Nat Gas Generator System

[Dsmoosecountry]

I just bought a chunk of land that has a Nat Gas well on it. However, it is FAR from getting electricity ran to it without paying close to $18,000! I'm looking at putting a Nat Gas Gen on the property that will charge a battery bank, but will also be able to supply power when needed as with tools, washing machine etc.

Most Nat Gas Gens are marketed as a backup system, but I am looking to use it on a daily basis, just not continuously.

Does anyone here have a similar system or have any information about such set ups?

Also, if the gen is charging a battery bank, does the current have to go to from AC to DC then back to AC?

Thanks,
Dave

[bunnyhunter]

I am hooking my nat gas generator up this week, but it is just for a back up. We are already hooked up to regular electric co.. I will be interested in what you find out about using your generator for all your needs. I have switched everything I can to gas, dryer,stove,hot water,furnace,BBQ and looking at refrigerators and freezers. I was wondering about gas lights also. Do you have lots of nat gas or are you limited. Any oil?
Good Luck
Jeremy

[randallhilton]

Are you permitted to use the NG on the property? Typically, those minerals are consigned to whomever is running the well. I also doubt that the NG would be available for distribution until after it has been treated with an odorant which helps to make leaks detectable by smell (natural gas is odorless until treated).

More to your question - start by determining your maximum load, then make sure the genny is big enough to handle it. I don't know about specific brands but just make sure you're getting top quality equipment with a high duty cycle. (Maybe Onan or Kohler have something).

All things mechanical will need service and will eventually break down. You might consider investing in solar panels to do the day to day work of keeping the battery banks charged so that the fuel powered genny doesn't have to run as much.

[Dsmoosecountry]

The Gas well on the property I bought is owned by someone else, however, that will be our source of gas and we have 50,000cf free per year. After that we have to pay for what we use and since it's coming from the well it's like $5-$9 a cf. I'm not sure about the odor additive.

I don't think solar will do very well as WV is a very cloudy state, having an average of 50/50 sunny days.

I'm curious if running power from to the charge controler is going to be a problem, as the gen will produce AC and from my limited understanding most DC battery systems power source is in DC, THEN it's inverted to AC.

I'm also curious how long it would take to fully charge a decent battery bank.

[Anon001]

Are you permitted to use the NG on the property? Typically, those minerals are consigned to whomever is running the well.

In the past, as part of the mineral lease agreement, the landowners were allowed free natural gas. Some companies had a limit and others didn't.

However, today, there are a lot of companies that no longer allow free gas due to liability issues, even if accidents are the landowner's fault.

Paul

[cinok]

They do that alot around here even when they have to run major line through some ones property they offer free gas to lower the easement amount. One thing to look into is who is paying for the tap It will be called what they call a wet tap since the the product is not the same as what come out of a typical supply line. Also look into the liability of tapping in the line you do not want to have to pay to fix a well or supply line because your tap or line to the house caused a "problem". I cant answer about the gen but there a gensets that run plenty of remote places. I would look into appliances that would reduce your electrical usage and use NG.

[keydl]

Natural gas gensets that are in supermarkets run around $4-5k and will have more than you need for capacity, they are nearly all 1800 rpm and fully muffled. They vary in age and hours, generally over 15 years old but less than 50 and from 400 hours to one that looked to have over 20k hours. Same money as a late model Onan RV with 4k watts. And not to far different for repairs.

You can charge the battery bank at c/10 for a couple of hours or to the 90% range and then cut back to c/20, c=battery capacity with a 20 hour discharge. Lots of battery information over at Homepower.com

Just go to the next auction where a large store is being emptyed.