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Home > Archive > Alternative Power sources > December 2005 > Low RPM propane generators?
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Low RPM propane generators?
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| Scott Loupin 2005-12-28, 6:21 pm |
| Do they exist? I've an old 3600 gasoline generator I'm going to replace;
I've heard that slower (900 or 1800 RPM) generators are quieter.
I already heat part of my home with propane, so it would be a simple matter
to have my tech tap into the tank, hence the propane.
I know nothing about diesel, and really don't like to tinker, so it may not
be the answer.
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| Ron Rosenfeld 2005-12-28, 6:21 pm |
| On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 21:30:22 GMT, "Scott Loupin"
<Scott.DELETEALLCAPSLoupin2@verizon.net> wrote:
>Do they exist? I've an old 3600 gasoline generator I'm going to replace;
>I've heard that slower (900 or 1800 RPM) generators are quieter.
>
>I already heat part of my home with propane, so it would be a simple matter
>to have my tech tap into the tank, hence the propane.
>
>I know nothing about diesel, and really don't like to tinker, so it may not
>be the answer.
>
Yes.
I have a Kohler 12kW 1800 rpm propane generator. (And we use propane for
cooking, heat, DHW and clothes drying.
-- ron (off the grid in Downeast Maine)
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| Scott Loupin 2005-12-28, 6:21 pm |
| Hey Ron;
I'm off the grid in Central Maine. Where did you get your Kohler? Any
maintenance issues?
I want to hook it up to my inverter, to run automatically when the batteries
are low, have you done that?
Thanks,
Scott
"Ron Rosenfeld" <ronrosenfeld@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:ha16r1lokfsjg5g5hnjh6siafg0lqqh47g@4ax.com...
> Yes.
>
> I have a Kohler 12kW 1800 rpm propane generator. (And we use propane for
> cooking, heat, DHW and clothes drying.
>
>
> -- ron (off the grid in Downeast Maine)
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| m Ransley 2005-12-28, 6:21 pm |
| There should be quite a few for you to choose from most will be much
more expensive but because they are longer life designs 4x longer life
than quality 3600 rpm units. There are propane conversion kits from
www.propane-generators.com There are 3600 rpm units sold with propane.
Study db ratings for sound levels be sure to see the ft or distance they
use, some use 3 ft, some misslead and use 21 ft.
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| nicksanspam@ece.villanova.edu 2005-12-29, 12:21 am |
| m Ransley <ransley@webtv.net> wrote:
> There should be quite a few for you to choose from most will be much
>more expensive but because they are longer life designs 4x longer life
>than quality 3600 rpm units...
Would you have any evidence for this article of faith?
Nick
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| Ron Rosenfeld 2005-12-29, 9:21 am |
| On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 21:52:32 GMT, "Scott Loupin"
<Scott.DELETEALLCAPSLoupin2@verizon.net> wrote:
>Hey Ron;
>
>I'm off the grid in Central Maine. Where did you get your Kohler?
Buxton Service, Inc
Buxton, Craig
Full Name: Craig Buxton
Job Title: Sales
Company: Buxton Service, Inc
514 Great Rd
Acton, MA 01720
Bus: (978) 263-2543
Bus 2: (800) 328-8559
Bus Fax: (978) 263-2501
E-mail: info@buxtongenerators.com
Business Home Page: http://www.buxtongenerators.com
> Any maintenance issues?
There were a bunch of issues initially. There was some problem with the
electronic governor, or set up, or something. The result was that the unit
would not start reliably -- it would start, then overspeed and kick off.
The Buxton repair person was quite good, and eventually got this fixed.
There have been no maintenance problems for the past three or four years
and, although I used to run it about 350 hrs/year, it's now down to about
190 hrs/yr.
I change the oil every 100-125 hrs; and think about changing the sparkplugs
from time to time. The book recommends 400 hrs for that. Also change the
air filter every 400 hrs.
>
>I want to hook it up to my inverter, to run automatically when the batteries
>are low, have you done that?
Yes. My SW5548 has the necessary circuitry. The only issue here is that
the engine, according to Kohler, should be preheated in the winter. It
comes with a block heater that draws about 750W. What I do is I have the
SW5548 control a relay that powers the outlet for the block heater. The
relay is programmed to turn on when the battery voltage drops to the
"2-hour" timer for the inverter to turn on the generator. Although this
gives enough time to heat the generator engine, it can sometimes be
wasteful.
There is also an issue in that the relays are programmed based on Temp
Compensated voltage, and the generator trigger is based on actual voltage.
In the winter, when the batteries are cooler, this can result in premature
turning on of the block heater. So I sometimes "fiddle" with things to
avoid the extra losses.
Best,
--ron
>
>Thanks,
>
>Scott
>
>"Ron Rosenfeld" <ronrosenfeld@nospam.org> wrote in message
>news:ha16r1lokfsjg5g5hnjh6siafg0lqqh47g@4ax.com...
>
>
-- ron (off the grid in Downeast Maine)
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| m Ransley 2005-12-29, 11:21 am |
| Sure Nick try Google its easy, hundreds of sites and articles for
anyone, even you can do it, its all avalaible to you for free.
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| nicksanspam@ece.villanova.edu 2005-12-29, 11:21 am |
| m Ransley <ransley@webtv.net> wrote:
>Sure Nick try Google its easy, hundreds of sites and articles for
>anyone, even you can do it, its all avalaible to you for free.
Proving your claim is your job. Once again, a near-impossible job :-)
Nick
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