- Thread starter JD Jones
- Start date
Honda EU6500is Generator
Propane generators like generac are not worth their salt, hence they performed poorly with long term blackouts in the DR. Not to even mention off grid horrors...
Dual Fuel are generators that can run on gas and propane. I was wondering because I thought since propane is cheaper than gas there would be a market for it. I've shipped dozens of generator/inverters to Puerto Rico this summer. Small ones 800w - 2200w
Can you guess how many were gas/propane? Fuel delivery is very different. But then again, I've seen passolas with propane..🤣
Since we are talking about power. I know a MTA Bus driver and he hooked up one of those large bus batteries to a car inverter and hooked it up to a battery charger. Theoretically you should have continuous power, right??
So.... This morning I was getting ready to use my 8' aluminum ladder to slide it down to the ground.
My neighbor saw me and told me to wait a second. He came back with his two sons and they unloaded it in less than 5 seconds.
I thanked him and told him he won't have to worry about power if a storm comes through.
All's well that ends well.
So, here's an update:
I finally have this installed. I set it up in my rear bedroom and ran the exhaust out through an aluminum slat I used to replace the glass slat.
I ran an 8 ga. 4 strand cable through the walls down to the breaker box and installed a simple knife switch.
I'm impressed. This generator has an "Eco" function which allows it to run at an idle and increase the RPM's based on demand.
The idle is about 2000 RPMs and it's only about 45 decibels. It is so quiet I only hear a very faint hum outside the door to the bedroom when it's shut and hear nothing when I'm in my bedroom.
It does not increase from an idle with my inverter A/C running and increases only slightly when I turn on the water heater.
I've always been a diesel generator guy but for my application now it didn't make sense. This one will last me for the rest of my days.
All in all, I'm glad I bought it. I wanted 240V with a minimum of noise and that's exactly what I got. Win/Win.
I finally have this installed. I set it up in my rear bedroom and ran the exhaust out through an aluminum slat I used to replace the glass slat.
I ran an 8 ga. 4 strand cable through the walls down to the breaker box and installed a simple knife switch.
I'm impressed. This generator has an "Eco" function which allows it to run at an idle and increase the RPM's based on demand.
The idle is about 2000 RPMs and it's only about 45 decibels. It is so quiet I only hear a very faint hum outside the door to the bedroom when it's shut and hear nothing when I'm in my bedroom.
It does not increase from an idle with my inverter A/C running and increases only slightly when I turn on the water heater.
I've always been a diesel generator guy but for my application now it didn't make sense. This one will last me for the rest of my days.
All in all, I'm glad I bought it. I wanted 240V with a minimum of noise and that's exactly what I got. Win/Win.
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Good questions. That is what the 3 way knife switch is designed to do. It completely disconnects my house from the grid.
The exhaust is routed out of the room with a 1 1/2' exhaust pipe, and I have two extractors connected to the generator output to pull any possible CO that may escape but I'm pretty sure the exhaust setup doesn't have any leaks.
Next I'll install a 4" exhaust fan with a clothes dryer exhaust vent on the cooling vent on the generator so the warm air that is pushed out will be vented outside. The two extractors are doing an acceptable job of keeping the room cool, but the exhaust fan will be the icing on the cake.
And of course I'm going with a CO detector too since it's cheap insurance, but IMHO it will be overkill.
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So, the weak link so far has been the knife switch. It works but I just don't like it. Too flimsy.
I'll probably end up swapping it out for another.
I'd go with an auto-transfer for around $200 but the use I'm giving it just doesn't justify it at this point.
Here's the generator set up and the switch for those of you who are interested.
And by the way, I have a CO detector in the room. It's going up to about 140-150 or so but no alarm with the door closed.
The door also has a seal across the bottom gap to prevent leakage into the rest of the house.
I sure wouldn't run 600V through that switch..lol
I'll probably end up swapping it out for another.
I'd go with an auto-transfer for around $200 but the use I'm giving it just doesn't justify it at this point.
Here's the generator set up and the switch for those of you who are interested.
And by the way, I have a CO detector in the room. It's going up to about 140-150 or so but no alarm with the door closed.
The door also has a seal across the bottom gap to prevent leakage into the rest of the house.
I sure wouldn't run 600V through that switch..lol
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So one stupid question from a guy not from these parts of the world: Could that unit be placed ougtside and a iron cage be built around it? I do that for my houses in the south U.S for the AC units. Cage costs about $200 there. Set on a concrete pad which is a nothing deal and done in a half day. Cage is done by a welder that is probaby dirt cheap here with an access door for maintenance.
I would recommend 45 sweep elbow conduits for the exhaust fumes from the unit’s muffler.
On the inside turn and once again on the outside turn. You want to run the exhaust pipe all the way up above the parapet of your wall(if any) or just above the roofline itself. Give it about two or three extra feet before you end it there with a diffuser cover.
You can also automate the entire backup system to your panel. But this would mean adding a secondary breaker box to set up the circuits which will be fed from the back up system.
It’s pretty much the same automatic switch that enables the inverters to cut cut the grid feed to the said secondary breaker box and feed the generator’s instead. In this case the generator is placed instead of a battery bank.
A second automatic switch can power on the circuit on your auto-start gen set and shut it down when power from the grid is detected.
If your generator is air cooled, you want to keep it with lots of air around it.
At one time a friend of mine had adapted a type of supercharger (like a turbo) to his gen set. It kicked the unit higher without wasting more gas.
But it wears down the engine and parts faster too.
This guy was a wiz, because if I recall well, he did semi-submerge his gen set about 1/4 down into a water vat to keep it extra cool for the long runs (he had it for off grid sourcing). He had to water proof the unit well for that. But it worked!
He also modified the carburetor to run the unit on LPG instead of gasoline. The oil consumption was bigger than before. But he could keep it running for long periods, cooler.
He told me this was cheaper than buying a more expensive unit with all bells and whistles included. As he found out they would also start failing after certain usage cycles. For him, it was cheaper to replace these run of the mill units.
Can be done for sure, but anything you put outside facing the elements on your patio will meet an assured end “Pyle of Rust”.
Also thieves here have the right tools to release those cages if given enough time. Would need to be a concrete box with a fully faced door and a pad lock that will not expose its locking mechanism.
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It's cheap Chinese. Couldn't you tell? Simple and functional.
Kolny is a hardware store here that sells cheap Chinese switches. The same one I have now.
I'm looking into a more robust switch but it's tough to get away from Chinese.
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Sure could. Like Pich said, being exposed to the elements always deteriorates the metal parts and it would be very easy to steal.
As it stands, I have it in a really big generator room. LOL
Remember I am living in a rental, so the idea was to make it as simple and functional as possible. At this point the only "damage" I've done is routing the 8 ga. power cable through a hole in the wall - easily fixed. If I owned my home it would be in a separate well ventilated secure structure.
The fan in the window keeps the room at close to ambient temperature so no overheating.
My electrical requirements are so low (remember my 800 peso electric bill?) this thing is actually overkill.
Ah, I understand. Yes that type lock is more or less the type I use on a 40 ft container that I store equipment and excess materials in for my work in the states. Anything less the bad guys are interested in knowing what this dude has in that container.LOL. Good luck with that idea.