Generac Portable Generator Conversion to NG

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  • DadOSix

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    May 25, 2013
    1,590
    Allegany Co.
    You have to size it right. My spark chaser friend said too much trouble to add up all the loads.


    His trick is to turn it all on. Washer, dryer, oven, heat pumps, well pump and use a clamp on ammeter on each leg of the feed into the panel.


    It ended up being a smaller number that I was figuring the sum of all loads way. He did it a couple of times to catch the start up loads as well. Like when the compressors in the heat pumps kick on.


    Good luck!
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    You have to size it right. My spark chaser friend said too much trouble to add up all the loads.


    His trick is to turn it all on. Washer, dryer, oven, heat pumps, well pump and use a clamp on ammeter on each leg of the feed into the panel.


    It ended up being a smaller number that I was figuring the sum of all loads way. He did it a couple of times to catch the start up loads as well. Like when the compressors in the heat pumps kick on.


    Good luck!

    Still have to be careful there. If the sampling rate on the ammeter isn't frequent enough it still won't catch the actual peak. Generators can usually carry a load a fair amount higher than their surge rating for fractions of a second, but you might also still pop the breaker on it if it is TOO much higher than its surge rating (surge ratings are usually what the generator can run at for several seconds to maybe a minute or two).
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Parents have this on natural gas and no problems with it.

    Depends on what you need it for.

    If it is a regular power out situation, that's all good. If you are talking plumbed from a residential line, a serious outage is going to stop that also (if we are talking SHTF, not standard power outage as the compressor stations and stuff like that have their own backup power).

    Of course tanked you are fine (for however long the tank lasts).

    My 2 cents is I don't want to be reliant on something that is that inefficient and if the power is out, I don't need to run everything like my every day life. I do want/need something bigger than my 3.2kw generator, which is why I am looking at a 5kw dual fuel. But for me a 22.5kw could run my whole house easy, but would also likely be using 20-50% more fuel then is necessary most of the time (and not just because I am running more on it).

    Inverter generators are pretty efficient at light loads. Non-inverter generators are more efficient the higher the load you put on them. So a 22.5kw generator that has maybe a 3-4kw load on it might only be running about 15% efficient (measured as fuel energy converted to electricity), but under a 20kw load it might be running 25-30% efficient. That 5kw generator might be running 25-30% efficient under that same 3-4kw load.

    The better way to size a generator is make sure it can handle what you HAVE to be able to run (fridges, maybe some lights, a few outlets, well pump, sewage ejection pumps if you have any, ceiling fans, whatever heat you have). Not everything you'd like to be able to run. Otherwise you are likely to have an oversized generator that is running extremely inefficiently most of the time (because the difference between typical use which might be 500-1500w base line load of what is typically on in your house, but then running up to 2-4kw with some stuff, but then might be hitting 15-20kw when you electric water heater, electric range and A/C is running at the same time).

    That's compared to maybe only running a 5kw generator that might be running the same 500-1500w base load much more efficiently and 2-4kw with some stuff that you need to run occasionally and keeping off anything that might be drawing a lot of power.

    PS BTW inverter generators are a terrible idea if you often need to run higher loads. Because of the power loss from the inverter circuitry that are MUCH less efficient than a traditional generator under higher loads. Usually the cut over is around 40-50% load. Above that a traditional generator is more efficient. Below that an inverter generator is more efficient. Now, at peak loads that traditional generator might be 10-15% more efficient than an inverter generator with that inverter generator being twice as efficient as a traditional generator under a very light load (like 5-10% load).

    Inverter generators shine from things like RVs or campsite/job site use where you are more likely to be running no load or extremely light loads most of the time, but then periodically spiking up to high or medium loads. Because the idle is so efficient on the inverter generator.
     

    DadOSix

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    May 25, 2013
    1,590
    Allegany Co.
    Still have to be careful there. If the sampling rate on the ammeter isn't frequent enough it still won't catch the actual peak. Generators can usually carry a load a fair amount higher than their surge rating for fractions of a second, but you might also still pop the breaker on it if it is TOO much higher than its surge rating (surge ratings are usually what the generator can run at for several seconds to maybe a minute or two).


    Totally agree. He took his numbers and applied some math mojo to get a peak number that he says should cover the peak. I've got a BIL who is a master sparkie, and of course he has a different way to do it. I will report what he says and hopeful to get the dang thing installed the right way. I'm ok with dragging the gasser outside and cable to the house. Not so much for MomOSix. She just wants it to work.
     

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