LPG generators

[James H]

I am concerned about ruining my engine running it in idle for an hour or two a day to charge, so I am wondering which LPG generator for less than a grand is the best and why? Also are they fuel efficient? I.e how many hours running on max RPM will an average 13kg calor gas bottle last? 

 

Much thanks everyone, appreciate the help...

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, James H said:

I am concerned about ruining my engine running it in idle for an hour or two a day to charge, so I am wondering which LPG generator for less than a grand is the best and why? Also are they fuel efficient? I.e how many hours running on max RPM will an average 13kg calor gas bottle last? 

 

Much thanks everyone, appreciate the help...

Just before 'splashing the cash' you do realise that you should lift it off the boat and onto the bank to run it.

Its not about price its more a case of find one that is "carryable" and gives sufficient output to power whatever it is you need to power.

 

You don't buy a car because its a cheap price.

[dor]

Many petrol generators, certainly the Honda ones, have a conversion kit to run off LPG.

[noone]

4 minutes ago, dor said:

Many petrol generators, certainly the Honda ones, have a conversion kit to run off LPG.

? Would be a Honda for me.

[James H]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Just before 'splashing the cash' you do realise that you should lift it off the boat and onto the bank to run it.

Its not about price its more a case of find one that is "carryable" and gives sufficient output to power whatever it is you need to power.

 

You don't buy a car because its a cheap price.

Thanks for your reply mate. Can I ask why do I need to put it on the bank to run it? Haven't seen any other boaters doing that is all! 

Cheers

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, James H said:

Thanks for your reply mate. Can I ask why do I need to put it on the bank to run it? Haven't seen any other boaters doing that is all! 

Cheers

Because that is the guidance from the Boat Safety. Having it on deck can rssult in exhaust fumes and Carbon Monoxide getting into the cabin.

 

There was an Coroners enquiry a couple of years ago where a gas safe qualified engineer, put a generator on his boat and 'modified' the exhaust so it vented overboar, the exhaust broke, the boat filled up with fumes and his wife and daughter died.

 

Its your life and your choice.

 

Sensible boaters will try and minimise the risk of death.

 

From the BSS

 

For some boaters wanting off-grid electrical power means that they see portable generators as the only option, but if the risks that come with their use are not fully appreciated deaths, injuries and loss of property can and has happened

Carbon monoxide (CO) – generators especially petrol ones can produce extremely high levels of CO, a poison gas that can kill in minutes or leave survivors with long term critical health effects. However diesel engine exhausts have also been linked to illness and CO deaths

Fire & explosion – the mishandling of petrol and leaking fuel from generators have resulted in spectacular incidents and that have seriously injured people and wrecked boats.

Also the use of poor cabling and connectors can also introduce just as real although possibly less obvious fire hazards.

Electrocution – any 230V ac system can be a killer and must be given

proper respect and precautions should be taken to guard against shocks.

These are the core points that should never be forgotten.

• Never install a portable generator permanently or make unauthorised modifications that are not supported by the manufacturer, or proprietary component supplier.

• Never run generators on the boat, or on the bank near to doors, vents, windows and hatches. If you can smell exhaust fumes in the boat, it could mean the cabin is also filling with deadly carbon monoxide.

Edited November 3, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[Tony Brooks]

also LPG being heavier than air if it leaks on the boat it will fill the bilge until BOOM. Unlike gas domestic equipment a geberatir might be left running for hours unsupervised.

 

Also charging for just two hours a day is unlikely to be long enough to ensure decent battery life if you have any form of lead acid battery. At least once or twice a week you will need t run for far longer, maybe 10 hours plus.

[Alan de Enfield]

48 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

........geberatir...........

Love it.

Forever to be known as Geberatir's

[Higgs]

 

I understand the leaning towards caution, but most of us have gas appliances and machinery with exhausts, in the boat. In each instance, maintenance is key. But the failure of any of the systems is down to being less than vigilant. 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Higgs

[James H]

23 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Because that is the guidance from the Boat Safety. Having it on deck can rssult in exhaust fumes and Carbon Monoxide getting into the cabin.

 

There was an Coroners enquiry a couple of years ago where a gas safe qualified engineer, put a generator on his boat and 'modified' the exhaust so it vented overboar, the exhaust broke, the boat filled up with fumes and his wife and daughter died.

 

Its your life and your choice.

 

Sensible boaters will try and minimise the risk of death.

 

From the BSS

 

For some boaters wanting off-grid electrical power means that they see portable generators as the only option, but if the risks that come with their use are not fully appreciated deaths, injuries and loss of property can and has happened

Carbon monoxide (CO) – generators especially petrol ones can produce extremely high levels of CO, a poison gas that can kill in minutes or leave survivors with long term critical health effects. However diesel engine exhausts have also been linked to illness and CO deaths

Fire & explosion – the mishandling of petrol and leaking fuel from generators have resulted in spectacular incidents and that have seriously injured people and wrecked boats.

Also the use of poor cabling and connectors can also introduce just as real although possibly less obvious fire hazards.

Electrocution – any 230V ac system can be a killer and must be given

proper respect and precautions should be taken to guard against shocks.

These are the core points that should never be forgotten.

• Never install a portable generator permanently or make unauthorised modifications that are not supported by the manufacturer, or proprietary component supplier.

• Never run generators on the boat, or on the bank near to doors, vents, windows and hatches. If you can smell exhaust fumes in the boat, it could mean the cabin is also filling with deadly carbon monoxide.

I understand the concerns here, however with a slight breeze the fumes will be carried away, and I check my carbon monoxide alarms regularly. Also Id imagine my huge diesel engine kicks out more CO than a small petrol generator, but thanks for bringing to my attention...

 

[Slim]

8 minutes ago, James H said:

I understand the concerns here, however with a slight breeze the fumes will be carried away, and I check my carbon monoxide alarms regularly. Also Id imagine my huge diesel engine kicks out more CO than a small petrol generator, but thanks for bringing to my attention...

 

You can lead a horse to water,

But you can't make it drink.

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

23 minutes ago, James H said:

Also Id imagine my huge diesel engine kicks out more CO than a small petrol generator, but thanks for bringing to my attention...

Then you'd imagine 'wrong'.

 

 

 

[Sea Dog]

22 hours ago, Higgs said:

 

I understand the leaning towards caution, but most of us have gas appliances and machinery with exhausts, in the boat. In each instance, maintenance is key. But the failure of any of the systems is down to being less than vigilant. 

 

 

There's a world of difference between purpose-designed fitted systems and portable generators not designed or recommended for use in boats.

 

The storage of petrol is another significant risk. I wouldn't have a portable generator because I think the noise most make is so intrusive as to be unsociable but, (whilst I realise the subject here is an LPG powered generator) if I did have one for use when a long way away from anyone else, it certainly wouldn't be petrol powered.

 

 

[booke23]

 

7 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Then you'd imagine 'wrong'.

 

Indeed.........he'd imagine very very wrong.

 

7 hours ago, James H said:

Also Id imagine my huge diesel engine kicks out more CO than a small petrol generator

 

No. Small carburettor petrol engines in generators are tuned slightly rich. Their exhaust is about 10% carbon monoxide (100,000ppm) compared to less than 0.1% (1000ppm) for a diesel engine. An LPG conversion on the generator will reduce these carbon monoxide emissions by half, but that's still 50x more than a diesel engine and far more than any gas appliance on a boat would produce.

 

7 hours ago, James H said:

I understand the concerns here, however with a slight breeze the fumes will be carried away,

Or blown back into the boat........even using them on the towpath needs thought. Previous posts have spelled the dangers out very clearly. Do not underestimate how easy it is to kill yourself!

 

7 hours ago, James H said:

I check my carbon monoxide alarms regularly. 

One day it's battery might run out or it reaches it's 7 year life limit and starts chirping. You remove the battery to stop it annoying you, while you source a replacement. Then something else happens that distracts you......maybe a personal issue or a more immediate issue with the boat that needs attention. The alarm gets forgotten about. These things can happen.  

Edited November 4, 2020 by booke23

[roland elsdon]

I ran an lpg powered ex650 Honda for many years when we had the butty.

It was intrinsically safer than petrol. Initially it was on the front deck. Note deck with a deck board not well deck.

However I did not run it on the boat after the first few days.

The smell of burnt lpg that permeated the boat was enough to make me realise that the exhaust was being blown into the boat. No such thing as CO monitors in the 1980s.

We reinstalled it on to the motor in front of the engine room, and never ran it with anyone in the cabin. 
I suspect they run cleaner now, which makes them more dangerous.

 

[blackrose]

8 hours ago, James H said:

I understand the concerns here, however with a slight breeze the fumes will be carried away, and I check my carbon monoxide alarms regularly. Also Id imagine my huge diesel engine kicks out more CO than a small petrol generator, but thanks for bringing to my attention...

 

No it doesn't. Your diesel engine kicks out plenty of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter that aren't very good for you but in terms of deadly carbon monoxide a small petrol engine will kick out much more. 

Edited November 4, 2020 by blackrose

[dor]

My previous boat, bought in 2000, had previously belonged to a pharmacist.  The dangers of CO were less generally known so most boats didn't have CO monitors.  I fitted one almost straight away.

The previous owner died on the boat through CO poisoning; no doubt he thought he was safe.

[BWM]

A friend of mine had a gas generator and around six months into using it he suffered a serious fire when something failed, it destroyed the generator and a large shed. Whilst i'm sure that a petrol generator could also suffer from a fire the destruction was huge, and i assume the gas had settled in the area around it before ignition. 

 

[noone]

Just run your engine!...No doubt that's what the previous owner did,and the majority of other boaters do,(me included)...Get some solar too.?

[Thomas C King]

On 03/11/2020 at 14:27, James H said:

Thanks for your reply mate. Can I ask why do I need to put it on the bank to run it? Haven't seen any other boaters doing that is all! 

Cheers

Ran ours on the bow of the boat, it set off the Carbon Monoxide alarm half way down the boat inside the kitchen (even though the doors and windows were shut, the fumes came in through the door vents).

[mrsmelly]

On 05/11/2020 at 11:10, Leggers do it lying down said:

Just run your engine!...No doubt that's what the previous owner did,and the majority of other boaters do,(me included)...Get some solar too.?

Precisely this. 

[0000]

On 03/11/2020 at 11:20, James H said:

I am concerned about ruining my engine running it in idle for an hour or two a day to charge, so I am wondering which LPG generator for less than a grand is the best and why? Also are they fuel efficient? I.e how many hours running on max RPM will an average 13kg calor gas bottle last? 

 

Much thanks everyone, appreciate the help...

I use a Champion 8200 dual fuel inverter generator, only ever run it on LPG and lift it onto the canal side along with gas cylinder when in use (and only when away from other boats, houses etc.).  As a very rough estimate, I would say I get about 12 hours use from a 13kg bottle. I know you can convert any petrol generator to run on LPG but you will loose any warranty if you purchased say a new Honda. 

I use my generator to run the washing machine to avoid hammering the batteries - main engine and solar keeps my batteries topped up.

One further consideration for you: it is an hassle setting up the generator to run and if I ever purchase another boat with a washing machine, I would make sure it had a built in 240v power source i.e. travel power or diesel marine generator installed.

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, BrandyMark said:

I use a Champion 8200 dual fuel inverter generator, only ever run it on LPG and lift it onto the canal side along with gas cylinder when in use (and only when away from other boats, houses etc.).  As a very rough estimate, I would say I get about 12 hours use from a 13kg bottle. I know you can convert any petrol generator to run on LPG but you will loose any warranty if you purchased say a new Honda. 

I use my generator to run the washing machine to avoid hammering the batteries - main engine and solar keeps my batteries topped up.

One further consideration for you: it is an hassle setting up the generator to run and if I ever purchase another boat with a washing machine, I would make sure it had a built in 240v power source i.e. travel power or diesel marine generator installed.

Very wise words. 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, BrandyMark said:

I would make sure it had a built in 240v power source i.e. travel power or diesel marine generator installed.

More and more people are starting to see sense, Solar and a built in Jennifer is the answer.

Free leccy in the Summer, and a convenient, good sized, supply in the Winter.

[Detling]

You could do away with the big noisy diesel and have electric propulsion using the built in cocooned diesel generator charging the batteries when you haven't got enough sun.