Propane generator conversion

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Foghorn

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I bought a generac gp5500 last month during the icemageddon, ran it 8 days straight no issues. Looking like two weeks before I get power back this time.
Genny runs great, but running for fuel every day kinda sucks, found a propane kit on line for it and was thinking duel fuel might be nice, and I could plumb it into my big house tank for even more simplicity..
Ideally I'll get a whole house backup unit when I build but for now this was what I could afford.

Pro's and con's of doing duel fuel setup? I've never really messed much with propane engines before.

Thanks--


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elwoodtrix

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Remember to do oil changes!

Generac says


What type of oil is recommended? How often should it be changed?–

Above 40°F, use SAE 30. Below 40°F and down to 10°F, use 10W-30. Below 10°F, use synthetic 5W-30. Oil should be changed after the first 8 hours of operation and every 200 hours of run time thereafter.
 

finishnailer

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I bought a trifuel conversion kit from uscarburetion.com. It's gas/propane/natural gas. Extremely easy to install, works great on my 13 hp Honda engine. I've tested it on all three, starts and runs great every time.
 

Simon

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I bought a generac gp5500 last month during the icemageddon, ran it 8 days straight no issues. Looking like two weeks before I get power back this time.
Genny runs great, but running for fuel every day kinda sucks, found a propane kit on line for it and was thinking duel fuel might be nice, and I could plumb it into my big house tank for even more simplicity..
Ideally I'll get a whole house backup unit when I build but for now this was what I could afford.

Pro's and con's of doing duel fuel setup? I've never really messed much with propane engines before.

Thanks--


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I haven't used duel fuel in many years, but what I remember is, that if you use propane for a long period of time without switching to gasoline it will be very difficult to start on gasoline. I have a small gasoline gen set and a whole house set on propane, but if I had to use the small generator for days on end I would put it on propane and hook it to my main tank. If you use propane bottles you will still have to get propane often and getting small bottles filled is expensive.
 

dennishoddy

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I haven't used duel fuel in many years, but what I remember is, that if you use propane for a long period of time without switching to gasoline it will be very difficult to start on gasoline.

Why is that? Just wanting to get some information. We have propane for my shop heating, but the house is on total electric. Duel fuel sounds the way to go.
 

SoonerP226

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My brother runs a dual fuel (gasoline/CNG) van, but all of the propane-fueled vehicles I've used or seen have been straight-up conversions. My dad and grandpa both converted their tractors to propane back in the '70s when Dad kept his tractor at Grandpa's place, but Dad removed the propane conversion when he brought it home and propane wasn't as convenient (Grandpa had a great big propane tank that he used to fill the tractors). He didn't have any problems with it after going back to gasoline, and he ran it that way for about ten years--he got a smoking deal on an almost-new 3-cylinder diesel from a New Holland backhoe, so he converted the tractor to diesel.
 

Relentless

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Why is that? Just wanting to get some information. We have propane for my shop heating, but the house is on total electric. Duel fuel sounds the way to go.

I used to install and work on trucks that had dual fuel. In a carbureted application, if you don't ever run gasoline through it occasionally then rubber parts can dry up/crack/deteriorate, of course, that depends on the type of carb as well. On efi applications it's not really an issue, most efi kits are dedicated due to the cost of a dual fuel efi kit.
 

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