backup genny size?

[Solardaveo]

there is a dude on here aid he uses a dual fuel Champion 4250 inverter style and uses 16kwh aday power, sadi this manages that ? i cant see how as online tells me based off the inverter if i have a 7kwh inverter then i need double at 14kwh generator? if not mistaken this is a 4kwh generator? and if ran at 50% like said to wouldnt be enough to charge ?

im planing 16kwh panels, 7kwh inverter based on max load, trying to figure out what a good genny would be as a winter backup to run possibly quite a bit as sun is nothing in winter here

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Most recommendations are for 30-50% oversize. Generators also allow the inverter/chargers to charge the batteries. In order to provide the rated loads (7kW in your case) and charge, the generator needs to be higher power than the inverter/charger.

You can choose to run a smaller generator, but you must be conservative in your use of loads. I run a 10kW system on a 3500W generator. It's Victron, so it has the benefit of PowerAssist where the inverters will boost the generator if my loads exceed the generator power. But I still have to be conservative with my loads if I want to maximize charging.

 

[OffGridInTheCity]

Some thoughts in addition the guidelines above based on my personal experience so far....

In my case, I use my generators to charge the batteries directly using an EG4 Chargeverter 5000 which at 240v can do 5000w of charging or 3000w of 120v charging This separates load (inverter draw) from charging. This let's me use smaller generator than my loads.

In my case, generator runs are manual - which takes attention, fuel, start/stop, monitoring. I'm resigned to maybe 8hrs / week (40kwh/week), purely emergency/minimal backup - so I don't plan to do permanent install. If you're thinking daily runs you may want a full solar system integration with remote auto-start so that you don't need to manage the generator runs manually. This implies a more permanent generator install w/hooked-up fuel source such as a propane tank. It get's pretty old to pour in gas every day etc.

If you're doing a generator 4hrs / day * 30days * 4 months (of winter) - that's 480hrs of run time in 4 months. 500hrs in just 4 months is reasonably 'hefty' for a 'cheap' generator in my understanding. If you're expected run time is larger (500hrs, 1000hrs / year), you might want to research 'run time' expectations in addition to just power output.

Here's an upbeat vid where a guy compares cheaper vs expensive generators to give you some things to consider.

 

[jimf909]

im planing 16kwh panels, 7kwh inverter based on max load, trying to figure out what a good genny would be as a winter backup to run possibly quite a bit as sun is nothing in winter here

A starting point is to know what your daily consumption will be. You mention max load but what is the total you'll need to replenish each day when your solar panels are at minimal production?

If you charge the batteries using the inverter/charger your generator will need to be sized to a) charge the batteries + b) support your loads so you'll need a larger generator. As mentioned, Victron inverters reduce that total by augmenting generator power with battery power when needed.

If you charge your batteries using a separate battery charger the house loads are separated from the generator so you can run a 2,000 watt generator all day to charge your batteries while your inverters use battery power to meet the 7kW max loads. Another advantage of using a separate charger is that generator power is never passed to your home AC.

As far as what is a good genny for you, you'll need to know the size of generator needed, your favored fuel type and time horizon that you pan to operate this generator. A 2 - 3 cylinder diesel will run 10s of thousands of hours with 500 hour service intervals and start easily well below 0 degrees F (I don't know the temps in your area) and is a better bet if you need it to operate autonomously when you're offsite. It'll cost $5 - $10K USD. A $1K USD open-frame generator will also meet your needs while requiring more frequent maintenance (typically 50 hour service intervals), more frequent replacement and will be generally less reliable, esp. starting below 0F.

I've used both types and they both work perfectly fine as long as you know what your needs are.

One last point regarding size is that you'll typically want to run the generator at 70% - 80% of max capacity, i.e. you don't want to run the generator at 100% load much if any of the time. On the flip side, you also don't want to run a diesel generator much below 50% of capacity because the engine doesn't operate well with light loads.

 

[pollenface]

im planing 16kwh panels, 7kwh inverter

The first step is dropping the "h"

 

[DIYrich]

I have a sol-ark 15k, and use 30kwh per day. I have a Wen 4kw dual field generator and chargeverter. I can run it for 8 hrs, and store enough power in the batteries to last 24hrs.

 

[Gold Country Russ]

A few questions, how big is battery, how many KWH total do you need for a recharge, what is your systems battery charge rate from A/C source, and finally how long do you want the generator to run for a complete recharge? Answer these, and the generator size will be easy to determine. If a generator is likely to run for extended periods, then a stationary liquid-cooled natural gas, propane, or diesel fueled low-speed generator will always be best. Cheap air-cooled high-speed generators will have a short service life in comparison. With a high-speed air-cooled it would be best to run at 70-75% capacity while a low-speed liquid-cooled could handle 100% for extended periods. Altitude and temperature extremes and fuel availability are also factors in generator selection.

 

[OffGridForGood]

To limit generator size/cost you can charge via the AIO at night/low system load periods
or
Use a dedicated charger like the EG4 Chargeverter. (recently got mine, and loving it!)
Unlike using the inverter charging function, the chargeverter allows you to set the load you want the charger to run with, and this will hold steady during your charging period regardless of Inverter-loads, allowing the generator to be smaller, and run at an ideal steady load you set without any chance of overloading the generator with an unexpected large load like an electric hot water tank or other automatic cycling load.

 

[Solardaveo]

@Gold Country Russ @OffGridForGood love the name!! help me get there lol @jimf909 thankyou ill try we are making slowly our own gas, otherwise i got red diesel, LPG etc all avalible, was looking into the gasifiers too ..now i didnt know about the 50% i though ya try to run them all at that hmm, makes sense tho,

sorry ill try to break down my goal,
i am in the UK north in scotland, and hope to supply enough solar to keep me in the winter too, i know thats a big wish,

my daily usage is 14kwh with constant load of 1500watts while working 8-12 hrs aday sometimes more if carried away, and intermittent tools benchsaw/welder etc then basics fridge freezer phone etc,

i was given a calculator breakdown which gave this

yeah thats my bad just noticed, id had a cider , i was given this on a calculator

So for my location PVGIS spits the following:
For 12Kwp panels, 70º inclined, oriented to South, assuming 93% efficiency

Jan 302kwh
Feb 530kwh
Mar 864 kwh
Apr 1166 kwh
May 1220 kwh
Jun 1073 kwh
Jul 1095 kwh
Aug 1023 kwh
Sep 855 kwh
Oct 656 kwh
Nov 448 kwh
Dec 282 kwh

December is again the lowest production month, with 282 kwh, or 9,1 kwh a day on average.
May the highest production month, with 1220 kwh, or 40,65 kwh a day on average.

if the calculator is true seems many use it to work stuff out here, then a 16kw array should cover the extra down power in december ,


i have some people telling me i need 50kw to cope winter while others tell me to get just 5kw panels, and use a genny in the winter? that doesnt seem right ? the genny to run all the time would cost a fortune? ive watched videos where players with a 16kw array used the generator 12 times in the winter , in very snow low light winters,
everytime i figure it out it changes or another view ha ! ive no idea if ia m coming or going, feel like going back to candle light hehe

@DIYrich howmuch is that costing ? for like 60 days ya run a genny with a 16kw array? where are ya bro sounds cave like lol damn, everyday? @pollenface ha cider does that to ya cant believe i did that


using this https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/

the 16kw calc gives
Monthly PV energy and solar irradiation
Month
January 437.
February 796.
March 1389.
April 1891.
May 2197.
June 2097.
July 2043.
August 1823
September 1375.
October 927.
November 530
December 400 (13.33 per day)

 

[Sabre36]

Our back up Gen is an 18KW diesel. we will never go back to gas or propane.. We have it connected to a 275 gal oil tank that we only fill every few years.Prior to diesel the only gens we found totally reliable were Honda’s.

 

[DIYrich]

@DIYrich howmuch is that costing ? for like 60 days ya run a genny with a 16kw array? where are ya bro sounds cave like lol damn, everyday?

Don't know. Haven't had to run it. Only for when the grid is down, sun doesn't shine for a few days, and the batteries are drained.

 

[DPC]

This guy has the IQ of a block of wood.

Here is your 900 pound gorilla
Its a an Onan NH.
60 cubic inches Exciter cranked fury... limited electronics and dead reliable.
As long as you fix that choke...
That machine will run 10,000 hours and out last you.

Stupid people are everywhere they walk and talk like you and I because they do not know better.

Back in the good old days the boss had a standing instruction for any guy that walked in the shop and used the words NH and airplane..
Onan did not want to see those engines in planes and we were told to show people out the door who had ultra lights.
That engine was so reliable...

 

[OffGridForGood]

@Gold Country Russ @OffGridForGood love the name!! help me get there lol @jimf909 thankyou ill try we are making slowly our own gas, otherwise i got red diesel, LPG etc all avalible, was looking into the gasifiers too ..now i didnt know about the 50% i though ya try to run them all at that hmm, makes sense tho,

sorry ill try to break down my goal,
i am in the UK north in scotland, and hope to supply enough solar to keep me in the winter too, i know thats a big wish,

my daily usage is 14kwh with constant load of 1500watts while working 8-12 hrs aday sometimes more if carried away, and intermittent tools benchsaw/welder etc then basics fridge freezer phone etc,

i was given a calculator breakdown which gave this

yeah thats my bad just noticed, id had a cider , i was given this on a calculator




if the calculator is true seems many use it to work stuff out here, then a 16kw array should cover the extra down power in december ,


i have some people telling me i need 50kw to cope winter while others tell me to get just 5kw panels, and use a genny in the winter? that doesnt seem right ? the genny to run all the time would cost a fortune? ive watched videos where players with a 16kw array used the generator 12 times in the winter , in very snow low light winters,
everytime i figure it out it changes or another view ha ! ive no idea if ia m coming or going, feel like going back to candle light hehe

@DIYrich howmuch is that costing ? for like 60 days ya run a genny with a 16kw array? where are ya bro sounds cave like lol damn, everyday? @pollenface ha cider does that to ya cant believe i did that


using this https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/

@Solardaveo - I live near the 49th parallel, in a continental climate - far from any oceans - I have about 13kW of PV and I tilt them up to 70-72 degrees for the winter. With that to set the stage, I find the solar panels can't collect the 37kWh per day I need during during my November - December period.
There are just too many days of cloudy weather.
For Nov-Dec I let my system collect what it can each day, and then I add the "missing part" (37-what I got today = what I need to add) using grid charging at night when it is cheap. I have a generator as back up, only to for the case where the utility is down, and I don't have sunshine.

Now looking back over some data, and thinking about your 14kWh per day needs, I could supply that with my set up, but only because my ESS is large enough to bridge the gaps that a few cloudy days in a row make. I suspect you live near 56-degess north lat, and you may be a lot closer to foggy coastal areas that can have huge impacts on PV, which likely means you need a way to charge your ESS when the weather is un-cooperative.
Utility charging off-peak (if you have time of use rates) can be a low cost approach, assuming you have the grid available to you. Running a generator is my last resort and costs 10x off-peak utility rates in my case. In the year since I bought the dedicated back up generator it has run more hours being exercised than it has run because I actually needed it. But having it provides me peace of mind.

The other thing to know is there is a lot of variation in weather - yeah no kidding - but what I mean is: typically November is my worst month and December is better due to less foggy/cloudy weather. This seemed right for two winters in a row until winter 2023-24 when December and a good part of January were un-seasonally mild here- so foggy. This killed my "normal" Dec/Jan solar which were both about half of the crappy November solar. So no matter if you build what you think you need, or what the averages show you need - you will get times that are just crappy and they can last for weeks on end. It can happen, I feel we need to just face "it will happen" and be ready for it with a back up plan.
Straight talk, not trying to be a piss-head, just want you to know what to expect.
Cheers from Canada (a good portion of my ancestors are from Scotland, btw).

 

[DPC]

there is a dude on here aid he uses a dual fuel Champion 4250 inverter style and uses 16kwh aday power, sadi this manages that ? i cant see how as online tells me based off the inverter if i have a 7kwh inverter then i need double at 14kwh generator? if not mistaken this is a 4kwh generator? and if ran at 50% like said to wouldnt be enough to charge ?

im planing 16kwh panels, 7kwh inverter based on max load, trying to figure out what a good genny would be as a winter backup to run possibly quite a bit as sun is nothing in winter here

If I lived in the UK and knowing what I know I would look for a Lister/Petter SOM

I am fond of the Petter PH series and the more modern air cooled listers.
They are very common in your country and I would not waste money on a Chinese made generator when I could get some quality Iron from Dursley.

Also thanks to Indian parts these are pretty cheap to rebuild.
I mostly work on American made stuff, but even Kohler USA used Lister diesel engines at one point.

If you buy Coloured fuel its cheaper than Petrol as well..
If you drive a diesle car even better, buy coloured fuel and filter it though bentonite clay ( kitty litter ) to remove the dye and you have clean road fuel )

Americanized version.

kohler electrics and this one has the EL-8 controler with 4 Kva 4 pole head.
I have a similar head a 1800 rpm 4AM21 unit but powered by Kohlers own Gas K331 ( even more rare than the diesel )

Crap shoot what I prefer the Kohler electrics are easy and are very simple, but the Lister electrics are very nice and well built its just a question of where to find parts and what country you live in.

Wrong colour should be gold ,but someone is trying to make it look English when its an American built set.
Wiring is all mess up in that controller and parts are missing.

 

[Gold Country Russ]

@Gold Country Russ @OffGridForGood love the name!! help me get there lol @jimf909 thankyou ill try we are making slowly our own gas, otherwise i got red diesel, LPG etc all avalible, was looking into the gasifiers too ..now i didnt know about the 50% i though ya try to run them all at that hmm, makes sense tho,

sorry ill try to break down my goal,
i am in the UK north in scotland, and hope to supply enough solar to keep me in the winter too, i know thats a big wish,

my daily usage is 14kwh with constant load of 1500watts while working 8-12 hrs aday sometimes more if carried away, and intermittent tools benchsaw/welder etc then basics fridge freezer phone etc,

i was given a calculator breakdown which gave this

yeah thats my bad just noticed, id had a cider , i was given this on a calculator




if the calculator is true seems many use it to work stuff out here, then a 16kw array should cover the extra down power in december ,


i have some people telling me i need 50kw to cope winter while others tell me to get just 5kw panels, and use a genny in the winter? that doesnt seem right ? the genny to run all the time would cost a fortune? ive watched videos where players with a 16kw array used the generator 12 times in the winter , in very snow low light winters,
everytime i figure it out it changes or another view ha ! ive no idea if ia m coming or going, feel like going back to candle light hehe

@DIYrich howmuch is that costing ? for like 60 days ya run a genny with a 16kw array? where are ya bro sounds cave like lol damn, everyday? @pollenface ha cider does that to ya cant believe i did that


using this https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/

From this, I think you need to use a gaggle of bifacial panels and stand them up proud on ground mounts (solar fence). Minimize structure behind the panels, everything white or reflective, mount the panels by the long edge without any rails crossing behind the back of the panels. In cloudy weather I believe a bifacial panel standing straight up with front facing south (N. hemi.) will make more KWH per day than any other configuration. Throw in snow and cold makes its even better. Just allow them full access to any available light.
With you being in Europe I know that buying energy is not cheap and by nature use it once and go buy more. So, investing in an adequate PV
system is a one-time expense. I certainly wouldn't use an air-cooled gasoline generator unless forced to. Also be sure to recover some heat from any generator you do use.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

From your requirements, it would seem that a phased approach fits most of them:

1. Inverter (aio or component system, sized appropriately) and battery bank (LiFePO4, LiTime or any server rack batteries sized to your daily usage). With just these pieces in place, you can store all the needed amp-hours per day. AIO can take power from grid (at night for recharge at lower cost) or from generator (low-THD open-frame, or inverter-gen).

2. you have propane, so get (british equivalent of) a Westinghouse wgen11500tfc (low thd, auto-start, smart port). This does two things: will recharge battery-bank in about 4 hours (if charger capacity is there, and depending on amp-hours consumed daily) versus having to run it all day if no battery-bank, and will provide extra power to large loads. auto-start allows firing it up on demand for such large loads.

3. add solar panels (and mppt if component route) and now you are using generator much less, but more importantly, it is there as backup for all those weather days where solar just won't cut it, or large loads exceed your solar design capacity (it happens).

We run this system on our off-grid location, and our large site-fuel tanks of propane is "no fuel mess" and "no weather ops" (lots of snow at our elevation, but it just auto-starts and runs/stops without us going out into the snow). The auto-starting generator is a dream to operate. On days when weather doesn't cooperate, or large loads happen, the generator is there. We never have to run it more than a few hours per day, when needed by weather or large load projects. But, it is there when needed ...

Hope this helps ...

 

[jimf909]

i have some people telling me i need 50kw to cope winter while others tell me to get just 5kw panels, and use a genny in the winter? that doesnt seem right ? the genny to run all the time would cost a fortune? ive watched videos where players with a 16kw array used the generator 12 times in the winter , in very snow low light winters,

@Solardaveo, I may have missed it but are you off-grid?

I'm off-grid w/in 30 miles of the 49th parallel so days are short and most of the winter is cloudy. It sounds like you maybe at the 56th or north of it which means your days are maybe an hour shorter and also probably pretty cloudy. In these conditions it would take enormous PV and ESS to not run a generator (or charge from the grid) on a regular basis to support your needs. Essentially you're deciding how much PV and ESS can you install and what sort of generator you'll need to make up the difference.

Old school folks are conditioned to remember that PV is really expensive so they size the system for summer and run a generator daily in the winter. As you say, that's expensive over time and getting more expensive as fuel costs increase. Something tells me the folks who suggest 5kW of PV is adequate may be Old School.

New school folks are impressed that PV is dirt cheap and there's no reason to ever run a filthy, dirty generator, many may also not live at 55 degrees north. I'll bet the folks suggesting 50kW of PV are newer school.

My PV system is old and small (1.75 kW to support 6 - 8kW daily consumption) so the generator runs every day in the winter and might run just a few times over the summer. For 18K hours the generator was a diesel Perkins/Marathon 7kW which is now down for a rebuild. Last summer I bought a Westinghouse wgen 9500 for less than $1K (it became free when amazon provided a full refund because it wouldn't run on gasoline). That generator is plumbed to a 500 gallon propane tank and is triggered to run as needed with an Atkinson AGS module. If you need to keep costs and complexity down initially, a propane generator like this might fit the bill. If you settle in after a few years and the propane generator gets tired you might consider installing a diesel for it's drop-dead reliability, 10x longer maintenance intervals (500 hours v 50 hours) and much longer life. Used diesels can be had for half of retail prices so you can shop for a diesel for a few years while the propane generator meets your needs. Alternatively, if the propane generator works fine for you then just rotate in a new $1K propane generator every few years.

As mentioned, an AGS generator will protect your batteries from human error, allow you to leave home for days or weeks and keep the batteries charged and simply take one chore off of your to-do list everyday. Highly recommended.

 

[DPC]

you have propane, so get (british equivalent of) a Westinghouse wgen11500tfc

I believe the company that holds the rights to the brand " Westinghouse " has its offices in the UK for tax purposes...

A Chinese generator is a Chinese generator.
Not a whole lot of difference.

Delivery costs for Oil VS propane are about the same.
Strangely an above ground rental profane tank is less than an oil tank.

You can can buy pump diesel if you run out of heating oil propane can be more problematic.

I am going to kick a dead horse now but for my American friends the UK is home to some of the best made diesel electric plants ever made.
Many are still sitting in outbuilding and barns unused.
A fellow can pretty easily get a good generator MUCH better than a Chinese unit and also much more economical to run than a spark ignition engine.
Gasoline and propane are generally much cheap on our side of the pond.

I would not be so inclined to buy an Lister CS, but anything from the freedom range through the TS, anything that cast iron and holds a gallon of oil is what you really want....
Petters are of comparable quality
There are other more obscure brands like Blackstones and Bradfords...
They soldier on...

Cast iron good, aluminum.....
Meh....

If Kohler used Lister engines that should tell you something.

 

[DPC]

Unloved MDJ Onans...
I personally prefer the normal air cooled DJ and J range engines for simplicity but this is about as close as you get to the best diesel sets in the USA

very very conservative designed machines built with a singular purpose power generation only...

 

[Solardaveo]

so lister isn’t any good ? They look insane and cheap as here in uk like this
Lister smaller ones from 500 what the hell and they can charge 3day power in a few hours ? Am I reading that correct ? Il be in the pc soon and read this again lol phone sucks just googling from what’s said atm but had to ask cause I’d assume them be thousands the dude on the way over from me restores and fixes them

Looked at lister but you say freedom range is better but I can’t find that brand

 

[DPC]

so lister isn’t any good ? They look insane and cheap as here in uk like this

Yes Lister is great.
I just spent three posts talking up lister/petter products.

In America they don't have a lot of that.
Onan and Kohler products were imported into the Uk but they are uncommon.

Thats an HR6.
Its big enough to run several homes...
too big

This is the ideal set for a home.
Its a small twin rated at around 7500 watts

There are other start-o-matics that RA lister made using the CS series engines.
Its an ancient engine they built from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Its a farm engines and its a very good engine but its something your tinker with more than depend on.
If you like wearing a boiler suit and playing with an oil can then fine but its an antique and they come at a high price because people like to take them to rallies and or burn veggie oil in them...
( tin foil hat types )
A CS is wonderful to watch and play with but that's 75 stone worth of cast and components.
How would you ever get it home??????

And people buy brand new knock off versions made in India to get that low speed veg oil feeling.
But this is a hobby engine NOT a back up .

Petter P range, they made a few versions of this before the two merged and parts are easy to get and unit is easy to work on.

Like the Lister designs there is a huge aftermarket of parts made for these in India and Pakistan so they are very cheap to repair.
But don;t buy one and import it there are plenty of engines like this in old dumpers and generators and pumps all over the UK for spares.

Older sets can be had very cheap YES YES ABSOLUTELY buy a Lister or petter if its pierced right and runs.
But unless it runs and makes power it is worth about 14p per pound...

And there are many others....
But don;t buy something so old or large its a problem.
Look for the more common modern and low hour.
The TR ST P range these were work horses in Canada but now are getting rare to find.
In your country where they came from they are even more of them.
Ask around...

 

[DPC]

so lister isn’t any good ? They look insane and cheap as here in uk like this
Lister smaller ones from 500 what the hell and they can charge 3day power in a few hours ? Am I reading that correct ? Il be in the pc soon and read this again lol phone sucks just googling from what’s said atm but had to ask cause I’d assume them be thousands the dude on the way over from me restores and fixes them

Looked at lister but you say freedom range is better but I can’t find that brand

The Lister FR was the really modern engines. ( freedom range)
You see them in low boats and They ran generators for spot lights during the blitz.
A little harder to get parts for but when they scrap out boats they tend to have engines that are cheap to get.
BUT you need a generator to bolt too it!!!!!

What else a small perkins, a Lambardini, Ferryman, duetz ( small twins not too big no bigger than 10 kw )
Any Kubota product thats water cooled...
But these are going to be more expensive because they are more modern and not so common on a farm ect..
Farmers are not so inclined to sell a modern light weight set for a good price.

 

[Solardaveo]

Yes Lister is great.
I just spent three posts talking up lister/petter products.

In America they don't have a lot of that.
Onan and Kohler products were imported into the Uk but they are uncommon.

Thats an HR6.
Its big enough to run several homes...
too big

This is the ideal set for a home.
Its a small twin rated at around 7500 watts

There are other start-o-matics that RA lister made using the CS series engines.
Its an ancient engine they built from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Its a farm engines and its a very good engine but its something your tinker with more than depend on.
If you like wearing a boiler suit and playing with an oil can then fine but its an antique and they come at a high price because people like to take them to rallies and or burn veggie oil in them...
( tin foil hat types )
A CS is wonderful to watch and play with but that's 75 stone worth of cast and components.
How would you ever get it home??????

And people buy brand new knock off versions made in India to get that low speed veg oil feeling.
But this is a hobby engine NOT a back up .

Petter P range, they made a few versions of this before the two merged and parts are easy to get and unit is easy to work on.

Like the Lister designs there is a huge aftermarket of parts made for these in India and Pakistan so they are very cheap to repair.
But don;t buy one and import it there are plenty of engines like this in old dumpers and generators and pumps all over the UK for spares.

Older sets can be had very cheap YES YES ABSOLUTELY buy a Lister or petter if its pierced right and runs.
But unless it runs and makes power it is worth about 14p per pound...

And there are many others....
But don;t buy something so old or large its a problem.
Look for the more common modern and low hour.
The TR ST P range these were work horses in Canada but now are getting rare to find.
In your country where they came from they are even more of them.
Ask around...

haha i would have found a way ! log it like the egyptians lol, damn looked so good, and cheap !! them cs things are like what they call sandalone engines right ?
they show them all the time here i live in a farm area, umm u said there rare in the us? i dont wana make you sick, but did u mean like this lol,, there BLOODY cheap i cant be looking at the right stuff 600 odd quid will power my home?

btw just got latest bill in from electric and its 18kw a day atm, BUT i am using electri Hob/Cooker/oven/heating which i wont be using when i go, so more like 16 a day still, lol, guess i need 3x the battery and that will be around 60kw batterys deep cycle,
reading a genny like this will charge a bank in 8hours with 3 days charge on a gal, (reddit post i saw where they laughed as he baught a john dere gen for $12k and tried to make out his 60kw a day was a small family and not big mikes next plant industry ofc.. LOL, i think he assumed he could store a years worth of electric, forgetting the battery bank , but showed him how a genny a 1/3 the power he used a day would store 3days in a few hours! mad i never knew ya could run just on a gen,

hey dont people use used oil in them ? i thought that was a thing? dude on youtube compared same kw from diesel to rape seed oil, ? cause i got access to endless ammounts of it

yeah guy here got one working on his boat, £500 on fb too, really? im shocked they will do my 18kw a day lol i was prepared to have an old steam engine looking train in the back room

 

[DPC]

Look in the 300 to 600 pound range.
More than that for an old used unit seems like a lot to me but I don;t know the market conditions.

TO pay a price like these guys ask the unit must start cold without issue and make rated power.
Not smoke heavily, and looking inside the generator cover at the parts inside there must not be any mouse nests or obvious hard ware on parts.
This is where its helpful to find a friend that knows a little about these things.
I wish I was close I would go with you.

Trouble is i would try and buy stuff.
I see a lister D pump set.
Those are really nice engines I see very rarely up here, but common as dirt in the UK.

Yes lots of people burn waste oil but its messy and dirty and causes filter issues as well as carbon in the engines.
Coloured fuel should be available someplace to burn after all its a back up set not your primary power source so use clean quality fuel.
Rape seed oil raw has a lot of gum in it that causes clogging and varnish on parts.
You could make bio fuel from it but that will require some effort to do.
Not rocket surgery but its effort for a simple standy.
Endless amounts of rape seed ( we call that Canola oil in Canada and cook and eat an edible variety ) could be handy in a situation where the petrol stations are closed because of a power outage..
Best to start and stop the engine for 5 min on normal fuel but thats a lot of questions best left to bio fuel experts..

 

[DPC]

haha i would have found a way ! log it like the egyptians lol, damn looked so good, and cheap !! them cs things are like what they call sandalone engines right ?
they show them all the time here i live in a farm area, umm u said there rare in the us? i dont wana make you sick, but did u mean like this lol,, there BLOODY cheap i cant be looking at the right stuff 600 odd quid will power my home?

Here's a close up of a lister CS ( clone from India for demonstration )
Typical 6 hp with spokes on the flywheels doing typical farm stuff pumping water this is not what your looking for
Yes these are rare in the USA, I live in Canada. ( in the USA if you say I need a whitworth spanner they will tell they don;t have that brand so even tools are hard to get )
stand alone engine belt driving a pump you don't want that!

This is very odd I have never seen a direct drive CS generator.
Probably a marine application.
But look at the heavy flywheels.

If you got one of these at a very very good price and were willing to play with it..
Maybe but this is more of a toy than a practical generator for you.
I just want you to see the amount of mass in the flywheels alone.
There probably 200 stone worth of spinning iron alone

I would not recommend these CS.
But honestly I like them and they are very inexpensive to repair and parts are very easy to get from India or NOS parts from Lister.
They are known to burn rapeseed oil better than most generators you might be new just because of the design.
It would require an investment from you in time and effort to set up and learn all about it.
That is a hobby not a practical thing for a novice.

This is a much better choice.
Its a more modern set that starts at the flick of a switch or automatic.
This is what you should look for and it should come complete and have all the electrics and controls.
If it does not its worth very little because of the work required to wire up and get it to work.