generator

Joe:

Time for some testing!
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Well inquiring minds want to know....did you ever perform the test...is there a "rest of the story" here? Your last post was in Feb, 06...it is now mid April, 06......I know you are not on the clock but please don't leave us hanging.
 
Joe, inquiring minds want tt know

I purchased the Harmony gas cap, sealed it up and installed a honda fuel fitting for use on our vacation. We never ended up having to use it on the generator but before we hit the road for home I discovered that the cap fit nicely on my gas can. I just unhooked the fuel line from the engine and hooked up to the gas can and drew out a couple of cans worth of fuel. I left there with a full tank in the truck and near empty tanks in the boat. A very handy, but slow, method of draining the boat tanks :)
 
WhalerGoFar-

Thanks for the reminder! I forgot to report when I finally found a time between rainy periods to fiddle with the set up. :embarrased

What I found out after some experimentation was that there didn't seem to be any real restriction in the gas flow along the line, but that the seal in the gas cap on top the generator was leaking some air, destroying part of the vacuum that pulls the fuel along the line. The clear fuel line doesn't show this, of course, because it preceeds the cap and tank which are opaque. I know thee are some inconsisencies between this conclusion and the list of possible causes we proposed earlier, so it's possible some other factor involved was changed or corrected inadvertently along the line. :amgry

Just had to re-seal it with a Permatex gas compatible sealer after making a thicker, more supple Neoprene gasket from blank stock which gave me a better seal. :thup

The generator will now pull gas from the tanks readily while sitting on top of a 120 quart cooler in fron of the engine well. :wink

Thanks for reminding me!

Joe.
 
I did tap into the primary fuel filter. I used a I/4 inch boat gas shut off valve. I did use a primer bulb and I did not have any leaks. I did not have the main going to check for problems. I did think that the 150 fuel pump should be able to pull gas from main tank, then the gen should not have any fuel starvation problems. I did it that way so I would not have to have a tank just for the gen. At this time I do not have any pictures. Neal
 
OK, Neal, old thread resurrected! Does your Honda pull from the fuel tank? The outboard fuel pumps are much different than the small vacuum operated pump on the Honda generator. Joe got his to work on a 22, with the generator on top of a cooler inside the boat (not a good place because of CO issues). The top of a fuel tank on a 22 is only a few inches below the top of the splash well pan. We know that the Honda EU series will pull fuel about 2 feet, but it is rumored to pull up to 6 feet. The issue in the standard 25 is much different than in the standard 22. (The 25 has the fuel tank under the cockpit soul, the 22 the fuel tanks are much higher.).

We run our EU 1000 2 to 4 hours daily when using the freezer and refer. 90% of the time we put the generator on shore, some distance from the boat. It takes less than a tank of fuel to charge up our batteries, etc, so we don't need an aux fuel tank.

Why is the generator off the boat? Noise, and exhaust fumes are the main reasons. On the Tom Cat we used the EU 2000 on the swim step, and had the fuel tank at about the same level. There were no problems.

Be safe--CO, fumes, fire and gas hazards. Let us know how the fuel pump pulls the fuel up from the tank on the 25.
 
I have seen other pilot house boats with generators mounts on top and have read everything that comes up in search for generators. I am thinking on making a cradle to securely hold mine on top of my tomcat for use when running/trolling. Then put it back on the swim platform when things calm down. Have brand new CO detector in cabin and would get another. Any tips? Free free to chime in if you want to talk me out of it as well.
 
Are you planning on running the generator when it is on the roof or is it just for transport? I store mine in a plastic tub with a lid in the cockpit when it is not running. It is mounted on a platform on the swim step when the generator is being used, but I don't run the generator when the boat is moving.
 
Although I have used Honda generators for many years, I have never run one on top of the boat. Is this so you can use the air conditioning? If so, what air conditioning do you have. I would say absolutely not if using an RV type of roof air conditioner.

Even running our generator on the swim step (outboard bracket of the TC 255) we had 3 CO detection units. The windows are not "gas proof"--ie not fully sealed. We also did not run the generator at all when sleeping. We would cool the cabin down, and then turn it off. If we needed more ventilation later at night, we opened. up windows and hatches etc...

I do understand South Padre Island "hot".
 
I have a marine a/c (cruisair) installed under the rear seat of the dinette. Yes to cool the cabin when out running.
 
Instead of gas powered generator, consider one of the many new portable lithium battery packs. The Yoshino B2000 is a solid state unit weighing 31 lbs. It has a built-in 2000 watt inverter with 1300 watt hours capacity. It will handle all of your AC needs and last for a good long time, depending on usage. Charges up quickly from shore power. I will be adding one to my Tomcat 255 in the spring.
 
Do you have any concern using a NMC battery which has a cathode made of a combination of nickel, manganese, and cobalt on. your boat.? My understanding is that these have been implicated in fires and explosions, and are not as safe as the LiFePO4 battery which has become the standard LI battery now offered as a factory option for many RV, / Trolling motor or house battery for boats.

B2000 uses a solid-state Li-NCM 16.2A
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I wonder how the company can calculate that this power pack can run a microwave or coffee pot for 1.1 hours off only a 16.2 AH Battery? A number of C Dory owners are using the LiFePO4 batteries. I used two 100 amp hour batteries in parallel, with a Victron PSW 2000 Watt inverter/80 amp charger and 50 amp boost, monitored with the Victron 702. This battery pack was dedicated to the two chest freezers and refrigerators. These are 12 V DC appliances. I also ran the induction burner and 1200 Watt Microwave. The battery to battery charger off the start battery of the Honda 150 would keep the pack up to near full charge in good daily run.

What are you using for house batteries, and how are. you monitoring them?

I considered the Li battery set up as one of several power options, including carrying a Honda 2200 gasoline generator. This also gives redundancy of power sources.
 
I just bought the ECOFLOW River Pro 2 for my 22. It runs my two Engels, one a fridge, and one a freezer for 18 hrs. (12v) It weighs 16lbs. charges up off my Honda 2200 in one hour (850watts)! The outboard will trickel in at 101 watts of charging while underway. Picked it up on Amazon Prime Day for $289. Very simple to use, light, and compact.
 
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