Convert a Lawn Mower into a Generator - Vertical Mount (Part 2) | TheEpicenter.com Blog

GREAT read....think I'll just buy one pre made

__________________
Forum consigliere

I'm wid ya on dis.

__________________
S&W Accumulator

Seems simple enough to me

I prefer to just put gas and oil into one rather than effort.

I've been on the waiting forever list for a Briggs whole house generator for months, with not even an estimated delivery date in sight I've already had the 500 gallon propane tank installed and filled, having relied on the previous estimate on generator installation time.

I have a presently unused 12.5 HP vertical shaft belt-drive Briggs-powered lawn mower in the shop. Thanks for posting the article--might use the info to make a dismountable generator.

__________________
de minimus non curat lex

A friend of mine bought a whole house Generac and sold me his never used Honda Generator. It is a 8500 watt with an electric start, will stay with that. Cost me $400.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I imagine that would be just the ticket to power an electric lawnmower.

__________________
"I also cook."

There's a few people in cemeteries who arguably should not have played with electricity.

My guess is more than a few.
I only include those trying to do wiring while HOT.
Playing would exclude those attempting to steal transmission lines for the copper.

Default How to make a generator out of a lawn mower engine.

Wonder how Red Green would do it.

Would likely involve Duct Tape.

I've got the plans for his Zamboni. I just need to find a K Car.

__________________
Music/Sports/Beer fan

I hear ya. I've also been on the waiting list for either a Cummins or a Kohler (which ever shows up first) whole house generator for three months. At the time I signed the contract, the electrician had 66 installations to do ahead of mine. He's the largest dealer in Ft. Worth, so he has priority with the manufacturers. The primary generator dealer in Dallas was so backlogged, that they stopped taking orders months ago.

Last year's big freeze and power outage here in Texas has caused a huge demand for them. Over 200 Texans froze to death in their own homes, and our state government has since put very little pressure on the power companies to improve their reliability. All those Californians who are currently pouring into Texas because of greater personal freedom and our "bidness-friendly" climate, could be in for a big surprise unless they've brought their own power supplies with them.

__________________
What, me worry?

If'n ya gear drive a horizontal shaft 10-15 hp gasoline
engine to a 3 phase 5 hp electric motor will ya get more power ?

Asking for a friend

///

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

We had a 16 KW Generac installed last year. Runs the whole place, Propane fired out of my 240 gallon tank. We were gone over Christmas & the power was out almost 4 days, Saved the refer stuff & the freezer meat.

We installed a whole house Generac generator seven years ago. It has been a wonderful addition.
We've only had one half-hour long power failure since we installed it.🙄🥴

__________________
Eccentric old coot

We installed a 20KW Generac a couple years ago, it loafs while powering my house including central air, everything. Since I have natural gas, it was plumbed into that and that was probably the most expensive portion as it needed its own supply so as to not rob fuel from the furnace, etc. I sold my Honda 8500 generator to a friend, he was always trying to borrow it when their power was out and mine wasn't, I would tell him "Mines not out right now, but it could go out at any time, get yourself a generator." They have used it a couple times already.

September bought a house with a 10KW Gen-Rac.

Very happy with it.

The Gen-Rac is NOT wired to the electric range.

When there power outage after the nearby tornado
we roughed it using microwave and coffee maker.
Furnace, refrigerator, and freezer were on the generator.

Sounds about right. My gf in WA decided to go for a whole-house gennny after a 25-hour outage in mid-October, thanks to some cretin taking out a power pole a few blocks away. She'll hopefully be getting a 13kW NG Generac in the first week of February. Thank heavens they haven't had any outages in Bellingham over the winter so far. I think the cost was about $15k.

Haven't had to run my genny here at all so far. When it hit 0ºF here on Dec. 27 I was afraid to look up "at what temperature does diesel begin to gel?" The 20-gallon tank is getting moved to a more sheltered location inside the covered basement entrance this year with an insulated jacket around it and a heating tape on the fuel lines in preparation for "the new normal"

Ordered my 20KW whole house standby Kohler generator last July. It was installed last week:





Has an automatic transfer switch which is supposed to transfer power seamlessly by detecting whether utility power is available or not. It is sized to run everything in the house, but cut the HVAC off if overloaded by too many appliances at once and then back on when the load drops.

Bring it on.

The switch-over on my battery backup system is so fast I don't think the lights even blink.

You're going to be the envy of your neighbours during the next outage When we were out for 84 hours during the ice storm a few years ago, my neighbours came over to have a shower. Fired up the genny to avoid draining the battery system as I'm on a well. No problem.

Bet you won't be building it dressed in fresh-off-the-shelf work clothes like he was in the vid, though


According to his Wikipedia entry, "Before turning to comedy, he studied engineering at the University of Waterloo..." so I guess he came by most of this zaniness honestly.

About 15 years ago, I moved from the suburbs into a rural cabin with no lawn.

Still had an almost brand new lawnmower, but no use for it anymore.

Turned it into a 12 volt backup generator (alternator), charging car batteries and running car lights throughout the cabin.

Also with an inverter I still get 120 volts if needed.

One added benefit is the batteries are interchangeable with the ones in my cars.

The main problem with using a home built DC generator is the NOISE!

Purpose built gen-sets are much quieter and have a stable output.

A home built set up is fine for keeping batteries charged in RV's and cabins but not much else! 's

Now that we have gotten used to our generator, when it comes on every other Saturday for a run through we don't even notice anymore...I laughed at the reply where his lights don't even blink, it is just about that fast, I don't think the T.V. goes down.

Charging batteries indoors is a good way to give yourself a new home san the insurance company. Charging batteries exhaust hydrogen gas which the least bit of a spark, match light, even the heat from your lighting fixture can set off. Enough gas and we will tell NASA to look for you on the moon when they send up the next group of visitors.

I had always wanted one for the times we lose power during storms and such, my concern was no A/C , I hate being too hot in the house. Just kept putting it off. Wife has a living quarters horse trailer so it wasnt such a worry.Then we had the big freeze last year. We never lost power, but had friends go 5 or more days. Well, that was it, of course everyone wanted one then, and the cost had gone up a few thousand. Finally found a local company that handled Generac. Ordered in July, got it put in on 12-28, on its own 250 tank. Feel good about having it. We are out in the boonies, so its good to be prepared.

Attached Images

20211229_132417.jpg (96.8 KB, 12 views)

Boats from 40-140 feet often have batteries in the salon under the floorboards and other places where people reside.
They are being charged and discharged constantly.
Lead acids, Gels, AGMs and maybe even Lithiums, so how do they keep those vessels from exploding?

__________________
Have Fun/Stay Safe

those compartments are vented overboard. In a Coast Guard inspected commercial vessel, the battery compartment is sealed. I've taken boats through the commercial Coast Guard inspections. Every 3rd year is done in drydock.

Hopefully with blowers or other ventilation. Hydrogen buildup from charging batteries can be absolutely deadly in an enclosed space. Why do you think back in the old days before nuclear subs that the smoking light would go out on submarines when they started recharging batteries after a dive? This mainly applies to lead acid batteries.

If God can make a loud speaker out of a single rib I see no reason why
someone can't make a generator out of a lawnmower.

__________________
Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

My battery backup system can respond that quickly because there is always power immedately available from the batteries, so it's really just a matter of the response time of the detection circuitry. I'm surprised that a generator could respond that fast, as it has to fire up and stabilize. But no matter- if it works, it works

Just an FYI, one horsepower = 765 watts, so consider your internal combustion sizing appropriately. And there is a fair bit of loss between the output shaft of the ic engine, and the output wiring on the alternator. And hot alternators under load become less efficient.

Max power output on a Delco old-school alternator 10 or 12 series, and the later CS series, is at 6500 alternator shaft RPM. Ratings are +/- 10% from the factory. I know some pretty esoteric ****.

I made the mounting plate for a Briggs 5 HP 20+ years ago and used it to power an inverter.