We've started our little Yamaha on a 20# tank at -15F before. It can be
a bitch to get started because of the protection valves in tanks now. We
had one old tank without the valve and it would fire up on the first
pull every time. Now it takes 5-6 pulls using the choke to get that
valve open.
One thing I found out with all of my truck woes and shit gasoline is
that small/carb engines were never designed to run the ethanol blends.
The ethanol is corrosive to non-stainless fuel systems. This is why all
FlexFuel certified systems are stainless delivery, injector rails, etc.
On 4/4/2016 8:22 AM, Chuck McCown wrote:
Yeah, I have run lots of propane generators. Here are a few problems.
Temperature. If it is -20F outside, you have to have a very very
large tank to generate enough vapor to keep the generator running.
Conversely you can use a liquid pickup and a vaporizer but you need
heat energy for the vaporizer to get the thing started.
And liquid pickups also pick all the dirt and sludge at the bottom of
the tank. You would not believe the amount of gunk in those tanks (I
cut old ones up for smokers).
And no matter what kind of fuel you use, the starter motor battery is
a common point of failure as is charger. I like to remote the battery
into the heated building if there is a heated building. Generac was
infamous for supplying a charger that failed and you didn't know until
you needed.
I started putting telemetry on all starter motor batteries on all
generators. That is the most important bit of data you need to monitor.
-----Original Message----- From: George Skorup
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2016 9:43 PM
To: af@afmug.com
Subject: Re: [AFMUG] PSA - check your generators!
Propane
On 4/3/2016 7:09 PM, Josh Luthman wrote:
I've had a handful of generators that always started on the first
pull. Until today. Got another one for the site but started tearing
apart the old one and I think it's a bad carb, something I'll have
someone else take a look at.
Mine are all sitting inside doing nothing, they're portable with two
wheels but require two people or a ramp to put in the truck. I don't
know if I'd buy these size units again but I really do like the 8.5
gallons and 24 hour run time...
Josh Luthman
Office: 937-552-2340
Direct: 937-552-2343
1100 Wayne St
Suite 1337
Troy, OH 45373
