Propane to Gas?

You can also go to small tanks, like for a BBQ

By gas do you mean gasoline or natural gas? It can be run on natural gas with little modification. Would not change over to gasoline. As a standby the fuel may spoil between uses. And you would have to maintain the fuel so it doesn't go bad. Which would mean additives and changing it periodically.

Buying a propane tank is another option. Remember you only need one big enough to get by through the emergency. So a 40# like used on a forklift or two could do and they can be taken and refilled to get away from the delivery charge if any. They make a similar 100# tank if you needed it.

Yeah.......a grill tank is too small. I'd like to know where propane is $16 a gallon. That's crazy! I think it's running about $2.40 a gal here, and I thought that was too high.

Another thing he may be able to do to lower his cost, is if he has a neighbor with a large propane tank, used for cooking, heating, etc., would be to piggy back his fill up along with the neighbors, and pay them whatever it is.

I also have to wonder if he has a leak. If the tank is just sitting there waiting for an emergency and the generator isn't running......it should just sit forever. He needs to get away from paying that tank rental too. Soapy water in a hand held spray bottle can find any leaks.

What makes the 16 dollars a gallon is the min. usage charge and the tank rental. I only used 12.5 gal all year. When I was checking on getting a tank every one told me that I had to have a larger tank to make it work right. I now have a 100 gal tank. I can buy a 100 lb tank at tractor supply. but I'm not sure it will do the trick.

Somewhere in your paper work it should tell the generator usage, under load, if not, the manufacturer should be able to tell you. As long as you can get out from under that ripoff rental charge, you can buy as big a tank as you feel you need..........plus, you can fire those guys that are ripping you off and buy gas from whoever will give you the best deal.

You're going to have to look around. Some propane suppliers have a minimum that they will deliver without an extra charge. A larger tank may be the best, or a couple of smaller tanks that you can handle yourself, and can take to them to get filled.

You said that everyone was telling you that you need a larger tank to make it work. Forget "everyone" and contact the manufacturer of the generator. They will tell you the exact set up you need for a given amount of running time. Don't forget, if it's truly an emergency situation, you don't have to run the generator 24 hours........just long enough a few times a day to keep your freezer, fridge, etc. where they need to be.

One more thing digger. You may want to look into this, but I think that you want to get a tank that's big enough to qualify you as a residential customer. Otherwise I think you will be paying the price that they charge for the grill tank fill ups, which is way higher. That would give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have enough in case of an emergency, plus it never does go bad, you can store it for years.

Forget "everyone".............you don't have to run the generator 24 hours

This could be the case...........but..............in the event of a natural disaster or the like, I would expect my emegency generator to run a lot longer, thank you very much.

Right.......which is why I suggested getting the pertinent data from the manufacturer of the generator to make a proper decision. The propane vendors will sell him a 10,0000 gal tank if they can.

Only the OP can determine what he feels good with, based on projected run time, possible number of days without power, etc. The people that sell propane or tanks are going to try to up-size him as far as they can get away with.

There is about 10 gals in the standard tank 40# on a forklift. So one of them would have covered you for most of your use for the year. Two would provide a back up and the ability to swap them out for a refill. The only problem you need to be aware of. If the generator input lines need to be liquid or vapor. If vapor, the rate in which the propane is drawn from the tank. Liquid propane is under relatively low pressure. If drawn too fast it acts as a refrigerant in the tank. Cools down which can drop the pressure to low to run the equipment.

Gasoline formulated at the refinery is made so that it has an "effective" shelf life of only 2 weeks! To make it last longer would require a more expensive blend which would result in less profits for the refinery or a higher sales price to the customer. A no brainer there!

If you mean natural gas by your term "gas", yes you can convert by changing the adjustments on the unit or by changing parts. Natural gas, if it is available, provides the easiest to maintain fuel, causes the least fouling of the supply lines and filters, and causes the least wear to the unit.

When buying a tank, especially a used one, you will have to pay for the maintenance and inspections of the unit. Also you will be held liable should anything bad happen such as a fire, leakage, etc.

Good Luck, old salt

Dear Mr Digger,

You are being ripped off $16 US per gallon is horrific. Even if your location is in the middle of nowhere you shouldn't pay more than $6 gallon (plus delivery). Rental shouldn't be more than $800.00 US a year max. (for a 190kg / 418 pound capacity cylinder).Do yourself a favor and have a shop around.

As for converting, yeap it's possible depending on the make, generally around $2,000 max. for a conversation. Though I've seen the reverse (petrol to LPG or propane) done for $500. Converting like this can mean a complete rebuild to a simple change to the timing, filters and injectors/carb. Check with the manufacture they may even do a "kit" for it.

You can purchase your own cylinders too. But warning on this, often the Propane price changes when the company is filling a "privately owned tank" so it's worth asking the provider. You didn't say your current tank size but I've seen 100 pound tanks with the correct safety valves and filling ports for $300 dollars.

digger - I agree with all the good advise you've gotten so far. I'd add one suggestion if your budget is tight and you need to go with a smaller "portable" tank. Get or build a small lightweight utility trailer and permanently mount the propane tank on it. (The little 4x4 Northern Tool or Harbor Freight kit trailers are about the right size and easy to move around by hand) Then you can park it next to the generator and leave it there except when you haul it to the filling station. The trailer will cost a lot less than the plumbing for an underground line from the generator to the tank. And no more heavy tank lifting. You may still have to compromise and accept the idea that in a long power outage the tank will rundown and you'll have to cart it into town for a refill. But hopefully in that scenario the snow will be cleared, the power lines fixed, the flood waters will recede or whatever.

Last year I installed a 500 gallon propane tank which I own and a fully automatic 14kw Kohler Generator (This is like heaven when the power goes out) as part of a big investment to switch over my house heavy energy eaters to propane from expensive PG&E kilowatts. Part of this plan was to get away from storing gasoline, having to go out in the middle of the night rain and fill the fuel tank on the old 5KW gas generator and travel 10 miles into town in the worst weather to refill gas cans. I seriously considered the trailer idea; but the site conditions around my hillside house made it impractical to put the generator where I could park a trailer next to it.

Ed Weldon

Get yourself an old cheap $100 single axle boat trailer and a good used Dot approved 100# tank ...

Make sure it has the "data plate" or tank size and MFR stamped into it.. a new one here in the south is only $125... Tractor supply...

Ensure the tank has the above info, or they won't fill it... replacing my house tank just for that reason, the data plate is missing.

Fill it, transport it properly and carefully and enjoy the savings...

A creative idea BUT- putting a larger tank on a trailer would expose you to the realm of the DOT and placarding. The tank would have to be a MC331 or TC331 type and placarded UN1075, just the same as the delivery truck that delivers propane to you.

A portable tank or a stationary installation are completely different than an over the road tank, subject to a completely different set of rules set by several different agencies and with much stricter parameters. Why have to comply with stricter and costlier regulations than really necessary?

Good Luck, old salt

Easy to convert back to gasoline and I assume it is an older engine that can accept a carburetor, (not electronic controlled engine) You will need a fuel pump and tank. Gasoline will keep for a while if you use a fuel stabilizer to keep it from degrading and releasing varnish and other contaminants. Did you look at purchasing the propane tank to get rid of the rental expense. Not sure of your location but I think a propane tank in Canada is good for 10 years before it has to be re certified. That involves a visual inspection inside and out plus a new valve it it passes. This could be your best way out.

you didn't mention where your from, gasoline has short shelf life, natural gas may be interupted if there is disaster like earthquake, propane is the way to go, alway's try to buy your own tank, run the gen once a month to operating temp and load up to clean rotor brushes,
Mitch ret peugeot mech

When buying a tank, do not confuse pounds with gallons.There is a big difference between a 100 pound tank and a 100 gallon tank.( 4.11 pounds per gallon.)

HTek

Going from Propane to Natural Gas requires a new regulator which is set up for the different pressures. The expert company for this is IMPCO Technologies in Southern California. They manufacture & sell complete off the shelf conversion kits to SAFELY make the change.

That's true, but I believe the OP is talking about gasoline. As far as I know, natural gas is not delivered by truck for residential use, but is piped directly to the house, not stored in an outside tank like propane.

Not sure about the US for LNG (liquid Natural Gas) but it's become very fashionable in Australia particularly in the southern states Victoria and Tasmania where you get the really cold winters. Though the real big users are road transport comnpanies.

It may be worth the ask if a local company does do the LNG, mind you it still means converting your generator.

They don't. I wish they did though, LNG is less expensive than LPG.

Have you considered lease to own generators? You could rent different ones until you find one thats just right.

I have just purchased 2 x 8kva diesel alternators (ex China) for A$1000 each...........this was for work, to show students how to parallel alternators manually via a synchroscope (I already have the switchboard.

The gensets can generate 3 phase 415v, 240v single phase and 12 or 24v DC, all in an insulated box and there is also a remote start with them...........at this price, if I have to throw them away after 12 months.............just buy a couple of new ones.

I wish I had bought one myself now.........I'll just wait and see how they perform!

I have a couple 100 lb bottles that I run off a manifold. be sure the regulator is on the output of the manifold. You will need a valve on each inlet to the manifold, that way you can change out one bottle at a time. You can even hook a 29 lb bottle on line while you run down and fill up one of the larger bottles.

Just posted this on another thread. Great reference for numbers and tank sizing.

Here

A gallon of LP weighs about 4 pounds, depending on temperature.The normal fill level is 70% to allow for expansion, so approx. 17 gallons is the yield from a 100 pound cylinder.

A 100 lb cylinder is also the maximum size that can be transported in a pickup truck, and it must be securely mounted with a valve protector installed.

NEC Rules require that a generator with a tank over 100 lbs be permanently mounted, on a concrete pad or skid.Use security type bolts that cannot be removed without special tools to discourage thieves.

Therefor I would use multiple tanks of 100 pound size.Be sure to secure the tanks out of sight, they are frequently stolen.An alarm system on your generator is also justified

I would prefer LP over gasoline due to the long term storage problems of gasoline, however, be aware that in VERY cold environments, LP does not flow as a gas, due to insufficient vapor pressure.

Although I have successfully stored gas for years,with no added preservative, using an airtight container in a cool environment, I do not recommend it.

(It is the volatile components evaporating that makes gasoline go "bad", not time, per se.)

I am sure there are some that will argue this point, but I can speak of personal experience with chain saws, mowers, farm tractors, etc.