Need help choosing a generator

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  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    #92
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    Re: Need help choosing a generator
    vtmaps wrote: »
    I don't think having your tanks in a shed is ALWAYS unsafe .... how tight is the shed? If your shed is tight enough to keep the temp 10º above ambient, I would have some safety concerns.

    Back when I worked at Cummins there was one of these "insurance company loss specialists" at the shop one day taking the tour to see how we could reduce our insurance liability. One of the guys in the shop was standing by the ox-acetylene torch smoking a cigarette and the insurance guy said that's unsafe because it could cause an explosion.

    I said, "Oh yeah? Watch this......"

    I grabbed a disc grinder off the bench, fired it up and ran it across some big channels laying on the floor that we were building gen skids out of, spraying a full stream of sparks right at the tanks. That insurance guy headed for the door on a dead run for his life. There was six of us guys in the shop there and we laughed so freaking hard I didn't think we'd ever recover from it.

    That insurance guy never did come back. But the insurance company sent us a letter complaining about all the "dangerous" things we were doing in that shop, and outlined a whole bunch of stupid stipulations that we had to meet in order to be an "acceptable risk". We ignored the letter and reportedly that insurance guy later died of a heart attack and we never him again.
    --
    Chris
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #93
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    Re: Need help choosing a generator

    Look; it's combustible gas. As such it has a certain amount of danger to it. But it is not instant death waiting to happen at the slightest spark. For one thing it has to be mixed with the right amount of air/oxygen in order to ignite.

    Where tanks of propane in sheds might become hazardous is in Summer when the temp goes up around 30C and the tanks start venting excess pressure. Then you have the gas mixing with air in potentially flammable/explosive amounts.

    Anyone who has every had the joy of trying to get a torch lit with a sparker knows what I mean. You can even crank the gas valve open so much it will blow out a flame.

    Too many people get their physics lessons from Hollywood, I fear; where every car going over a cliff explodes like a bomb. Doesn't happen in real life - especially not with Chrysler Airflows. :D
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #94
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    Re: Need help choosing a generator
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    Look; it's combustible gas. As such it has a certain amount of danger to it. But it is not instant death waiting to happen at the slightest spark. For one thing it has to be mixed with the right amount of air/oxygen in order to ignite.
    There will usually be some small amount of spill from the test valve when filling the tank, but having the door open and not smoking can usually take care of that.
    Since propane, unlike hydrogen, is heavier than air, try to avoid putting the tank in a bathtub or a shed with no floor level vents. :-)
    Not rocket science.
    If it does blow up (leaked propane, not the tank) , it would be nice for all around to have the roof of the shed loosely attached to relieve the pressure.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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  • BrianMoser
    BrianMoser Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭
    #95
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    NorthGuy said:
    I need to buy a generator that I intend to run when my RE system is down, either for maintenance, or because of a failure. I expect this to be very rare (:D) - once a year or so. I looked at number of generators. There are very many. Very hard to choose from, especially because I'm looking for things that are not listed on the sticker.

    What I need:

    Fuel: gasoline
    Size: 3-4kW continuous
    Output: 240V split-phase with L-14 240V outlet. No GFCI!!!
    Start: Pull
    Reliable: I want it to start quickly when I need it
    Should be able to run non-stop for a long time, possibly overnight
    Should be quiet. I want to be able to sleep while it runs.
    According to your needs, I suppose you could lay your sight on the Westinghouse WGen7500DF model, you can read about this generator and check it tech specs following my link. The whole review is also worth to read too.
    Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want
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