Current options for permanent backup generators

[kwired]

It never occurred to me that a generator was available that could switch from NG to propane. I knew the metering devices in grills and water heaters and furnaces were different, so I just assumed that the carburetion of the two for an internal combustion engine was also different enough that they couldn't just easily swap from one to another. Knowing that I didn't know enough about the subject is why I created the thread, though. I talked with them at brunch after our shooting lesson today, and everyone now likes the NG/Propane idea. I always preferred the propane tank to the diesel tank anyway just for cleanliness of the fueling process.

That said, we might get below the freezing (gelling) temp of diesel once every twenty years here.

Used to see pickup trucks (usually 70's or 80's models) around here that were converted to run on LP. I never really looked into them too much to know what they did, but supposedly they could still run on gasoline with fairly simple switches of some things in the field.

With furnaces, water heaters, grills and the like, one needs different pressure setting from regulator and to change burner orifices to a different size opening when changing NG to LP or vice versa. The idea is you get the correct amount of fuel and air mixture to get same BTU flame either way so the appliance will run at it's rating.

Biggest problem with diesel gelling is plugging filters. When it gets cold enough wax crystals is what forms in the fuel, those crystals plug the filter and then starve the engine of fuel. Some vehicles these days have electric heater element within fuel filter that helps prevent this from happening. I have a 2004 Dodge Ram diesel that has that, I never put in any additives or go to #1 diesel in winter. Never had it gel up. One time when I was left parked outside overnight on a very cold night, I started to have some performance issues, probably because the fuel was too cold, but I think filter heater saved me, it came out of it after it got warmed up. Once you have run a while fuel tank heats up some from "return fuel" that got heated up passing through the system.