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(07-25-2016, 10:00 PM)blackhat Wrote: Consumption will be about 3 gallon per hour at near max load. A 500 gallon tank will handle that load at your minimum temp and give you run time in excess of your stated. You can't just use tank capacity numbers, you need the tanks vaporization rate at the minimum temp expected. Up here with minus 40 temps, I would need 2 x 1000 gal tanks to make that rate but I would have quite a bit more run time. Numbers above are from Generacs sizing tables.
So assuming I have a 10kw generator where average winter temps are about 50, can I expect about 1.5 gph fuel consumption? I need to size a tank too. I have a B&S generator sitting there. A project this fall will be to get it hooked up. I'd like at least 3 days fuel on hand also. Another question, assuming I can rig the hoses to do is a 20 gallon tank large enough to get any runtime to test the generator with? OR should I just go ahead and get the big tank delivered?
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Crockett, yours is the size I intend to have installed this fall as well. Right now I'm thinking a 330 gallon tank will do it, but it will be sueful to see the other opinions.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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A bit of a tangent, but when I had a Generac installed I found that the cost between a 10 KW unit with a transfer switch that could handle X number of circuits wasn't really all that much cheaper than the 17 KW unit with whole house transfer switch I decided on. A couple of thousand $'s. OK, that's more than bridge toll money, but the whole house transfer switch allowed me to power everything in the house and not have to decide which circuits to power and which not too. I think those start with the 14 KW models, but I'm not sure.
A couple of weeks ago we lost power for a couple of hours. I was cutting wood in my shop while my wife was cooking - as if nothing had happened.
John
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John, in my case the smaller size is unrelated to installation cost. It's all about fuel consumption. With LP, these things can suck a tank dry in relatively short order, especially if it's one that provides fuel to other appliances (may not be always full). In my case I intend to have 2 tanks, a large one for primary use, and a smaller 120 gallon unit just in case. If I happen to run dry I can switch to the smaller tank for a few days of use. If I had natural gas, it would be the full house unit.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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Hi Fred, If cost isn't an issue I think you still should consider the 14 KW unit, or whatever the smallest one is, with a whole house transfer switch. At equal power output a 14 KW won't use much more fuel than a 10 KW, or whatever you are considering. The whole house transfer switch gives you the ultimate flexibility in how you want to use that power. To me, that was a huge motivation to step up to that capability. You don't have to decide whether to wire in your furnace, freezer, sump, one TV but not both, etc. They are all there, ready to run, while you still have the choice of what to turn on.
Whatever you decide, an automatic generator gives a lot of piece of mind. I haven't needed mine much yet, but I know it's always ready to go should we get a power outage. I just did the yearly maintenance on mine. Bought the kit directly from Generac; pretty darned simple to do.
John
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A 150 gal tank will run a 10 kW when it's as cold as 20 F. You'll only have fuel for about 50 hours or so of run time. A 20 lb'er would run it for a few minutes but the typical BBQ type hoses won't deliver enough fuel.
Blackhat
Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories.
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Ok thanks. Sounds like I need to get a tank delivered before I can try and test fire it, and looking at dimensions, I'm not sure the tank will fit where I wanted it to go.
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(07-26-2016, 08:21 PM)blackhat Wrote: A 150 gal tank will run a 10 kW when it's as cold as 20 F. You'll only have fuel for about 50 hours or so of run time. A 20 lb'er would run it for a few minutes but the typical BBQ type hoses won't deliver enough fuel.
True! My neighbor has a 100lb tank (that's only about 25 gallons). It continually froze up during 30 degree weather. Better to go too large on the tank.
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