I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

[BobBaldwin]

I set a goal to convert my vehicles over to CNG last September and to be refueling at home. After 7 months I have finally acheived that goal. It was a pretty long road since there is not much going on here in Houston, TX. The 4th largest city in the country and there are only 3 fueling stations. The closest station is 30 miles away.

Steps to accomplish the goal
1. Last October I purchased a 2009 Ford Focus since it was one of the qualified vehicles to convert
2. November I purchased a used C3 Fuelmaker and shipped it from California to my home in Katy, TX
3. December I purchased a duel fuel Ford F-150 that was used by the City of Phoenix
4. Entrusted my Focus to a new CNG conversion company in Houston. It was their first conversion. After 3 weeks, I had my car back and running on CNG. I am getting 10% better mileage now (42 MPG).
5. January I tried to install the C3 but the guy who installed it connected it to 110V (should have connected to 220V) and we blew out the electronic board.
6. Last week, I replaced the electronic module and after some tweaking to increase the inlet pressure, I am now fueling both my vehicles. It was a momentus occasion when it finally got it running. VERY SATISFYING!!

Bob

[Alaska GX]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

Weclome to home fueling, you will never go back to problems of public fueling. It's great to always have a full tank and not have to worry pressure, quality and the operating status.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

whats your cost from home?

[Adrian]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

Congratulations!

[RickCNG]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

Bob,

Congrats on your home refueling! I'm here in South Jersey, where the nearest refueling station is 65 miles away, just outside of Philadelphia. Fortunately, our local utilities authority is switching its fleet to NGVs this summer and is now in the process of building a fast-fill station only 5 miles away! I don't anticipate having to use it except in emergencies, but it's nice to know it's there!
Enjoy your vehicles and especially enjoy passing all the gasoline stations.
Rick Kershenblatt, Galloway, NJ

[BobBaldwin]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

whats your cost from home?

I believe my cost will be $1.13/GGE. I also installed a gas meter just before the inlet to the compressor to track the amount of NG for my vehicles.

I had to drive to Springfield, MO last week in my gasoline car and it was sticker shock to pay for gasoline at $2.80/gallon after a couple months on CNG.

[gringostar]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

I set a goal to convert my vehicles over to CNG last September and to be refueling at home. After 7 months I have finally acheived that goal. It was a pretty long road since there is not much going on here in Houston, TX. The 4th largest city in the country and there are only 3 fueling stations. The closest station is 30 miles away.

Steps to accomplish the goal
1. Last October I purchased a 2009 Ford Focus since it was one of the qualified vehicles to convert
2. November I purchased a used C3 Fuelmaker and shipped it from California to my home in Katy, TX
3. December I purchased a duel fuel Ford F-150 that was used by the City of Phoenix
4. Entrusted my Focus to a new CNG conversion company in Houston. It was their first conversion. After 3 weeks, I had my car back and running on CNG. I am getting 10% better mileage now (42 MPG).
5. January I tried to install the C3 but the guy who installed it connected it to 110V (should have connected to 220V) and we blew out the electronic board.
6. Last week, I replaced the electronic module and after some tweaking to increase the inlet pressure, I am now fueling both my vehicles. It was a momentus occasion when it finally got it running. VERY SATISFYING!!

Bob

How much did the C3 cost you ?
How much to install?

[cngmike]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

You don't know how happy I am for you.

[Lakewood90712]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

Bob, how about some photos of the new Baldwin Family Fuel Station ?

[BobBaldwin]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

How much did the C3 cost you ?
How much to install?

The used C3 was $2000 plus $300 shipping. I paid a handyman about $200 to install the whole thing. He had to
1. Pour a cement slab and anchor bolt my C3 down.
2. Pipe the NG from my water heater in the garage out to the C3.
3. Wire my C3 to the electrical.

I purchased a new gas meter for $180 so that I could track my vehicle NG usage.

So...
C3 - $2000
Shipping $ 300
Install $ 200
Meter $ 180
Install Meter $ 40
------------
Total $2720

I am sure I could have spent more with a professional or I could have save some money and done the handyman work myself.

[BobBaldwin]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

You don't know how happy I am for you.

It could not have been without your help!!

[BobBaldwin]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

Bob, how about some photos of the new Baldwin Family Fuel Station ?

I uploaded a few pictures taken by my phone: http://cngchat.com/forum/album.php?albumid=12

[cngacrossusa]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

Congratulations Bob . . . you've untethered BigOil's monopoly ambilical cord to your pocketbook !!!

With the C3 you've got a reliable 3,000 psi fill for 2,200 hours until the head needs reworked. If you learn of an affordable place where you can get the Fuelmaker C3 head reworked here in the midwest, please share with the cng community.

Again, congrats . . . now just need to repeat your process 10 to 20 million times All Across The USA ! !

[BobBaldwin]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

CNGAcrossUSA,

I see on eBay that there is a company that you can trade in your C3 for a reconditioned C3 for $1953 or you can buy one outright for $5500.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fuelm...Q5fAccessories

Just do a search on eBay for "C3 Fuelmaker".

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=C3+fuelmaker

[cngforvk]

Re: I am fueling at home.. Woohoo!!

I just checked with the local Phil dealer in Northern California

Price for Phill is $4739 + Tax.
Installation is 2 - 3K

May qualify for a 2k rebate.

I am out 6K just for the convenience of fillng up at home? Are there other cost benefits that I am missing?