Diesel Generator & General off grid thread

[oceangrownkush]

I have been considering a few remote properties recently and have been trying to consider all costs.. I am thinking for electricity I will be investing in a diesel generator as well as solar panels.. The property will have a well and storage tank... Wondering if anyone has experience with what brands of diesel generators are best for daily use?

So what bases haven't I covered for living comfortably off grid? A few goats and a chicken coop? Cast iron pots? Greenhouse construction is an obvious one..... Ideas?

 

[5th]

Location?

 

[oceangrownkush]

Oh we gots that one figured

 

[5th]

lol...

I meant it would be easier to give suggestions if the rest of us had an idea of where abouts you were thinking.

For example is you were thinking an area that gets cold in the winter, your fuel for your genny would gel...propane gennys would be a better option....

 

[Stoner4Life]

lol...

I meant it would be easier to give suggestions if the rest of us had an idea of where abouts you were thinking.

For example is you were thinking an area that gets cold in the winter, your fuel for your genny would gel...propane gennys would be a better option....

propane over any fossil fuel always.
propane never goes bad.

best link for tri-fuel conversions:
http://www.generatorsales.com/honda-generators.asp

 

[oceangrownkush]

Yo propane then. Tell me about those. Climate is northernish California, it gets kind of cold in the winter but not ever freezing.

 

[5th]

propane over any fossil fuel always.

That might not be practical depending on ones power needs though...

OP was very vague about everything.

 

[oceangrownkush]

That might not be practical depending on ones power needs though...

OP was very vague about everything.

LOL ok ok, you got the climate. I want a greenhouse with sup lighting, this would be minimal electricity run off 125w CFLs for keeping plants in veg, probably running like 40-60 of those. I would then want a 2 light indoor with lets say 3.5k total energy consumption.. I would then have a very small amount of personal energy consumption.. Maybe 3k for 10 hours out of the day. There are generators I've seen that do 25kw for $8,000 but I don't know anything about these generators so I am trying to ask others, maybe get some good reading material and find good sources which review these kinds of things... So far all the reviews I have found seem to be thinly veiled advertisements, with all reviews products being grouped with the same manufacturer..

If my knowledge of electricity sounds lacking thats because it is, but thats not to worry! About to get up in these electrical classes.

 

[Snype]

MQ Power! That's a Crawford Studio Generator. Top of the line.

 

[5th]

lol...I dunno man....alot of variables.

I'll keep up on the thread n' help out with specifics if I can. But it takes one hellova solid plan to get something like this off the ground letalone maintained.

I would suggested flip flopping this indoor 2 light grow though...and use that heat to keep yourself from getting chilly in the winter months.

Better yet build your greenhouse, a 8x10 cabin...run it off solar and just do a bigger outdoors/greenhouse. Head back to the city after chop for the winter.

My 2 bits of course.

 

[rasputin]

OGK, have you seen the docu Garbage Warrior? Lots of interesting info on building housing that is completely off the grid. Check it out and read up on Michael Reynolds, he has a lot of good ideas and has been putting them into practice for decades.

Good luck man, sounds like you're about to be living the dream.

 

[Stoner4Life]

that link gives generators (Honda based mostly) that have been converted to accept natural gas & propane although some listed are specific to single fuels as well. there are diesel units there too.

you can have several 100# propane cylinders for portability sake or you can have a propane tank installed on your land, you can even bury big propane tanks.

propane cost per gallon today is appx $1.87, that's less than 1/2 the cost of diesel fuel.

EDIT:
btw! Propane is a MUCH cleaner burning fuel & is less polluting to the atmosphere, plus as it burns cleaner it is kinder to the engines on those gennies as well, oil lasts much longer, much less carbon buildups, spark plugs will be cleaner everything lasting longer.


you can buy portable generators or home standby units depending on your needs. a couple of those smaller gennies in that link only SIP propane under low usage, one of them consumes only 1/10th of a gallon per hour under 1/2 load. that's running 800 watts @ only 1/10th of a gallon p/h, a #20 bbq cylinder would then run that genny for appx 45 hours straight.

That same 2000 watt genny (2000 surge/1600 running watts) would run @ 1600 watts (full load) on about 1/4th gallon per hour, #20 cylinder lasting appx 10-11 hours. That little red Honda 2000 watt genny is top rated.


To run a whole house full time you'll need a large genny. The cost of home standby units starts around $1,500 + installation, but you'd need to inquire about full time units intended to go 24/7 until maintenance schedule requires shutdown. idk.

btw, as long as your on a rural township maintained road I believe the the Rural Electrification Administration still compels power companies to provide VERY affordable (less than $100) initial hookups from road to any power pole or home; if the home or power pole is located far off the road than extra charges will apply.

EDIT:
you could run household usage 'on the grid' & your grow power from generators only, this would be easiest on your mind & budget imo.

You can buy conversion kits to make your gas generator a 'tri-fuel' genny, gas, propane & natural gas. On eBay just search for 'Generator Propane Conversion', Nash Fuel is the seller on these units.

If you can't find a matching kit for yours then contact them and tell them what particular generator you're hoping to convert, they'll configure a kit for you.

 

[high life 45]

S4L, what do you think about running biodiesel on a diesel genny? (provided you have the properly rated gaskets and seals)

 

[DarthFader1]

Oh yeah subbed and got my popcorn for this one. Bling blang blauw!

This is a subject i've been visiting and revisiting for a couple years now.

The idea of running propane is totally new to me but i like the sound of it, thx S4L for that! Would love to hear more. Just always thought diesel was the only option, but then again i am a genset noob. But one thing i do know OGK, if your going to buy something serious like 10-20kw upwards definitely spend that extra money and get a good fking genset yo. It's an investment for LIFE holmes! I would also learn how to service it all myself (can't be that hard right??) so you don't need any remote assistance. That would be crucial i would have thought.

Another thing is how long are you going to be out there? The longer term it is the more i would be inclined to have some chickens, goats, vege garden, solar panels etc

Anyway can't wait for some others to chime in

Good luck Ocean sounds awesome!

 

[Stoner4Life]

S4L, what do you think about running biodiesel on a diesel genny? (provided you have the properly rated gaskets and seals)

that'd be awesome, again much cleaner burning than fossil fuels and if you have a steady supply it's very cost effective. I'm sure the conversion could be done to allow a person to burn both standard diesel & also the biodiesel in case one or the other is in short supply. If you're using both then it's a way to at least offset costs.

 

[mowood3479]

I know a guy who does a 30k indoor setup off a diesel gen.
I was considering it (something similiar) for awhile but from what ive been told full time heavy usage is hard on gens even the low rpm diesel ones.. N they require alot of maintenance and alot of diesel.
But where there is a will there is a way. Good luck!

 

[supermanlives]

propane is cleaner for sure.servicing a diesel aint hard at all.i have never seen anyone run a lp genny full time only as standbye unit.wonder why?

 

[supermanlives]

back east we ran genny off home heating fuel as its cheaper an delivered .. had 2oo gal tanks and we got a guarantee price lock every season.didnt hurt we were friends with owner tho. I have never taken apart a lp/ng genny. maybe they aint built as sturdy as diesel for the long haul? I find it strange that those that know more than me, didn't use lp/propane ect in all theses years except as standbye.our standby was a tractor and its pto as we had the unit to make electric.dont use home heating fuel in commercial vehicle as they do check your fuel on occasion. don't ask

 

[Aeroguerilla]

1800rpm prime power generator its not worth it unless you plan on running 35+ lights i run 24 on 200amp service and pay 2k a month. fuel would be equal to electric costs at around 30-35 lights give or take. they do make some pretty ballsy generators. wouldnt mind getting my hands on one of those 200kw john deers you could run 150 lights off that all day.
a lot of work but can be done. good luck

 

[supermanlives]

so far, my research finds that lp/ng shouldn't run more than 12 hours if possible and in 200hp an less gennys. also ng/lp gennys provides less electric than a diesel. will look more that was just one site, they also mentioned risk of gas leaks and explosions but we all know that already.EDIT I think they were referring to standbye units. as there is 2 types standbye and constant/prime. prime being more expensive as its designed to run all the time.