Generac Whole Hose Generator

[timberwolves]

I was wondering if anyone has some advice for me. I have a remote camp that is off the grid no utility power. Our electrical needs are minimal, and we run our cabin off a Honda portable 3200 watt generator. I have obtained a Generac whole house back up generator from a friend. It is a 8KW 120 volt 66.6 amp propane unit with a 19 hp Briggs & Stratton motor. It does not have a transfer switch with it. This unit will have plenty of power for my needs. Double and then some. My questions are can this unit be wired directly to a electrical panel. What size propane tank will I need to supply this unit, the fuel consumption rate is 67 cubic ft. per hour at 100 % full load. Thank you John

 

[tommu56]

simple answer is yes it can be hooked up.
the propane issue you will need some large surface area for the propane 100 gallon or 3 or 4 100 lb tanks all on at the same time

my cabin is off grid I use propane for lights, cooking, refrigerator and generator when I needed power for 25 years

I added a solar system use it for lights well pump and power still have the gas lights and only use them if needed to take the chill off if its to warm for wood stove cooking, frig and water heater is still all propane.

tom

 

[hr3]

timberwolves.. Some questions.. and answers,,

**Does the honda supply all the needs you have now or are you going to be adding more power requirements??

** Do you use propane there now ??

The reason I ask is If your going to be hauling propane just for power it's going to be a pain in the butt,, Hauling gas it too but at least you have other uses for the gas.. " boat ,,,lawn mower ,, chain saw,, Also you will have to disconnect the battery every time you leave.. The control board uses 12 to run the exercise and without power to keep it charged it will die in a week... The unit weighs 550 lbs.. If you have a problem with it.. kinda big and bulky to take home and repair..

 

[Skyco]

Propane generators use lots of it and generally take a big tank to allow enough propane to boil off. IOW a small easily moved tank generally won't work well. In fact looking at the spec sheet, assuming a 20lb BBQ grill sized standard tank will vaporize enough fuel, at full load it will blow through a tank in only 3 hours!
Now if there is a large tank a delivery truck can get to...might be practical.

Personally I prefer diesel, thats what I run at my camp, easier to haul and I need it for my pickup and tractor anyway.

Don't know how timberwolves acquired the Generac- but if it was a gift with no strings attached I'd not put it at a remote camp. I'd either put it in at home or sell it and go diesel at the camp..just my opinion.
But yes it can be made to work just fine if one wants to deal with the fuel supply issues and realize it can't be left in "standby" without commercial power.

Curious about the B&S motor in it too...Generac usually uses their own line of motors, my Generac XL4000 portable has one, basically a Honda clone and its been great for many years of use.

 

[farmeratheart]

We have a Generac standby at home wired and plumbed the traditional way (transfer switch and hooked to the house's propane supply tank). However, at our remote camp we use a gas powered genny for our minimal electricity needs. One of our neighboring camps has a Generac wired up to be an "on demand" unit. That is-when electicity is called for by the water pump or a light being tuirned on the Generac fires up on its own. I haven't seen the set-up yet, but think it is pretty handy.

 

[Toyboy]

I had the same unit at my former home and I was flawless. I don't think your correct on propane consumption though. If I recall right it was something like 2.2 to 3.6 gal per hour depending on load. In all the years we had it, it was never taxed to full load. I would have had to have everything on and running all at the same time. Just don't happen. They did come (and still do) with a transfer switch.

The amount you use your camp will depend on tank size. Ideally a propane truck could access it, if not your going to be limited by the size you can handel. We had a 500 gal but that took care of the whole house also.

B&S calls for 10w 30 Mobil 1 in it also. My only glitch was having to max out the starting battery's amps because I happen to live in the far north and that particular day it was -25. After that it never missed a beat.

 

[techman]

Hey, I have a deal for you. I've got a Deutz powered 8KW cont 10 KW intermittent diesel generator I am selling. I went with diesel because the fuel will last forever and is a whole lot cheaper to run than propane. It uses about 0.4 gal/hr at 3/4 load. I got a new larger unit so I have one available.

paul

 

[Skyco]

. They did come (and still do) with a transfer switch.

According to the Generac site they are available either with or without the transfer switch..

 

[Jim Thompson]

Propane generators use lots of it and generally take a big tank to allow enough propane to boil off. IOW a small easily moved tank generally won't work well. In fact looking at the spec sheet, assuming a 20lb BBQ grill sized standard tank will vaporize enough fuel, at full load it will blow through a tank in only 3 hours!
Now if there is a large tank a delivery truck can get to...might be practical.

Personally I prefer diesel, thats what I run at my camp, easier to haul and I need it for my pickup and tractor anyway.

Don't know how timberwolves acquired the Generac- but if it was a gift with no strings attached I'd not put it at a remote camp. I'd either put it in at home or sell it and go diesel at the camp..just my opinion.
But yes it can be made to work just fine if one wants to deal with the fuel supply issues and realize it can't be left in "standby" without commercial power.

Curious about the B&S motor in it too...Generac usually uses their own line of motors, my Generac XL4000 portable has one, basically a Honda clone and its been great for many years of use.

Generac is now owned by B & S.

Jim

 

[DelSc]

We had a four day power outage a couple winters ago, and it gave me a good chance to track propane use on my 16kW Generac.

We have a 100 gal tank and operated the generator for about 75 hours during the four days, and used 75 gallons, so the generator used on average 1gal/hour while it was operating.

If my memory is correct, based on the Generac's literature, that fuel consumption rate corresponds to running the unit at about 1/2 power.