Gas Generator Recommendations

[dznam]

The main reason I went for propane vs diesel was ease of storage and fuel transport and the compactness of a quiet generator.
On boats the concern was about molds forming in the tanks due to condensation. How well does diesel store over say years in a partially filled tank or barrel?

I have burned 40 year old diesel out of a partially filled, vented 275 gallon oil tank in our outdoor and unheated fuel building at the farm with no problems whatsoever. I have run diesel in over 25 boats, gensets, trucks, cars, etc. over the last 40 years and have never had a problem with mold or other fungal growth in any of them and I'm in Northern New England where we see 100* temperature swings (over the course of the year). There are additives (such as "Biobor") which claim to kill any algae, but I have never had or seen a use for it.

My latest diesel genset is filled by the oil-man whenever I want/need so transportation ease ranks a perfect 10 in my book. This sound-attenuated genset is 24KW and at standard distance measurement is around 52db - I have never seen a propane application come close to this. My fuel consumption is massively lower than propane as diesel motors are both more efficient mechanically and per-gallon BTU content of diesel is in the neighborhood of 30% greater than propane. On top of it all, the MTBF for this 1800 RPM motor is approximately 25,000 hours and runs a bulletproof Stamford Newage commercial gen-end.

The only downside is price - these gensets are expensive and, for me, worth every penny. Other than price, they are superior in every way IMO. YMMV

 

[dznam]

I probably under-emphasized the price differential - a good diesel genset is probably 4X the price of your average LP powered genset of similar output. Most people will never recoup the price premium of a diesel generator through fuel usage as they will not put that many hours on them.

I think for most people, LP fired standby generators are a better solution. For prime-power applications, diesel is the way to go but that's not the use that most residential generators see. I put in a nice 11K Generac LP standby in a house that we recently sold and I think it was a great, cost effective solution that will probably last the life of the homeowner. I just enjoy diesels so that's what I got and will readily admit it's not a cost-effective solution. I think you're doing it exactly right, ShelleyWeals.

 

[iamlucky13]

I have a 6k propane generator, lasts about 4 hours on a 20lb tank, but since propane is for ever I plan on getting a large tank installed and feeding my dryer, generator and stove from the one tank.

It's hard to beat using a fuel you already keep on hand for other appliances as your generator fuel.

 

[Angela Ou]

I have (broken link removed to http://www.dieselgeneratortech.com/cummins/cummins550gf.html), 50Hz, 1500rpm, soundproof genset. It did run well. Big output power and low fuel consumption.

 

[Light in the Dark]

I probably under-emphasized the price differential - a good diesel genset is probably 4X the price of your average LP powered genset of similar output. Most people will never recoup the price premium of a diesel generator through fuel usage as they will not put that many hours on them.

I think for most people, LP fired standby generators are a better solution. For prime-power applications, diesel is the way to go but that's not the use that most residential generators see. I put in a nice 11K Generac LP standby in a house that we recently sold and I think it was a great, cost effective solution that will probably last the life of the homeowner. I just enjoy diesels so that's what I got and will readily admit it's not a cost-effective solution. I think you're doing it exactly right, ShelleyWeals.

I sell military diesel gensets in my spare time. I will disagree with you on the 4x multiple. Brand new sets? Maybe... but there are MANY other options out there (including military). My 10kw units (which are really 15kw peak) are under $5k all day long. They will do single and three phase too.

/not trying to sell you something

 

[begreen]

I have burned 40 year old diesel out of a partially filled, vented 275 gallon oil tank in our outdoor and unheated fuel building at the farm with no problems whatsoever. I have run diesel in over 25 boats, gensets, trucks, cars, etc. over the last 40 years and have never had a problem with mold or other fungal growth in any of them and I'm in Northern New England where we see 100* temperature swings (over the course of the year). There are additives (such as "Biobor") which claim to kill any algae, but I have never had or seen a use for it.

My latest diesel genset is filled by the oil-man whenever I want/need so transportation ease ranks a perfect 10 in my book. This sound-attenuated genset is 24KW and at standard distance measurement is around 52db - I have never seen a propane application come close to this. My fuel consumption is massively lower than propane as diesel motors are both more efficient mechanically and per-gallon BTU content of diesel is in the neighborhood of 30% greater than propane. On top of it all, the MTBF for this 1800 RPM motor is approximately 25,000 hours and runs a bulletproof Stamford Newage commercial gen-end.

The only downside is price - these gensets are expensive and, for me, worth every penny. Other than price, they are superior in every way IMO. YMMV

Good to know, thanks for the detailed report. I have never owned a diesel powered boat, just built a couple and the owners were both paranoid about mold build up in their large fuel tanks. They probably read some story in a sailing magazine about mold.

I suspect your needs are much more frequent than ours. We usually go a year or two between significant outages and 5 yrs between major multi-day outages. Our current generator has more time on it from maintenance runs than from actual usage hours. FWIW, it is rated at 53db, but that is on gas. Not sure if that changes on propane. We only power some lights and refrigeration in emergencies, so this works for us.