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Ideas on how to cycle my generator on & off after a Hurricane to save precious propane

2.2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Old man here  
#1 ·
I leave my home prior to a hurricane and generator ON standby. I the event I can not get home after a hurricane that leaves me with no power for a week or more, my generator will be running constantly until it runs out of propane gas from the tank. How can I cycle my generator on say for 8 hour and then off for 8 hours? (no power no internet)
I have a 60KW whole house generator. Any innovative ideas????
 
#3 ·
please post the make and model numbers for both the generator and the ats.

one method that does work is remote control via internet or phone.
they do make sat phone modules for this as well.
so what island and what city are you close to?

look in to the new sat communications that elon musk is doing.
it will be a version of wifi every where.
that with a remote control module for the current generator system would give you a read out as well as remote access to control the gen power.

also some ats units have time features built in.
they use these for like charging battery packs or for refrigeration.

so what is the generator powering when you are gone?
fridge, freezer,
any pumps like for basement water?
security system?
air con unit?
does any shelf stable food need to be cool? this depends on the temps of your location.

how big is your LP tank in gallons? and what is the fuel consumption per hour per day on the gen set at rated power?

you could manual turn off the gen before you leave if you have all of the food out of the fridge and freezer..
just a thought.
some have a vacation mode on the ats.
 
#9 ·
I have the same question. But I would like to take it further. Can the timer first disconnect power from house before shutting down the generator? I don't want the generator to shut down under load. Any resolutions would be greatly appreciated.
 
#4 ·
My generator is a Generaac mode all aaQAT06024ANAX. The generator Powers’s the whole house, which in the event of a hurricane the only devices left on are the fridge and 3 AC units. I had an idea of maybe looking into a battery operated programmable valve that turn the propane ga supply on and off. What do you all a think? Do they make such a device? I am open to anything
 
#5 ·
What you are seeking is the very think that standby generators include.
First is the sensor that looks at the utility.
Then when the utility is lost, the missing utility must signal the generator to start.
By start I mean turn on the gas, and engage the starter and ignition.
The circuit must sense the voltage form the generator to disengage the starter yet keep the motor running.
Then when utility returns the sense must turn off the fuel and ignition.
I think you are in need of a standby unit unless you are electronic minded.
 
#6 ·
The valve I was thinking of they make for sprinklers. It is 9 volt (or small battery) programmable valve that turns the value on and off.
Also I have water spouts for my pool that can be turned on of off from inside my house, when I press a button in the house the mechanical motorized valves turn to the on position, a when I press the off button in that houses The mechanical motorizaed valve turns the valve handle to the off position. The valve I am thinking of would go on the gas line a before entering the generator. Do they make this type of valve for propane gas?
 
#8 ·
I put a link in my post with an example, but I'm not sure it would be exactly what you need. There are lots of timers out there that would work.

There are likely several points inside your generator's control system that could be used to manually turn the generator off or on when it is in automatic mode. They could be 12 volt, or maybe 5 volt. You need a digital timer (ideally powered by the generator's battery, but an internal battery would work too) that you can program to open and close a dry contact relay, which you can use on one of these control lines to override the automatic control and turn the generator off and on at whatever interval you want. You'll likely have to dig into the generator's schematics to find the line you need. (or have a generator tech do it for you.)