Dual fuel generators

[ChrisV]

Good morning, BRS!

Last night we had our first power outage of the winter up in Swampscott, and it was yet another reminder that I do not currently own a generator. Luckily it was apparently a brief outage (I actually slept through it!).

The posts about the power outage related tank crashes some members had this past fall were pretty scary.

Time to buy a generator.

I've noticed that dual fuel generators, which run on both gasoline and propane, are now commonly available. This seems like a huge advance, given that gasoline generators are prone to the carb getting gummed up if not religiously drained before being stored. To be blunt, even though it's totally doable I hate small engine maintenance and I don't want to have yet another chore. I keep plenty of propane on hand year round, because somewhere along the way I became one of those guys who grills in January.

My understanding is that if dual fuel generators are run using only propane, they will never have these issues. Does anyone know if that's true? Does anyone have any experience using these? Any suggestions for a small propane powered generator? Anything I am not thinking to ask?

My tanks are both quite small at this point and I think I could run them outright with all components active on two tanks with less than 1600 watts.

 

[PSU4ME]

Buy a Honda, fuel injected, nothing to worry about. EU7000is should run the house!

 

[ChrisV]

Buy a Honda, fuel injected, nothing to worry about. EU7000is should run the house!

Are you more in favor of fuel injection than propane? want as close to zero maintenance as possible.

I also don't have a ton of space and I don't want to blow my reefing budget on a $2000 generator (which is no fun!).

 

[kgstei]

I have a gas generator but I would look into propane next time for the same reasons. One question would be how long does it run on a tank of propane. To feel is nice in case you need it for an extendedperiod of time and if you can get gas.

 

[Mike Lemming]

Buy a Honda, fuel injected, nothing to worry about. EU7000is should run the house!

It's only $4,700! lol

 

[ChrisV]

It's only $4,700! lol

This is to support two 15 gallon tanks. Haha I want to stay married.

 

[this is me]

I was going to post a PSA for possible rolling blackout due to demand and supply of natural this winter. Apparently, there's a shortage of natural gas and the grid we're on burn natural gas and convert to electricity. If we get a cold snap this winter, they will force to do rolling black out.

A generator is invaluable. I have my Honda EU7000IS since 2015 and it hasn't miss a beat. Power up the whole house(natural gas heating) with very little maintenance. I think I did oil change twice and it's simple. Drain oil, and pour new one in. Check filters but with under 20hrs on the clock, it isn't dirty.
Last summer when we had the power outage, I tried to start the AC compressor and it worked. However, I had to shut down the tank lights.
I'm planning to get another EU7000IS and the parallel kit so that I can run both AC compressor in the summer. I never thought I would need AC but when the weather is hot and humid and you're out of power, it's hard to sleep.
My EU7000IS has paid its value several times over. It has saved my old tank through a couple of power outages and this new one too.
I always ask, how much have you spent in your tank? An 8 hour power outage in the winter will definitely put a dent to it. EU7000is is around $5K, I spent that much on just my acanthophyllias in the tank.

 

[MarkSzy]

one thing to think about is fuel storage, you can have a propane tank sit around all year and never need to worry about it. Gas only lasts a few months with treatment in it and usually you will run into the gas station also doesn't have power so your just out of luck. I have a gas generator and hate filling up gas cans just incase my power goes out.

While Honda generators are some of the best on the market they can be pricey. The biggest thing to worry about is the engine itself, if you can find one the has a Brings and Stratton or a Tecumseh you will be in great shape.

 

[this is me]

This is to support two 15 gallon tanks. Haha I want to stay married.

If you want to just power the tank. An EU2000 is plenty. I had this when I was running a smaller tank.
There are alternative out there including battery back up but I don't want to rely on the power to come back to charge it or the sun. Gas is readily available and can be stored.

 

[Zeefishies]

Do the math, a bottle of propane costs about $20 to exchange, will last maybe 3 or so days to run, is it worth it ?maybe.
A gas generator will run probably 4 or 5 days .
U can get a nice generator at the Depot for under $1000 or less.
When u are not using it run some gas treatment through it( stabilizer ) before putting it away.
I've done that to all my machine's lawnmower, snowblower etc.
Keep all gas in containers the same way.
Problem solved on cleaning the carbs.
Lol good luck

 

[ChrisV]

I was going to post a PSA for possible rolling blackout due to demand and supply of natural this winter. Apparently, there's a shortage of natural gas and the grid we're on burn natural gas and convert to electricity. If we get a cold snap this winter, they will force to do rolling black out.

A generator is invaluable. I have my Honda EU7000IS since 2015 and it hasn't miss a beat. Power up the whole house(natural gas heating) with very little maintenance. I think I did oil change twice and it's simple. Drain oil, and pour new one in. Check filters but with under 20hrs on the clock, it isn't dirty.
Last summer when we had the power outage, I tried to start the AC compressor and it worked. However, I had to shut down the tank lights.
I'm planning to get another EU7000IS and the parallel kit so that I can run both AC compressor in the summer. I never thought I would need AC but when the weather is hot and humid and you're out of power, it's hard to sleep.
My EU7000IS has paid its value several times over. It has saved my old tank through a couple of power outages and this new one too.
I always ask, how much have you spent in your tank? An 8 hour power outage in the winter will definitely put a dent to it. EU7000is is around $5K, I spent that much on just my acanthophyllias in the tank.

One day I will have a massive tank that has very fancy corals, but right now I think my most expensive frag was around $40. In total they add up, but honestly, even a few thousand dollars is more than I can justify for the way that I am currently reefing. The most expensive thing in my tank is my time investment.

I completely agree that I need SOME generator though. And I need it to be reliable enough so that once a year when I need it, it is there for me.

I did hear about the potential for rolling blackouts this winter. I currently keep about 40-60lbs of propane (2-3 tanks) on hand at any given time, so I was thinking one of these little $450 dual fuel generators would do the trick.

They certainly won't power the whole house, but my tanks run on an mp10, an ai prime hd, a Sicce 1.0 return pump, and a 100 watt heater. That's it.

 

[ChrisV]

That Honda is $4500

I'm sure it's fantastic, but it's just a bit outside of the scope of what I can justify right now.

 

[this is me]

You did say you want a reliable and less maintenance one. These usually come with price. That why we reccomended the Honda.

 

[this is me]

My first generator was this.

Honda EU2200i 49-State Inverter Generator with CO-MINDER

Honda EU2200i 49-State Inverter Generator delivers 10% more power than the previous EU2000i, enabling you to power more of what you need, in the same lightweight, compact package.

www.campingworld.com

Remember, a Honda generator keeps it value. I thought mine for $1200 and sold it for $1000 a couple years later when I got the bigger one.

 

[jfoahs04]

Good morning, BRS!

Last night we had our first power outage of the winter up in Swampscott, and it was yet another reminder that I do not currently own a generator. Luckily it was apparently a brief outage (I actually slept through it!).

The posts about the power outage related tank crashes some members had this past fall were pretty scary.

Time to buy a generator.

I've noticed that dual fuel generators, which run on both gasoline and propane, are now commonly available. This seems like a huge advance, given that gasoline generators are prone to the carb getting gummed up if not religiously drained before being stored. To be blunt, even though it's totally doable I hate small engine maintenance and I don't want to have yet another chore. I keep plenty of propane on hand year round, because somewhere along the way I became one of those guys who grills in January.

My understanding is that if dual fuel generators are run using only propane, they will never have these issues. Does anyone know if that's true? Does anyone have any experience using these? Any suggestions for a small propane powered generator? Anything I am not thinking to ask?

My tanks are both quite small at this point and I think I could run them outright with all components active on two tanks with less than 1600 watts.

We set one up (this one) for my mother on the South Coast a few years ago. She's in her late 60s and lives alone, so high maintenance wasn't really an option. She's got a 1,000 gallon tank and we were able to get the propane company to run the line to the generator. It's simple and she's used it a number of times. The gas functionality is a nice backup, but she's never needed it.

 

[pugz508]

I have a 12/9k dual fuel. You could buy 100lb propane tanks from lowes but its a Hassle sometimes to find fill stations for that size. I ended up getting a 2:1 propane connection for two 40lb propane tanks which should get me multiple days of power. I also agree stale fuel and gummed up carbs are not what I want to deal with in the middle/post storm. Its nice to know though in an extended emergency you/I could supplement it with gas if necessary. I have nothing bad to say about the amazon generators in the 8-10kw range. They all seem to be the same but re-badged.

 

[kkeller416]

Not sure if others noted but propane runs less wattage than gas. Just bought a dual fuel this past storm outage.. So keep that in mind when sizing a generator for what your running.

 

[JPags]

if you have a gas generator, you need to empty it at least every 2 years and use the Fuel additive to stop it from gunking up. I have only ever had 1 issue at my old house when I stored it for too long and did not change the fuel. I now have it hooked up permanent, so I start it twice a year and then change the fuel out every other year. No issues in the past 8 years doing it this way.

 

[this is me]

We lose power every 3 months here. So no worries about old gas in the tank.
I also often wheel it out and just push start the engine because the satisfactory of pushing the button and the engine starts right up is amazing.

 

[ChrisV]

I ended up ordering a 2kw propane/gasoline generator from Amazon for $450. It doesn't have a lot of the fancy features, but my hope is that it will do the job in a pinch. Given the potential for rolling blackouts this winter and the potential for short weather related blackouts, I figured it was better safe than sorry.

If people are interested, I can post a brief review of it and share my thoughts re. the suitability as a reef tank generator after the holidays.