a poll of the membership

[thomasonw]

1. what prime mover are you using or planning to use?
   Prime Mover? 
       Mains:  Cummins 6BTA5.9
       Generator:  Kubota EA-300
       Backup:  Honda 2000

2. what hp or kwatt (mechanical) output is the prime mover?
Mains:  225HP
     Generator  7.5HP
     Backup:  4hp?   

3. what generator are you using? AC only? DC only? or both?
  Mains and generator supply DC power to the batteries and/or inverters.  Backup delivers 120V AC to inverter/chargers.

4. how long have you had the unit? 
Mains:  10 years with additional large capacity alternator,   generator about 4.  Backup also 4 years.

5. how long does it run or are you planning to run,  per day, week, month or year?
When not in Winter Port:  Mains:  3-4hr every 4 days.  Generator:  was 1-2 hrs / day until we installed Solar Panels.  Now, ~1hr every other day in early  Spring and late Fall.  (Winter is typical in port where we use land based shore power.)  Backup: only as needed.  We have battery capacity to go without generator for 4 days+, but then find we would need to run it 4-5 hours to replenish the batteries.  So we settled into the pattern of running the generator about an hour every day, typically in the afternoon

6. is the unit used for primary power, backup, emergency, or?
Mains:  Movement + recharge batteries, Gen:  primary battery charger if Solar does not meet need.  Generator also severs to power high pressure pump for Reverse Osmosis 'water maker' system.

7. do you harvest the waste heat and use that heat?  if so for what purpose? domestic hot water
production, space heating or both?
Mains:  Domestic water, planning to extend to water + space heating.  Generator - in place for domestic water + space heating, but have not installed yet.  Backup:  no.

8. if you are not harvesting the waste heat, are you planning to do so?  do you have any interest in doing so?
Yes, and Yes on Mains and Gen.  Systems are design for waste heat to be recaptured by both domestic water as well as space heating via existing hydronic space heating system.  Backup Honda, no intention to.

9. do you use any form of automation, such as autostart?
Mains n/a - we start when we want to move.
Generator:  Currently no, and likely will not as we tend to like to start the generator when conditions are best, mostly to minimize noise for ourselves and those around us.  Depends on factors like:  Expected power draw over next 24 hrs, current wind conditions (masks noise well), and personal choice like naps.  Other prime consideration is the need for laundry (mostly in the spring and fall when the Solar panels are not able to meet all demands) 

10. if you do not use automation, would you do so if it were commonly available and reasonable in price?
Automation around Auto-start is more if a question of how to judge the criteria for starting.  Per above, we use more then just start of charge.  Am in process of  designing and installing an open-source automated controller that will include features like autostart and auto-shut-down capability, as well as monitoring and throttle control. But likely will personal not use the auto start.  Will use the Auto stop  - to stop charging after battery reaches a defined SOC.

11. how would you rank fuel efficiency of a unit, not very important, somewhat important, moderately important, very important, or most important.
Efficiency is important, but in line with run time needed (to min noise), as well as operational noise.


now a couple of other questions

12. where do you find the information you rely on to make decisions about your genset designs?
Mostly interent, comercial offerings as well as posted experiances of other people.

13. do you feel that there is enough information available to you to make good decisions regarding design?
Yes, for me.

14. if you are frustrated or find it difficult to find information, what sorts of information would you like to find?
Mostly can find information needed, but it can at time take and a large effort.

15. if there was a book available on some facet or facets of power generation for offgrid applications such as what is typical on this forum, what would you find as being a must have or rather what would you like to see in such a book?
Myself, not sure I see a lacking in information.  But I will say, having resources that talks about how to do something and gives details (ala parts lists) is helpful - and not found very often.  Also, seems that post-project experiences are lacking. Often can find things like "Hey, I am going to do this!!"  And perhaps even "How, here is how I did it", but very rarely does one find "Well, this is how it came out..." 

16. please feel free to add other comments that you might have an interest in sharing.
Perhaps we are a little different then most folks on this forum, being that we leave a marine based life.  However, we do live 'off the grid' 9+ months out of the year, coming into port only during the core of Winter (Typically November..perhaps Jan/ Feb).   Other then that we are 100% self-sufficient for Power.  We use a mixture of power generation:  Solar (installed last March), 3KW delivered via large alternator on mains, and the Kubota DC generator. 


thanks guys

bob g

[Mad_Labs]

 1. what prime mover are you using or planning to use?

Honda GX240-leece neville 555

2. what hp or kwatt (mechanical) output is the prime mover?

1920 watts

3. what generator are you using? AC only? DC only? or both?

DC only. My sister has my AC gen. :-0

4. how long have you had the unit?

Built it a year or so ago

5. how long does it run or are you planning to run,  per day, week, month or year?

Prolly 10 hours a week in winter. Very little in summer.

6. is the unit used for primary power, backup, emergency, or?

Battery charging when the solar/wind ain't cutting it.

7. do you harvest the waste heat and use that heat?  if so for what purpose? domestic hot water
production, space heating or both?

No.

8. if you are not harvesting the waste heat, are you planning to do so?  do you have any interest in doing so?

Very much yes and yes.

9. do you use any form of automation, such as autostart?

I have a controller I made that can do autostart. But I prefer telling it when to run. I do have an auto off when charged that I use.

10. if you do not use automation, would you do so if it were commonly available and reasonable in price?

Maybe. I like making controllers.

11. how would you rank fuel efficiency of a unit, not very important, somewhat important, moderately important, very important, or most important.
Very, even though  my current one is very inefficient. Next gen it will be top of the list.

now a couple of other questions

12. where do you find the information you rely on to make decisions about your genset designs?

This forum, Fieldlines forums, haphazard experimentation, S.W.A.G.s (scientific wild ass guess)

13. do you feel that there is enough information available to you to make good decisions regarding design?

Availablilty and comprehesible to me are two different things. I think the info is out there.

14. if you are frustrated or find it difficult to find information, what sorts of information would you like to find?

Lots of pictures and small words. :-0

15. if there was a book available on some facet or facets of power generation for offgrid applications such as what is typical on this forum, what would you find as being a must have or rather what would you like to see in such a book?

Bulding/modifying gen heads, co-gen methods, making things out of commonly available stuff with common tools.

16. please feel free to add other comments that you might have an interest in sharing.

Bob, you and this site has taught me a LOT.

Jonathan

[Dualfuel]

1. what prime mover are you using or planning to use?
Honda EU3000i, Kubota powered Leroy Somer 6000watt AC generator, 4kw Yanmar turning a Delco 10SI
2. what hp or kwatt (mechanical) output is the prime mover?

3. what generator are you using? AC only? DC only? or both?

4. how long have you had the unit? 
The Kubota since 2006, The Honda since 2010, The Yanmar since 2006

5. how long does it run or are you planning to run,  per day, week, month or year?
The Honda runs several hours per day in the winter. The Kubota is the same when the fuel is warm. Yanmar runs at various bizzare moments like if I am leaving or during a storm and the other generators are covered and protected.

6. is the unit used for primary power, backup, emergency, or?
Our primary source of power is solar but during the winter the primary becomes the various generators until it all boils down to gasoline in the Honda.
7. do you harvest the waste heat and use that heat?  if so for what purpose? domestic hot water
production, space heating or both?
NO

8. if you are not harvesting the waste heat, are you planning to do so?  do you have any interest in doing so? I am vary interested in doing so

9. do you use any form of automation, such as autostart? No.

10. if you do not use automation, would you do so if it were commonly available and reasonable in price? Price is important but robusticity is tantamount. Our generators have to survive an extremely harsh climate

11. how would you rank fuel efficiency of a unit, not very important, somewhat important, moderately important, very important, or most important.
If the fuel is store bought gasoline or diesel then fuel effciency is very important. If the fuel is wood blocks or biodiesel then I could care less.
now a couple of other questions

12. where do you find the information you rely on to make decisions about your genset designs?
Books and Internet. Sometimes at the old engine shows
13. do you feel that there is enough information available to you to make good decisions regarding design?
Hell no
14. if you are frustrated or find it difficult to find information, what sorts of information would you like to find?
I want a book about how generators work, all the different types discussed on this forum. I want it in the form like an Army TM or General Motors Technical documents. Skip the math and show pictures, does and don'ts. Then if the math is needed work through a real life example and don't leave me hanging with some intergal and now where to connect the dots. If you must do math and I assume a book about generators is going to have  math then present it like Sir Harry Ricardo does in his treatise on slow speed engines.
15. if there was a book available on some facet or facets of power generation for offgrid applications such as what is typical on this forum, what would you find as being a must have or rather what would you like to see in such a book?
As much fun as it is to build a new setup, and I have done many, There is a frustration barrier that has to be overcome when the gee-whizz-gadget doesn't work as expected the first time. My first biodiesel batch was glop. My first desulfator went up in a mushroom cloud, and my first Honda rebuild left me pushing the bike 7 miles to get home. So what I want to see is good step by step instruction, with nothing left out. Pictures are cheap now, include Youtube video or a video DVD with the book. LOTS of fingers pointing at important details. Pretend I am brilliant and want to understand you but too damn retarded to pay attention to everything for very long. In other words don't talk down to me but still, treat me like a child.  A good example is Hugh Piggot's book, a bad example is a 40 level army repair manual that doesn't include all the lower level tasks in the same volume (flipping back and forth blows the whole continuity thing).
16. please feel free to add other comments that you might have an interest in sharing.

Some books are just plain boring. Some books like Ali Kaup's Gas Producer book or Ricardo's two volume engine books are so well written that its fun to keep them by the bed side all the time.
Anyhow, I would not think twice about shelling out $100 for a book that had the depth of detail and comprehensivness of some of those I mentioned already. I regularly shelled out $600 to $700 for my mechnical engineering books. So I would err on the expensive side.
Thanks for asking
DF