PTO generator selection help

[PILOON]

For heat source to keep propane warm you could resort to using heated tracing wire as used in water supply lines.
Usually self regulating, water proof and sold by the foot.
effect.
Generally offered in 3 or 6 watts per foot and available for 110 or 220 power.

Properly installed the power company would keep you propane warm and when an outage the generator would take over that duty.
I have used tracing wire in many pump installations and they are very reliable as well as affordable.

Tracing wire is self regulating and only consumes power when it gets close to freezing so it is fairly economical to use.
I'd probably wrap a tank every 3 inches or so and perhaps simply use duct tape to hold it in place.

OH, and I'd add a wrap or 2 around the regulator as they do freeze up due to venturi effect.

 

[workinonit]

I'm just curious...what's the issue with putting a larger, say, 200 gallon or 500 gallon tank vs a 100 gallon? I have a 500 but could have gotten a 1000 if I wanted. I never understand thee propane tank size arguments.

 

[grsthegreat]

I'm just curious...what's the issue with putting a larger, say, 200 gallon or 500 gallon tank vs a 100 gallon? I have a 500 but could have gotten a 1000 if I wanted. I never understand thee propane tank size arguments.

Sometimes its the propane companies themselves. They allow certain size tanks depending on load. If you purchase the tank, you can get whatever you want, if you rent a tank, its their decision.

 

[tradosaurus]

For me its cost.

At $2.xx / lb of propane and the cost of the tank, 100 lbs is as large as I want to go.

Also since I would be buying a dual fuel generator I have the gas option as well.

 

[tradosaurus]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/CHAMPION-POWER-EQUIPMENT-10-000-8-000-Watt-Dual-Fuel-Push-Start-Gasoline-Powered-Portable-Generator-100297/301793638

Just bought this one. With 10% discount code and using my Ag exemption I was able to get it for $990.00.

 

[TheMan419]

The generator is for short term (2 days or less) not for long term.

Talking to long term residents in my area the one big incident was a once and a lifetime ice storm that cut power for 3 weeks.

I'm not planning on spending $6 - 10k on a once and a lifetime incident.

As far a cold and propane I would probably buy a waterproof heating blanket to minimize issues with the propane.
Amazon.com: ARRIS Heated Blanket, 5V Electric Outdoor Waterproof Fleece Blanket with Hood, Waterproof Windproof Stadium Mat for Camping, Picnic, Sports, Football, Concerts, 55 x 27.6 inc ? Kitchen & Dining

Amen. Since I am still capeable of dealing with a portable generator I see no need to spend that kidn of money on a whole house/standby generator. I get if someone is physically unable to deal with a portable.

We lost power for 24 hours right at the first of the year. The think we learned is that we want to have power in the barn so we can more easily water the animals. I will spend a few hundred to wire that panel for its own portable generator hook up. A cheap harbor freight generator will work for that use. However I am contemplating a $1200 larger inverter generator to run the house and moving the current portable to use for the barn during power outages.

I run mine on gasoline as for me it is easy to keep on hand. I fill up a couple 5 gal jugs in the fall and stabil them. That is enough to run the generator for 20 hours or so.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Sometimes its the propane companies themselves. They allow certain size tanks depending on load. If you purchase the tank, you can get whatever you want, if you rent a tank, its their decision.

Propane companies here, if you have a rented tank (not all charge rent) and you have a bigger tank, if you aren't using enough propane (you have a woodstove or saving fuel for a generator) they will come replace your tank for a smaller one.

Perhaps IF you are willing to pay "rent" for the tank, they will overlook that? I never asked, as I changed propane suppliers a couple years ago and even though I'm using a woodstove, they "so far" haven't bothered me, and I pay NO rent or other charges, I just pay for the propane.

They are still family owned, and that good service will probably change as soon as they get gobbled up!

SR

 

[workinonit]

The dealers here supply the tanks at no charge. I could have gotten any size I want. I use propane for my Wolf dual fuel range, dual fuel heat pump gas pack, second gas pack and one of my 2 hot water heaters. I have a 500 gallon tank. But when my mom was living she only had the standby gen and gas logs. She chose a 500. If you want your tank under ground you must purchase it. The only thing I own on the setup is the regulator which had to be replaced recently.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

How long do you expect a 100 pound tank to last??

SR

Just guessing, but it should be good for around 200 hours at 50% load, give or take a little.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Just guessing, but it should be good for around 200 hours at 50% load, give or take a little.

200 HUNDRED hours from a 100 pound tank???

What's in that 100 pound tank, nuclear fuel?? lol

SR

 

[Larry Caldwell]

200 HUNDRED hours from a 100 pound tank???

What's in that 100 pound tank, nuclear fuel?? lol

SR

Oops. Added an extra zero. 20 hours, maybe 25.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Oops. Added an extra zero. 20 hours, maybe 25.

lol no problem, SR

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I would love to hear from someone with real world experience on using propane generator. Haven't read any users on amazon saying it won't work

I have an 8 kw propane portable. It runs great, but bugs are a problem. There is a mixing valve in the intake with two holes in the back for ventilation. Bugs love those holes. Mmm, dark, protected, great place to lay eggs. I have to take it apart every fall to blow it out. Fortunately, it's only four bolts and four screws, so it only takes 20 minutes, including time to grab the tools.

I have one 75 lb. tank and half a dozen 20 lb. tanks, plus an old 5 kw gasser that still works, plus a 1 kw camp gen that will run the freezer/fridge/tv for 4.5 hours on a gallon of gas, plus a farm house still set up with 19th century technology: wood heat and gravity feed water. Oh yeah, a drip coffee maker and an antique hand crank coffee grinder. :dance1: Electricity is a convenience, not a necessity. I can even heat bath water on the wood stove, and we cook there too during outages.

Think defense in depth. The comfort level of the house does not change during an outage, and the FIOS modem/router uses a 12 volt power supply, so I wired up a deep cycle battery as a UPS. A tablet and cell phone offer hours of computing. If the power goes out after dark, I won't even bother to fire up the generator until the next day. Gotta run the dishwasher. :thumbsup:

BTW, if you buy a gasser or a diesel, be sure to bag the exhaust. The daubers will get you if you don't watch out.

 

[tradosaurus]

Oops. Added an extra zero. 20 hours, maybe 25.

And with two 5 gal gas containers I should easily get two days of use.

 

[90cummins]

I agree with the procedure mentioned here however I added a heavy ground cable to the frame of my 25kw pto generator so I can ground my tractor/generator to a suitable ground or ground rod.
The electrical integrity of any portable generator should not be taken for granted.
My generator is directly mounted on a 3pt hitch platform and during operation I set it on the ground along with the loader to minimize the possibility of shock when getting on or off the tractor.
As mentioned earlier there are more hours designed into your tractor engine than you could possibly use. Do not worry about wearing out a well maintained machine it was made to work.

90cummins

 

[tradosaurus]

Now I have to figure out how big a propane tank to get. I originally settled on a 100 lb tank but with propane it will weight about 170 lbs.
That would be difficult to get into a truck or trailer to get it filled.
I'm thinking about getting two 40 lb tanks and having them piped together.
Maybe mount the generator and propane tanks on top of a Harbor Freight trailer.
The local propane dealer would sell me a 100 lb tank for $130 and fill it for $65.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Despite the seriousness of the matter there are the funniest spoofs out there on the Internet. "Mom! . . . We're out of tinfoil"

Generators. Grounding. Mostly the worst that could happen is a 110V shock to ground. 240 volts is still just 120V to ground. Not like many people run 600 volt gensets.

 

[grsthegreat]

Despite the seriousness of the matter there are the funniest spoofs out there on the Internet. "Mom! . . . We're out of tinfoil"

Generators. Grounding. Mostly the worst that could happen is a 110V shock to ground. 240 volts is still just 120V to ground. Not like many people run 600 volt gensets.

agree. we dont set ground rods in stand alone units. their grounded thru connection to house.

i have never grounded any of my portable generators. never in 30 years of using them. never had any issues. and besides, they all have GFCI receptacle. A GFCI receptacle by design does NOT need to be used on a grounded system to work. thats why you can add them to any 2 wire older house to get a 3 prong outlet legally.

i have no idea if PTO generators have GFCI outlets or not. if they dont, than a ground rod may be necessary.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I wouldn't want a CGFI as any part of my backup system, personally. If I'm handcuffed to my generator and am standing in a nicely salted puddle with house slippers, that might be different.

You want a shock. Go take a shower in my shower, built on slab and touch the metal knobs. Tingle current. Something that has happened since the house was new in 73, and an army of utility guys (and Injuneers) found nothing wrong. Went away with massive grounding on my part and now returned when Ontario Hydro replaced my Transformer half a year ago on account of PCBs. Weird!

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I ran across an interesting PTO generator video on YouTube. This is an old IH PTO generator. I think it's rated 13.5 kw continuous 3 phase, or about 4k single phase. I have thought about shopping for a used 3 phase generator like this because 3 phase shop equipment is a lot cheaper than single phase. The voltage regulator is really simple and good enough for non-critical work. The description of that starts around 20:45