Generators?
- Thread starter lisaFL
- Start date
Ive got the 15KW Generac air-cooled version. It powers up the whole house with some juice left to spare. The City of Sunrise ran the gas line and did the hook up to the generator and the electrician installed the 200 Amp Service Rated Automatic Transfer Switch. If you dont have access to Natural Gas then you might want to look into Propane. its the same generator but runs on Propane with the change of an actuator.
HTH
Gerald
HTH
Gerald
Von_Rahvin
New member
you also might look into a tank of some sort. the nat gas lines were shut down in my parents area due to leaks last hurricane. they have a 500 gallon or so tank on the property so it wasn't a problem for them
newreefbishop
Premium Member
Im actually looking into something similar for my house, but not sure if tamarac will let me get lines run into the property and dont have the space to bury a tank. Any ideas?
Von_Rahvin
New member
the tanks arn't as big as you think, you do have to get the permits, but down here in fl, if you don't have a on property fuel source you are still in almost as much danger to having no power and having you nice pretty generator sitting idle when the time comes.
I got a Generac/Guardian 16KW LP/NG Air cooled QuietSource (grey, not beige) w/ transfer switch for $2,000 ... but the cost of getting a properly sized tank into the ground kills me .. it would be about $3,300 for the propane tank w/out filling it.
I'm getting a 30KW Diesel for $4,000 + 1,100 for the ASCO 200amp transfer switch.
That puts me @ $5,100 for a Long lasting 30KW diesel VS. $5,300 for the 16KW short lasting Air cooled LP generator.
LP Gens consume between 2-5 GPH LP
Diesel Gens consume between .5-2.5 GPH Diesel
LP Gens last between 300-1000 Hours
Diesel Gens last between 20,000-30,000 Hours
LP Gens run @ 3,600 RPM
Diesel Gens run @ 1800 RPM
Lower RPM generally means longer lasting, not as much heat, lower noise level, and is the prefered RPM for the heads.
I'm getting a 30KW Diesel for $4,000 + 1,100 for the ASCO 200amp transfer switch.
That puts me @ $5,100 for a Long lasting 30KW diesel VS. $5,300 for the 16KW short lasting Air cooled LP generator.
LP Gens consume between 2-5 GPH LP
Diesel Gens consume between .5-2.5 GPH Diesel
LP Gens last between 300-1000 Hours
Diesel Gens last between 20,000-30,000 Hours
LP Gens run @ 3,600 RPM
Diesel Gens run @ 1800 RPM
Lower RPM generally means longer lasting, not as much heat, lower noise level, and is the prefered RPM for the heads.
Last edited:
ahoyhoy239
Member
not sure about generators but we have a 40 hp 4 cyl diesel running the irrigation on 5 acres of our nursery, it turns 1500rpm and pushes water at 40 psi through the whole nursery, pretty strong if you ask me. i believe the intake and discharge pipes are 8" i.d. each, and split out to like 1" i.d. to all the sprinklers. imagine pushing all that water across 5 acres.we have a two hundred something gallon tank, not sure, we fill it up like once every 8-12 months and run the engine for an hour almost every day or every other day.
its very efficient but as a generator, you have to remember that not running it will create condensation if the tank is empty, plus the diesel sitting for long periods builds bacteria and could break it down.
this isnt a problem when you run it often because the fuel is pumped to the engine and whatever isnt used is returned to the tank and stirs it up.
im not sure if the generator companies have solved some of these problems but im sure they have some kind of solution.
IMO though diesels have proven themselves for over a hundred years as rock solid engines and they will last ALOT longer than others. ive seen other nursery irrigation pumps that honestly didnt look like more than a big block of black dirt and grease but ran perfectly fine and had tens of thousands of hours on the meter...diesels are bad *** plain and simple
its very efficient but as a generator, you have to remember that not running it will create condensation if the tank is empty, plus the diesel sitting for long periods builds bacteria and could break it down.
this isnt a problem when you run it often because the fuel is pumped to the engine and whatever isnt used is returned to the tank and stirs it up.
im not sure if the generator companies have solved some of these problems but im sure they have some kind of solution.
IMO though diesels have proven themselves for over a hundred years as rock solid engines and they will last ALOT longer than others. ive seen other nursery irrigation pumps that honestly didnt look like more than a big block of black dirt and grease but ran perfectly fine and had tens of thousands of hours on the meter...diesels are bad *** plain and simple
The fuel storage is always something to consider with diesels ... but i don't plan on keeping the tank full , or with more than maybe 25Gal at the most ... out of season there won't be much in it ... during season thats a different story. fuel conditioner should work its magic for a little while .... after that i'll burn it off.
I have a diesel, and so does the girlfriend .. so we'd get use out of it anyway.
I have a diesel, and so does the girlfriend .. so we'd get use out of it anyway.
Von_Rahvin
New member
we ran the real numbers on this and you would have to leave a HUGE tank completely empty for a long time. It's a simple numbers game.
here's why we did it, on my boat we have 190 gallon tank, and we can usually get 3 fishing trips out of it before we need to refuel. but we were worried about the water condensing on the interior of the tank over the course of the 4 weeks it takes to burn the tank down and refuel. even with 100% out side humidity, and HUGE temp swing 20 or 30 degrees factored in, the amount of water that condeness out fo the air is TINY. so we expanded the number and we had to let the tank sit 100% empty for over a year to get more than a few ounces of water in the tank. you have more of a problem getting water in your fuel than you do of having condensation being an issue.
