Emergency Back up Power for Coal Stove

 
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Black_And_Blue
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Post by Black_And_Blue » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 4:47 pm

Poconoeagle wrote:this is one of my fave gen's

it runs for a week on 5 gal
I just bought one of these, works great. I can run the Alaska 140 at full blower and it never comes off idle (Econ mode). 15 hrs on 1 gal for the win.

 
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Poconoeagle
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Post by Poconoeagle » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 8:43 pm

Black_And_Blue wrote:
Poconoeagle wrote:this is one of my fave gen's

it runs for a week on 5 gal
I just bought one of these, works great. I can run the Alaska 140 at full blower and it never comes off idle (Econ mode). 15 hrs on 1 gal for the win.
yep I was amazed... worth all of the $950. new from dealer on sale

 
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fishhunter
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Post by fishhunter » Sun. Dec. 13, 2009 7:46 am

just purchases a generator yesterday from Cabelas. They had a great sale. 3500 watt model for 279. I also had a coupon if I used my cabelas card and the total price was 209 plus tax!!!!! :D :D :D when I told some friends what I paid vs what they paid I was about 1/4 the price. It came with a 2 year warranty too :D

 
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Post by Rice Burner » Mon. Dec. 14, 2009 1:40 pm

coalkirk wrote:
Rice Burner wrote:Any one have experience running a stoker on back up power? I know Harman sells that battery back up but it seems to be a better alternative would be a small Honda generator with the inverter. I know it would not be wise to plug into a regular generator but the Hondas look interesting. The smaller units run for like 20 hours on less than 5 gal gas.
So what's the problem with plugging into a regular generator? I know it's not "clean" power but I didn't think that mattered for motors. I thought it was just electronics that didn't like dirty power.
It may be fine for some units but I know the DVC-500 would fry it's brain if the power is not sent through an inverter first. Same as you would not want to run your PC from a straight generator.


 
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Rice Burner
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Post by Rice Burner » Mon. Dec. 14, 2009 1:48 pm

Poconoeagle wrote:this is one of my fave gen's

it runs for a week on 5 gal
I found the bigger brother of that one the eu3000 for $700, that's what I was thinking of getting. That's only a few hundred more than the battery backup that lasts only an hour or so.

 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Mon. Dec. 14, 2009 8:02 pm

WOW! Those Honda EU's have come WAAAY down in price! If I remember right, they were way over a grand when they first came out.

 
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Poconoeagle
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Post by Poconoeagle » Sun. Dec. 20, 2009 9:49 pm

Rice Burner wrote:
Poconoeagle wrote:this is one of my fave gen's

it runs for a week on 5 gal
I found the bigger brother of that one the eu3000 for $700, that's what I was thinking of getting. That's only a few hundred more than the battery backup that lasts only an hour or so.
Thats a great price. I assume its used but so what. I originally bought it as a dedicated power supplier for a "in hatch" a/c unit on the sail boat while moored in the extreme heat. saves running the diesel gen as well as the noise factor. set it on the stern rail and have the exhaust point aft and its church mouse quiet.
Turns out its multi talanted as its great in the freezing north also!! :D

 
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Post by Rice Burner » Fri. Jan. 08, 2010 1:29 am

Wow! What more could you need? To only power the stove it's more than enough.

http://www.apelectric.com/5791-800-Watt-Generac-P ... p/5791.htm


 
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Post by stockingfull » Fri. Jan. 08, 2010 11:28 am

Anybody doing this with propane?

My wife has a place in FL that was right in the path of Wilma in '05. The problem with gas generators then was that many of the gas stations didn't have power for their pumps, and those that did had ridiculous lines. And that's when them smaller, LESS-THIRSTY or alt-fuel gensets really earn their keep!

 
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Post by Yanche » Fri. Jan. 08, 2010 1:20 pm

The problem with any emergency backup generator is always the fuel. How much do you keep on hand for an emergency and how well does it keep. Propane has it's problems too. Tanks have a finite life and need to be pressure tested and certified beyond that date. They also frequently break from their above ground moorings and float away in a flood. Underground tanks are very expensive and can have corrosion problems. All things considered the best emergency generator fuel turns out to be the one that you already use regularly for some other use. For most that would be gasoline. For some diesel, if they have home heating oil or diesel farm equipment. For others propane, if you use it for cooking, propane grill, or domestic hot water heating. Natural gas works well if you live in a neighbor served by natural gas. It's really rare when the natural gas service fails.

 
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Post by stockingfull » Fri. Jan. 08, 2010 1:58 pm

Happily, I've lived well above the flood plain for many years, so the rising tide isn't a concern for me. Besides, if your tank has floated away, you're probably not running your genset! ;)

From what I've gathered, if you have anything bigger than BBQ tanks, propane gensets will run multiples longer than gasoline between refueling. I have a tank for a gas fireplace insert the previous owner installed, so I already have a multi-day reservoir of fuel here.

We were out for 27 hours in cold weather winter before last, so propane does tempt me as an alternate fuel. But we've only been out that once in the 3 1/2 yrs we've been here, and there are maintenance procedures and costs, in addition to the first cost of machine and switchgear, when you get one of these rigs. So I haven't decided yet.

 
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Poconoeagle
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Post by Poconoeagle » Fri. Jan. 08, 2010 11:20 pm

the matainance of the LP engine vs the gasoline is vast. there is virtually zero service needed with the propane. the negative hydrocarbons that go unburned in the gasoline engine get trapped in the lubricating oil and thus oil changes are neccessary congruant to hours run.
propane fueled engines go forever between oil changes ... that plus carbon build up on plugs and valves and rings is minimal. all a plus for LP.

the negative side is they are not as fuel efficient as the HP/vol ratio is less so the electric pump that refills the portable lp tanks suffers the same fate as the gasoline station. having enough gasoline on hand is usually not a problem and we usually have 20 gals in our car or truck if needed as well as the ability to drive said such vechicle to a town that has juice to fill our 5 gal jugs and run home to stay warm :D tough to do that with a 100 # LP tank or larger..... 8-)

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