Dual fuel generators

[chadfish]

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.

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.

So you like this brand? HD has one but not sure 6kw is enough for my whole house

 

[ChrisV]

So you like this brand? HD has one but not sure 6kw is enough for my whole house

I normally buy things like this at Costco due to their extremely customer service oriented warranty and return policy. Just a thought. They have one that's about this size: https://www.costco.com/firman-7500w-running--9400w-peak-tri-fuel-generator.product.100648883.html

 

[Chris.sturgis]

Having both options is definitely a plus. If there is a tractor supply near you that is a good place to fill up the 100lb tanks. I have a gas Champion generator and have had no issues with it. I keep about 20 gallons of gas on hand and treat with seafoam, if I don’t use it within the year I’ll just use it in my car or lawn mower and replace with fresh gas. I’ll also use 93 octane since it stores better/longer. Every year I’ll also run the generator under load for a few hours and always run it dry of fuel before putting it back in storage. Depending on usage I also do regular oil changes using full synthetic and for storage I try to keep it in a dry environment without any pests that could potentially make a home out of it. Hope this helps.

 

[Drichards]

Should they be duel inverter generators to guarentee clean power? Or does in not matter with our tanks?

 

[ChrisV]

Should they be duel inverter generators to guarentee clean power? Or does in not matter with our tanks?

My understanding is that the benefit of dual fuel is just that if you run on propane only, there is less maintenance required. If you store a gas generator with fuel in it, the gas will go bad (particularly modern ethanol containing fuels, which are extra hygroscopic). The fouled gas will mess up the carburetor and maintenance will be required. If you run your gas generator until the gas tank is dry it can be stored with fewer issues. Alternatively you can add fuel stabilizer and milage may vary, but that also helps.

For me, it's very appealing to not worry about having gas on hand, since I already keep propane around for grilling. I just don't want another maintenance item to keep track of. Also, if it's snowing or whatever, I don't want to go out to go get fresh gas.

 

[Platehead]

Bottom line is modern electronics require an inverter generator. The power produced by a standard generator has significant harmonics, which causes issues with controllers, heaters and dc pumps.

I use ethanol free fuel, which can be bought over the mass line in New York or Western New Hampshire.

No issues with any of my power equipment.

 

[MikeG]

I have been wanting to convert my gas generator to propane for years and have never gotten around to it. I get about 8 hours of run time off 5 gallons with my whole house running. That means I need to find gas every day with the 10 gallons of gas I tend to keep on hand. Alternatively, my current house runs on propane and we have a 1000 gallon buried propane tank that I only need to fill once a year. I could run my generator indefinitely off that and have a line that comes off the house for the grill that I could re purpose for the generator when needed.

My current gas generator actually has a fuel shot off similar to my snow blower that I can shut off flow from the tank and let it run the fuel out of the lines quickly for storage.

 

[jfoahs04]

So you like this brand? HD has one but not sure 6kw is enough for my whole house

It's been great so far. She's not running the whole house off of it though.

 

[wpeterson]

You probably want/need a bigger generator, but if you just want to power a small tank you might consider a few battery backup unit. You could run a heater/return pump for quite some time for small tanks on a jump start/battery backup kit. This has been my emergency backup plan.