Tri-Fuel Generator

[Highmarker]

I just ordered my Natural Gas/Propane conversion kit from www.uscarburetion.com
I have a 3500 watt generator that is powered by a 6.5 hp motor. With this conversion kit, I will be able to run my generator with gasoline, propane (using a 5 gal tank), or natural gas (from my house). I will post pictures and updates when I receive my kit. I hope that there are no EPA regulations regarding a conversion of a generator.

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Actually, i believe there ARE regulations concerning generator conversions. I'm not sure at what size the regs kick in, or if they are federal or state only.

[larrycng]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Thanks for the info, I've been looking for a conversion kit for the Gen set on my RV. Guardian (Generac) won't sell the LP part for the generator because of emission regulations. Also there is a slight loss in output KW when you go to LP, about .2 to .3 Kw between the LP and gasoline version of the gen set I have.

The literature on the gen set also indicates there is a increase in specific fuel consumption.



later

Larrycng

[Larryect]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

I would be interested in your results. I have thought about doing this as well for my personal emergency preparedness planning. I figure the natural gas utility is more reliable then the eletric utility and Propane is easier to store then Gasoline. However, I am not sure I would want to use my Propane for electricity when I can use it for cooking, heating and refrigeration....

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

I think natural gas is one of the last things I'd rely on in an emergency (especially in california, where that emergency will verylikely be a large earthquake). There's a reason the first thing we're taught as kids to do after an earthquake is to shut off the gas line to the house. Pipes are very suceptable to earthquake damage. Your best bet certianly is a fuel stored at the house, and gasoline, diesel, or lpg would be best for emergency power. Now, if this generator is being used for normal power generation, then I see NG as a viable solution.

[Highmarker]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

I think natural gas is one of the last things I'd rely on in an emergency (especially in california, where that emergency will verylikely be a large earthquake). There's a reason the first thing we're taught as kids to do after an earthquake is to shut off the gas line to the house. Pipes are very suceptable to earthquake damage. Your best bet certianly is a fuel stored at the house, and gasoline, diesel, or lpg would be best for emergency power. Now, if this generator is being used for normal power generation, then I see NG as a viable solution.

CraziFuzzy,

That is the first thing I hear when I mention that it runs off the natural gas in my house. I live in Utah where it is "times up" for a big one. In an earthquake, yes the natural gas is out, but that is why it is tri-fuel. I have over 25 gallons of propane stored away. Propane can be stored indefinitely unlike gasoline. In Utah, we also get a lot of snow-storms. These storms sometimes cut off the power, but not natural gas. In the winter, if the power goes out, I can run my generator of off natural gas to run my furnace to keep me and my family warm. There was no added cost for the addition of running it off of natural gas.

[Larryect]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Yes, the BIG disaster in California will be the big earthquake expected (I am hearing now) in the next 10 years. And, that would most likely disrupt natural gas as well. One of the things utilitities do is to shut off service to areas where that utility is causing potential harm. So if there were gas fed fires from houses falling over the gas would be shut off to the area as well.

By the way, now I believe the advice is to NOT shut off the gas to your house unless there is a suspected problem. I think this is because of the concern of people not knowing how to turn it on properly (relighting Pilots etc.) And, not enogh gas co. workers to do it for everyone.

That being said, there are many potentail problems to prepare for, with many being less severe. Wild fires near major transmission lines can disrupt electricity to huge areas of SO. CAl, local overloads can cause transformers to fail etc. I have lost electrical service many more times than I have lost gas service.

A natrual gas generator would be just another layer of preperation. As is the extra 45 gal deisel tank on my truck with several 500 watt power inverters. Now if I could afford a diesel generator - that would be cool....

[Lakewood90712]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

I got a tri-fuel yamaha generator from us carb about 3 years ago. last summer , it was the only power for 12 hours four four households when a transformer blew in the 100 degree heat.

The deal with my neighbors: bring your cord and bbq propane bottle, and you get electricity.

It's only 2600 watts, had no trouble with 2 refrigerators and one freezer at the same time , just make sure they don't start at the same time.

Best thing about propane as an emergency fuel , nothing to go stale, and no worry about a carb getting gummed up or dry gaskets.

[freedml]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

If you don't already have a generator, you can buy a generator already set-up for lp/ng or tri-fuel operation.

[Highmarker]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

My kit finally arrived. They were backed ordered waiting for an adapter. Some of the components in my kit were not the same as what was shown in the instructions. Anyway, I got it working pretty smoothly on propane. I have not yet bought the fittings to run it on natural gas yet. Attached are some pictures. Enjoy.

[Highmarker]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Here's an update on my generator:

I got the fittings to run it off the natural gas out of my house. It works like a charm. Attached is a photo of how it is set up. I run the gas hose through my dryer vent (my house was plumbed for a gas dryer). I then run the electrical cord also through my dryer vent and plug it into the dryer outlet to power my house.

I ran a little test to see which fuel (gasoline, propane, and natural gas) works the best. My generator is rated for 3,000 watts continuously running. I used two hair dryers (one rated for 1,875 watts and one rated for 1,250 watts - 3,125 watts total) to test the performance of each fuel. First, on gasoline, the generator ran fine with one hair dryer on high and the other on medium-high, but with both hair dryers on high, my generator began to bog down and die. On natural gas, the same thing occurred, but didn't bog down as quickly. On propane, the generator ran smoothly with both hair dryers on high. It is nice to know that if I need a little extra kick, I can just run it on propane.

[Larryect]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Interesting, Thanks for the report. I have always heard that Propane and NG would provide less output then gasoline. I wonder what the fuel efficiency is....

Be VERY careful about backfeeding your house electrical that way. You can put utility workers at risk if you are not very sure of opening your main breaker. It is much safer to run extension cords to the items you want to power or install a transfer switch.

[Highmarker]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Thanks for the tip Larry. Yep, rule #1: Always shut off the main breaker before connecting the generator to the house.

[Highmarker]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Interesting, Thanks for the report. I have always heard that Propane and NG would provide less output then gasoline. I wonder what the fuel efficiency is....

The nice thing about this conversion kit is that there is an adjustment screw located on the regulator to adjust the flow of fuel (natural gas or propane). I can make it rich or lean to run the best under load. Natural gas runs a little richer than propane.

[awood]

Re: Tri-Fuel Generator

Thanks for the post, Jared. You've done what I've been working on the last couple of weeks. After lots of reading and searching, I'm almost ready to make the plunge to purchase a conversion kit. My generator is a Coleman Powermate which I recently purchased just for emergency power. (Yes, I know the Powermate isn't the best one out there...especially since the company abruptly went out of business awhile ago). I may have missed it in your post, but did you go with the high or low pressure kit? I was somewhat confused on the kit website?