Generator for well pump and septic?

Alan3413 · Dec 15, 2020

lazarus said:
Generators sure use carburetors. I am sure there are probably some modern diesel generators that are fuel injected.

What's a carb used for in a diesel?

adit · Dec 15, 2020

Alan3413 said:
What's a carb used for in a diesel?

Some older diesel engines used gas and a carb to get the motor running then switched over to diesel injection.

lazarus · Dec 16, 2020

adit said:
Some older diesel engines used gas and a carb to get the motor running then switched over to diesel injection.

This. I guess I just haven’t messed with many newer diesel generators (at residential scale they are rare as hens teeth).

Alan3413 · Dec 16, 2020

adit said:
Some older diesel engines used gas and a carb to get the motor running then switched over to diesel injection.

Thanks! I just learned something new today. Never realized there's diesel engines that can run gas as well.

lazarus · Dec 16, 2020

Pinecone said:
We are not talking about gasoline versus diesel/heating oil.

According to this, the main difference is the sulfur content - https://hbsteeleoil.com/key-differe...sel-fuel-on-road-diesel-fuel-in-pennsylvania/

That isn’t remotely the main difference. They can both be run in a Diesel engine and have roughly the same energy content. They are not the same.

Grade Number 1 oil is the cheapest.

And, grade number 2 oil is often mistaken for diesel fuel, as they are practically one and the same in terms of the chemical compound.
However, this can be misleading, as it’s formed by a refined heating process, further condensing its form into crude oil. Diesel fuel is not made in this manner.

Grade 1 has a but more energy per gallon IIRC, but is dirtier.

Practically the same is not really the same when it comes to things like low temperature stability. Because of how they are refined, home heating oil contains liquid paraffin, which will condense out and crystallize at temperatures around 20F and below.

You CAN run it in a Diesel engine, furnace or generator at temps below that, but you are also likely to cause issues with injectors and burners.

Grade 2 has less and is less impacted by low temps.

For most practical purposes they can be used interchangeably. Most isn’t all though. Just throwing that out there since generators are often used outside, in the cold and it would suck to try to start one up when it is 10F and the power is out and it’s gummed up trying to run on heating oil rather than diesel or kerosene.

Also why heating for oil furnaces in really cold places is often done with diesel. Not heating oil.

It isn’t just about a dye and taxes on it.

lazarus · Dec 16, 2020

Alan3413 said:
Thanks! I just learned something new today. Never realized there's diesel engines that can run gas as well.

Lower compression diesel can. And actually Mazda came up recently with a compression ignition gasoline engine. A diesel that runs gas, not kerosene. Curious if it could be diesel/kerosene. I suspect not without reprogramming (IE it isn’t designed for flexible fueling).

Has the perks of both Otto and diesel cycle engines.

adit · Dec 16, 2020

lazarus said:
This. I guess I just haven’t messed with many newer diesel generators (at residential scale they are rare as hens teeth).

Alan3413 said:
Thanks! I just learned something new today. Never realized there's diesel engines that can run gas as well.

Read below.

In 1932, IH produced their first diesel engine for the McCormick-Deering TD-40 crawler. This engine would start on gasoline and then switch to diesel. Other diesel engines of this era were difficult to start in cold weather and using gasoline allowed the engine to thoroughly warm up first. In 1935, it was used in the WD-40, becoming the first diesel tractor on wheels in North America[9] (the world's first diesel tractor was Germany's Benz-Sendling BS 6 in 1922).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Harvester#The_early_tractors

Diesel side of engine:

Gas side of engine:

https://www.dieselworldmag.com/diesel-engines/tractor-talk-1941-farmall-md-diesel/

This could go in the Tractor thread as well.

135sohc · Dec 16, 2020

lazarus said:
I am sure there are probably some modern diesel generators that are fuel injected.

That right there is like listening to someone argue that the world is flat. Where does diesel fuel go through a carburetor and get combusted ? Science fiction and model engines aside diesel is always going to be run via injectors and a pump unless there is some special engine that only you know about ?

An old multi-fuel engine does not count towards your "diesel gumming up a carburetor" argument either as they are separate fuel systems, there is no cross pollination so to speak.

Way worse with a carb. Also heating oil doesn’t have stabilizers in it so it can gum up the carb if it sits as bad or worse than gasoline can.

lazarus said:
That isn’t remotely the main difference. They can both be run in a Diesel engine and have roughly the same energy content. They are not the same.

Grade Number 1 oil is the cheapest.

And, grade number 2 oil is often mistaken for diesel fuel, as they are practically one and the same in terms of the chemical compound.
However, this can be misleading, as it’s formed by a refined heating process, further condensing its form into crude oil. Diesel fuel is not made in this manner.

Grade 1 has a but more energy per gallon IIRC, but is dirtier.

Practically the same is not really the same when it comes to things like low temperature stability. Because of how they are refined, home heating oil contains liquid paraffin, which will condense out and crystallize at temperatures around 20F and below.

You CAN run it in a Diesel engine, furnace or generator at temps below that, but you are also likely to cause issues with injectors and burners.

Grade 2 has less and is less impacted by low temps.

For most practical purposes they can be used interchangeably. Most isn’t all though. Just throwing that out there since generators are often used outside, in the cold and it would suck to try to start one up when it is 10F and the power is out and it’s gummed up trying to run on heating oil rather than diesel or kerosene.

Also why heating for oil furnaces in really cold places is often done with diesel. Not heating oil.

It isn’t just about a dye and taxes on it.

It seems the entire basis of your argument is that "diesel fuel" will not gel and freeze when it gets cold and the chemically very similar "heating oil" will freeze and gel. An entire industry exists that will call bull **** that argument. Power service and Stanadyne would go out of business based on your logic.

adit · Dec 18, 2020

Didn't realize it, but one of the YT's I follow has one he is rebuilding now.

GuitarmanNick · Dec 19, 2020

I suggest using an electrician experienced in well and septic backup systems. They will have the necessary tools and equipment to perform all aspects of the project in a timely and economical manner.

Many years ago, I worked for such a contractor and we routinely maintained several small municipal water supply systems.

You can do your own maintenance after the installation, but it is important to perform preventive maintenance to insure it operates when needed. This includes but is not limited to fuel supply and condition, coolant, oil, filters, and batteries.

sailskidrive · Jan 2, 2021

I just use a 5000/6250 watt inverter generator tied in via a 30A L14-30R power inlet box and generator interlock switch. Runs the well pump, two fridges, two freezers, and one of the three furnaces without a problem... granted we cant run the AC off of it but if we get stuck with out power for a few days in the summer my 6 & 8yo will just learn what it was like to grow up in the 80’s.

We were going down the whole house generator route but the installation was going be a costly nightmare.

Generator for well pump and septic?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Alan3413

Ultimate Member

adit

ReMember

lazarus

Ultimate Member

Alan3413

Ultimate Member

lazarus

Ultimate Member

lazarus

Ultimate Member

adit

ReMember

135sohc

Ultimate Member

adit

ReMember

GuitarmanNick

Ultimate Member

sailskidrive

Legalize the Constitution

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page