Micro CoGen.

Try this page.

http://www.utterpower.com/conversions/

Ralph

Southwest corner of Park County, Colorado

Ralph

OK. Add my name to the list for the hollow dippers----4 of them.
I guess we have made the original poster (strat161) the "keeper of the list"??

Ralph

I'm still looking for 4 idler bolts or sleeves, whichever we can find. Maybe we can find a few
other people to get to the required twenty.



For resizing pictures, I like Irfanview.
It's free and very easy to use.

http://www.irfanview.com/

http://download.cnet.com/IrfanView/3000-2192_4-10021962.html

http://www.tucows.com/preview/194967

3 different places you can get it from. All give it high ratings.

Ralph

I see a job opportunity for somebody. You can't be the only one in the state that would like a piece of the pie
without mortgaging their soul.
So consider a career change. Get the certification and start making a little extra on the side (or weekends).
There are a lot of courses (and classes) that you can take online.
Might be a good second career or something to provide extra money when you retire.

The only thing the damned government cannot take away from you is what you have already learned.

(Of course, Alzheimer's will take that and everything else!!)


Ralph

QuoteKohler good, Onan bad

I think I may be sticking my pee-pee into a hornets nest, but isn't this a whole lot like arguing Ford and Chevy (& Dodge)?
Sure there are a few lemons, no matter what brand it is. Some of them are made Friday afternoons when nobody
wants to work. Or is it Monday mornings when they are all hungover???
But if they don't get the proper care and maintenance, none of them are work a damn.
I own both Kohler and Onans, and think they are both great. So, is it just certain models that aren't worth a damn???
Bad design to begin with???
I apologize if the thread goes ballistic or viral or whatever the heck it is this week. Not trying to hijack anything.
I just think there are probably a lot of folks that like both engines. Or is it another influence, such as---"my dad (or uncle, cousin,
etc.) had an Onan and it was a piece of crap"
Is it really as simple as "I can't find any parts, so that makes it a piece of crap!!"?
I'm sorry, I'll go have another cup of coffee. I didn't really want to fight half of the forum this morning.
I don't even know what the heck I'm trying to say. It's snowing like crazy, the wind is howling. Not a good morning.
Maybe I'll just go back to bed.

Ralph

I guess my recommendation would depend on your abilities and mental attitude toward maintenance.
And a little bit influenced by how much you want (or are able) to spend.

I think the ST's are great. But for a little more money, you can get a permanent magnet generator that
has no brushes. The only maintenance items would be the bearings. But you have to be more careful
around it. No welding, grinding or anything of that nature anywhere around it.

I have heard that the PM (permanent magnet) generators do not give the pulsing lights that the ST's give.

Ralph

LincTex,

add me to your list for 3, please.

Ralph

I'd like to have 2- 12 volt and 2- 24 volt, all 4 cycle.
I'll talk to my neighbors and see if I can add some more to the total for them.


Ralph

Ref: rotation of intake tappet

I found several things that affected the rotation on mine.
As veggie said---clearance. And remember that is effected by temperature. It may turn better
after the engine is warm.
With the engine running, push down on the adjusting screw. It may start to turn. And that takes us
back to adjusting the clearance.

Also, there is a lot of slop in the rocker arm assembly (side to side movement).  When assembling the engine
and trying to center the rocker arm on the valve, if the push rods are not straight up and down, it will effect it.

Then there is the polish (or lack of) on the tappet where it meets the cam lobe. If you haven't taken
the tappet out and examined it, you should. It could be rough machining on the side of it causing it to bind.
Or it could be you need to put the tappet in a lathe and clean up the surface that rides the cam. Mine looked
like it had been cut with a garden rake. The side view looked sort of like---MMMMMM.


Ralph

What speed do you want to run the engine??
If there is already a pulley on the engine, what size is it (diameter)??

The formula for figuring the size of the pulley for the alternator or generator is:

D2 = D1 x N1 divided by N2

D1 - Diameter of pulley on engine

D2 - Diameter of pulley on generator

N1 - RPM of engine

N2 - RPM of generator

Ralph

Is it just me or does anyone else have a problem with setting up a crankshaft grinder in a tent???
Just doesn't give the look of professionalism.

Ralph

Has anyone here ever converted the main shaft bearings on a listeroid from the original sleeve (bush) bearings to TRB (tapered roller bearings)??

I know it would mean changing the bearing housings along with the bearings. Is there anything to be gained??? Or lost??
More bearing noise is a given.

Ralph

If you want a Listeroid, call Gary. (303-720-3936) He's in Chase, Kansas.
If I read his site correctly, he has six 8/1's in stock.
If you want a true Lister, somewhere on this site, a container is being put together to be shipped
to the US. Somebody here should be able to supply the details.

We used a 4k Onan Emerald out of an RV for years. We are completely off grid, at 9600 feet, central Colorado.
Between Salida and Buena Vista. We converted it to run gasoline and propane. It ran at 1800 rm, so was quiet and
did not consume a lot of fuel. Then we bought one of Gary's listeroids and hooked an ST head to it. It runs a lot slower
and is pretty quiet. We are not even using a muffler. Just run the exhaust into a 10 foot section of 3 inch exhaust pipe.
If we used a muffler, it would probably be so quiet we couldn't hear it. But like a lot of others on this site,
we can tell right away if the rhythm in the background changes. So we know something needs looking at.

I looked at your list of power requirements, but I didn't see anything about water pumping. Do you have a well??
Or are you going to have one in the future??

If water pumping is not a concern, then you may be able to get by for a while by building your own 12 or 24 volt
charger using an old lawnmower engine and a vehicle alternator. If you are a subscriber to HomePower magazine,
there is an explanation in issue 42, Aug/Sep 1994. If you're not a subscriber, I will email you the article. It is a pdf.

You should also look at wind power. It has the capability to work day and night while solar only works in the day time.

http://www.fieldlines.com

http://www.otherpower.com

http://www.scoraigwind.com

Like solar, the wind generator is almost silent. Unless you get something like this

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200320201_200320201

This is NOT something that I would recommend.

What I recommend and have done is here.....

http://www.otherpower.com/turbineplans.shtml

Ralph

If you are serious about the Listeroid, there are engines out there.

http://diesel-electric.us/cs_clones.htm

I hear there are kits out there that you can put together. Listeroid air compressors that you can convert to
an engine.

There have to be engines available or Sean wouldn't be posting this.....http://www.microcogen.info/index.php?topic=2037.0

Where in Colorado, and what elevation? Elevation makes a difference in how much horse power you can get out.
You may have a 5hp engine but if you're pretty high up, you might only be able to get 2 or 3 hp out of it.

Someone else should jump in here and tell him about GM90's.
What about finding a wrecked motorhome or RV and salvaging the generator out of it??
Build your own from a small gas engine (just like the pump mechanic said) and a generator head?? Or lawn mower engine??
Convert the gas engine to CNG or propane??
http://www.propane-generators.com/
There are lots of options. You just have to decide what you want.

Ralph