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Has anyone used a generator?
- Thread starter SoCaliSmoker
- Start date
forget about gas generators. way too expensive to run and need replacing if used alot. diesel or natural gas.
i used to use a diesel generator and hooked it up to my home heating fuel tank. 200 gallons and free delivery. home heating fuel has no extra taxes like diesel for the road and you can get a truck to come fill ya up.
D
deepforest
i have propane heated water and a big propane tank in my backyard....as well as a workshop / shed that i could place a gennie in and insulate and put in intakes and exhausts to vacate the fumes and to kill the sound... but i have no idea if this idea is even feasible or possible technically (hooking up a propane generator to my big propane holding tank) or if the neighbors would hear. some of you say they are loud even when places in sound insulated rooms, some not, i have neighbors 300 ft. away ... want to run 8kw... any suggestions, guidance?
Hephaestus
Member
No argument, I'd not want to feed one for a full grow.. Ran the big honda at full load... What do you mean gas can't be delivered without serious questions? Ever heard of a slip tank?
I'd personally be more apt to be running one of the LPG versions myself - but I'm saying it is possible to do it...
I'm surrounded by gensets and welders all day at work
Very familiar with what they draw/use and how they run... My GX340 powered welder (little portable unit - about the same size as the 6000w gensets) uses a tankfull of fuel on an 8hr shift - thats just shy of 2gal of fuel... Very rarely comes down off full throttle; and I'm getting to be a wuss, if I'm not welding - it's powering a heater that likes to trip the breakers So lets assume worst case 8g per day - even at 3.00/gal - 24$/day - 720/month... I read of many paying 600-1100/month to the utility thus; it could theoretically work out...8-10g per day - don't know where you live - but around here it's fairly common to see people filling 5g jerry cans at the gas station... But I've got a slip tank in my truck
I could bring home 100g of diesel and nobody would notice...
I see theres a few misconceptions in this thread. Let me say this first, i've been around alot of generators, everything from 50KW cats to small 1kw propane units. Hell, I've even been around fuel cell generators.
1) Not all generators are loud. Even the diesel ones. A friend of my has a small gasoline generator shack at his place, the KW rating is kinda low tho' when he shuts the door you cant hear it. He just uses it to power the cabin.
I also used to use a 5KW diesel generator and its no louder than your typical idling truck.
2) Tank capacity is not an issue. Some people call it a slip tank, some people call it a day tank. etc.. Look, people run heavy equipment all the time, its no big deal to fill a few drums of diesel and take it to location. Some people have tanks at their place that hold 50 barrels. Have the fuel truck come on over and fillerup! Or take the nozzle from your day tank and fill up your gen with that.
3) This nonsense about gens not being constant duty.. whatever.. My friends gas genset runs for days. Anyways, look the strategey is never to rely on a single genset, you run one one day and one the other day. What are you gonna do when you have to dump oil?.. You're not gonna stop the grow op for service.
Anyways, if you were just running strictly on gen, and just running lights on a bloom room you clearly have 12 hours of off time.
4) Somebody mentioned biodiesel.. dont kid yourself.. Fry oil is not clean, or consistent.
The enemy of diesel is water, and that stuff needs to be removed prior to using it as a reliable source of fuel, and that takes energy to clear out the water.
5) Generated power from a portable for the most part sucks.. Its the quality. On gensets the HZ rating can be adjusted, and the power itself is not constant. I've seen LOTS of senstive electronics get burned up, It might not hurt those magnetic ballasts, but I would be really careful using those around those digital ballasts.
1) Not all generators are loud. Even the diesel ones. A friend of my has a small gasoline generator shack at his place, the KW rating is kinda low tho' when he shuts the door you cant hear it. He just uses it to power the cabin.
I also used to use a 5KW diesel generator and its no louder than your typical idling truck.
2) Tank capacity is not an issue. Some people call it a slip tank, some people call it a day tank. etc.. Look, people run heavy equipment all the time, its no big deal to fill a few drums of diesel and take it to location. Some people have tanks at their place that hold 50 barrels. Have the fuel truck come on over and fillerup! Or take the nozzle from your day tank and fill up your gen with that.
3) This nonsense about gens not being constant duty.. whatever.. My friends gas genset runs for days. Anyways, look the strategey is never to rely on a single genset, you run one one day and one the other day. What are you gonna do when you have to dump oil?.. You're not gonna stop the grow op for service.
Anyways, if you were just running strictly on gen, and just running lights on a bloom room you clearly have 12 hours of off time.
4) Somebody mentioned biodiesel.. dont kid yourself.. Fry oil is not clean, or consistent.
The enemy of diesel is water, and that stuff needs to be removed prior to using it as a reliable source of fuel, and that takes energy to clear out the water.
5) Generated power from a portable for the most part sucks.. Its the quality. On gensets the HZ rating can be adjusted, and the power itself is not constant. I've seen LOTS of senstive electronics get burned up, It might not hurt those magnetic ballasts, but I would be really careful using those around those digital ballasts.
M
mrred
sure you gotta clean and process the veg oil first but they pay people to haul that stuff away
There is only so much power one can run off of a house. Once one gets into the generator game, one is big time. Typically diesel generators are much more reliable and longer lasting. You want one that runs at 1800 RPM and has a decent fuel consumption. Fuel is a major concern. Get it delivered, or pay cash at gas stations. Noise is a major concern, although, there are ways to deaden the sound, and exhaust. Even in residential neighborhoods.
If there is a will, there is a way.
One must have a strong will do such an endeavor. One must plan, and be calculated.
Cheers,
If there is a will, there is a way.
One must have a strong will do such an endeavor. One must plan, and be calculated.
Cheers,
growclean
Grow Clean.... Go Fast!
http://www.honda.ca/HPower/Models/ModelOverview?L=E&Type=Generators&Series=Inverter&Model=EU3000iC
Might be mistaken about the interlinking... but there's always the 6500w version
801pages of technical goodness
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15131645.cfm
I just bought 2 of the 2k ones to run in parallel. This was for powering our camper. I have not fired ours up yet, but the ones that we have heard were qiuet!
this is interesting.. i have been looking for ways to run a grow off the grid. id say even if you have to pay 2x the amount for the power, it would be worth it to be away from prying eyes and large bills... although the main problem is you have to buy land, a building, genny, etc... so it ends up being quite a startup cost
Tylor Durden
Member
you get what you pay for
you get what you pay for
couple of things I'll chime in on here:
Forget veg oil, once you _really_ look into making diesel that way you'll be glad to pay for it
1800 rpm Diesel is the _only_ way to go. Propane is neat, but way too expensive at today's prices expensive. Check engine time between rebuilds, you may be shocked
Gotta be real careful dealing with generators, they are most anxious to kill you and your family and burn your house down.
If you are way out in the sticks and have some cash, you can still get some decent tax credit on a solar power system. Those don't make noise, or draw much attention at all. If you can get into a grid tie situation, you'll pay a minimal electric bill and have all the reserve you need to deal with system problems.
Good source of generators are government surplus auction..bring your favorite electrician/expert along to make sure you get something you can use.
don't even think about a cheapo Chinese generator. Those are strictly throw away ( try getting parts for the gen head).
Now if It was me looking to do this, I'd get an old diesel pickup and wire up a couple of 10kw harbor frieght heads to it or If I was lucky enough to find one that didn't have a zillion hours on it an old 18 wheeler reefer generator.
Actually, I'd go with the solar....
you get what you pay for
couple of things I'll chime in on here:
Forget veg oil, once you _really_ look into making diesel that way you'll be glad to pay for it
1800 rpm Diesel is the _only_ way to go. Propane is neat, but way too expensive at today's prices expensive. Check engine time between rebuilds, you may be shocked
Gotta be real careful dealing with generators, they are most anxious to kill you and your family and burn your house down.
If you are way out in the sticks and have some cash, you can still get some decent tax credit on a solar power system. Those don't make noise, or draw much attention at all. If you can get into a grid tie situation, you'll pay a minimal electric bill and have all the reserve you need to deal with system problems.
Good source of generators are government surplus auction..bring your favorite electrician/expert along to make sure you get something you can use.
don't even think about a cheapo Chinese generator. Those are strictly throw away ( try getting parts for the gen head).
Now if It was me looking to do this, I'd get an old diesel pickup and wire up a couple of 10kw harbor frieght heads to it or If I was lucky enough to find one that didn't have a zillion hours on it an old 18 wheeler reefer generator.
Actually, I'd go with the solar....
BonsaiBud
Member
When people say "solar" I hope you are talking about skylights and windows. Don't even get me started on how ridiculous it is to use PV to power grow lights.
You can get little little water cooled 24VDC generators for buses. Some of them run off of natural gas or propane. They also heat your water. From there you use a motor-generator to get big, smooth, cheap, reliable AC. I bet these would be quiet enough inside a chamber made of concrete with asphalt acoustic insulation and whatnot. They are popular in Europe and over here for luxury buses. If you don't have access to natural gas then move. If you don't need the waste heat then move north. You could always move to an "all electric" McMansion in the suburbs of some blighted Mid Western city and go big in the winter.
You can get little little water cooled 24VDC generators for buses. Some of them run off of natural gas or propane. They also heat your water. From there you use a motor-generator to get big, smooth, cheap, reliable AC. I bet these would be quiet enough inside a chamber made of concrete with asphalt acoustic insulation and whatnot. They are popular in Europe and over here for luxury buses. If you don't have access to natural gas then move. If you don't need the waste heat then move north. You could always move to an "all electric" McMansion in the suburbs of some blighted Mid Western city and go big in the winter.
T
tonto
does any one use propane generators? any brand recommendations?
GSGrowdaddy
Member
I've thought about generators, I've thought about solar...Shit I've even thought of hooking up a flux capacitor to the old ladys excersize bike to get some extra power....I'm still thinking. I spend most of my day thinking of a better plan. Someday it will come to me i'm sure.
as far as the most cost effective means as of right now, its got to be diesel power, or bio... ive done a ton of research myself, and honestly i would love to run a combo of solar/wind but to run 20k consistantly your looking at several hundred thousand dollar investment in equipment alone.. you can grab a sick generator for 50k, a ten thousand gallon tank and let er rip LOL
H
humboldtlocal
I have some diesel genny experience from back in the day. Any large one will run at 1800 rpm's. The ones that run at 3600 are not made to run 24-7 and will burn out quickly. I used to do oil changes every 5-7 days. Mine had a Isuzu engine but Cat is also good. They are loud and if you are near any neighbors you are going to have to do some major sound proofing. A good genny should give you 4-8 runs before you have to do a major rebuild but if you have pulled that many runs you should just buy a new one. I also remember when I bought mine that my friend I got it from said there is a law in Cali that if they bust you with one that is over 50hp it is an extra felony because of environmental bs. That genny was 49hp. Make sure to get a catchment tank for you diesel storage tank and dispose of your oil regularly so it is not sitting around. There are lots of accidents around here with leaky genny and tanks and they do a lot of environmental damage. Not to mention LEO will hang you out to dry. They are much more pissed about the environmental damage than the growing it seams like.
I talked to a friend that was running a grow op with a gen.
He said he was running a 16KW generator and has 600 plants under it.
His fuel consuption was 1500 gallons of diesel a month.
I also looked into his 5.5 KW he runs for his house power.
I think he said it was a yamaha whisper quiet diesel gen. Its in a gen shack, for sound proofing and stuff, its quiet, sounds like a truck reving its engine. Not totally quiet but noticeable.
He's one of those hardcore guys living in the backwoods, no grid power.. all generated power.
He said he was running a 16KW generator and has 600 plants under it.
His fuel consuption was 1500 gallons of diesel a month.
I also looked into his 5.5 KW he runs for his house power.
I think he said it was a yamaha whisper quiet diesel gen. Its in a gen shack, for sound proofing and stuff, its quiet, sounds like a truck reving its engine. Not totally quiet but noticeable.
He's one of those hardcore guys living in the backwoods, no grid power.. all generated power.
MMAJAY
Member
The only way a generator would be worth it if is you were stealing the damn fuel. I have a very large generator and it would cost a fortune to run it 18 hours a day. For back up power there great but constant use and the price of all fuels it wouldn't make sence. I have seen large grow ops without electric available (to remote )useing generators growing huge amounts of pot but that was when the fuel prices were much lower. My generator is enclosed and the sound would not be an issue for me but i couldnt afford the fuel.
