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monoloco
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If you mix panels of differing voltage, you will need to use a separate charge controller.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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wessongroup
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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As always ... thanks for all the good info ...
Anyone have any news on the POWERWALL by Telsa
Haven't heard a thing and just googled with nothing new
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pacside
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Quote: Originally posted by soulpatch  | Regarding the panels you will want to find out the voltage parameters for your charge controller and size your strings accordingly.... panel prices
are dropping right now.... our supplier just dropped prices 15% and is expecting to reduce even more shortly.... it appears China is again trying to
dump product.
So, you may be better off getting new panels if yours have some years on them and they are degrading... panels are getting better and better.
As far as generators, remember standby is just that..... if you are running hours on end daily for a sustained period of time pony up for a prime
generator. They are designed for continuous use.
Use the university of google to price a few.
On edit look at 250 or larger panels. There are lots of sales going on and, if you use a Mexican manufacturer rather than paying the import tax you'll
do alright. ERDM is a company out of Veracruz and Solartec is out of Irapuato.... I just priced 250W Polycrystalline modules at $170USD.
Make sure you have ventilation around those things.... which I am certain you know.... heat kills production.
[Edited on 7-10-2015 by soulpatch] |
Wow $170 for a 250w solar panel is .68 cents per watt. In my cursory look today the lowest price I found was .95 cents per watt. What do you mean by
ventilation? My panels are at a 45 degree angle facing sun on roof but I want my new ones to be flush mounted to the roof as I lost 4 panels in
hurricane Odile. Where do you recommend buying panels; U.S. or MX?
A sales rep from Wholesale Solar is assisting me on how much watts my batteries can handle and has this question:
""I need to know what the amp hour capacity of your battery bank as a whole is. You stated that you have 6V 370aH hour batteries and that you have
16 of them. We were also able to determine that you have 8 of them wired in series to make 48V. How many parallel connections do you have?
One last question… what charge controller are you using with the eight panels you currently have?"
I have an email out to the person who installed them.
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pacside
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You know your stuff monoloco. That is exactly what the Wholesale Solar person said.
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laventana
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| Quote: Originally posted by wessongroup | As always ... thanks for all the good info ...
Anyone have any news on the POWERWALL by Telsa
Haven't heard a thing and just googled with nothing new
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there is also samsung and a real new one that will kick teslas behind a new technology out of Washington.
samsung
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150610006482/en/Sams...
new one
http://www.uetechnologies.com/
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pacside
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Good info soulpatch.
I see EDRM offers pricing and online ordering. I will check how much to ship to Todos Santos.
Will call Mayra at Solartec. I assume they sell direct to consumer but one has to call in to get prices and order?
What is difference between Polycrystalline and Monocristalino solar panels and why buy one over the other?
I guessed on the 45˚ panel angle. I'm sure it is closer to 15˚. Really like the adjustable mount option to flatten them when when needed if
hurricane coming. Don't want any more panels flying off roof during a hurricane. 
"I am assuming(you know what they say about that) that you have two parallel strings(amperage additive) of 8 series (Voltage additive).
I guess you could wire them any number of combinations to get to 48V but most installers do not want to exceed 3 strings so take that into
consideration but to get to three strings would be interesting math with 16 and since they already know that 8 are in series..... well, it would be
extraordinary if the other 8 were in some different configuration and I haven't had enough coffee to consider it! I marvel that they can't extrapolate
that.....
Sounds to me you have a 48V bank at 740AH"
Yea I know right... Assuming your assumptions are correct, how would you answer her question: How many parallel connections do you have? 
CFE underground cables near my casa recently. Cables are ~40-80 meters from house, need to confirm. Anyone know approximate cost to pull cables to
casa?
pacside
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Alm
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1. "What type of generator to buy?"
Can't help with generator choice. Solar takes care of my winter needs. Permanent living there is not in my immediate future, and if it will be, I
think I'll go on-grid. You probably should do the same. Or get a generator. You're running a hotel in your casa, don't expect guests to care or
understand solar basics or energy conservation.
2. "How to know it will go with my solar system? "
There is no compatibility problems of generator and solar, don't worry about this. If you have This 3000 Outback, it's good for (52V*70A)/90%loss= max 4,044W solar array because 48V output is in fact 52V. Anything over 4,044W will be cut off
during peak sun, though you might want to go up to 4,500W. Watch out not to exceed max input voltage, this is a no-no.
In winter 4,500W flat array will work as 3,000W, but you are saying that your current 1,350W is almost enough, so...
Tilted panels: well, this is better in winter but then you lose some energy in summer. With current panel prices, for year-round living I would rather
get more panel wattage but wouldn't tilt more than 10-20 degrees needed for water and dust drainage or what the roof profile dictates. If panels flew
off the roof, then they were not installed properly. Mine didn't even bulge, though I'm on the Cortez side, and mine are almost flat, a lot less wind
resistance than with 45 degrees tilt.
Mono vs Poly panels: generally, Poly are more efficient in low-light conditions, less efficient in high-light, and cost less than Mono. But nothing
beats the wattage. Max the panels watts up to the limit of your controller.
"doesn't matter how many panels you have if it is cloudy which is what I'm trying to solve. On sunny days my solar is fine (except
no air conditioning or washer/dryer). "
Er... No. Size does matter. A rule of thumb for solar homes is to size solar - including battery bank - so that you could last 6-10 days of low
overcast and rain. In Baja 3-5 days is probably enough (there is plenty of sun during rainy season here). Solar does get some juice on a cloudy
day. Rain is a biyatch, this is when you get almost nothing from solar. On a cloudy day (no rain) I'm getting 80-100% of my daily energy needs
(depends on how cloudy), so battery goes down by 0-20% on such a day. My solar is smaller than yours, though.
3. "Does a standalone generator need to be covered to protect it from the elements?"
Yes. Not only to protect it from rain and salt spray, but also to protect you and your neighbors from noise. Bob&Susan is right - manufacturers
lie, all gennies are noisier than advertised. So called Quiet Honda EU3000 can be heard for several hundreds yards on a calm day. "Cubierta" from
cement blocks - 3 walls and roof - will cut the noise several times. Diesel genny will be louder yet than gasoline type.
5. "Would appreciate any recommendations on air conditioning solutions; are there units to cool whole house or best to have portable units for each
room. I prefer whole house".
I hope you meant "window units", not "portable". Portable - even those with double hose - don't work nearly as well as window units, and typically
cost more, and are more noisy because the entire thing is inside the room.
"Whole house", like ducted central AC? This is a lot more work than a few window AC, though a lot less noise too. With an average window AC in your
bedroom you have to have an advanced hearing loss, in order to sleep without ear plugs. Though you may run it in a living room and leave the bedroom
door open (in the night), and in the day do the same with a bedroom AC. But then again, you need it for your mini-hotel customers rather than for
yourself - so heck with them  , get some cheap and noisy window units 5,000-6,000
BTU each.
[Edited on 7-14-2015 by Alm]
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pacside
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Update:
I purchased a Honda EG6500 watt generator in La Paz due to availability, convenience, possible CFE connection soon and price wasn't much more than
U.S.
In casa now and air conditioning is sooo worth it this time of year. I can now enjoy mi casa year round. 
Now husband wants to know how soon can I get the generator cover built so he doesn't have to wheel it back and forth where the plug is. Being
oceanfront the waves and position of the generator make it so we can't hear it in the house. No neighbors close enough to be bothered so ventilating,
weather protection (from salt air, etc) and anti theft is most important and if this gets me to have reduced sound all the better.
Anyone have any suggestions on how to build the gen cover?
Next up: purchasing enough panels to increase from 1080w to at least 3500w.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice. I learned so much.
pacside
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laventana
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many aspects to covers, but keep in mind one critical aspect that can be easily overlooked is ease of
changing the oil, keep that in mind. Also looking into the future say you end up buying a same output but larger footprint one down the road.
[Edited on 7-20-2015 by laventana]
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
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They said "possible CFE connection soon". In this case I wouldn't buy any genny other than a very small one (about twice smaller than they bought),
for occasional blackouts. But it's just me. Yeah, too many aspects to cover. Hard to believe that waves and location of the genny make it kinda
silent for neighbors, either. Unless this is a hundred acres estate with bluffs blocking it from all the sides, cover is a must. Cement blocks.
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laventana
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I guess assuming someday you may have neighbors, happens faster than one would expect when the electric poles are in view. Cement structures
blocks do not deaden sound efficiently per say, they reflect or transfer them. So build that structure and put sound absorbing material inside it.
So when building, it is sold in the USA sound absorbing board to line the unit.. Just make provisions for adding it later if not found down
here.
here were some links I found a ways back that may be beneficial in theory of sound proofing:
http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/generator.htm
Quiet brace http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-QuietBrace-1-2-in-x-4-f... or Quietboard from lowes.
http://www.supersoundproofingsales.com/Insulation/products/2...
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
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Location: Pescadero BCS
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I built a concrete block building with insulated baffles over the openings, 2" insulated door, and filled the cells of the block with soil. I have a
very loud air cooled diesel generator and it cut the sound a lot.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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my back-up generator is similar...
5500w...6500surge
I put a muffler on it...remember these motors have no muffler
just a spark arrester
after...it's still loud...I should have doubled the size of the muffler...
more bad advice
I too need to build a box...but we have to remember its "air cooled"...
you can't restrict the air intake...maybe use a 110v fan
you DO need to replace the oil all the time too...think ahead
for you...a good choice for a backup generator
it will run easily with a 3000w load
problem is...it only runs 7 hours at a time with that gas tank
i just hooked mine up and ran it to "test" it after you posed this thread
the gas tank is only 5 gallons...you really need 15 gallons
the reason why is ...gas here really stinks
every time I fill my tank i spill...damn...and get gas on me...then i stink (maybe normal)
if the run-time is only 7 hours you'll need to get up at night to fill or first thing in the morning...
there's nothing like smelling like Pemex in the morning : )
the ONLY thing I've found to "cut" the smell is acetone or thinner
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pacside
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Posts: 316
Registered: 1-16-2006
Location: N. Cal
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Update:
My Honda EG6500, by necessity, got overused and broke down. It's fixed but as has been discussed in this thread it has a small gas tank and is not
sufficient to run 24/7 for days at a time (batteries died and couldn't replace soon enough so ran this one into the ground)...and my husband did spill
gas on himself in the early hours and was NOT happy.
So now in the market for a generator AGAIN . I made the decision to go with
enough solar to handle 90% of the demand and then buy a durable generator that can meet any power demands put on it.
A generator recommended to me by someone I consider extremely knowledgeable is this one:
http://www.costco.com/Cummins-Power-Generation-RS20A-Home-St...
Another generator I'm looking at is this one:
http://www.norwall.com/products/Cummins-Power-Quiet-Connect-...
Thinking propane for both.
I'd be very much interested in any input you may have on this.
I still have 1kw pv on the roof, an inverter and need batteries for the 1kw pv (batteries are dead). Suggestions on battery type/qty is welcome as
well. I like the powerwall 2.0 and those types of things but don't think they are ready for primetime. So looking at ones that will get me through the
next couple years.
Thanks a bunch!
pacside
edit: no grid in the foreseeable future.
[Edited on 11-4-2016 by pacside]
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mjs
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Posts: 309
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Location: Off grid in San Felipe
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There are benefits to propane like long storage life but I think you'll find that for anything other than short term emergency use you will be better
off with diesel. You'll use a lot of propane and will have to have a large tank and fill it often if you run the generator for extended time. The
simple reason is that there is more energy in a given volume of diesel than in gas or propane (in that order).
As for generator selection, if you are going to use it a lot then stay away from the home standby type units and get something that is designed for
use as a prime power unit, i.e. full time or extended run. Another thing that favors diesel is the maintenance intervals and long life design of the
engine. A propane engine is just a gasoline engine run on a different fuel.
You say you have 1kW of solar but you need a 6.5kW generator. That is way out of balance. BWOE, I have 5kW (theoretical) of solar when 2.5kW is
adequate for my needs so even with cloudy days I don't have to run the generator. Since I don't need the generator except for emergency I use a 7kW
propane unit. (Much lower cost than a diesel unit) Other than to occasionally exercise the unit it has not been run in over a year.
If you want a real long life battery (up to 20 years) than an industrial or forklift type battery is the best value IMO. You have to maintain it as it
is a wet cell battery. The drawback is the weight which can make it difficult to handle. But with only 1kW of solar you're not able to charge a large
battery bank. Ideally, you want to be able to charge at 10 to 20% of the battery capacity. So using this rule, a 1kW PV array can charge a 800 to 400
amp hour 12V battery bank, or 400 to 200 amp hour 24V battery. This is assuming you are getting an actual 1kW out of the array.
There's a lot that goes into designing a good off-grid electrical system. You should start with getting a good realistic idea of your actual needs and
then seek the help of a qualified company or engineer to help you come up with a balanced system that works for you. By balanced I mean integrated
solar, inverter, storage and generation.
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laventana
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Posts: 216
Registered: 8-24-2006
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| Quote: Originally posted by pacside | Update:
My Honda EG6500, by necessity, got overused and broke down. It's fixed but as has been discussed in this thread it has a small gas tank and is not
sufficient to run 24/7 for days at a time (batteries died and couldn't replace soon enough so ran this one into the ground)...and my husband did spill
gas on himself in the early hours and was NOT happy.
So now in the market for a generator AGAIN . I made the decision to go with
enough solar to handle 90% of the demand and then buy a durable generator that can meet any power demands put on it.
A generator recommended to me by someone I consider extremely knowledgeable is this one:
http://www.costco.com/Cummins-Power-Generation-RS20A-Home-St...
Another generator I'm looking at is this one:
http://www.norwall.com/products/Cummins-Power-Quiet-Connect-...
Thinking propane for both.
I'd be very much interested in any input you may have on this.
I still have 1kw pv on the roof, an inverter and need batteries for the 1kw pv (batteries are dead). Suggestions on battery type/qty is welcome as
well. I like the powerwall 2.0 and those types of things but don't think they are ready for primetime. So looking at ones that will get me through the
next couple years.
Thanks a bunch!
pacside
edit: no grid in the foreseeable future.
[Edited on 11-4-2016 by pacside] |
I have a 2kW diesel generator and 3kW diesel generator for sale, both have less than 100 hours on them. They are Yanmar Japanese design Engines,
well made in Italy. Both can be pull started and can be started via battery. The 2kW is only 110VAC the 3kW is 220VAC. When the hurricane
hit I used a 2Kw one that uses I think about .2 gallons per hour and I ran 3 full sized fridges on it and a small 8000 BTU AC. These are fuel
sippers and if running all the time a diesel will pay for itself in fuel savings. Also you load them up to 80% so in essence they are underrated vs
gas ones. Because these are also single cylinder air cooled and parts are readily available they can last a long time. They are 3600 rpm so they
are loud, you must have a housing.
I have them in LaVentana. They are very heavy for their output, because of the quality. 150 lbs and 300 lbs. Brand new these today would list
for over $5k and $8k USD. one is under $2,000.00 and the other just over that. These should last and last.
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larryC
Super Nomad
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Location: BoLA
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I set my solar system so that it would handle all my elec needs with minimal generator help, and so far after 15 years I have no complaints. After
several days of clouds I do need to run the generator and for that I have a 6.5KW Kubota. When I run the gen my 2 inverters can put 250 amps at 12v
back into the batteries so that with just 3 or 4 hours of generator run time I can run another 2 days on the batteries. The Kubota is a self contained
unit that is quiet and since it is diesel it is very reliable. You might also want to consider installing an AGS (auto gen start) in your system so
that when your batteries get low the gen will start and recharge the batteries and then shut sown when the charge cycle is finished.
Good luck with your system
Larry
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
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Location: Pescadero BCS
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If you are going to depend on a generator for prime power, diesel is the only way to go. With proper maintenance a good name brand 1800 rpm diesel
generator will last for 20-30,000 hours. Also with diesel, you avoid the fuel storage issues that you will have with gas, and the cost of operations
will be much less over the life of the generator. A 7kw diesel generator will use about a liter of fuel an hour. Something like this will give you a
lot of bang for the buck:
http://www.centralmainediesel.com/order/800TS.asp?page=800TS
[Edited on 11-4-2016 by monoloco]
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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I would get a diesel generator ONLY
because baja gets a lot of damage from winds and rain and EVENTS
when a Catastrophe happens...
there WILL be no propane deliveries but diesel will always be available...
and remember you can ALWAYS buy diesel from a non-moving truck driver if you have pesos in your pocket
as for size...get the smallest generator you can use...
diesel is expensive
BIG engine BIG money to run
size for double your use in wattage
don't overtax the generator thinking you can use 80% of the power...
50% and your unit will give you clean lasting power
don't buy a sound box...they are almost worthless stopping noise...build a sound enclosure that you can work in to service the generator...lots of
room...but...build it so you can get the generator out if you need to take it away for repair
get an 1800rpm unit forget the 3600rpm units...
you'll use 1/2 the fuel
I noticed the units you referenced don't have a fuel tank...$$$
don't put the tank UNDER the generator...mistake...diesel is heavy...
get a tank you can wheel around and don't have to fill every day
I bought an electric pump to pump out the fuel from 5 gallon fuel cans to the generator tank...filling by hand is an effort...and...messy
now I stick a tube in the can and in a minute its empty
the air filters on the units you referenced are TOO SMALL...get a BIG air filter...diesels take a lot of air to run correctly
don't buy the generator because its a cummings or kabota etc
these are commercial engines and the parts are always different from a truck engine...these big companies will "sell their name" and you may be buying
an inferior product
buy a unit with a well known named GENERATOR (not the engine)
remember china products are ALWAYS inferior...look where everything is made
if you buy a unit in Maine USA ...figure NO GUARANTEE
too hard to ship it back
these businesses just "put together parts" and make a unit
they don't manufacture generators
if you need to save money...
think about buying a used unit with low hours on a trailer
...maybe in san diego then import it
there is a lot of stuff around
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laventana
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Registered: 8-24-2006
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Bob, I am curious to where you found information on running at 50%. I would like to see that data. The 3600rpms are certainly noisy and need a box
of some sort. Luckily where I live I can put them far enough away from me where I do not get annoyed and it is a ghost town here in the summer.
I believe what I have read is the mistake is not running at 80% or at least from time to time loading it down to prevent, I think the term is
called wet stacking. Also carbon can build up in the cylinders if below 50%. https://books.google.com.mx/books?id=_mEohL5Upj0C&pg=PA8...
The generators I have are what the military buys for war zones, so rigorously tested and probably the most reliable in the world, you do not want your
generator to die in a war zone for some reason. On the forums the guys who were trained on them I remember say run them up at 80 percent load.
Also they say the military ones are rated different, they are an actual rating not the consumer fudged ratings. Obviously in a war zone you need to
pull the power it is rated as sometimes you are running systems that cost 10s of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars, or someone is being
operated on. So a different criteria.. That is why there is a huge following and tech info on these military ones. Ya they paid a lot for them,
but i buy them used less than 100 hours for the small ones and the larger not as important..
As the military guys explain in general they military ones can put out about 2 times the rated for 1-5 minutes and 50% extra for 5-30 minutes.
Also I have never read where the 1800rpm are half usage of fuel of the 3600 ones except when talking about gas to diesel. Most if not all 3600rpm
generator sets were designed for gas. It appears the military wanted smaller generators and one was made using 3600rpm generators and matched with
the diesel engine because the military is all diesel. I used 0.2 gallons of fuel recently per hour at 80% load 16 hours a day on a 2K one. Here
are two generators I have a 5kW 1800rpm military and my 2k 3600rpm one. the fuel consumption is quite similar per KWH the 5k one is a cummings with
700 hours on it. I would sell either of these. Same price from the below site that also sells them but you do not have to pay the shipping from US
east coast to here and I match their warrenty. Note this 5k generator weighs in at 900 lbs. These military ones are built to the highest
standards.
https://greenmountaingenerators.com/product/mep802a-5kw-mili...
https://greenmountaingenerators.com/product/mep-531a-2kw-mil...
And there is the cost of repair for the smaller under 5kW ones. Air cooled yanmar (top of the line diesel motor) generators should get from 7000
hours to 10,000 if run properly at a high load. Some claim they have 15,000 hours on them. There is a cult of people for these military generators
with a forum. Also consider the parts because it is one cylinder to rebuild are just a few hundred dollars and found readily on ebay because of how
popular that Yanmar engine is. Virtually any diesel mechanic can repair a single cylinder with their eyes wide shut, as well as most gas engine guys.
Rebuild should in labor be about $200.00 to $300.00. Once you go to two cylinders you need a model specific specialist in general.
I can walk up and pull start my smaller ones if need be. It is easy peasy. I actually do that because I do not even keep it hooked up to
batteries.
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