Gasoline to Natural Gas Conversion for Briggs and Stratton

Should be no problem as the engine is usually oversized...

http://www.propane-generators.com/briggs_stratton.php

If you have natural gas, this is definitely the way to go strictly from a keeping it fueled point of view...Yes it's safe as long as the storage tank and generator is outside...You still have to check the engine oil regularly....and check for gas leaks, natural gas is safer because it mixes freely with the air unlike propane which is heavier than air...

It is inconceivable that a <...conversion kit...> manufacturer would sell a <...Gasoline to Natural Gas Conversion for Briggs and Stratton...> in such a litigious country were it either unsafe or inoperable!

As long as you follow the manufacturers recommendations....the most important thing to be aware of is the exhaust and carbon monoxide...that's why the manufacturers recommend that the generator be 20' or more from the house...and as noisy as the things are, that's usually a no-brainer...

Some people seem to worry about theft or something and stick them in a garage or other attached structure to the house, and the next thing you know, they're all dead....

So to those people I would say just run it during the day when somebody can stand watch, and shut it down at night and bring it in...

Another concern is non-sinusoidal waveform generation and computers and tv's and microwaves and other sensitive electronics being damaged, to those people I say use a battery backup ups...which you should have feeding your electronics already....

A rotating machine inherently makes a sinusoidal wave form, so is much less likely to upset your electrical equipment than an inverter, even a pure sine wave inverter.

Portable generators generate DC electricity, it must be converted to AC via inverter..

http://www.hastingshonda.co.nz/about/blog/choosing-the-right-generator/

Not at all, you might be able to buy one, but most common rotating are perm magnet ac machines.

That's true...

The quality of the power does vary though, and electronics requires voltage to be held within +-5% of rated frequency/voltage as per manufacturers recommendation...and that requires either an AVR or inverter, generally speaking...Generators are not usually run at 100% load, the recommended max is 75%, and more generally ~50% continuous load is better...so derating is not an issue generally speaking, with a proper conversion kit...

I’ve found that rotating ac generators even small ones like 4, 7.5 & 10kW have fewer problems powering up various devices than inverters, the frequency and voltage specs on much of the electronic stuff these days allows wide voltage -10% +200% when used in the US, and 50-60Hz variation, because none of the consumed power is used at line voltage & frequency. The stuff that does use the power directly, like motors, is much more sensitive to harmonics, where they often require a pure sine wave inverter, especially if the lead length is long. A pure sine wave inverter aspires to be a rotating ac generator.

another choice to lower chances of theft is to add an automobile muffler to your generator. i am told that thief's drive the neighborhoods after a hurricane and listen for the generator running. i read once where a guy woke up to no power only to find his lawnmower running in place of where his generator was.

Yes the gas powered generator is also safe to run on LPG if there is no fuel leaking..

Just remember that the rated generator capacity will also be much less when the generator is operated using LPG..

Which means that you need to lessen and reduce the number of electrical loads that can be connected to the generator if you convert its fuel to LPG ..

the hertz on these portable generators is usually adjusted by changing the running RPM of the engine.

you will want to do this with a meter (such as a "kill-a-watt") while the generator is under an "average" load.

an average load may be the usual items that are running such as lights and freezers/fridge. you may also want to check while the furnace in operating if you have a heatpump (if your generator can take this type of load) <10kw or there about.

I can only add this my friend. Make sure you have good lubrication as LNG is a 'dry' fuel.

Both my gensets can run on gas or NG or LPG.

My 11Kw get about 8.5 on NG or LPG.

Adjust the governor to set the HZ if you have to but don't expect it to synchronize with your solar inverters. You can't make the genset smooth enough or maintain the voltage well enough for most systems. My solar will only sync to a source that is about 1% of ideal.

Yes, a gasoline engine will run on LP or natural gas,but the expected output is reduced accordingly.

There are many kits available on line,including dual-fuel models.

All kits include a de-rating chart.

Google for them.

One thing to remember about LP or Natural gas engines is that the oil will never look dirty, it will look fresh and like new,but it still must be changed on schedule.

It will still contain some corrosive components and wear abrasives as well.

When test running the generator,run for at least 30 minutes to ensure that the moisture from cold engine combustion has evaporated.If not,this can contaminate the oil.

There are generators available that use a battery to store energy,and reduce speed to an idle when not needed.

The battery power is inverted to produce the desired frequency.

A problem I have found with all small standby generators is the crude power waveform.

This can result in a delayed damage effect,such as start/run capacitors on heat pumps/ac units,refrigerators,etc.