Onan generator

Bouba

Bouba

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Hi everyone, I’m about to order a new Onan 6kva generator and I noticed that I’m being charged for a lot of ancillaries such as battery, battery cables, water filters, fuel filters, Hull fittings, pipes etc etc. €2000 worth of extras. Apart from that the labour and generator are a good price. Is this normal?
 
Broadly speaking yes. The generator will come in a box and you will need all sorts of things to fit it. The fuel filtration I assume is another separ filter or similar just for the generator.

It all adds up.

Just installed a water maker. Need fittings pumps filters, flush timers , hose etc. Was close on £1000
 
jrudge said:
Broadly speaking yes.
Click to expand...
+1.
Otoh, 2k Eur for those parts is a bit borderline with a rip off, imho.
It's not like a 6kVA genset needs a huge battery, a 3" strainer, a large fuel filter and so forth...
I would at least check that they are using good quality stuff.
 
There’s a basic exhaust kit which both gas and water exit together - gurgling = noisey and a “ super silent “ one too which separates gas to exit above the WL and you choose where you want the water .
Below the WL - silent no trickle , but no tell tale - straight to busted impeller if there’s a restriction.
Or above the WL - trickle noise .

Super silent normally has a large expansion box as well before the separator .
Then there may be a anti syphon loop required depending on relative height s etc
Remote control panal or addition panal so two , one in the saloon one in the ER or geny space .

Starts to add up above is as well as bat and fuel arrangement s
 
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It’s €1,367.60 + tax @ 20% total €1,641,12
Is that closer to reasonable? There’s 22 separate items some just a few euros others like filters are a couple of hundred each
 
I ordered the silencer kit with the water separator with the generator.
The €1600 are extras
 
Hard to comment without seeing list. Feels expensive if no exhaust components at all.

Inlet seacock bronze with elbow etc 80
Anode bonding cable kit for above 40
Hoses and clips 70
Strainer 150
Primary fuel filter 200
Fuel hoses 100
Battery 100
Battery box 30
Battery cables 60
Remote stop/start maybe? 150
Sealant 15
That's 995. I struggle to see the number you quoted

Ref the exhaust and Porto's post above, take the water outlet below the waterline and have silent running. I don't agree Porto's comment that an above waterline tell tale will save the day if you get an intake water blockage. The Onan senses inlet water pressure and will shut itself down automatically far faster than you could yourself. Your impeller will therefore be fine. I have done this plenty having owned six Onans (and liked them very much- you made a good choice) .
 
The full list in my best French
Sea water filter.........................................38.68
Exhaust hose..................6m @ 36.80.....220.82
Water lock outlet hose....2m @ 23.32.......46.64
Water hose......................6m @ 11.66......69.96
Diesel pre filter.......................................206.03
Diesel hose.............................................233.20
Raccord pre filter.........................................5.05
Battery cables...........................................38.27
Battery terminal connectors...4 @ 3.39......13.57
Battery cut off............................................36.56
Battery.....................................................120.15
Battery box................................................17.97
‘Jeu’ (?) Battery terminal...............................8.29
3/4” Thru Hull............................................28.24
3/4” valve...................................................10.22
3/4” tip (?)....................................................4.98
1” Thru Hull................................................26.96
1” valve......................................................38.41
1” tip (?)......................................................12.06
Anti siphon.................................................31.11
90 degree elbow.........................................95.40
Various supplies and collars........................60.00

Phew! All prices are in euros and do not include tax (20%)
 
Ok makes sense. In my guess above I excluded exhaust components as you sort of told us to, but actually you have c400+ vat of exhaust stuff in there. It looks ok to me apart from the following:

1. the French will definitely use brass (plain, not DZR) seawater fittings because they just "don't do" bronze. I would delete those brass items, buy bronze from ASAP and tell them to fit the bronze stuff.
2. I hope diesel hose has crimped ends not jubilee clips, at that punchy price. ( if you want uber spec you want all fuel hoses anywhere in boat done with crimped ends. No jubilee clips anywhere)
3. Looks like they are not bonding seacocks to anodes :( unless included in the last €60 item
 
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jfm said:
Ok makes sense. In my guess above I excluded exhaust components as you sort of told us to, but actually you have c400+ vat of exhaust stuff in there. It looks ok to me apart from the following:

1. the French will definitely use brass (plain, not DZR) seawater fittings because they just "don't do" bronze. I would delete those brass items, buy bronze from ASAP and tell them to fit the bronze stuff.
2. I hope diesel hose has crimped ends not jubilee clips, at that punchy price. ( if you want uber spec you want all fuel hoses anywhere in boat done with crimped ends. No jubilee clips anywhere)
3. Looks like they are not bonding seacocks to anodes :( unless included in the last €60 item
Click to expand...
Since the whole boat is French does that mean all underwater fittings are brass?
I also saw your anode bonding kit was not on my list. I’ll talk to the engineer when he comes.
The engineer is coming to my boatyard in his van, how much equipment he has with him (for crimping etc) we’ll have to wait and see. I also was shocked at the fuel pipe cost as well as the elbow bend cost.
 
Portofino said:
There’s a basic exhaust kit which both gas and water exit together - gurgling = noisey and a “ super silent “ one too which separates gas to exit above the WL and you choose where you want the water .
Below the WL - silent no trickle , but no tell tale - straight to busted impeller if there’s a restriction.
Or above the WL - trickle noise .

Super silent normally has a large expansion box as well before the separator .
Then there may be a anti syphon loop required depending on relative height s etc
Remote control panal or addition panal so two , one in the saloon one in the ER or geny space .

Starts to add up above is as well as bat and fuel arrangement s
Click to expand...
I definitely want the below water line water outlet. During my research I was shown a boat with an above water line outlet and the sound was intrusive
 
It is surprising how much the bits and bobs necessary to install an engine of any description all add up. The installer should also be adding a reasonable mark up. Looking at you list some items seem perfectly reasonable, and other could in my view be obtained for 1/4 the price shown, but you need to understand what you are buying and as JFM says bronze or at least DZR (or Forespar Marelon) are essential. The hose and the filters seem a bit on the high side - ASAP supplied my exhaust hose (90mm) at far less than that per metre, and I expect this will be considerably less than 90mm.
 
Bouba said:
I definitely want the below water line water outlet. During my research I was shown a boat with an above water line outlet and the sound was intrusive
Click to expand...

You tend not to hear your own as much as other people’s.
Noise travels across a dead calm anchorage .
Imho the best place to site both - gas and water is in the middle of the stern , not at a side .
Reason - sometimes in busy periods marinas rig up visitors pontoons temporary with no power .Or if power it’s knackered.
This leaves only those with genys able to access 220 v .
If it’s a side exit your neighbour ( more so if a sail boat ,with them sat n the cockpit eating ) whingers over the diesel fume smell .
So it’s not a noise issue really esp if the water is below .
I don,t ,t trust any inlet water pressure sensor guarding against a overheat situation leading to auto shut down .
There s normally an EGT guard that recognises reduced water flow .
Imho you can,t beat a pair of MK 1 ears and eyes - I like to hear and see it .
Those geny impeller s are tiny and in my view delicate .
As said set them n the middle of the stern with the water only a few cm above the WL say 4-5 cm .
Then ck every time and relax .
Your neighbours won,t hear if in a rammed shore powerless marina .
It’s a side exit oppersite somebody’s open cabin window that irritates them - understandably, with small genies on small boats .
By hearing you get used to the sound of the correct flow .
If it’s under the WL and restricted you don,t know and the engines running extra hot for how long ?
Until it finally triggers a guard - imho - early investigation is better than leaving to conk out .
 
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That’s interesting Portofino. I have a swim platform bolted onto my transom, so a transom outlet would be under the platform. Would that make a difference?
 
There should be room under ,i,am kinda guessing as not wholly familiar with the ST 34 rear end .
Here a pic of mine .
Under the 1 st letter “ t” is the air con chiller out ,just above the white stripe .,
Under the “2” partly obscured by a BP support is the geny out .Both gas and water ,but through a 90degree scoup .
So the water runs down the hull .
You only hear them if directly stood on top looking down .
Even from the jetty hardly .But you can importantly see them , nice to see when you return from a meal out that things are as they should - MKI eye ball .
Point is you can,t hear either from a lateral ie neighbours side .
The Sunseeker a 12 M boat had them one each side. About a 1ft up and straight out ( yup nice :disgust:) so runing either AC or geny 9issed somebody or both off .No consideration of the noise impact at all !

Now with the Itama either neighbour has no idea—- small details :encouragement: - big effect
.View attachment 71132 .

Obviously owners of larger boats could be oblivious to these nuances.:)
 
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That is very much like my rear end, only yours is larger:) I will research this as it’s the first time I’ve heard of it and I want to get it right first time
 
Bouba said:
That is very much like my rear end, only yours is larger:) I will research this as it’s the first time I’ve heard of it and I want to get it right first time
Click to expand...
Put it underwater if you want to get it right first time. A pressure transducer backed up by an overheat transducer is 1000x more reliable than a mark 1 eyeball or ear. Especially if you're at the restaurant as Porto mentions above. In any case impellers are ten a penny in boat terms.
 
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