Honda EU10i on propane?

[[2574]]

I'm thinking about converting the generator to propane as I've gas on board already and the cylinders seem safer than 5lt plastic cans of petrol. Has anybody done this? If so can you advise on the propane performance as compared to petrol? How do running costs compare?

TIA

Rob

 

[stuey_two]

Cars tend to use about 5 - 10% more LPG than petrol, I guess a generator would be similar.
Petrol about £1-40 per litre.
Calor propane in small bottles (3.9 Kg = about 8L), £2-25 per litre.
If you like to live dangerously, you can refill your own Calor bottles for under £1 per litre!!

 

[Topcat47]

A mate had a propane driven Honda generator in his motor caravan. It was a complete nightmare, spending most of the two year guarantee period in transit between the supplier and the owner. It never did run properly. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[JerryHawkins]

Its been done

Get in touch with Just Generators. See:

http://www.justgenerators.co.uk/pages/HondaEU10i.htm

They can supply a generator with the conversion, so I guess would be able to advise or sell you just the conversion parts.

 

[Heckler]

I'm thinking about converting the generator to propane as I've gas on board already and the cylinders seem safer than 5lt plastic cans of petrol. Has anybody done this? If so can you advise on the propane performance as compared to petrol? How do running costs compare?

TIA

Rob

I had a 4.5 kva honda and bought a conversion for it, basically it is a "Big Joe" regulator that works like a demand valve, ie v sensitive to suction, and a tube with a metering hole that replaced the main jet tube. The suction off the venturi tube in the carb opens the big joe which starts gas flowing and away it goes.
Stu

 

[Pkewish]

I think all LPG / petrol converted engines need run off a 'liquid off-take" similar to a fork lift ruck you might see with the gas bottle on it's side at the back. Calor do them but the smallest is a 12kg (plus the weight of the bottle, about 10kg). In essence, there is a tube inside the bottle so that liquid LPG is drawn out and converted to a 'vapour' in the engine carb as with petrol. I'm pretty sure you can't run an engine from a 'vapour off-take' but will probably be corrected.

 

[Heckler]

I think all LPG / petrol converted engines need run off a 'liquid off-take" similar to a fork lift ruck you might see with the gas bottle on it's side at the back. Calor do them but the smallest is a 12kg (plus the weight of the bottle, about 10kg). In essence, there is a tube inside the bottle so that liquid LPG is drawn out and converted to a 'vapour' in the engine carb as with petrol. I'm pretty sure you can't run an engine from a 'vapour off-take' but will probably be corrected.

See my previous post. Plus all my gas driven gennies offshore ran on gas, no liquid.
Stu
Edit: not big joe, garretson see here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IMPCO-GAS...778&pid=100009&prg=1013&rk=4&sd=320340903448&

 

[[2574]]

I had a very helpful reply frrom the supplier of my generator, see here:

You go through around 1/3 of a Kg of gas, per Kw, per hour.

Therefore if you were running the EU10i at full power, you would go through 1kg of gas every 3 hours.

We have found that the best value for money is from a 19kg or upwards bottle of gas. This is due to you getting more gas for your money when you buy a larger gas tank from places like Calour Gas.


I would recommend the supplier by the way, very helpful and the best prices on the web when I bought mine; see here; www.seddondirect.co.uk - no connections etc.