Hey Steve,
Was watching some YouTube videos and ran across this one. In case you don’t want to load it due to limited / slow internet, he has a Honda 2000 inverter generator. He is completely off grid, and uses this for most of the winter months in Alaska. Claims to have somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 hours. Says the only thing he has had to fix was the pull start recoil, and the fuel cap vent.
Jim, the very best batteries made are made for military submarines. Dunno where you can find them. The round plante cells made for telecom use are very good and not too hard to find. They cycle them out while they are still pretty good. The T -105 is the standard 6 volt golf cart batt. I got a good deal on twenty 8-D batts. The glass jar batteries were what the RR used in switching boxes and signals. The big adavntage of them was that you could lift out the cells and clean the sulphate off the bottom. It just depends on what is available near you.
Great video evidence/confirmation RobertS.
Thanks much.
You know I knew when I started this topic I knew that I would get kicked out of the, Slow Speed Cast Iron Engine Club.
The belief there is that you need the slowest speeds, the fewest cylinders to ever get 10,000’s hours of engine life. I’ve only ever bought one of those in my 12/1 Listeroid.
And that was more for the ability to easily compression ratios change to have been able to map out woodgas possibilities.
Well I found the CR woodgas answers already explored out to 17/1 detailed out online and in books.
Found online and in other engines that 13/1 was the most woodgas real world use max.
Sold off my made-in-India 950 pound “hopper”. Literal: pick itself up AND a 500 pound mounting base and hop up and down with air underneath.
But just like an old 60’s/70’s tradesman “Bob the . . . . builder”, very dirty, filthy barroom joke. One time. Only once. Then a fellow has to live with the rep of it, near forever.
Ha!
www.marathonengine.com thier Ecopower systems
A former Briggs and Stratton engine designed for York made whole house air sourced Heat Pump systems. Houses on natural gas street lines. Engine rights bought out and improved to variable speed intergrated inverter use with heats all recaptured and utilized. ONE year oil service changes with the 11 gallon oil reservoirs.
NOT all cast Iron.
Not super slow speed.
Very deeply.layered web site. One click can get you to engine systems pictures.
Much more interesting and informative going 2-3 layer deep and watching all of the embedded videos.
~$30,000 for a McMansion house/condo apartment house system.
No. When asked they will not sell the engine/inverter part of it separately.
This is part of why I laugh at the, “Need cast iron, slow speed to get long service lifes” makes-no-sense.
This is why I also more politly say to DYI, CHP folks, “Well boy’o. Do you think you can ever even match the cycle efficiency of a commercially already available system like this Ecopwer?!”
NOT with a vegetable oil India/Chinese or any other single cylinder diesel driving the cheapest made in India/China gen-head, you ain’t. Not even with a woodgas fueled system you ain’t.
Those Honda inverter/gnerators are 2/3rd the way to this Marathon systems efficiency.
Your video put up shows that the Alaska fellow WAS using the air cooled engines and muffler and inverter heats to warm his "generator/battery/workshop area.
One “muderfication” mods I do intend to make on my Honda’s will be an engine exhaust quick-turn metal coupler.
We heated whole auto shops here out in the wet/cold often with customers vehicles inside running with exhaust hoses ran out under the shop doors. Ha! The door ports too high. The hose condensate build up low-loop pooling would cause back pressure.
I’m already three-ways set up here out on the farm.
Since my intention for these Honda units is suburban living family they can then inside closed garages run the Honda’s to even more hide the sound footprint. And gain a bit garage heating.
Grid Power Down; wanting, needing; and making do; and the Safety and Fitnes natzis can be 357/20ga shooed away until grid power’s back up. Then . . . who? Me?
I also knew me starting this topic would get me kicked out of the, “We should all hate and fear Electronics” club.
Oh, give me a break, will’ya.
Me and Mike Larosa been using electrinics longer then most here on the DOW have been alive.
Mine and his objections are allowing your self to become sheeple-dependent on them.
Thinking that “Modern digetal electronics will save us all. Will free up the lock-in human potential.” Bogus. Bullshit. Twitter is human potential freed?
IM is jabber chattering that you will most likely regret gravely later.
Actual writing give stopping points. Fail-safe points, layered right up to actually dropping the real in-by-god-paper post into the mail-off box.
Too easy, one button “enter” IS the social danger.
And speaking for myself now and no other:
I think the smart assed kid Zukerberer (facebook) will burn in a lower level of hell right alongside Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Timothy LSD O’Leary and all other scum sucking seductive-addict-makers. The actual drug-king pin distributors be one hell level up with the vidio ap-games designers. And I will still be way up in an upper level spitting down on them.
Oh well.
Back to engines. Honda engines. Look up links at ~2009 and you can find many references to Honda patenting ant making up/showing actual working small single cylinder engines in true Atkinson crankshaft cycles. 4-stoke and 2-stoke. These are for use in all kinds of stand-a-lone super high efficiency applications.
Huskavarna, Stihl, Yamaha and others right in there with actual working advanced internal combustion piston engines already developed just waiting for the right market conditions to release out.
So all of the woo-woo game changer engines and power sources touted out there are “we need your money” honey traps.
These mainline engine makers are not asking for your money to develop. Only later for an actual by-god-metals-in-hand product.
IF some bright boy does come up with better idea these manufactures and others are always on the prowl, competing with each other and will come waving dollars for manufacturing rights and patent buy outs to USE, not shelve.
The smart guy takes the money, the naming rights fame and goes on to do more. Tesla!
The ner’-do-well scerams and rants and waves. Mr Geet.
"And Wait. There’s more . . . . "
Steve Unruh
“My Grid’s Gone Down - now what do I do?”
Ideally, I don’t even know it, until somebody comes by and tells me about it.
Of course, this is one of those cases of “do as I say, not as I do.”
Let’s just say that I am some distance away from that goal, and getting there is a “work in progress.”
Anyway, although I love tinkering, experience has taught me that the easiest way to solve a problem is find somebody else who has already solved it, and just do what they do.
So far, the only people that I know who have solved this problem on a completely sustainable long-term basis are a few Amish communities in the area.
They literally wouldn’t know if the “grid went down,” until somebody came by to tell them.
It would just be a normal day to them (at least until all the town-folk showed up to steal their stuff); and I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have a plan to deal with that as well.
Unfortunately, I am not quite ready to give up all my vices and wear those funny hats, so I will just have to emulate them the best as I can.
.
“And Wait. There is more.”
Fear. Eliminate fears by first exposures desenitizing. Just do without for a while, repetitively.
And then by knowlege experience knowing you can always by Make-do work-arounds to gain back personal control.
Never fear EMP’s again for your single cylinder engines.
Get this book:
“Old Marine Engines: The World of the One-Lunger” by Stan Grayson 1982 and a later 1998 version.
Fasinating exposure to the Pacific Coast, Gulf Coast, New England/Maritine Canadian and upper Inland waters small sail, and rowed, fishing dory’s to early 1900’s single cylinder 2-cycle and 4-cycle engine conversions. This is one-click Amazon away. Any book store order-able.
These were being made up by cast stove manufacturers looking to expand markets, driven by iron casting companies Principals fascinated to design and work with the new fangeled gasoline engines.
Running consumables were “tins” of gasoline, lube oils and dry cell batteries.
No spark plugs. No spark plug wires.
They used a mechanical set/tripping’reset/re-tripping spark-gap ignition.
Combustion exposed spark contacts were file formed slivers or buttons of nickle metal.
Yes. Yes. I did spell that correctly. USA five cent coins.
So take this weel proven used “tech” with KyleT’s pocket change batteries;
or the India fellows cow shit batteries;
or the citrus fruit batteries
And never fear EMP again for farm/home power - on woodgas fuel of course.
Key is of course can you actually make things you can imagine with your hands, a hack saw, some files and a Yankee drill come to Life?
I can. Decades practice doing these things in real metals.
Ha! I can only keyboard poorly.
But: “My Grids Gone Down - now what do I do?!”, then the internet keyboarding woo-woo skills are not what will keep you illuminated, refrigerated, pumping clean safe water, is it.
Go buy trade for old lawn mowers, old motor cycles, engine driven generators and learn now to actually be able to use your hands and tools to make shaft powers.
The nice fancy inverter gnerator is for HER, and the SHE’s.
She will not be amused when things stop and your net social skills, credit line, or even fiat cash cannot even open a can of beans (American Blackout), let alone get an engine back up and running/working/providing.
And fellows all my earned/learned skills will die with me and not then be at your IM and keyboad beck and call.
Do the dirty/grungy shit now while it is easy: to be able to do the dirty/grungy shit later when it is really hard.
Steve Unruh
Hmm I wonder if it isn’t time to split this somehow… Poor Steve has had his simple scenario so hijacked at this point I had to read the thread again to figure out what it was originally about!
Chris should we get some sort of off grid or cogeneration section going? As it relates to Woodgas of course. Just a thought…
No. No. I’m fine.
Having fun trolling for pennys.
I’m learning too.
S.U.
Hadn’t heard of that one, but i’m intrigued. You got a link?
Sorry to interrupt, there are still 32v systems around here in Kansas, they are rusting away but people here stored food and batteries in cellars, now called storm cellars. A lot of Kansas was off-grid until 1960s
is just part of the whole Internet thing. Sometimes, it is fascinating, and other times, not so much. Anyway, like John says, I had to go back and read the thread again to figure out what it is supposed to be about.
And, for a guy who says he can’t type, Steve does pretty good. Even rereading his original post (3 times), it seems like a whole lot of ground got covered.
But I suppose the “main topic” is supposed to be about generators.
So, here is my generator experience (I am leaving out all the ones that are not working at the moment).
I’ve got a 1000 (or 1500?) watt generator I got from Tractor Supply about 3 years ago. I think the brand is “Champion.” I got it on a black friday sale for like $99 bucks. This is the handiest generator I have since, like Steve says, it is easy to move around. But a small air compressor is about all it’s good for (but that is good enough, surprisingly often). It broke once. Loose wire, or something, as I recall. And it definitely falls into the Chinese junk category. But it still works.
I’ve got a Honeywell 5500 KW generator I bought about 4 years ago at one of those super-clearance second-hand places (“cost cutters” I think it is called). It was around $400 bucks. Same story. It broke once. Turned out to be a broken piece of plastic. Nothing some snap-ties couldn’t fix. This thing gets used quite a bit too, when a little more juice is needed.
Along about the same time, I bought a 20 KVA PTO generator from a guy who has a lot of junk (Don’t remember the brand. It is German or Swedish or something). That’s what I break out when I need some fairly serious power. Hook it up to the Massey Ferguson 285, and it runs pretty much any (single) appliance I care to hook to it, such as welders, etc. Surprisingly, this has been my least handy generator, since it is pretty heavy and somewhat aggravating to hook up to the tractor. But it has seen quite a bit of use.
The last generator I got is a military surplus MEP003A diesel generator that makes about 15KW (including 3-phase). So far, I am really liking this generator. It is mounted on a small trailer, and is pretty easy to move around. Once again, it makes plenty of power for most single-appliance applications, even if they are power hogs. So, I am liking it quite a bit so far.
[quote=“kyle, post:174, topic:2176”]
I’ve got a 1000 (or 1500?) watt generator I got …
But a small air compressor is about all it’s good for [/quote]
1,500w is enough to power several pretty handy tools out in the field, e.g. The line of Dewalt tools using their 10A motors (I have the “Sawzall”, angle grinder, and heavy-duty 1/2 inch drill); most skilsaws, or even several carriable-sized table saws (I had a cheapy plastic Craftsman that had a max draw of 1,250w).
With a 1,500w generator; a tool box of such tools; and a truck-bed of appropriate lumber, one could bang together a small rough garden shed/pole-barn in an afternoon, completely off-the-grid.
Obviously, one could also do it over longer timeframe using hand tools and a lot more sweat.
1000w is pushing it for many versions of said tools though.
Yes. I agree. I was referring to the air compressor as the most challenging small tool that the generator can handle. It does fine with various small saws, drills, etc.
Sitting outside in the cold on bootlegged wi-fi so have to be short.
My topic intent:
We all been doing this for a while are usually set up; Grid-Goes-Down with 2-3 ways to make a usable amount of power.
I’ve described mine now “dragged out of me - kicking and screaming” just like you have KyleT.
Some; I did not want to appear . . . too . . . what? Too layered insecure? Too intimidating capable? And I’ve never been a “Mine’s Bigger, Better, Faster, Louder, Tinyer, More Eco, More Green than yours!” kinnda’ guy.
For sure I am uncomfortable laying out all of my luscious precious metals capabilities.
Around here like too many places the families have let one or two of their youths slip away wild drug crazy. And that leads to metals, and tools thieves.
And then I’d have to do something about the thieving. Somethings serious.
I already do what guidences, and shepherding-in that I can.
No. The real reason I started this topic is to help us knowing, and capable, avoid a gut wrenching, nightmare repeating, and sooner or later eat-your-own-gun-barrel boomerang Fate.
Survivors Guilt.
If your remain a moral, ethical person having survived, this is your almost inevitable next step.
Hammered me bad Vietnam/post Vietnam. Hard long road out of that. Many: Survivors Guilt boomeranged did not make it.
Got a dose again in the mid-80’s. The EMT, firemans, policemans curse. No matter how hard you try - you just cannot save then all.
And dosed myself again in the early 90’s just before meeting my wife. I was worn down tired of . . . it all. Melinda is the one saved me, " in every way that a person can be saved".
Now if coming out of Bad, a Long Bad, and a Longest Bad a person let it rob then of morals and ethics; or maybe never has them in the first place, then with the Bad-Era worked past ("there Has to Be a Morning, a-f-t-e-r . . ") and a new Normal then evolves you gonna stick out like a rabid beast and not fit into that new normal.
And the new normals will sense your un-humaneness.
Fear you. Hunt you down. Jail you. Institutionalize you. And s-o-l kill you as the danger you have become.
Three well multi-sourecd published, studied and even movie made REAL survival incidences show this Survivors Guilt well.
The 1912 sinking of the Titanic.
The 1972 Uruguayan rugby team plane crash in the Andes Mountains.
And the 1846/47 stranding of the Donner partied snowed in in the California/Nevada Sierra Mountains.
The common thread in all of these is that some did survive.
And those that did survive, then had to live the rest of their lives with just what they Did, or did-Not do, to survive as an individual.
You want to be the only ONE out of Thirty NOT FULL lifeboats that did go back. Return back after the Titanic was below the surface and it was then suction safe to help lifejacketed in-the-water folk still alive, struggling, hypothermia dieing.
As the old Rose character said in James Camron’s 1997 Titanic movie version:
“It quickly got real quiet. And then we waited. Waited to live. Waited to die. Waited for a redemption that would never come.” Her boat mates over-rode her for going back to save a few more.
You want to be the boat crew who did go back.
In the 1972 incidnet one-two fellows DID finally disparing waiting any long for help that never came, walked out of the mountains for help.
Did it to not eat the human flesh.
And one DID return, leading rescue back for those who did survive waiting eating the flesh.
He, and the other one too weak to go back, did redeem themselves and go on to live good lives “the morning after”.
The same with the Donner party. The fellow named James Reed did make it down and out, trough to raise help to come back. THREE time he went back. One fellow saved in the 2nd rescue-out then went back too. ONLY these two fellows families in years later stayed intact and prospered.
You wanna’ be a James Reed.
The effort is easy.
Just set up some that you love, and care about (who will not listen and recognize Now!) with a little generator that could see them through for 90 days. Fuel past 3-4 days will be on them. Give them also a couple of cans and plastic siphon pumps.
Doesn’t even have to be a new Honda inverter/generator.
Ha! Combined at two area pawn shops I now have hands on ran a 1960’s Honda EM300; a 1980’s Honda EM600; and a 1990’s? Honda EM650. I can dicker get ALL THREE of these for the price of one new Honda EU2000.
These are actually smaller than the new EU2000. Bit heavier being AC synchronous direct couple iron/copper/steel gen heads. Sigh. A bit noisier. Consume a bit more fuel.
Ha! Ha! But they even do all have direct out DC charging too like the newer EU’s for batteries.
You can say saving face that you are doing this for others.
But in truth: the Life you will be saving later will be your own from Survivors Guilt.
Only by knowing that you DID do all that you could can you redeem yourself.
PTSD is the now common name that drags in, overshadowing the survivors guilt now.
They are actually different. Both Life/living-forward, fatal though.
Steve Unruh
As you know Steve, we went the route of direct DC charging. What we ran into is the benefits were just simply not common knowledge to our buyers and the higher cost rendered the product unmarketable.
However, a simple solution that gets us to the best of both worlds are the Charger inverters. These inverters can be direct wired into the AC generator head and because this is AC we transfer power to our remote battery banks over longer distances. So in a way it cancels out some the power conversion losses.
So at the end of the day our end user can get an AC generator to get them started and learn. Then later they can add the charge inverter and add batteries later. You then have the best of both worlds.
We just sold two complete BioWind systems I placed the order with Missouri Wind and Slolar last week and our portion is now in manufacturing process. This will have the 11.5 kW Predator genset coupled to the 12kW Aims Charger inverter. Im hoping we will have this ready by the end of Feb 
Thanks for the great write-up, Steve. Totally agree with you. One of the most important things for getting through a trial is doing your best to bring someone through it with you.
Bits and Pieces to put up as I am moving on . . . forward.
There are actually TWO different Genrac 2000 inverter/generators out there.
The before Sept 2015 ones are iX2000 with a PN of #6719. These have a 127cc engine and were made by Suzhou Tiger Power Machine LTD. User reviews on this one says ~20% with problems initially and at short hours.
The newer since Sept 2015 smaller lighter Generac is model (capital eye) IQ2000, PN 6866
This has a 79cc engine and a round status light front display. 12VDC direct charging has been eliminated.
Supposed to be assemble in Wisconsin USA out of parts made in China. User-judgement-jury will still be out on this one for a year or so.
Anyone interested in storage batteries should read the wikipedia article on VRLD batteries. Give the broad lead acid types with one of the shortest clearest explanations on overcharging causing outgassing/water loss; and battery designs to maximize out gasses recombining within the battery to conserve water.
I sold off some no longer sized unneeded studded snow tires so was able to go get a Honda EU2000i earlier than I expected.
6 run hours on it now in the last 24 hours. (gonna’ be hard hiding this from the wife before her birthday mid-next month)
I’ve read through the owners manual twice now. And will be ordering a shop manual and a parts manual.
They claim this 99cc OHC is a GX industrial version so has a cast iron cylinder sleeve. A magnet down the spark plug hole verifies this.
High load running is 4300 RPM not the 3000 I was guessing in the rental machine.
Compression ratio is listed as 8.5/1
Operates at six different levels of rpm/noise:
Eco - On - unloaded. Low rpm - 1800? 2200?
Eco - On - light loads (same rpm - engine then loaded SMOOTHER running)
Eco - On - heavier loads raises the rpm. But still below the high speed non-eco OFF normal.
Eco-off - Normal - unloaded. 4300 rpm.
Eco-off - Normal - light loads (same rpm just a bit loaded louder)
Eco-off - Normal - heavy loads (rpm drops some - engine gets loaded louder a bit deeper sounding)
The engine carburetor control is direct mounted to the shaft and is four wire stepper motor. Power/control for this coming from the combi-inverter assembly.
The 12 vdc direct out is unregulated for volts and amps. So just an only “good” battery 80% recharger. It would NOT put anything into the over 10 year old sulphated JD group 30H battery. Taking 16.5 volts out of the Craftsman charger on Activate to try and save this battery for one-more-year.
The Craftsman charger being powered by the Honda of course.
For you capacitor lovers the large free standing finned aluminum body/epoxy encapsulated inverter assembly has two big 1500 uF(M) brown caps sticking out of it.
The direct engine mounted main charging coils are a Wye set up. DC charging coils a separate single phase with its own separate cast aluminum rectifier bridge. Both “pancake” ~10 inches in diameter. Cover is also a finned cast aluminum.
Oil capacity is 12 ounces/375ml. (Manual says 13 oz/.40L but you have to tip the unit to get that in)
So about three oils changes per liter.
Two quarts for six oil changes.
These easy tip to drain out. Filling direct pour-in just like chainsaw bar oil refilling.
More as I learn more, experience more.
Cast iron bore I’ll take bets now to be able to reach 8000 hours on the original piston and rings.
Any Takers?
We Are All On Roads To Better
Steve Unruh
Oh. Machine is made in Thailand by Thai Honda Ltd.
