Generator thoughts?

[Wolffarmer]

Betcha my Yamahas are quieter tho'

Standing in a generator room with three 1,500 kw generators running at full load should be on everyone's bucket list. It shakes your bones. Just don't do it more than a minute or so and don't do it without good hearing protection. It's around 130 db.

Hey, do you think the caterpillar will bother the other campers?

Bruce

There will be no other campers to bother. Go for it. But you better have at least a 2 axle trailer for it.

Randy

[eamarquardt]

A good friend is the largest Cummins marine diesel dealer on the West Coast. With the new common rail injection systems there are up to 5 discrete fuel injections per cycle/cylinder! Smoother, quieter, and more efficient.

Hijack over.

Cheers,

Gus

[cuyeda]

I have a Honda EU2000i that I really like for general use. You might want to take a closer look at this newcomer to the generator market! It has an electric start, and luggage style handle, and wheels on one side for portability. I believe it has a 30 amp plug, and should run a small AC ok. Read reviews, and check the specs for yourself. I have only touched, rolled, and started this unit, and not field tested it. A tad bit larger than the Honda EU2000i, but still has a nice portability factor for the size. I believe it is made in China, but the price is NICE! From $500-$760 on Amazon. You have to be the judge if this unit is good for you. Would like to hear any first hand reviews on this unit.

https://www.dometic.com/enus/Americas/USA/RV-Products/Generators/

[GerryS]

I am glad when I see competition. However I am more concerned about service than price. Dometic is obviously buying from some one else and outing their name on it. Where as honda and Yamaha are making their own, and have some skin in the game. This looks like one of the Kipor, Generac, Bosch, or other suitcase copies.

The specifications are...umm...missing for the dometic web site. It's apparent to me this is a glossy page in a catalog, and not a division of a much bugger business. I'm personally opposed to made in china crap, their quality is suspect and human rights abysmal. Even Walmart is starting to see this based on the commercial Mike Rowe has been taking to much flack for this week.

What will happen on 5 years after Dometic moves on to their next cheap producer or has. Or has stopped selling them because there was nothing but grief because of quality issues? Will they still have the replacement part or will that part be a brand new $700 generator? Honda and Yamaha at least haven been selling the equipment for some time, and are not dedicating a page of a catalog...presumably. We all want a good deal. But buying one price alone has never worked out well for me. Quality, service, parts, and just as important.

I do like the rolling design as well as the 30a plug though, these are both "misses" by Yamaha certainly.....moving mine around as my only real problem with mine....

[PaulS]

I am glad when I see competition. However I am more concerned about service than price. Dometic is obviously buying from some one else and outing their name on it. Where as honda and Yamaha are making their own, and have some skin in the game. This looks like one of the Kipor, Generac, Bosch, or other suitcase copies.

The specifications are...umm...missing for the dometic web site. It's apparent to me this is a glossy page in a catalog, and not a division of a much bugger business. I'm personally opposed to made in china crap, their quality is suspect and human rights abysmal. Even Walmart is starting to see this based on the commercial Mike Rowe has been taking to much flack for this week.

What will happen on 5 years after Dometic moves on to their next cheap producer or has. Or has stopped selling them because there was nothing but grief because of quality issues? Will they still have the replacement part or will that part be a brand new $700 generator? Honda and Yamaha at least haven been selling the equipment for some time, and are not dedicating a page of a catalog...presumably. We all want a good deal. But buying one price alone has never worked out well for me. Quality, service, parts, and just as important.
My Yamaha 3000 has a 30 amp twist lock outlet and it has wheels
I do like the rolling design as well as the 30a plug though, these are both "misses" by Yamaha certainly.....moving mine around as my only real problem with mine....

My Yamaha 3000 has a 30a outlet and wheels

[bdosborn]

I am glad when I see competition. However I am more concerned about service than price.

X2. The web is filled with stories from people buying el cheapo inverter generators and then finding they were on their own if they break. I'd cruise on over to RV.net forum and do some research there, if you want generator information. Those folks are pretty good about posting their disappointments with Chinese inverter generators. Also, Dometic does not have a very good reputation when it comes to reliability and honoring warranties. Google "Dometic recall fires" for some insight into that company.

Bruce

[aggie79]

I may be in the market for a generator. The OP's inclination to run on propane parallels my thoughts. My primary reason is that I would only be using the generator infrequently and it would sit for a long time between uses.

For me, the choice is Honda or Yamaha, but I don't believe they make a propane version of their small generators. I have noticed that there are a few companies that modify these generators to be multifuel conversions - gasoline, LPG and/or natural gas. Does anyone have experience on the modified Hondas or Yamahas?

[MtnDon]

A friend who designs & sells PV solar systems uses the Honda 3000i with the propane conversion from Central Maine Diesel. He is ecstatic about their performance. Only about half the systems he designs include a generator but if there is a generator that is the one he specs, complete with an auto start when / if the batteries reach a low enough level. One day I want to replace our manual start cabin generator with one.

[GerryS]

Propane conversion is a nice option. The conversion I have I on mine allows propane and natural gas

It is a little twitchy....uneven loads are a little problem on anything but gasoline...

[bdosborn]

Propane is a lot more expensive to run than gas (if this guys math is correct):

Gas versus natural gas vs propane

Bruce

[KCStudly]

What he fails to account for is the consumption rate of the different fuels. He assumes that they will all be consummed at the same rate. The stoichiometric ratios are not the same.

Optimum power and tune for each fuel may not be at stoich, but I would expect the ratios to be relevant.

Scroll down near the bottom for table listings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoichiometry

[bdosborn]

The efficiency of a piston engine is described by the Otto cycle:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_cycle

Efficiency is dependent on the difference of the temperature of the fuel going in and the spent fuel going out.



The more heat you get out of the fuel, the higher the efficiency. The stoichiometric ratio tells you how much air per unit of fuel is required to burn the fuel completely. The BTU content of the fuel should have a greater impact on efficiency than the stoichiometric ratio, assuming both the gas and propane carburetors are properly tuned. FWIW, a typical car engine operates in the 15% efficiency range. A steam power plant is in the 35% range.

Bruce

[KCStudly]

Interesting. I guess I have been schooled.

So are you saying that fuel consumption is the same by volume despite the fuels having different energy values (assuming, of course, that the load level is the same and constant)? That does not sound right to me.

[Socal Tom]

The BTU content is essentially telling you the available work in each gallon of fuel, assuming the generator burns each with equal efficiency. BTU can be converted to watts http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/powe ... to_BTU.htm
2000 watts are equivalent to 6900ish BTU per the page above. I agree with the analysis on the OP, this is basically saying the miles per gallon for a car burning propane is lower than the same car burning gas. However in my neighborhood gas is running $3.89 and propane is around $4. So still costs more per hour, but not double.
Tom

[GerryS]

I just have propane as a fuel alternative because it stores better, and is a lot easier to transport than a gasoline can...with the added bonus of being another source just in case I runout of the other....

Also, propane exhaust is primarily Carbon dioxide and water....not carbon monoxide. So it's a little safer near a camp site...