be conducted. Performing these steps proactively can help catch any potential issues early and maintain the longevity and reliability of your generator.
https://support.generac.com/s/artic...or-for-extended-periods-during-a-major-outage
When your generator runs continuously for 24 hours, shutting it down for at least 30 minutes is essential. This downtime allows the unit to rest, oil levels to be checked, and a visual inspection to be conducted. Performing these steps proactively can help catch any potential issues early and maintain the longevity and reliability of your generator.
That's actually surprising to me. I get the maintenance aspect, but an engine in good condition shouldn't be consuming oil at a rate that mandates additional oil in 24 hr run time. Otherwise, I can't see why the downtime is necessary.
Here's what the link says on oil.
Oil maintenance
Proper oil maintenance is the most important maintenance task. During continuous operation, oil levels should be checked every 24 hours and topped off as necessary.In addition to checking the oil levels, normal maintenance schedule must be maintained.
- New installations: Change oil entirely after the first 25 hours of run time
- Older Installations: Change the oil every 200 hours of run time.
For detailed step-by-step guides on how to check and replenish oil, see the following Knowledge Articles:
I can attest to this, In the 80's my father was running a brand new generator during a hurricane. After about 30 - 40 hours it blew a piston through the side of the block....no oil.
Traditionally wouldn't worry about that but now I'll try to remember. We lose power so infrequently that I am not sure I have ran mine longer than 24 hours continuously.