Propane or gas generator? (power lines, house, transfer)

[ClownShoes]

Ok, another silly question from a City guy.

I have a gasoline generator that I use for camping and as a backup if I should need it at home.

Those of you who have or use generators in Maine have a preference between Gasoline or LP gas?

We all know gasoline can go bad over time, are there any down sides to LP gas? Does anyone use this??


Pros or cons??

Hints, ideas??

Again as always,
thanks in advance~!

[Bydand]

Depends on how large of a unit you want/need and for exactly what purpose. For a home backup/standby generator that you are not going to be moving around for use elsewhere, and you have the funds, a propane gen-set is a great thing. Always ready to go and usually they come with an automatic throw-over switch. Gas generators are nice because you can use them in other locations. For a quick back-up during a power outage I just use a larger 5000 watt gas one. I have hooked up a lot of the propane powered gen-sets the last few years and they are very, very nice. For a permanent set-up you can find a diesel unit that runs off your fuel tank, or a second fuel tank as well. They tend to be a bit more expensive, but the output is high and the runtime is forever(or so it seems) on them. On my next house I am going with either a Gererac, or a Guardian system LP/NG fired at 16Kw minimum.

DON'T forget, no matter what you use DO NOT just backfeed a circuit to provide power to your house! That transformer in front of your house is a dumb electrical component, it will step-UP voltage just as easily as it steps it down. Which means, if you backfeed a circuit to light up your house, you are re-powering the electrical line out front also. If you don't know/comfortable on how to hook up a couple of circuits properly (installing a PROPERLY RATED transfer switch and isolating the gen-set from power company lines) Don't get cheap for a few bucks and forge ahead yourself. Hire an Electrician to at least come out and look over your set up to insure you are not going to either kill a lineman working on the problem, or at the least fry your gen-set.

[Acadianlion]

I broke down and bought a generator during one power outage last fall. I had lived here for 17 years without one, including the Massive Ice Storm of the Century, during which I lost power about three times for ten minutes each. However I now have a woman living here, and she has a different view of a lot of things, so I bought a reasonably powerful gasoline generator at Home Depot. When the house was built provision for installing a switch for a generator was made, but I have not had the electrician back to complete that process, so the couple of times that we have actually used the generator...including on whole night...I ran large power cords to the heaters that we use, as well as the TV and computers as a temporary measure. In the next house we build, we will automatically have provision for a small emergency generator.

As far as gasoline "going bad" is concerned, it is a major problem for carburetors and fuel injection systems, so the fuel needs to be drained if the generator is not going to be used for a substantial amount of time. Six months is about the most that you would want to let gasoline sit. My instruction manual says that I need to start and run the generator every thirty days, which is actually quite hard to remember to do, and I will start and run the generator this afternoon for a couple of hours.

You can also add a product called "Stabil" to gasoline and that will maintain the overall condition of the fuel for longer periods of time. This stuff is commonly used for gasoline in boat and automobile tanks when the vehicles are put away for storage.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

It comes down to a matter of portability. Gasoline can be carried in a plastic gas can and is far easier to move and store. It is far less expensive than propane and has more energy per gallon. I have a 5,000 watt generator that I rarely move. It may be the world's noisiest generator, but if you are running a table saw, Skil saw and drills at the same time it's good to have. I have a 2,000 watt Honda that is very quiet, light and runs 14 hours on a tank of gas. That Honda meets more than 90% of my needs.

[AliceT]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

You can also add a product called "Stabil" to gasoline and that will maintain the overall condition of the fuel for longer periods of time.

That's the ticket. There are a whole lot of people who are stockpiling gasoline to cushion themselves against outlandish gas prices and stabil is what they use to keep the gas from going bad. This will quite literally make your stored gas last for years.

One of the tellers at the bank I use is completely off the grid. She and her husband have a deisel generator powering their house - completely. It's not a cheapy - it's a major expense, but she swears by it. Her house is mostly electric with washer, dryer, dishwasher and her husband is forever using power tools to remodel some aspect of the house or grounds. The only thing it needs is an oil change every so often and it works like a charm. It hasn't given her an ounce of trouble and I'll be picking her brain when I am ready to get power at my camp.

The issue of the noise of deisel engine was addressed from the get-go and their generator is completely surrounded by a wall of sound-barrier base and walls.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

"The issue of the noise of deisel engine was addressed from the get-go"

To silence a generator you just get a section of stainless flexible tubing for an auto partsx store. Then dig a hole anout the size of a washing machine. Fill the hole with rocks. Cover it over with plastic, pressure treated wood or tar paper and put the dirt back over it. Run the exhaust into the hole and the rocks will absorb all sound, heat and moisture. The first time you start up the generator you'll wonder what's wrong because all you hear is the valves and rattles you never heard before. AliceT's enclosure for the generator itself will mute those small sounds. Remember to put a small plastic pipe into the hole to let out the CO2 which is plant food. The moisture will condense and go into the ground.

It works.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by AliceT

That's the ticket. There are a whole lot of people who are stockpiling gasoline to cushion themselves against outlandish gas prices and stabil is what they use to keep the gas from going bad. This will quite literally make your stored gas last for years.

One of the tellers at the bank I use is completely off the grid. She and her husband have a deisel generator powering their house - completely. It's not a cheapy - it's a major expense, but she swears by it. Her house is mostly electric with washer, dryer, dishwasher and her husband is forever using power tools to remodel some aspect of the house or grounds. The only thing it needs is an oil change every so often and it works like a charm. It hasn't given her an ounce of trouble and I'll be picking her brain when I am ready to get power at my camp.

The issue of the noise of deisel engine was addressed from the get-go and their generator is completely surrounded by a wall of sound-barrier base and walls.

Interesting. Diesel engines are great devices.
By expense, do you mean the diesel is expensive relative to electric rates or it's expensive because the house is all-electric?
Do they have any supplemental items like solar panels, southside glass with large heat sinks, etc.?
Off grid sounds interesting. I am still puzzled by the lack of interest in buried power lines. Over the long haul I would think that would be as cheap, and far more reliable than overhead lines.

[ClownShoes]

[quote=Acadianlion;2780956]However I now have a woman living here, and she has a different view of a lot of things, quote]


Welcome to my world!
If I could only convince her that the utility bills are on sale, perhaps she's spend less on HSN, QVC, and Wal-Mart.

[AliceT]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

By expense, do you mean the diesel is expensive relative to electric rates or it's expensive because the house is all-electric?

expensive to purchase - this is nothing you are going to move around - it's permanent. I think she said it was bigger than her car.

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

Do they have any supplemental items like solar panels, southside glass with large heat sinks, etc.?

That's way beyond the realm of the casual conversation I've had with her. She touched on the subject of her generator because I indicated I was having trouble getting the power company to hook me up. I asked one question regarding her generator. I have never seen her home and do not know the whole set up. The cost to run the thing is apparently $1,200/year. That's certainly music to my ears since it appears everything will have to be electric if I ever get set up.

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

Off grid sounds interesting. I am still puzzled by the lack of interest in buried power lines. Over the long haul I would think that would be as cheap, and far more reliable than overhead lines.

I am not aware of a lack of interest in buried power lines.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

I am still puzzled by the lack of interest in buried power lines. Over the long haul I would think that would be as cheap, and far more reliable than overhead lines.

In a lot of areas yes they are, BUT, here in Maine the "ledge" or bedrock; whatever you want to call it can be just a few inches under the ground. And the amount of rocks in the soil that there is makes it difficult to maintain underground lines. I replace several underground lines a year to trailers in trailer arks because they are cut from rock movement. A 120/240 volt service entrance makes a real nice bang when they short and blowout due to abrasion caused by rocks, I wouldn't want to see the 19,000+ volt transmission lines go that way.