Honda Gens on propane...

[Ron20324]

I have not seen any thread before about running the Honda generators on gas/CNG/propane.

http://www.generatorsales.com/order/Honda-EU2000i-Tri-fuel.asp?page=EU2000i_Tri_Fuel

 

[tommays]

Interesting but there is no Honda warranty on the unit

We have a natural gas driven water chiller and it does have its good and bad points like the oil stays really clean BUT its a bit hard on the valve train and there is a HP reduction on different fuels

 

[sailaway78]

Exactly what are you wanting to accomplish

I really don't understand what you want to accomplish. Other than possibly carrying gasoline on board, but if you have a outboard on your dink, kinda defeats that argument. Cleaner burning? Apparently not very much is any, as it isn't sold in California. They clearly state that they are not a Honda dealer. And as such, probably no warranty. Didn't bother to look at the prices, but it certainly won't be a cheapo. I just don't see where there is anything to gain.

 

[Steve Dion]

Easy: Just because they don't sell them in California that does not mean much other than the mfg. does not want to go through the hassle of doing a Ca. certification. I am guessing that it puts out much less pollution but they would probably need to increase the price by a lot in order to get these certified CARB.

I would think you have much less chance of CO poisioning with LPG or CNG too.

When you run your dink it is not pumping CO into the cabin and it is easy to carry an extra bottle of gas to power these things.

Just my opinion.

 

[RAD]

Here in NY the ethanol is just creating havoc on small engines so this looks like a pretty good idea considering we have propane on board already an they do warranty it for two years

 

[kloudie1]

The tri fuel thing helps after a hurricane when the lines at the gas stations for generator fuel are an hour long.. but it is a good bit more expensive and like Tommays says, ya gonna lose about 10-15% of the output.. so the unit would be rated at about 1440 watts instead of the 1600 it normally has on gasoline..this will make it marginal for starting the compressor on a small air conditioner. Propane and natural gas just don't have as much energy in 'em as gasoline.

 

[dhays]

I like the idea. I hate carrying gasoline on the boat. I'll likely go to an electric outboard for the dink in the future. Since I already have propane on board, this would be great.

 

[robertsapp]

I think I read somewhere that because of the lower energy density of propane, you'd empty a standard 20 lb (5 gal) propane bottle in just a few hours. I know that here in hurricane country, the people that put in propane powered emergency generators for their houses usually couple them with huge tanks, like 300 to 500 gallons, to ensure they get at least three or four days of run time. Personally, I'd find it much easier to haul a couple of 5 gallon gas cans to the pump to refill than haul two 20lb propane tanks out to be refilled. The gas I can do myself, the propane always seems to result in "I'm sorry, no one's here right now to fill bottles, can you come back later this afternoon?"

 

[Bill Roosa]

Why would you loose wattage on a genset just from changing fuel. Did the windings shrink, did the generator start turning slower? You just burn more of the lower heat fuel. Your generator will still provide full power.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Oh yea, the motor can't develope enough HP on the lower heat fuel. Well that would mean it does not turn at the correct RPM for 60 cycle AC so it is probably a moot point wither it is possible to convert or not.

 

[kloudie1]

Bill, the governor / eco throttle will make it run at the right speed until it reaches a HP limit.. only then will it slow down and most will trip on high amperes at the new low voltage .. so the Honda for instance would be fine operating with a 1000 watt load but would bog and trip somewhere around 1400 watts.. Kinda like an over propped diesel.. runs great until the load is too big then it cannot get enough air to burn the fuel so the smoking starts..

 

[tommays]

I am sure it can run fine on multi fuel and just as sure it will have HP loss X becasue i have been running one for 40000 hours over the last 12 years

For example a 4.3 GM block is hard pressed to make 50 HP on natural gas at 1800 RPM and does it fine on gasoline

 

[BrianW]

I see the same advantage as Kloudie1 if you live in areas that experience power losses (e.g., hurricanes). The more fuel options, the better. I'm considering a multi-fuel for mine that includes natural gas. After Hurricane Ivan, I lost electricity for 2 weeks. The area gasoline supply was out for 7 days. As I was running my generator 8 hour on/8 hours off and draining my last 5 gallon can of gas, I was longingly looking at my natural gas connection where I never lost service. Incidental, no one had propane until over 3 weeks after the storm. I was using propane for cooking. BrianW