Generator came today

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by Kingfish, Jan 13, 2011.


  1. Kingfish

    Kingfish Self Reliant

    Well, the first part of the equation is done. Today the model 5882 ,8000 wt Generac Propane generator was delivered. Now I have to pour a small concrete pad for it and get the 500 gallon tank delivered and filled, Transfer switch installed and then I can start on phase two. The Generac was 1919.00 with free shipping. Its a 14 horse engine single cylinder. It has an external oil filter which I really like as this will help in extending the life of the engine. I have a Generac service center 15 minutes away from our home so service will be a snap if needed. Next up will be to start cutting on high energy using appliances . We will replace the refrigerator first,then the Freezer, then hot water and last but not least cooking range. Once we have this under control we will build our 120 volt solar system. Man what a trip this has been. Kingfish
     
  2. hank2222

    hank2222 Monkey+++

    good to here about the gen set ..hope it goes well with the install.. also see if the local appliance store will do a massive one for one swap out deal with you on the new enegry star rated appliances for the house ..

    so of the local places will do a deal with a remodel that you swap out all your old appliance for new models ..try sears to see if they will do it and make a deal on the appliances for you
     
  3. fireplaceguy

    fireplaceguy Monkey+

    Congrats on the first big step!

    Although it's been a while, I've looked at fuel consumption on those units when they're running on propane, and I remember being surprised at how much they use. If it's feasible, you might want to consider putting in a 1000 gallon propane tank. Remember, they're not filled to 100% to begin with. With a 1000 gallon tank, you could refill it every time it neared half full, and you'd probably never get caught without at least 400 gallons on hand.
     
  4. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    My supplier likes to keep tanks between 20 and 80 percent. You MUST NOT fill it solid, there has to be a gas space to absorb expansion and contraction. That said, I suspect but do not know, that the tanks are sized with that in mind.
     
  5. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    The tank is actually made about 25% larger than the nominal capacity, for safety reasons. My grandfather worked for Geldbach Gas for nearly 40 years as a propane delivery man. I learned a lot at that man's knee.

    Additionally, all tanks manufactured after 2002 have a OPD - Overfill Protection Device. This is a valve that does not allow the tank to be "accidentally" filled past capacity. It will pop and vent until the tank has regained proper capacity.
     
  6. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Congrat's on the new generator....
    I have triple fueled a few for friend's and such...
    Including 2 welding machine's...
    Your's should do well....
    Robin 22 hp 003.JPG 10 hp.brigg's. Brigg's 18 HP 003.JPG 15 hp.brigg's.
     
  7. Nadja

    Nadja RIP 3-11-2013 Forum Leader

    Congrads Kingfisher. That will take a big load off your mind. Glad you are having this profesionally installed, as Propane can be mighty dangerous if not done right. Hey, when your pouring your pad, pour one for me to ! LOL Concrete is in my little shop, so maybe come spring I will get around to it. Yea right !
     
  8. Kingfish

    Kingfish Self Reliant

    This unit uses .94 gallons per hour at half load. I will only use it to pump water which will be stored so I plan on pumping once per week for 1/2 hour max. That way I should have propane for 10 years with just one fill up. The tank is a true 500 gallon tank meaning it holds 500 gallons with the air space. if filled all the way up it would hold like 650 gallons. It is the largewst tank I can get here in Michigan and buy it outright. They are reconditioned and certified. 850.00 for this tank. another 1500.00 to fill it. Im having a contractor hook it up and test fire the unit. Then it will get a cover put on it and there it will sit until its needed. Im already started on phase two. replacing that refrigerator. Kingfish
     
  9. hank2222

    hank2222 Monkey+++

    hey did you look at the appliance swap out with a place like sears or home depot or lowes stores ..they do have a upgrades on some of the appliances and you can get a tax credit for swapping out the old appliances with new models that are rated for enegry star and you get a end of the year tax credit if i remember this right about how that works ....
     
  10. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Looking for Lister

    I've been doing some reading on the old British Lister single cylinder, diesel, hand crank gen. Does anyone have a line on these or a possible knockoff? They say they only burn 1/5 gal per hour, on the 6HP model.

    Thanks[gasmask]
     
  11. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

  12. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Thanks ghrit!
     
  13. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    If you can find a used one, then buy it. They are no longer available for Import, due to the Fed EPAs Regulations. this is also true for ALL of the Indian clone Listers and Petters. there are some folks, that travel to Canada and buy them, up there, and then smuggle them south. If you get caught, they may make a Federal Case out of it....
     
  14. Nadja

    Nadja RIP 3-11-2013 Forum Leader


    I once had a listor 3 cylinder generator. It was a tow behind and I was framing up a big house way out in the middle of nowhere The man I was building the house for brought it up for me and my crew to work on. It was fine for about 2 weeks, and then almost impossible to get it started. It got so, after another week or so it took about 2 hours to start. Quit using it and would never have another anywhere. Parts were impossible to find etc. My .02
     
  15. fireplaceguy

    fireplaceguy Monkey+

    There are two kinds of Listers. There's the Lister-Petter, which is likely the one you had, since 3-cylinder versions of them were common. Then there are the Lister CS (for cold start) which were common in one-cylinder config, unusual in two-cylinder config and downright rare in three-cylinder form.

    The problem with these is that original British Lister CS engines are rare. The Lister CS clones from India (Listeroids) had third world quality control, from a culture where saying "we're doing everything we can to take care of your problem" translates to "bugger off"... They've been illegal for US importation long enough now that parts support, which must be specific to your particular brand of clone, which you'll definitely need, is spotty at best.

    I used to have a Listeroid 6/1. Even though I was warned to take it completely apart and remove the sand from the castings (some of which was hidden under thick green paint!) before firing it, which I did, it had other problems and I finally gave up on it. The import ban made this the one mistake I ever made a profit on! (It was running when I sold it, and I warned the buyer of the problems/repairs in writing!)

    When you find a good one, they're fantastically efficient and reliable. Leave it to the EPA to screw up a fine off grid power source that could efficiently recycle all sorts of waste oils. Given the tiny number of them we're talking about, I suspect the Feds were more alarmed at a few people's independence than with air pollution.
     
  16. fireplaceguy

    fireplaceguy Monkey+

    Glad to see you have this all figured out, and are not using that fuel for other things. Nice setup!
     
  17. Kingfish

    Kingfish Self Reliant

    It is our short term backup power for now. If we have time and things go right we will build a solar system to do most of our power but for now we are covered in case of the grid going down. I should have done this last year. Kingfish
     
  18. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Real British Listers are a Very Good diesel engine, for use in power generation. There are many more models, than just the Lister CS. A close neighbor has a LT1 (3.5 Kw) that he uses, when he is NOT running his Forge Operation. It is a sweet little setup, using a Kohler Genend. I sold a 3 Cyl Lister, Water Cooled, turning a 12.5 Kw, Lima Genend, that I got from Alascom. (Our LongLines Carrier) It had 140K Operational Hours on it, and was In-Framed each 40K Hours. The only reason they changed it out was because they added Cellular, to the Remote Site it powered, and the load went up to 15 Kw. This engine ran 24/7/365 for six months, between service, as it had an Extended Run LubeOil Sump that held 50USG of LubeOil. It now runs a complete Fishing Lodge, in the Alaskan bush. Yes, Parts are expensive, but they are available here in the USA, and from Britain. Before I had my Northern Lights, and Onan Diesels, I had a Lister LT2 twin cyl 7 Kw. It is still sitting as a reserve Genset, in Dry Storage.
     
  19. Nadja

    Nadja RIP 3-11-2013 Forum Leader

    Mornin' Kingfish. Did you get your tank, pad and then everything tested and working yet ? Keep us posted on your progress. Hows the fishing going ? Nadja
     
  20. overbore

    overbore Monkey++

    Generac

    Sir: As a 40 year generator user, may I suggest you carefully break it in per mfgr. suggestions then change filter and the oil to synthetic extended service. This will prolong engine life for you. Get a set of plugs, filters and all ignition components. Best wishes.

    Laus Deo
    overbore
     
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