Submitted by Mayor_McCheese529 t3_zvdp5h in Maine
I have a 6,000 watt generator that I have been fortunate enough to not use yet. I was curious how long they actually run on a tank of gas? Mine is hooked up to a transfer switch that runs my boiler, refridgerator, well pump, and a few lights/outlets. My tank holds 7 gallons of gas. I would like to gauge how much gas to have on hand for future storms.
Would i need to hook it up to the house? My understanding is that they run differently whether it is idling or under load
Yes, I am suggesting that you fill the generator with 7 gallons of gas, throw that transfer switch, and run your house off the generator. See how long you get from the one tank.
Maybe 12 hours or so
Thank you!
I was going to say 10 hrs
My 8K also has a 7 gallon tank and I've gone 10 hours with gas to spare. We don't run any big loads like laundry, showering or dishwasher, but we don't skimp either. I try to keep the genny tank full and well dosed with preservative and usually have a 5 gallon can standing by.
Thanks! Does that include a boiler or are you running a wood stove for heat?
I have a very high efficiency propane FHA furnace, a cast iron woodstove (I burn 2 cords/ yr) and a propane cookstove that has 2 continuous pilot lights that keep the kitchen toasty with no electricity consumed. The furnace rarely runs if I have a fire going in the woodstove, so most of my generator load is just lighting, refrigerators and the odd well pump cycle. 2 cords of firewood and 600 gallons of propane keep the house warm for a year.
Your manual probably says... about...12 hours on 7 gallons at 1/2 load.To be safe, shut it down and fill it at 9-10 hours.
Unfortunately the manual doesn't have it listed. I think the box said something like 7 hours at full load and 12 hours at half load, but i threw that out about 5 years ago. I wasn't sure how realistic either of those numbers are
Remember to check your oil after every 20 hours of runtime. Generators tend to use oil, and more so as they age.
4000 watt runs about 12 hrs depending on usage. Fridge freezer coffee maker and lights is the sweet spot for me
My 20KvA whole-house genny will run about 3 weeks on a full tank.
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>!It runs off a 1,000ga propane tank buried in the side yard!<
I would love to get one of those someday. Those things are pretty impressive
My 20kw whole home runs off propane, two tanks and can run for around two weeks.
I have a new 9400 with a 5 gallon tank. I have the same setup at the switch. I would say mine would run 7-8 hours.
Gas Genny's need to be run almost monthly.
I suggest a full test, hook the the house and run the tank dry.
Then fill it with non ethanol gas, look here for this.
Keep in mind, there are times that even gas stations don't have power, it might make sense to keep 20+ gallons at the home for longer storage.
Whatever you do just make sure ya let it cool down for 5 minutes before re-fueling š„š„
Oh my Lord my stepdad was refilling the tank on his while it was still running yesterday.
Yikes... He must have a steady hand..
I have a 7200k Kohler 8 gallon tank. Luckily, I've only used it 3 times in the 6 years I've owned it. The owenr's Manual says it should go 11 hrs at 1/2 duty. One time in summer with 2 a/c units, the fridge, TV and 5 house lights on it went 12 hrs with at least a gallon left. The other two times were winter with pellet stove, fridge, tvs, boiler for hot water, and house lights it went 15 and 16 hrs till empty. It idled most of that time and would only ramp up when microwave was used or two appliances where on at once. I think I could stretch it a bit further if I only used it as needed instead of just letting it go.
We have a 9500 that I've gotten 12hrs out of running the boiler, well pump, fridge, lights, etc with 6.6 gallon capacity. This is at night when the load is under 25% of max capacity. During the day I'll throw on a stove burner, dishwasher, washer (none at the same time) and I get about 10hrs. This past storm I went through 10 gallons a day. I keep 25gallons on hand.
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7500 watt champion that has around a 6 gallon tank I think. I can run it 12 hours or so on the tank but I also have a wood stove for heating so the only thing it's powering is like, starlink, computer, small space heater, fridge, freezer, well pump. I could probably extend it even more if I sealed the freezer, turned off the water heater, etc
We get 7-8 hours on an 8kw generator under average load. But we have it running a large household, so Iād imagine most would get more time. We typically run for 1 on 2 off during the day if we suspect a longer outage to conserve fuel, and then leave it on all night.
Some specs. I found on line say about 11 hours at 50% load and up to 30 hours no load. I'm assuming you have a standard generator and not an inverter generator. Inverter ones are more fuel efficient.
In real world scenarios 6 to 8 hours is average. Maybe 10 to 12 if the loads are light.
You can google your brand/model run time and it will tell you what to expect under, usually, 50%load. My generac gp8000 gives me about 13 hrs to a tank running the boiler, sewage lift pump, refrigerator, a couple of rooms worth of lights and outlets.
CampingJosh t1_j1oltqm wrote
Test it out sometime. That's your most accurate answer, and it'll only cost you $25.