I was getting a lot of the same questions about my setup so, I shot a FAQ video. If you guys want more information check out the video in this link and see if it answers your questions. Thanks for watching guys. ua-cam.com/video/00M8nMkhXpE/v-deo.html Conversion kits: The kit that I used: amzn.to/38cfI3Z centuryfuelproducts.com www.uscarburetion.com/ www.propanecarbs.com/ Fittings and hoses: 12ft 1/2npt Hose & Quick connect: amzn.to/2YFzP7s 24ft 1/2npt Hose & Quick connect: amzn.to/3g6EmFN Quick connect fittings: amzn.to/2BdOTQS Gas shut off: amzn.to/2plPiaA Bracket kit: amzn.to/2pok1Dj Help support the channel by using my Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same. Natural gas pipe size charts: www.uscarburetion.com/natural-gas-chart.htm soa.generac.com/manuals/8838386/0J9944 (See section 5.4.1 for piping charts)
i think it depends on the quality of the gas that you`re using cause more cleaner gas more gas will be deliverd and less other things so you`re gen has more potential power available
A couple things I would like to add is: 1. You might have to upgrade your natural gas meter to accommodate the added flow of the generator in addition to any natural gas appliances you already have. 2. People need to realize that most small engines are supposed to have the engine oil changed every 50-75 hours of run time. Running continuously that is only 2-3 days so the oil needs to be changed at no more than 3 days of running. And in that 2-3 days, the oil needs to be checked frequently as most small engines running under a heavy load can burn through engine oil rather quickly. Most small engines only take 24-48 ounces and that can be depleted pretty quick. Awesome video! 5 stars. Would recommend!
you are funny, gas comes in at around 100psi then goes through regulator where it is dropped down to 3-4 inches of water column, he may need a bigger regulator but i doubt it.
Back in the 60's, we had an oil well on our farm which produced natural gas as well as crude oil. The oil well pumper showed me how to run any small engine off of natural gas by making an adapter using a tuna fish can and a small gas valve. Worked great and was reliable. This was before OSHA - and people had common sense.
@@czarandmaeve Yes - We ran several things off of small engines running natural gas. We stepped down the pressure from the well head - it ran at about 800 psi. Regulate it down to about 8 oz. psi and use the brass gas valve as a throttle. Worked great.
@Greg W Yep - I learned a lot of common sense growing up on our farm. After that oil well guy showed me how to run small engines from natural gas, it wasn't long before I made a flame thrower powered by the 800 pound gas pressure directly off the oil well. I fired it up slowly because I knew that 800 lbs of pressure would make a mighty powerful flame thrower. It shot flames out well over 50 feet, but I was careful. Dangerous can be fun sometimes. Responsibility is the "key". (Not bad for a 12 year old kid.)
Lol! Not well made! You do know that in home natural gas has 2psi and has already been heated up and fully regulated at the meter! Lol just run a hose straight to the carb air cleaner with a purge cylnoid valve for safety! Lol! Boy this guy wasted his time buying that kit!
THANK YOU: For a long time my Honda EX4500 sputtered and surged, after converting to propane. After watching you adjusting flow valve on the top or the regulator, I thought I should give it a try. I got it perfect, after playing with the adjustment ,generator runs like it should, so simple i'm sure other people, can use this advice.
Repair Geek, just came across this video, thank you for reviewing our kit! We are building up a catalog of venturi adapters built specifically for certain models (not just based on the engine model) and the feedback is extremely helpful, thanks for working with us!
Nash Fuel, happy to help. I'm glad things are going to be addressed. If you guys need anything else from me, shoot me an email. My address is in the description.
did you see where this kit blocked off the secondary fuel line in his application? with this kit installed it wouldnt be possible to run on gasoline properly anymore
BEFORE you start selling stuff over the Internet to customers try it out FIRST ! DON'T Assume, it makes an ASS out of YOU and Me ! I found that YOU selling "This CONVERSION Kit" an actionable cause. By the way, I am an Attorney. Be glad that you are NOT based in Oklahoma cause, I would have shut you down by now !
Shut them down for what? Selling parts made to fit an engine that can be fitted with a wide variety of different parts by different OEs? You sound like one of those ambulance chasers LOL
I was looking for “the other half “ video and stumbled on this. Good information but I want to add that I’ve noticed that these demand regulators work best when the hose is as short as possible. I think by just rotating the brass outlet at the regulator… having it pointing at the carb, you can shorten your hose considerably. The regulator opens when it senses the Venturi neg pressure at the carb intake. So keeping the hose short makes it more sensitive to the vacuum at the carb. FWIW, I’ve installed 4 of these on my and my friends generators. I’ve noticed that it started easier with shorter hoses. Great video and good information.
Awesome video! I know this is an old video but coming from a person in the small engine and standby generator profession, there a few extra points that I feel are needed here: 1: The generator, for optimal performance and life, shouldn't drop under 58hz or ~3500rpm (or +/- 3% of 60hz/3600rpm). It could damage your generator and/or your appliances if it operators below those values. Best practice is to adjust fuel/rpm to achieve the correct rpm or hz to 3720rpm or 63hz with no load. 2: He doesn't explain it well, but you need some sort of transfer switch or you could fry your generator or start a fire in your house/powerlines. His is crude, but effective. (Automatic transfer switches can be purchased which will automatically switch between main power and generator power and/or could turn your generator on and off.) 3: You can freely switch between gasoline/LP/NG so long as you turn your respective gas valves on/off when switch between gasses. 4: 7000w is only enough to run an electric heater, refrigerator, and/or a few lights for emergencies purposes and/or for supplemental energy. You need at least a 20kw (MINIMUM) generator to power some/all of your house. Find out what your peak yearly usage is and purchase a generator that is at the LEAST 10% over your peak. 5: The minimum "safe" distance, from generator to house, that is legally allowed is 4ft and/or 6ft from a window. (may vary state to state) 6: Never run a generator or store LP gas inside of your house. 7: Extension cords need to be 10ga or lower for higher power output. The shorter and thicker the cord is, the better. (so long as it keeps the generator a safe distance from the house.) 8: All house to generator outlet wiring should be install by a trained professional. 9: With LP gas, for a 3000w generator or larger, you typically need a 120lb (MINIMUM) propane tank for sufficient pressure and/or run time. 10: Inverter generators are also a good option for emergency or supplemental power as they are very quiet and will regulate themselves to stay a constant 60hz. The downsides are they typically do not come over 7000w. (Also when converting over to LP/NG you need to adjust the fuel/rpm so the generator is producing the correct voltage.)
Great Video! Regarding your comment at 12:39, I drilled 2 holes on my electrical panel and installed 240V LED's. One for mains, one for generator. This way you can always monitor when grid power comes back online and switch over. Thanks again for the tutorial!
I appreciated this video because you actually showed how much of the gen is actually being used up by the electric dryer which is the most energy sucking appliance you could have.
Well, yeah, if your dryer pulls 5500+ (2700 on each leg, according to the meter) watt on the low setting, I can imagine it's a power hungry sucking appliance. Perhaps Americans should invest in slightly more efficient devices..... I just checked my heat pump dryer and it's rated for 1000W. And that's the maximum power it pulls. A 3 hour run uses about 1,5 kWh in total, averaging 500watts of power during it's run and that's a full dry run.
I installed a tri-fuel kit on my grandfathers generator a few months ago and just got to try it for the first time yesterday from hurricane Laura power outages. As soon as it started I knew it was running lean and I had no idea how to adjust the air/fuel ratio. Glad I saw this video now I know it’s the bolt! I was trying to turn the brass screw on the regulator and it would not turn lol
I get a lot of people in your situation commenting on this video. Best advice I can give you is source your parts in the spring. Winter storms are gone and it's too early for hurricanes. Parts are plentiful. If you try to make this conversion a week before a hurricane makes landfall you'll struggle to find parts.
I have been watching a lot of these types of videos lately as I am looking into purchasing a generator. With all the benefits of natural gas and propane over gasoline that degrades over time etc, I think this is definitely the best way to go. I was so surprised that you are the first person that did this type of video that actually used proper mounting hardware instead of drilling holes in your frame. Glad to FINALLY see someone doing it the right way. Keep up the great work.
My content really isn't unique by any means. If you can't be unique you have to do it better than most people to be noticed. I hadn't seen anyone do a performance test either, which is why I did it. Thanks for watching.
Thank You. Have been considering natural gas. The pipe size chart helps. I currently keep two 5 gallon containers of gas. I rotate them for use in lawn equipment so I always have a fresh five to start out with if needed. But not having to deal with it would be nice. Regardless, a couple of months after investing in a generator and installing my switch and outlet on the house we were without power for 3 days and with a well for water, it was nice to keep things going.
Great video. You helped me with my conversion of my Predator 8750 to propane. One comment about your quick disconnects. The one going to your generator needs to be reversed. The socket (female part of connector) prevents the flow of gas until the plug (male part of connector) is inserted and locked in place. Your house side connector is correct. If you turn on the valve from the house without the hose connected, no gas will flow. However, if you connect the hose via the quick disconnect to your house and do not connect the other end to your generator, gas will flow freely out the end of the hose if you turn on the gas at your house. Probably not a problem as you will always connect your hose to your generator before turning on the gas supply from the house, but I wanted to let you know about it.
If the male portion of the quick disconnect doesn't have a valve to shut off the gas flow when it's disconnected you will have a major gas leak if it ever comes off while the gas valve is on. I would suggest switching the male and female couplers on the generator end of the hose so that gas flows from the female end to the male end of the coupler to avoid any potential accidents
Good idea but then what shuts off air moving freely up the natural gas channel to the carburetor? Better to add a shutoff valve between the male disconnect and the regulator.
Great project, lots of info. In our area north of Pittsburgh. When I call Penn Power,with a power outage call, they make a robo call back asking if our power came on. Keep up the good work.
Hi, the spacer plate that you made is not necessary. The natural gas plate should go between the head and the carburetor. The air cleaner box should bolt up to the carburetor. Then you will not have the gap and will not need longer bolts. Very good video. Thanks
Good Video, I did my Conversion 5 years ago using the US Carb Motor Snorkel. FYI Reliance Controls Makes a Utility Power Back Alarm that I also installed to alert you When the power is back on.
I'm feeling this. Been out of power for 1 week with an estimate for a whole other week. I have a generator thankfully but the first 2 days the gas station was a nightmare and I had to go to 4 gas stations at one point. What a PITA.
Great video man. I did something very similar to my 11KW generator last year right before we Floridians got hammered with hurricane Irma. I ran my entire house with my generator on propane and it was great. I highly recommend these kits over using regular gasoline which would have been almost impossible to find in my area during Irma.
In my city gasoline in not allowed, for generators. Lucky a propane conversion kit is available for my Honda EX4500. We just had a 12 hour power outage, I have a 10 gallon propane tank, in 12 hours it used about 6 gallons.
Some people out there.... let me rephrase.... *most* people out there that think that they're some kind of engineer and don't really have any idea of the concept would tell you that the mixture is too lean and you'll damage your motor, more specifically the rings and/or valves, because it burns too hot. Someone would have to have a very good explanation for me to believe that [vaporized, i.e. ionized] gasoline injected into the combustion chamber, valves immediately close and immediately ignited would have some kind of lubrication or cooling effect on the valves or rings. It's super hot inside there, no matter how you look at it. We should ask the weatherman to hop in there and tell us the "real feel" temp, just to clarify. Me personally, I'm a firm believer in it. Thanks for the video.
That is a heck of a clean assembly. Only thing I would dare to suggest is, to make a "dry" assembly (something that everyone with a little bit of experience would do) BEFORE the permanent assembly using sealant and stuff. Great video!
I have a propane fueled generator. Love it!!! starts on first pull every time. No worries about contaminated or old gas. No worries about mistaken ignition. If you can buy a propane fueled generator over a gas fueled generator.
Good job on the video. I bought the regulator by itself and will drill a hole in the carburetor inlet and need to get it installed. Thanks for sharing.
On your low pressure regulator, there is a vent hole that needs a tube on it to protect it from water & dirt. If you are looking at the regulator, the hole is about 1 to 2 o’clock on the motor side of the regulator. Hello from north east Montana.
Very well done. He doesn't assume you know very much and teaches you everything you might need to know. Many thanks for the amount of effort that went into the editing.
Great video. I saw your video first when looking at converting a gasoline only generator to Tri-fuel. We have the Predator 9000/7250 watts gasoline generator that I installed a Tri-fuel kit. I tried using an adaptor, but it caused problems running on gasoline. (It ran fine on NG). So, I bought the Motor Snorkel from US Carburetion which works great on gasoline and NG. (I don't have the connection for LP yet) You mentioned that you didn't believe the Motor Snorkel would work using gasoline. I can tell you it works great. No issues at all. Also, I noticed when running on NG, that it didn't surge much, like on gasoline. Personally, I wouldn't buy a duel fuel generator, if they have a conversion kit for a gasoline only generator. Using the regulator with the kit, always you to fine tune the fuel/air mixture, minimizing power lose.
Fantastic :-) Also, Propane has more specific energy than methane, so for an equivalent amount, it will have more "bang for the buck". In other words, if you need to, you can run it off of propane for longer with less, if you have a natural gas interruption.
I'm not sure I can get it done. But I've been seriously thinking about doing this. I would get a more powerful generator than the one I have now. Thanks for the video.
You need to fit a NO VOLT RELAY. A contactor will drop of the mains and start the generator if you have the facility, which you don't. When power is restored the relay disconnects the generator and reconnect the mains power. You don't want mess up or there will be a large BANG.
Antony Bradbury that’s what I have on my hog farms, I have 1 22.5 KW white that runs on propane and then I have 2 55kw ones that have Detroit diesels and a 750L tank under the floor
What is wrong with you? People need to hire QUALIFIED persons to do these home interfaces. Stop promoting modifications that can injure you OR FIRST RESPONDERS.
measured and detailed. thank you. I will consider doing this conversion and I thought I wanted Propane but now I will look in to what it'd take to get my LP Gas feed over to where I keep the big portable Genset.
Great Ideas, BUTT A Few Notes! This Is My Profession/Business... 1) I'd Still Put a Ball-Petcock Gas Valve Prior To The Gas Quick Connects! 2) Make Sure That You Can Use Both Nat & LP Gas In Case Of Real Emergencies Since Most Power & Gas Utilities Will Shut Down The Whole Area Grid If It's Really Bad! Then You Won't Be Getting Any Nat Gas Either & Might Could Go To Bottled LP Gas Only...😋 3) Put A 110v LED Light Into The Side Of Power Box Connected To The Main Incoming Electric Line So You Know Quickly When Thr Grid Power Is On Or Off For Sure... They Are $1 on eBay...
If that is the case then a Generac Home Backup Generator would do no good. I did not know that the natural gas is shut down also. Kinda puts a damper on a backup system if I understand you correctly.
@@3dtexan890 In Some Area NG Also Shuts Down In Large Black Outs, Like In NY + NJ Years Ago... PS All "Gas" Generators Will Run With Either Natural Gas or LP Gas, It's Just A Matter Of Turning A Screw Fitting or Flipping Over A Orific-Jet On Olders Units? Refer To Your Owners Manuals For Exact Instructions?
@@3dtexan890 NG may well be shut off if there’s widespread physical damage - say from an earthquake or hurricane. You don’t want random broken homes spewing NG from broken or sheared off regulators. Leaking NG played a significant role in the damage in the Bay Area after the Loma Prieta quake some years back. For use in emergencies you will really want at least several days of propane if NG goes down. Most of the time they’ll have NG back up in a few days after they’ve capped off the broken ones. Most...
I wish I had seen this a few years ago. I have a 13K portable gasoline generator. I have natural gas, but didn't want one of those 30K because I was planning to move in 5 years. I'm in hurricane country. I'm about to buy a new house but I WILL put in a gas whole house generator at that time. The convenience is worth the expense. It isn't fun to go out and refill while the wind and rain are still raging.
I know it's been 3 years, but here is a solution for recognizing when the power comes back on. Install an inline fuseholder, on the Line side of your electrical panel main breaker, and attach a panel light to that feed. Drill a hole in your panel cover to fit the panel light mount, attach it to the panel cover. The power comes back on and the panel light lights up. Then follow your procedure to eliminate the generator, then switch back to Main power. Old electrician here. Good luck!
Len dont forget to tell them to be sure to connect the proper size resistor I know a led is a dc device but with the proper resistor it will work on 110 vac or 220 vac it will just flash
@@howishunternotinprison5614 a rectifier bridge. For DC LEDs, yes. But there are similar "panel lights" 120v. That's what I used. My mistake for calling it an LED. Thanks for pointing it out. 👍
@@leninmi7579 you can use a led on ac..it will just light for half the cycle ..i have done it at work i am an old electrician too and we are starting to be a rare breed did you know for every 10 of us that retires only 1 is stepping up to take our place
@@howishunternotinprison5614 no I did not know that. It seems we may have to teach some of our young ones to enjoy the trade, or we could be in trouble one day.🤔
There’s a few of us younger electricians out here but the strive to be in these trades seems to be less and less as finding good apprentice help is hard to find!
I herd ya talking about installing a regulator vertical,good advice but I knoticed the vent for the regulator should be pointed down,if water gets inside will effect the diafram, if in cold weather the diagram can be frozen and will not operate could be no pressure or high pressure vent needs to be oriented down so moisture can drain,completely. Have spent a lot of nights when regulators were improperly installed most will get away with it until the temp gets cold. Got to wonder many people switch to LP with good reasons a lot are using 20 pound cylinders,in cold weather will that be capable of vaporizing the fuel fast enough in cold weather,just a thought.will work fine for a long time but might fail in colder weather.
As a small engine repair shop owner and 40 year mechanic, I would never use silicon carne in place of intake gaskets. That schmoo can get places you really don’t want it. Always use gaskets, either factory or homemade.
I agree. That and he used WAY TOO MUCH. That's a non hardening sealer we used on snowmobile engines to put the lower end halves back together. That stuff isn't cheap eat her. Over kill all the way around really.u
Got to love the ability to step away from gasoline. I just bought a tri-fuel unit and promptly removed the gas tank. Will the generator run louder, cooler with no fuel tank in the way??? Just nice to know i can avoid worries about fuel quality. and no worries about carburetor getting fouled up either. There's something about refilling a hot generator with fresh gas every ten hours that sounds risky. Always try to have 6-10 quarts of oil on hand... A log book for maintenance doesn't hurt either.
Thank you for this awesome video!!! This is a great option, especially if you don't feel comfortable storing a lot of gasoline/propane, and also if you want convenience in a continuous source of fuel for your generator. My question is, what if my generator is already a duel fuel (gas&propane)? Will I need a different type of conversion kit so that I can use natural gas as well?
You can modify your existing propane regulator to flow more fuel for when you're running NG but, how to do it? I have no idea. I've never attempted it and I really don't have a reason to.
@@RepairGeek I took to your suggestion and began researching how to modify my existing propane regulator. I came across another natural gas conversion video where this guy used the existing LP hook up to the carburetor (his generator was also duel-fuel) to connect the LP hose coming from the governor regulator. His method allowed him to bypass having to install the spacer in the conversion kit because his generator technically already had one. If you don't mind watching the video I found (bit.ly/3atD9WG) it's only 4 mins long, and let me know what you think. For whatever reason, I trust your knowledge and opinion, can you tell me if you think it's safe and if it would pose any issues to do my installation the same way? Much appreciated.
I live in earthquake AND brush-fire country. I've got a brand new predator 7kw and I AM going to do this. Was planning on just having about 20 gals of gas cans, but that makes me a little nervous and I'd need to be using it in my car and then refilling them to keep the stock rotated, and even though that's a good amount, it's not enough for more than 2 or 3 days. But Natural Gas makes FAR MORE sense. Going to wire the gen into my service panel as well. Man, I didn't realize that getting the gen was only about 1/3 of the total cost, but I'm thinkin' it's worth it.
Almost immediately after you turn the dryer on the test it out on natural gas the screen went black. I said to myself and laughed oh the power went off. But what it was was an advertisement. Lol Great video I learned a lot thank you for your time.
Less energy density in propane or natural gas. Now if the engine is designed for it you can up the compression and advance the timing since NG has a much higher anti knock properties and regain a lot of that power. Conversions will always reduce power output but it is still better then no power at all.
You're a very capable and resourceful young man. Figure out a way to get a suitable bulb or meter across your input (commercial side) to your main breaker.
Phillip Mathews The Kill A Watt plugs into the wall or extension cord. The fridge or freezer plugs into the Kill A Watt. The Kill A Watt reads voltage, hertz or cycles per second, watts the fridge is using, amps the fridge is using. I got my Kill A Watt at Walmart in the home electrical section. Make sure that your generator is running not under 60 hertz under load. 59 hertz will damage a motor! 61 hertz will not hurt a motor. I make sure that my generator is running at 60 to 61 hertz under load.
Great detail. This guy is thorough. I'm considering a 22kW liquid standby at $20k installed. Other than the cooling advantage of the standby, this is a great solution!
look closer and youll see its really a cheaply made anodized aluminum "adapter"......ive had many (more than id like to admit to) gun and car parts that were anodized aluminum that looked EXACTLY like that
@@IBWatchinUrVids It COULD be a high temp plastic but honestly I doubt it. It's likely PLA which will melt if left in the sun in a hot car. Will it be fine for this? probably.
@@RandyRandersonthefamous , PET-G is the preferred filament from a durability and gasoline vapor resistance standpoint. The owner may want to leave the carb and fuel system set up for gasoline for portability. Nylon filament is also an excellent choice but tricky to print.
I enjoyed your video. I'll most likely get a PL one for mom's house. BUT being a red cross volunteer. I know in many cases where there is tornado damage or hurricane. The first thing is turn all utilities out for safety. Meaning the hole city. Gas water power
You should take a look at Automatic Generator Transfer Switches for your home. They safely cut off your generator's power to your home when municipal power is re-established. Worked well for me when I used to live in Corpus Christi during hurricane season.
Any storm that produced damage in the neighborhood (tornadoes, hurricanes etc) the first thing that is shut off by emergency crews is the natural gas main. Natural gas will remain off long after a storm has passed. Each collapsed or damaged structure will have hundreds of leaks. Propane different story, but you are right back @ needing it delivered or filling up 20lb tanks.
I'm not saying anything other than when Hurricane Irma hit I didn't have power for 7 days. My mother in law has a standby generator that runs on natural gas and that thing never turned off for the entire 7 days.
Get a propane conversion kit which is virtually the same as this one, then you can use the tanks that run gas BBQ grills even though the capacity is limited you can have extra ones on hand or get a bigger tank and not have to worry about it going bad in storage. I remember after Hurricane Ike gasoline was hard to find but you could get those small propane exchange tanks at the same stores that weren't pumping gas because their pumps were down.
Hello and congrats for that usefull video... Im about to get a westinghouse Wg9500, I cant find any kit for the new models of westinghose PG... the old kits works?
Good video. I’m not understanding why people aren’t doing a few more small modifications so that the generator can remain inside a garage. Running a longer exhaust pipe either piping fumes out a wall or slightly raised garage door. I have a detached garage. My generator setup will be in there powering the house and power cut off at the pole.
I Suggest that you put a pilot light on your main breaker on the power side, this indicates when your power is either on or off. You can also run an extention pilot light by your connection to the generator to let you know when the main power is back on and you can turn off your generator.
I was considering going this route, but wasn't convinced on the efficacy of this kit. And, the price seemed kind of high. And, I didn't want to have to cut the frame, yadda-yadda. So, I looked and looked and found a carburetor on Amazon for about $35. It was a straight swap out and worked without mods. I spent about an hour and $20 on the various hoses and fittings. It runs on gasoline, propane, and natural gas.
I looked at those as well but they didn't have many reviews and I really didn't want to spend $100 of my time to buy a cheaper part if that makes sense. I just went with what I knew would work. Thanks for the info.
@Jerry Moody Yeh, Australia is in a bit of a thing about energy prices at the moment. The federal elections coming up are starting to laser focus on them. To be fair electricity is very expensive right now, my last bill quarterly bill was around $1000 however that was the winter bill.
I am commenting before I watch this entire vid. My comment will be to remember to buy OIL for your maint of your genset. Spare spark plugs and any filters too. IF you get into a storm damaged area where you will be running 24/7, you will need to be changing your oil fairly frequently.
No Bullshit absolutely. It does take longer to dirty the oil, but the oil still breaks down faster in small engines where your oil sensor will shut down the engine, if so equipped.
First, THANK YOU for the informative video. Second, the propane conversion is awesome. That and some tanks (previous poster said 2x100lb tanks) is a great idea. However, in your intro when you talk about if the power fails... hurricanes.... you can count on natural gas. No, you can't. Natural gas is delivered to your house through pipes/conduits/hoses [depends on code in your area] and powered by electric pumps... so no power = no natural gas. Propane is the key. See Hank Hill for more.
You are wrong! I live in the City most of my Life. Anytime we have NO Power... We ALWAYS have Gas! One time, it was 4+ Days without Electricity... All that time, our Gas is still working. NOTE: I can't recall there was a NO GAS outage where we live and YES..., that is 16+ years of my life!
@@JodBronson Unfortunately it did not work that way in Texas last winter. They lost both power and natural gas. Nothing was winterized, both systems froze.
I would only add that you installed one of the quick connects backwards. They should both be installed with the male connectors on the pressure side. This is a safety issue and you should add a note to the video. I am now retired but I was a master plumber and gas installer in my other life. Perhaps Nash Fuel would consider offering a kit with the hose included and add the correct instructions in the kit. Regardless, this needs to be addressed. It appears that you hired a professional to install the electrics... you should have at least consulted a gas installer as well. As with many DIY things around the house, you may not get caught by the inspectors, in your case almost certainly not, but in the event of a fire the insurance company would find this little error. Their ultimate answer is to not pay out the insurance claim...
Thanks Paul. I will be changing how the quick connects are setup. I'm going to make a revisit video and fix this issue. Also, I plan on addressing a lot of the common questions I've been getting. Thanks for complementing my electrical, I did it myself.
I'm gathering you got your gas supply from the "street side" to get 5psi. Most house regulators drop the pressure in the hose 1/4 psi. I like "open flow" shut of feature. I have those devices in my house. Also, in leu of watching your neighbors, attach a small bulb to the utility side. Connect when power is off
So what im seeing is, you can still run gasoline or with the plate etc...once out of gasoline you can connect the natural gas or propane and fire it again?????
Good video, the only thing I would change is the connectors from hose to generator, I would put the female connector on the hose because if for some reason the house shutoff was on it would vent out the open end hose when plugged in if the male connector was on.
Earlier this year we bought a Champion Duel Fuel generator. I enquired about buying an aftermarket conversion kit for natural gas. I was clearly told that it may be against environmental laws. I was also told converting my generator would void my warranty. I’ll a look at it again after my warranty has expired.
@George Nelson I'm aware of this. I wanted to point out anyone who converts a new generator over to natural gas. May run into warranty issues if they have problems running after converting it over. I wanted nothing to do with gasoline. This is my second machine. My first generator ran on gasoline. Although it ran just fine at first. Then it gave me nothing but problems in the long term. I ended up scrapping it. That’s why I looked at propane. It has none of the storage issues of gas.
Randy, mine uses gasoline, i use a whole bottle of Sea Foam, and fill the tank with Premium fuel...generator runs cooler...plus i shut off the fuel valve and allow the engine to run all fuel out.
@@ottoroth9377 Premium fuel (and Sea Foam) are a waste. High octane fuel starts out "Stale'r" than low octane. Octane is a measure of how far gas can be compressed before it self combust, not a measure of quality or how potent it is. In fact, the higher the octane rating, the less potent it is. The only thing you need to know is to always shut down the generator by shutting off the fuel (in the case of gasoline). Do this, and you can let it sit for three years with cheap (highly potent) low octane gas in it, and it'll start on the first pull... Assuming you remember to turn the fuel valve back on...
@@MatHelm I USUALLY TURN OFF THE FUEL VALVE SO THE CARB WON'T GUM UP, WHILE THE GENERATOR IS RUNNIG, I SHUT OFF THE FUEL VALVE AND LET IT USE WHAT FUEL IS IN THE FLOAT BOWL..REASON i PUT SEAFOAM IN THE TANK IS TO KEEP THE MOISTURE FROM RUSTING THE TANK, AND OF COURSE PRESERVE THE FUEL, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF GASOLINES IN THE CINCINNATI AREA SOLD BY GROCERY STORES THAT HAVE AS MUCH AS 16% OF WATER IN THE FUEL, SO THE "FUEL POINTS" THEY SAY YOU CAN USE ACTUALLY CAN HARM YOUR CAR...MY SILVERADO WILL NOT RUN WELL ON CHEAP KROGER REGULAR 87 GAS, BUT WILL PERFORM WELL ON 89 AND 93 OCTANE.
Otto Roth I worked on small engines for years one thing you’re not doing right is after you run it out you need to drop the bowl because they’re still going to be a full bowl of gas in there and that will turn to varnish
@@BillyBob-os7kr one thing I Do is shut off the fuel supply and run the generator until ALL fuel runs dry in the lines and bowl..the preservative in the fuel keeps the tank full of gas fresh. I've been around small engines for 55 years and know what is good, and not good.
I see you have the reliance controls power meters. The same company makes the “power back” alarm. It will tell you when the street grid power is restored even when your main breaker is off.
If they bring gasoline and have a long enough extension cord of sufficient gauge, then they can also have power. During our power outage after hurricane Wilma, I wheeled my freezer over to my neighbors house and shared in the feeding of the generator with fuel.
It starts getting crazy after a couple days of no power after a hurricane down here in Florida. I haven't had to shoot anyone yet, but have ejected the first #7 bird shot shell and loaded #00 buck shot on 2 occasions. It's amazing what the sound of a pump action 12 gauge shotgun can do. My generator is now locked in place with a very large chain that bolt cutters can't touch along with being bolted down to a concrete slab with uncommon "security" hardware.
Great info! After all those Snap-On ratchets,etc.though, I was a little disappointed to see you use not one,BUT two crescent wrenches to tighten up that A/F bolt. I hope that,at least,they were metric crescent wrenches.
Suggestion Put a pilot light to your main breaker on the power side, this stays on all the time unless the power main is out, this will show you when the main power is on or off. Then you will know when to disconnect your Generator. You can also put an extention pilot light to your plug for the generator, as an outside indicator as well.
One of the best videos I've came across durning my research (Great Work), I'm considering purchasing a 12000kw portable generator for hurricane season since I live in South FL to power my house in case of outage. I do have Natural Gas installed in my house and it would make sense to utilize this fuel source in lieu of many gas cans stored in my garage, my question to you is, would it be best to purchase a generator thats already equipped to run off gas and propane (Dual Fuel) and then convert? or just purchase a generator without the propane connection and then convert?? also can you provide a link for the conversation kit.. Thank you
Joel Doodnath First of all thanks. I really tried to do a better job than most of the other conversion videos out there. I have links in the description for all of the information that I used to put together my entire system. Including the kit itself. As far as should you buy a generator made for propane then convert to natural gas? So, engines that are designed to run on "dry" fuels have hardened valves and valve seats because, gasoline is a lubricant for the valves. Propane and natural gas do not lubricate. So, yes there is a slight difference in the engines. Valvoline actually makes a motor oil designed for natural gas engines. I wanted to cover this as well in the video but, for the sake of time I left it out. Personally I would buy a normal gas engine and convert it. The reason is this: the purchase price of a normal gasoline engine will be cheaper than a propane one. IF you have issues with the valves in the future you can remove the head or heads, (in about 15 minutes) take it to a machine shop, and have new hardended valves and seats put in it. And it will probably be cheaper than buying a "propane" generator from the start. I have to imagine this would only be an issue after 100s of hours of runtime. It really comes down to do you want to POSSIBLY go through that in the future. Also many of these generators come out of the same factory with different labels. Much like air compressors talked about in another one of my videos. For example this Ridgid I own was produced by One World Technologies. They also make generators under the name Power Stroke. The specs are the same, same Honda engine, same generator head, etc. one just costs more than the other. So look around and do some googling for more info. If you need more information email me. repairgeek365@gmail.com
BEST VIDEO I HAVE SEEN___YOU GAVE MORE INFO AS IT WAS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND____YOU ARE VERY SMART___I LOVE THE PROBLEMS YOU OVERCOME WITH JUST COMMON SENCE___AND SIMPLE SOLUTATIONS____KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
I have heard that the LP gas doesn't have the lubricating properties of gasoline and so it burns valves quicker. Is there a way to keep that from happening?
Natural gas and propane are dry fuels meaning, they have no lubricating properties like gasoline. The reason the valves can burn is: as the valves open and close using dry fuels, the valves are not cushioned as they hit the valve seats like they would be with gasoline. This causes what is called, valve recession- where the valve sinks further and further into the seat and into the head. This throws the valve adjustment out of spec, eventually causing the valve to hang open and possibly burn because it is misadjusted. Chances are the engine will not run correctly before the valves burn. More frequent valve adjustments will help prevent valve burning issues. You may not have a valve recession issue for possibly 1000s of hours of runtime. You have 2 ways of reducing valve recession. Adding a lubricant to the intake air or installing hardened valves and valve seats. I looked into adding a lubricator to the intake but, something that fits an engine this small is non existent. If I have a valve recession issue I can have the head off this engine in 15 minutes. So, I'll take it to a machine shop and have hardened valves and seats installed.
Darrell Overfelt since engines have been redesigned to run on unleades gas. Most have hardened valve seats. Either way. The wear is minimal. And with overhead valves . there could be the slightest bit of oil film seeping down the valve. When its not running. That can help lube. And you could fill the carb with 2 cycle oil it will likely only allow a very small amount of oil to pass oiling the valves . crazy idea I know! Also the the wear is very slight. It would still last years. There will likely be other failures ending its use.
I was getting a lot of the same questions about my setup so, I shot a FAQ video. If you guys want more information check out the video in this link and see if it answers your questions. Thanks for watching guys.
ua-cam.com/video/00M8nMkhXpE/v-deo.html
Conversion kits:
The kit that I used: amzn.to/38cfI3Z
centuryfuelproducts.com
www.uscarburetion.com/
www.propanecarbs.com/
Fittings and hoses:
12ft 1/2npt Hose & Quick connect: amzn.to/2YFzP7s
24ft 1/2npt Hose & Quick connect: amzn.to/3g6EmFN
Quick connect fittings: amzn.to/2BdOTQS
Gas shut off: amzn.to/2plPiaA
Bracket kit:
amzn.to/2pok1Dj
Help support the channel by using my Amazon links.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.
Natural gas pipe size charts:
www.uscarburetion.com/natural-gas-chart.htm
soa.generac.com/manuals/8838386/0J9944 (See section 5.4.1 for piping charts)
Great Video I bought one of my kits for my honda gcv 160
Great video!
Hi have a Honda gx620/v twin propane Generator what do I need to convert it to natural gas propane is really expensive
@@kujtimelezi5584 i have a link for you: www.motorsnorkel.com/tri-fuel-natural-gas-propane-and-gasoline-conversion-kit-7057.html
i think it depends on the quality of the gas that you`re using cause more cleaner gas more gas will be deliverd and less other things so you`re gen has more potential power available
A couple things I would like to add is:
1. You might have to upgrade your natural gas meter to accommodate the added flow of the generator in addition to any natural gas appliances you already have.
2. People need to realize that most small engines are supposed to have the engine oil changed every 50-75 hours of run time. Running continuously that is only 2-3 days so the oil needs to be changed at no more than 3 days of running. And in that 2-3 days, the oil needs to be checked frequently as most small engines running under a heavy load can burn through engine oil rather quickly. Most small engines only take 24-48 ounces and that can be depleted pretty quick.
Awesome video! 5 stars. Would recommend!
and with natural gas engine oil remains clean much longer
you are funny, gas comes in at around 100psi then goes through regulator where it is dropped down to 3-4 inches of water column, he may need a bigger regulator but i doubt it.
Back in the 60's, we had an oil well on our farm which produced natural gas as well as crude oil. The oil well pumper showed me how to run any small engine off of natural gas by making an adapter using a tuna fish can and a small gas valve. Worked great and was reliable. This was before OSHA - and people had common sense.
That's awesome
Thats sweet, did you ever run anything off of it?
@@czarandmaeve Yes - We ran several things off of small engines running natural gas. We stepped down the pressure from the well head - it ran at about 800 psi. Regulate it down to about 8 oz. psi and use the brass gas valve as a throttle. Worked great.
@Greg W Yep - I learned a lot of common sense growing up on our farm. After that oil well guy showed me how to run small engines from natural gas, it wasn't long before I made a flame thrower powered by the 800 pound gas pressure directly off the oil well. I fired it up slowly because I knew that 800 lbs of pressure would make a mighty powerful flame thrower. It shot flames out well over 50 feet, but I was careful. Dangerous can be fun sometimes. Responsibility is the "key". (Not bad for a 12 year old kid.)
I hope you still have that land
Very nicely made, informative and well-researched. No clickbait. I don't see such videos often.
Lol! Not well made! You do know that in home natural gas has 2psi and has already been heated up and fully regulated at the meter! Lol just run a hose straight to the carb air cleaner with a purge cylnoid valve for safety! Lol! Boy this guy wasted his time buying that kit!
THANK YOU: For a long time my Honda EX4500 sputtered and surged, after converting to propane. After watching you adjusting flow valve on the top or the regulator, I thought I should give it a try. I got it perfect, after playing with the adjustment ,generator runs like it should, so simple i'm sure other people, can use this advice.
Repair Geek, just came across this video, thank you for reviewing our kit! We are building up a catalog of venturi adapters built specifically for certain models (not just based on the engine model) and the feedback is extremely helpful, thanks for working with us!
Nash Fuel, happy to help. I'm glad things are going to be addressed. If you guys need anything else from me, shoot me an email. My address is in the description.
did you see where this kit blocked off the secondary fuel line in his application? with this kit installed it wouldnt be possible to run on gasoline properly anymore
@@johnpike9612 ua-cam.com/video/00M8nMkhXpE/v-deo.html
BEFORE you start selling stuff over the Internet to customers try it out FIRST ! DON'T Assume, it makes an ASS out of YOU and Me ! I found that YOU selling "This CONVERSION Kit" an actionable cause. By the way, I am an Attorney. Be glad that you are NOT based in Oklahoma cause, I would have shut you down by now !
Shut them down for what? Selling parts made to fit an engine that can be fitted with a wide variety of different parts by different OEs? You sound like one of those ambulance chasers LOL
I was looking for “the other half “ video and stumbled on this. Good information but I want to add that I’ve noticed that these demand regulators work best when the hose is as short as possible. I think by just rotating the brass outlet at the regulator… having it pointing at the carb, you can shorten your hose considerably. The regulator opens when it senses the Venturi neg pressure at the carb intake. So keeping the hose short makes it more sensitive to the vacuum at the carb. FWIW, I’ve installed 4 of these on my and my friends generators. I’ve noticed that it started easier with shorter hoses.
Great video and good information.
Ihave been working on industrial, and marine generators for over 40 years. Very good video. You got right and safe.
Your level of applied perfection is astonishing …
Awesome video!
I know this is an old video but coming from a person in the small engine and standby generator profession, there a few extra points that I feel are needed here:
1: The generator, for optimal performance and life, shouldn't drop under 58hz or ~3500rpm (or +/- 3% of 60hz/3600rpm). It could damage your generator and/or your appliances if it operators below those values. Best practice is to adjust fuel/rpm to achieve the correct rpm or hz to 3720rpm or 63hz with no load.
2: He doesn't explain it well, but you need some sort of transfer switch or you could fry your generator or start a fire in your house/powerlines. His is crude, but effective. (Automatic transfer switches can be purchased which will automatically switch between main power and generator power and/or could turn your generator on and off.)
3: You can freely switch between gasoline/LP/NG so long as you turn your respective gas valves on/off when switch between gasses.
4: 7000w is only enough to run an electric heater, refrigerator, and/or a few lights for emergencies purposes and/or for supplemental energy. You need at least a 20kw (MINIMUM) generator to power some/all of your house. Find out what your peak yearly usage is and purchase a generator that is at the LEAST 10% over your peak.
5: The minimum "safe" distance, from generator to house, that is legally allowed is 4ft and/or 6ft from a window. (may vary state to state)
6: Never run a generator or store LP gas inside of your house.
7: Extension cords need to be 10ga or lower for higher power output. The shorter and thicker the cord is, the better. (so long as it keeps the generator a safe distance from the house.)
8: All house to generator outlet wiring should be install by a trained professional.
9: With LP gas, for a 3000w generator or larger, you typically need a 120lb (MINIMUM) propane tank for sufficient pressure and/or run time.
10: Inverter generators are also a good option for emergency or supplemental power as they are very quiet and will regulate themselves to stay a constant 60hz. The downsides are they typically do not come over 7000w. (Also when converting over to LP/NG you need to adjust the fuel/rpm so the generator is producing the correct voltage.)
well said for me your preaching to the choir
Excellent points. These details are important if you want to keep yourself and your family safe.
Great Video! Regarding your comment at 12:39, I drilled 2 holes on my electrical panel and installed 240V LED's. One for mains, one for generator. This way you can always monitor when grid power comes back online and switch over. Thanks again for the tutorial!
I appreciated this video because you actually showed how much of the gen is actually being used up by the electric dryer which is the most energy sucking appliance you could have.
Well, yeah, if your dryer pulls 5500+ (2700 on each leg, according to the meter) watt on the low setting, I can imagine it's a power hungry sucking appliance. Perhaps Americans should invest in slightly more efficient devices.....
I just checked my heat pump dryer and it's rated for 1000W. And that's the maximum power it pulls. A 3 hour run uses about 1,5 kWh in total, averaging 500watts of power during it's run and that's a full dry run.
I installed a tri-fuel kit on my grandfathers generator a few months ago and just got to try it for the first time yesterday from hurricane Laura power outages. As soon as it started I knew it was running lean and I had no idea how to adjust the air/fuel ratio. Glad I saw this video now I know it’s the bolt! I was trying to turn the brass screw on the regulator and it would not turn lol
Well done. This is more of a nuts and bolts, mechanical video that shows the real install and mods that may be needed.
👍👍👍
Sitting here in Louisiana after Ida.
Gas line are long and tempers are short.
Cant wait to get this setup for next go round.
Thanks
I get a lot of people in your situation commenting on this video. Best advice I can give you is source your parts in the spring. Winter storms are gone and it's too early for hurricanes. Parts are plentiful. If you try to make this conversion a week before a hurricane makes landfall you'll struggle to find parts.
I have been watching a lot of these types of videos lately as I am looking into purchasing a generator. With all the benefits of natural gas and propane over gasoline that degrades over time etc, I think this is definitely the best way to go. I was so surprised that you are the first person that did this type of video that actually used proper mounting hardware instead of drilling holes in your frame. Glad to FINALLY see someone doing it the right way. Keep up the great work.
My content really isn't unique by any means. If you can't be unique you have to do it better than most people to be noticed. I hadn't seen anyone do a performance test either, which is why I did it. Thanks for watching.
Drilling into frame is the best.
Mounting the regulator is brilliant.
I wish I would have saw the mounts for the regulator before I drilled holes in the frame
Thank You. Have been considering natural gas. The pipe size chart helps. I currently keep two 5 gallon containers of gas. I rotate them for use in lawn equipment so I always have a fresh five to start out with if needed. But not having to deal with it would be nice. Regardless, a couple of months after investing in a generator and installing my switch and outlet on the house we were without power for 3 days and with a well for water, it was nice to keep things going.
Great video. You helped me with my conversion of my Predator 8750 to propane. One comment about your quick disconnects. The one going to your generator needs to be reversed. The socket (female part of connector) prevents the flow of gas until the plug (male part of connector) is inserted and locked in place. Your house side connector is correct. If you turn on the valve from the house without the hose connected, no gas will flow. However, if you connect the hose via the quick disconnect to your house and do not connect the other end to your generator, gas will flow freely out the end of the hose if you turn on the gas at your house. Probably not a problem as you will always connect your hose to your generator before turning on the gas supply from the house, but I wanted to let you know about it.
If the male portion of the quick disconnect doesn't have a valve to shut off the gas flow when it's disconnected you will have a major gas leak if it ever comes off while the gas valve is on. I would suggest switching the male and female couplers on the generator end of the hose so that gas flows from the female end to the male end of the coupler to avoid any potential accidents
ua-cam.com/video/00M8nMkhXpE/v-deo.html
Speaking of shut offs. I would move that valve inside just to eliminate the potential of some random kid turning it on and messing with it.
@@HammondOfTexas0 Good point
Good idea but then what shuts off air moving freely up the natural gas channel to the carburetor? Better to add a shutoff valve between the male disconnect and the regulator.
Great project, lots of info.
In our area north of Pittsburgh.
When I call Penn Power,with a power outage call, they make a robo call back asking if our power came on.
Keep up the good work.
so much information thank you very much for taking your time in making this video available to the public
Hi, the spacer plate that you made is not necessary. The natural gas plate should go between the head and the carburetor. The air cleaner box should bolt up to the carburetor. Then you will not have the gap and will not need longer bolts. Very good video. Thanks
Good Video, I did my Conversion 5 years ago using the US Carb Motor Snorkel.
FYI Reliance Controls Makes a Utility Power Back Alarm that I also installed to alert you
When the power is back on.
robert colonna Thanks. I'll look into it.
I'm feeling this. Been out of power for 1 week with an estimate for a whole other week. I have a generator thankfully but the first 2 days the gas station was a nightmare and I had to go to 4 gas stations at one point. What a PITA.
I just bought a propane generator a few years ago figuring I always have a spare tank on my grill. Works great.
I like your approach using quick disconnects on both ends of the hose; AND the fuel / mixture adjustment to steady the engine
Great video man. I did something very similar to my 11KW generator last year right before we Floridians got hammered with hurricane Irma. I ran my entire house with my generator on propane and it was great. I highly recommend these kits over using regular gasoline which would have been almost impossible to find in my area during Irma.
At such times, gasoline would be impossible to get, the line up at gas stations will be insane
In my city gasoline in not allowed, for generators. Lucky a propane conversion kit is available for my Honda EX4500. We just had a 12 hour power outage, I have a 10 gallon propane tank, in 12 hours it used about 6 gallons.
Some people out there.... let me rephrase.... *most* people out there that think that they're some kind of engineer and don't really have any idea of the concept would tell you that the mixture is too lean and you'll damage your motor, more specifically the rings and/or valves, because it burns too hot. Someone would have to have a very good explanation for me to believe that [vaporized, i.e. ionized] gasoline injected into the combustion chamber, valves immediately close and immediately ignited would have some kind of lubrication or cooling effect on the valves or rings. It's super hot inside there, no matter how you look at it. We should ask the weatherman to hop in there and tell us the "real feel" temp, just to clarify.
Me personally, I'm a firm believer in it. Thanks for the video.
That is a heck of a clean assembly. Only thing I would dare to suggest is, to make a "dry" assembly (something that everyone with a little bit of experience would do) BEFORE the permanent assembly using sealant and stuff.
Great video!
Great video. Told my best friend to do this change since he lives in an area that has power outages. Thanks
Excellent video, you did a very good job at explaining everything. I enjoyed watching it.
I have a propane fueled generator. Love it!!! starts on first pull every time. No worries about contaminated or old gas. No worries about mistaken ignition. If you can buy a propane fueled generator over a gas fueled generator.
Good job on the video. I bought the regulator by itself and will drill a hole in the carburetor inlet and need to get it installed. Thanks for sharing.
On your low pressure regulator, there is a vent hole that needs a tube on it to protect it from water & dirt. If you are looking at the regulator, the hole is about 1 to 2 o’clock on the motor side of the regulator.
Hello from north east Montana.
Very well done. He doesn't assume you know very much and teaches you everything you might need to know. Many thanks for the amount of effort that went into the editing.
You my friend deserve 10,000 like and 2 times as many subscribers. Thank you, from south Louisiana
Stay safe down there.
Excellent video! Thank you for all the info. I don't mind the reduction in power possibility because it is so convenient.
Great video. I saw your video first when looking at converting a gasoline only generator to Tri-fuel. We have the Predator 9000/7250 watts gasoline generator that I installed a Tri-fuel kit. I tried using an adaptor, but it caused problems running on gasoline. (It ran fine on NG). So, I bought the Motor Snorkel from US Carburetion which works great on gasoline and NG. (I don't have the connection for LP yet)
You mentioned that you didn't believe the Motor Snorkel would work using gasoline. I can tell you it works great. No issues at all. Also, I noticed when running on NG, that it didn't surge much, like on gasoline. Personally, I wouldn't buy a duel fuel generator, if they have a conversion kit for a gasoline only generator. Using the regulator with the kit, always you to fine tune the fuel/air mixture, minimizing power lose.
Good video. On point and showed me what I was hoping to see.
Very nice job. I'm with you about not hacking up your generator frame.
Fantastic :-) Also, Propane has more specific energy than methane, so for an equivalent amount, it will have more "bang for the buck". In other words, if you need to, you can run it off of propane for longer with less, if you have a natural gas interruption.
Methane is a b*****d gas. Stick with propane.
@@hankhill4254 Bobby, that Boy ain't right
Nice thorough video. Converted mine over today. Took a little longer since I changed out the carb too. Nice to have fuel options.
Great job explaining the conversion. Easy to understand and good video to show how you did the modifications. 👍👍
I'm not sure I can get it done. But I've been seriously thinking about doing this. I would get a more powerful generator than the one I have now. Thanks for the video.
You need to fit a NO VOLT RELAY. A contactor will drop of the mains and start the generator if you have the facility, which you don't. When power is restored the relay disconnects the generator and reconnect the mains power. You don't want mess up or there will be a large BANG.
Antony Bradbury that’s what I have on my hog farms, I have 1 22.5 KW white that runs on propane and then I have 2 55kw ones that have Detroit diesels and a 750L tank under the floor
What is wrong with you? People need to hire QUALIFIED persons to do these home interfaces. Stop promoting modifications that can injure you OR FIRST RESPONDERS.
measured and detailed. thank you. I will consider doing this conversion and I thought I wanted Propane but now I will look in to what it'd take to get my LP Gas feed over to where I keep the big portable Genset.
Natural Gas is 5X cheaper per hour than Propane.
Great Ideas, BUTT A Few Notes!
This Is My Profession/Business...
1) I'd Still Put a Ball-Petcock Gas Valve Prior To The Gas Quick Connects!
2) Make Sure That You Can Use Both Nat & LP Gas In Case Of Real Emergencies Since Most Power & Gas Utilities Will Shut Down The Whole Area Grid If It's Really Bad! Then You Won't Be Getting Any Nat Gas Either & Might Could Go To Bottled LP Gas Only...😋
3) Put A 110v LED Light Into The Side Of Power Box Connected To The Main Incoming Electric Line So You Know Quickly When Thr Grid Power Is On Or Off For Sure... They Are $1 on eBay...
On #1 he did
If that is the case then a Generac Home Backup Generator would do no good. I did not know that the natural gas is shut down also. Kinda puts a damper on a backup system if I understand you correctly.
@@3dtexan890 In Some Area NG Also Shuts Down In Large Black Outs, Like In NY + NJ Years Ago... PS All "Gas" Generators Will Run With Either Natural Gas or LP Gas, It's Just A Matter Of Turning A Screw Fitting or Flipping Over A Orific-Jet On Olders Units? Refer To Your Owners Manuals For Exact Instructions?
@@3dtexan890 NG may well be shut off if there’s widespread physical damage - say from an earthquake or hurricane. You don’t want random broken homes spewing NG from broken or sheared off regulators. Leaking NG played a significant role in the damage in the Bay Area after the Loma Prieta quake some years back. For use in emergencies you will really want at least several days of propane if NG goes down. Most of the time they’ll have NG back up in a few days after they’ve capped off the broken ones. Most...
I wish I had seen this a few years ago. I have a 13K portable gasoline generator. I have natural gas, but didn't want one of those 30K because I was planning to move in 5 years. I'm in hurricane country. I'm about to buy a new house but I WILL put in a gas whole house generator at that time. The convenience is worth the expense. It isn't fun to go out and refill while the wind and rain are still raging.
I know it's been 3 years, but here is a solution for recognizing when the power comes back on.
Install an inline fuseholder, on the Line side of your electrical panel main breaker, and attach a panel light to that feed. Drill a hole in your panel cover to fit the panel light mount, attach it to the panel cover. The power comes back on and the panel light lights up. Then follow your procedure to eliminate the generator, then switch back to Main power.
Old electrician here.
Good luck!
Len dont forget to tell them to be sure to connect the proper size resistor I know a led is a dc device but with the proper resistor it will work on 110 vac or 220 vac it will just flash
@@howishunternotinprison5614 a rectifier bridge. For DC LEDs, yes. But there are similar "panel lights" 120v.
That's what I used. My mistake for calling it an LED. Thanks for pointing it out. 👍
@@leninmi7579 you can use a led on ac..it will just light for half the cycle ..i have done it at work i am an old electrician too and we are starting to be a rare breed did you know for every 10 of us that retires only 1 is stepping up to take our place
@@howishunternotinprison5614 no I did not know that. It seems we may have to teach some of our young ones to enjoy the trade, or we could be in trouble one day.🤔
There’s a few of us younger electricians out here but the strive to be in these trades seems to be less and less as finding good apprentice help is hard to find!
This is why I purchased the conversion kit for the model of generator, rather just the engine
Hank Hill would approve
Yep.
@@hankhill4254 Would you really? It supports CH4 too ;)
@@ellenorbjornsdottir1166 I ignored that part. Only C3H8
I tell you hwhat
@@hankhill4254 But its Natural gas
I herd ya talking about installing a regulator vertical,good advice but I knoticed the vent for the regulator should be pointed down,if water gets inside will effect the diafram, if in cold weather the diagram can be frozen and will not operate could be no pressure or high pressure vent needs to be oriented down so moisture can drain,completely. Have spent a lot of nights when regulators were improperly installed most will get away with it until the temp gets cold.
Got to wonder many people switch to LP with good reasons a lot are using 20 pound cylinders,in cold weather will that be capable of vaporizing the fuel fast enough in cold weather,just a thought.will work fine for a long time but might fail in colder weather.
It will also run cleaner so less gunk buildup inside the combustion chamber.
Thanks for the hard work on this video. Very useful and informative
As a small engine repair shop owner and 40 year mechanic, I would never use silicon carne in place of intake gaskets. That schmoo can get places you really don’t want it. Always use gaskets, either factory or homemade.
I agree. That and he used WAY TOO MUCH. That's a non hardening sealer we used on snowmobile engines to put the lower end halves back together. That stuff isn't cheap eat her. Over kill all the way around really.u
"SiliconCarne" is that an AvE reference?
@@joshuapotter7372 Bahahaha - " That stuff isn't cheap eat her " , is she worth eating is the question I want
answered.
Serge. Crispino LOL
Got to love the ability to step away from gasoline. I just bought a tri-fuel unit and promptly removed the gas tank. Will the generator run louder, cooler with no fuel tank in the way??? Just nice to know i can avoid worries about fuel quality. and no worries about carburetor getting fouled up either. There's something about refilling a hot generator with fresh gas every ten hours that sounds risky. Always try to have 6-10 quarts of oil on hand... A log book for maintenance doesn't hurt either.
Thank you for this awesome video!!! This is a great option, especially if you don't feel comfortable storing a lot of gasoline/propane, and also if you want convenience in a continuous source of fuel for your generator. My question is, what if my generator is already a duel fuel (gas&propane)? Will I need a different type of conversion kit so that I can use natural gas as well?
You can modify your existing propane regulator to flow more fuel for when you're running NG but, how to do it? I have no idea. I've never attempted it and I really don't have a reason to.
@@RepairGeek I took to your suggestion and began researching how to modify my existing propane regulator. I came across another natural gas conversion video where this guy used the existing LP hook up to the carburetor (his generator was also duel-fuel) to connect the LP hose coming from the governor regulator. His method allowed him to bypass having to install the spacer in the conversion kit because his generator technically already had one. If you don't mind watching the video I found (bit.ly/3atD9WG) it's only 4 mins long, and let me know what you think. For whatever reason, I trust your knowledge and opinion, can you tell me if you think it's safe and if it would pose any issues to do my installation the same way? Much appreciated.
@@RepairGeek So NG is like the ethanol of gaseous fuels?
I live in earthquake AND brush-fire country. I've got a brand new predator 7kw and I AM going to do this. Was planning on just having about 20 gals of gas cans, but that makes me a little nervous and I'd need to be using it in my car and then refilling them to keep the stock rotated, and even though that's a good amount, it's not enough for more than 2 or 3 days. But Natural Gas makes FAR MORE sense. Going to wire the gen into my service panel as well. Man, I didn't realize that getting the gen was only about 1/3 of the total cost, but I'm thinkin' it's worth it.
"*.*" ...>> " Very Good ! ! .. I understood everything ! " , ... Thanks so much ! "
Almost immediately after you turn the dryer on the test it out on natural gas the screen went black. I said to myself and laughed oh the power went off. But what it was was an advertisement. Lol
Great video I learned a lot thank you for your time.
Pretty cool setup. I know that the dual fuel generator I own has less output when using propane than it does when using gasoline.
Less energy density in propane or natural gas. Now if the engine is designed for it you can up the compression and advance the timing since NG has a much higher anti knock properties and regain a lot of that power. Conversions will always reduce power output but it is still better then no power at all.
Cragified I agree.
You're a very capable and resourceful young man.
Figure out a way to get a suitable bulb or meter across your input (commercial side) to your main breaker.
I used a kill a watt meter to set the frequency. Just plug it in and set for frequency on the meter and adjust the bolt on the load block.
How do you kill a watt?
@@phillipmathews8743 Just plug it in.
Phillip Mathews The Kill A Watt plugs into the wall or extension cord. The fridge or freezer plugs into the Kill A Watt. The Kill A Watt reads voltage, hertz or cycles per second, watts the fridge is using, amps the fridge is using. I got my Kill A Watt at Walmart in the home electrical section. Make sure that your generator is running not under 60 hertz under load. 59 hertz will damage a motor! 61 hertz will not hurt a motor. I make sure that my generator is running at 60 to 61 hertz under load.
Great detail. This guy is thorough. I'm considering a 22kW liquid standby at $20k installed. Other than the cooling advantage of the standby, this is a great solution!
Looks like that plastic adapter is 3D printed
It definitely is. Is that a bad thing? I'm not entirely sure, will it leak? Melt? Depends on how flat it is, and what material it's made from.
look closer and youll see its really a cheaply made anodized aluminum "adapter"......ive had many (more than id like to admit to) gun and car parts that were anodized aluminum that looked EXACTLY like that
@@IBWatchinUrVids It COULD be a high temp plastic but honestly I doubt it. It's likely PLA which will melt if left in the sun in a hot car. Will it be fine for this? probably.
@@RandyRandersonthefamous , PET-G is the preferred filament from a durability and gasoline vapor resistance standpoint. The owner may want to leave the carb and fuel system set up for gasoline for portability. Nylon filament is also an excellent choice but tricky to print.
I enjoyed your video. I'll most likely get a PL one for mom's house. BUT being a red cross volunteer. I know in many cases where there is tornado damage or hurricane. The first thing is turn all utilities out for safety. Meaning the hole city. Gas water power
Thanks for sharing, very good info!
You should take a look at Automatic Generator Transfer Switches for your home. They safely cut off your generator's power to your home when municipal power is re-established.
Worked well for me when I used to live in Corpus Christi during hurricane season.
Any storm that produced damage in the neighborhood (tornadoes, hurricanes etc) the first thing that is shut off by emergency crews is the natural gas main. Natural gas will remain off long after a storm has passed. Each collapsed or damaged structure will have hundreds of leaks. Propane different story, but you are right back @ needing it delivered or filling up 20lb tanks.
I'm not saying anything other than when Hurricane Irma hit I didn't have power for 7 days. My mother in law has a standby generator that runs on natural gas and that thing never turned off for the entire 7 days.
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@ wpg33 I live on a farm that has its own gas well .
Same after hurricane Ike in Houston. Could cook with gas while electric gone for 2 weeks. Wish I had this
I’ll keep this video just in case my next home has natural gas. Right now I’m all electric and going natural gas it’s just too expensive. Great video.
Get a propane conversion kit which is virtually the same as this one, then you can use the tanks that run gas BBQ grills even though the capacity is limited you can have extra ones on hand or get a bigger tank and not have to worry about it going bad in storage. I remember after Hurricane Ike gasoline was hard to find but you could get those small propane exchange tanks at the same stores that weren't pumping gas because their pumps were down.
Hello and congrats for that usefull video... Im about to get a westinghouse Wg9500, I cant find any kit for the new models of westinghose PG... the old kits works?
Nice job and I would like to suggest that you add a shut off valve before the quick connect if you don't already have one installed.
Great video, you are very talented.
Good video. I’m not understanding why people aren’t doing a few more small modifications so that the generator can remain inside a garage. Running a longer exhaust pipe either piping fumes out a wall or slightly raised garage door. I have a detached garage. My generator setup will be in there powering the house and power cut off at the pole.
Excellent, straightforward content and presentation. New subscriber. Great job and many thanks!
I Suggest that you put a pilot light on your main breaker on the power side, this indicates when your power is either on or off. You can also run an extention pilot light by your connection to the generator to let you know when the main power is back on and you can turn off your generator.
That lift though. :)
That’s what I’m sayin huh
I was considering going this route, but wasn't convinced on the efficacy
of this kit. And, the price seemed kind of high. And, I didn't want
to have to cut the frame, yadda-yadda.
So, I looked and looked and found a carburetor on Amazon for about $35.
It was a straight swap out and worked without mods. I spent about an
hour and $20 on the various hoses and fittings.
It runs on gasoline, propane, and natural gas.
I looked at those as well but they didn't have many reviews and I really didn't want to spend $100 of my time to buy a cheaper part if that makes sense. I just went with what I knew would work. Thanks for the info.
In Australia.............electricity prices are now so insane..............using N/Gas to run a generator is Cheaper!
Really? Do you know the prices of a kWh? Greetings from Costa Rica
They range a little from .30c/kWh to .40c/kWh, depends on where you are and what discounts you can get from companies. I pay around 32-33c/kWh
@Jerry Moody Yeh, Australia is in a bit of a thing about energy prices at the moment. The federal elections coming up are starting to laser focus on them. To be fair electricity is very expensive right now, my last bill quarterly bill was around $1000 however that was the winter bill.
electricity is getting more expensive everywhere.
The commies are ruining Australia
I am commenting before I watch this entire vid. My comment will be to remember to buy OIL for your maint of your genset. Spare spark plugs and any filters too. IF you get into a storm damaged area where you will be running 24/7, you will need to be changing your oil fairly frequently.
Natural gas runs pretty clean
No Bullshit absolutely. It does take longer to dirty the oil, but the oil still breaks down faster in small engines where your oil sensor will shut down the engine, if so equipped.
Outstanding job! Thank you....
First, THANK YOU for the informative video. Second, the propane conversion is awesome. That and some tanks (previous poster said 2x100lb tanks) is a great idea. However, in your intro when you talk about if the power fails... hurricanes.... you can count on natural gas. No, you can't. Natural gas is delivered to your house through pipes/conduits/hoses [depends on code in your area] and powered by electric pumps... so no power = no natural gas.
Propane is the key. See Hank Hill for more.
You are wrong! I live in the City most of my Life. Anytime we have NO Power... We ALWAYS have Gas! One time, it was 4+ Days without Electricity... All that time, our Gas is still working. NOTE: I can't recall there was a NO GAS outage where we live and YES..., that is 16+ years of my life!
@@JodBronson Unfortunately it did not work that way in Texas last winter. They lost both power and natural gas. Nothing was winterized, both systems froze.
@@edbouhl3100 - You didn't look hard enough! LMFAO
I would only add that you installed one of the quick connects backwards. They should both be installed with the male connectors on the pressure side. This is a safety issue and you should add a note to the video.
I am now retired but I was a master plumber and gas installer in my other life. Perhaps Nash Fuel would consider offering a kit with the hose included and add the correct instructions in the kit. Regardless, this needs to be addressed.
It appears that you hired a professional to install the electrics... you should have at least consulted a gas installer as well.
As with many DIY things around the house, you may not get caught by the inspectors, in your case almost certainly not, but in the event of a fire the insurance company would find this little error.
Their ultimate answer is to not pay out the insurance claim...
And then I got it wrong... it's the female ends that should be on the pressure ends with the male ends on the equipment.
Told you I was old :>)
Thanks Paul. I will be changing how the quick connects are setup. I'm going to make a revisit video and fix this issue. Also, I plan on addressing a lot of the common questions I've been getting. Thanks for complementing my electrical, I did it myself.
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I'm gathering you got your gas supply from the "street side" to get 5psi. Most house regulators drop the pressure in the hose 1/4 psi.
I like "open flow" shut of feature. I have those devices in my house.
Also, in leu of watching your neighbors, attach a small bulb to the utility side. Connect when power is off
So what im seeing is, you can still run gasoline or with the plate etc...once out of gasoline you can connect the natural gas or propane and fire it again?????
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Good video, the only thing I would change is the connectors from hose to generator, I would put the female connector on the hose because if for some reason the house shutoff was on it would vent out the open end hose when plugged in if the male connector was on.
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I was literally looking at some of those parts thinking I could 3D print those. And then you show is the spacer and its 3D printed. :-) LOL
How durable do you think that plastic is, and how prone to brittleness over time? Most of the kit inserts are at least part plastic.
Earlier this year we bought a Champion Duel Fuel generator. I enquired about buying an aftermarket conversion kit for natural gas. I was clearly told that it may be against environmental laws. I was also told converting my generator would void my warranty. I’ll a look at it again after my warranty has expired.
@George Nelson I'm aware of this. I wanted to point out anyone who converts a new generator over to natural gas. May run into warranty issues if they have problems running after converting it over. I wanted nothing to do with gasoline. This is my second machine. My first generator ran on gasoline. Although it ran just fine at first. Then it gave me nothing but problems in the long term. I ended up scrapping it. That’s why I looked at propane. It has none of the storage issues of gas.
the good thing about propane, it don't go stale like gas
Randy, mine uses gasoline, i use a whole bottle of Sea Foam, and fill the tank with Premium fuel...generator runs cooler...plus i shut off the fuel valve and allow the engine to run all fuel out.
@@ottoroth9377 Premium fuel (and Sea Foam) are a waste. High octane fuel starts out "Stale'r" than low octane. Octane is a measure of how far gas can be compressed before it self combust, not a measure of quality or how potent it is. In fact, the higher the octane rating, the less potent it is. The only thing you need to know is to always shut down the generator by shutting off the fuel (in the case of gasoline). Do this, and you can let it sit for three years with cheap (highly potent) low octane gas in it, and it'll start on the first pull... Assuming you remember to turn the fuel valve back on...
@@MatHelm I USUALLY TURN OFF THE FUEL VALVE SO THE CARB WON'T GUM UP, WHILE THE GENERATOR IS RUNNIG, I SHUT OFF THE FUEL VALVE AND LET IT USE WHAT FUEL IS IN THE FLOAT BOWL..REASON i PUT SEAFOAM IN THE TANK IS TO KEEP THE MOISTURE FROM RUSTING THE TANK, AND OF COURSE PRESERVE THE FUEL, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF GASOLINES IN THE CINCINNATI AREA SOLD BY GROCERY STORES THAT HAVE AS MUCH AS 16% OF WATER IN THE FUEL, SO THE "FUEL POINTS" THEY SAY YOU CAN USE ACTUALLY CAN HARM YOUR CAR...MY SILVERADO WILL NOT RUN WELL ON CHEAP KROGER REGULAR 87 GAS, BUT WILL PERFORM WELL ON 89 AND 93 OCTANE.
Otto Roth I worked on small engines for years one thing you’re not doing right is after you run it out you need to drop the bowl because they’re still going to be a full bowl of gas in there and that will turn to varnish
@@BillyBob-os7kr one thing I Do is shut off the fuel supply and run the generator until ALL fuel runs dry in the lines and bowl..the preservative in the fuel keeps the tank full of gas fresh. I've been around small engines for 55 years and know what is good, and not good.
Could you Please do a quick video on modifications you did for the natural gas line on your house to plug the generator into.
I see you have the reliance controls power meters. The same company makes the “power back” alarm. It will tell you when the street grid power is restored even when your main breaker is off.
Only problem I see with this setup, when your neighbors see your the only house with lights on for miles, you'll get uninvited guests constantly.
Or all of a sudden silence and generator is gone
If they bring gasoline and have a long enough extension cord of sufficient gauge, then they can also have power. During our power outage after hurricane Wilma, I wheeled my freezer over to my neighbors house and shared in the feeding of the generator with fuel.
Those uninvited guests can get uninvited bullets if they pose a threat.
It starts getting crazy after a couple days of no power after a hurricane down here in Florida. I haven't had to shoot anyone yet, but have ejected the first #7 bird shot shell and loaded #00 buck shot on 2 occasions. It's amazing what the sound of a pump action 12 gauge shotgun can do. My generator is now locked in place with a very large chain that bolt cutters can't touch along with being bolted down to a concrete slab with uncommon "security" hardware.
@@tuomasholo uh oh we got us a internet bad ass over here look out !
Great info! After all those Snap-On ratchets,etc.though, I was a little disappointed to see you use not one,BUT two crescent wrenches to tighten up that A/F bolt. I hope that,at least,they were metric crescent wrenches.
The Bruce funny
Awesome video!!! Thank you!
The Urban Archaeologist thanks for watching.
Suggestion Put a pilot light to your main breaker on the power side, this stays on all the time unless the power main is out, this will show you when the main power is on or off. Then you will know when to disconnect your Generator. You can also put an extention pilot light to your plug for the generator, as an outside indicator as well.
One of the best videos I've came across durning my research (Great Work), I'm considering purchasing a 12000kw portable generator for hurricane season since I live in South FL to power my house in case of outage. I do have Natural Gas installed in my house and it would make sense to utilize this fuel source in lieu of many gas cans stored in my garage, my question to you is, would it be best to purchase a generator thats already equipped to run off gas and propane (Dual Fuel) and then convert? or just purchase a generator without the propane connection and then convert?? also can you provide a link for the conversation kit.. Thank you
Joel Doodnath First of all thanks. I really tried to do a better job than most of the other conversion videos out there.
I have links in the description for all of the information that I used to put together my entire system. Including the kit itself.
As far as should you buy a generator made for propane then convert to natural gas? So, engines that are designed to run on "dry" fuels have hardened valves and valve seats because, gasoline is a lubricant for the valves. Propane and natural gas do not lubricate. So, yes there is a slight difference in the engines. Valvoline actually makes a motor oil designed for natural gas engines. I wanted to cover this as well in the video but, for the sake of time I left it out. Personally I would buy a normal gas engine and convert it. The reason is this: the purchase price of a normal gasoline engine will be cheaper than a propane one. IF you have issues with the valves in the future you can remove the head or heads, (in about 15 minutes) take it to a machine shop, and have new hardended valves and seats put in it. And it will probably be cheaper than buying a "propane" generator from the start. I have to imagine this would only be an issue after 100s of hours of runtime. It really comes down to do you want to POSSIBLY go through that in the future.
Also many of these generators come out of the same factory with different labels. Much like air compressors talked about in another one of my videos. For example this Ridgid I own was produced by One World Technologies. They also make generators under the name Power Stroke. The specs are the same, same Honda engine, same generator head, etc. one just costs more than the other. So look around and do some googling for more info.
If you need more information email me. repairgeek365@gmail.com
BEST VIDEO I HAVE SEEN___YOU GAVE MORE INFO AS IT WAS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND____YOU ARE VERY SMART___I LOVE THE PROBLEMS YOU OVERCOME WITH JUST COMMON SENCE___AND SIMPLE SOLUTATIONS____KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
I have heard that the LP gas doesn't have the lubricating properties of gasoline and so it burns valves quicker. Is there a way to keep that from happening?
Natural gas and propane are dry fuels meaning, they have no lubricating properties like gasoline. The reason the valves can burn is: as the valves open and close using dry fuels, the valves are not cushioned as they hit the valve seats like they would be with gasoline. This causes what is called, valve recession- where the valve sinks further and further into the seat and into the head. This throws the valve adjustment out of spec, eventually causing the valve to hang open and possibly burn because it is misadjusted. Chances are the engine will not run correctly before the valves burn. More frequent valve adjustments will help prevent valve burning issues. You may not have a valve recession issue for possibly 1000s of hours of runtime.
You have 2 ways of reducing valve recession. Adding a lubricant to the intake air or installing hardened valves and valve seats. I looked into adding a lubricator to the intake but, something that fits an engine this small is non existent. If I have a valve recession issue I can have the head off this engine in 15 minutes. So, I'll take it to a machine shop and have hardened valves and seats installed.
run it off fuel now and then and youd probably be okay
Hog wash!
Darrell Overfelt since engines have been redesigned to run on unleades gas. Most have hardened valve seats. Either way. The wear is minimal. And with overhead valves . there could be the slightest bit of oil film seeping down the valve. When its not running. That can help lube. And you could fill the carb with 2 cycle oil it will likely only allow a very small amount of oil to pass oiling the valves . crazy idea I know!
Also the the wear is very slight. It would still last years. There will likely be other failures ending its use.
Good info for those who need it.
Mine is a dual fuel model so I'm already set.