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More on the "Range-extender" Hybrid project.
I just tested the generator again. The electric start on it works great. It has a clean air filter rigged up and ready to go. I have not changed the oil, but there is the right amount of oil in there and an oil filter in place. It's a 220CC single-cylinder engine.
The generator also has a remote start feature, which I think would be really cool to connect to the "crank" position on the car's ignition.
The magical missing part is a Generac part number 075211. That's the demand-type LP regulator that goes directly on the generator. The owners manual says that it provides gas at 11 inches of water column. It has a 3/4" input and 3/8 output. Supposedly, it is identical to Garrettson model KN 039-122. I talked to a couple of Propane people on the phone today, and none of them had even heard of the BRAND of Garrettson - maybe it's particular to the generator industry or something odd like that. (The Generac part is about $160 and I would have to order it through a dealership.)
This generator also calls for a primary regulator on the fuel tank. That regulator needs to run at 11 inches of water column, but have a flow rate of at least 67 cubic feet per hour. (Any info online I can find always lists flow in terms of BTU output. How do I compare these!?!?)
I am also wondering if there are any issues with using a standard 20 gas grill LP tank. That's the size that I would like to use. (Cheap, convenient, tank swaps at gas station or Wal-Mart...) Is the overfill protection device or whatever else is on one of those tanks going to be a problem?
I do also have a very large LP tank (3 or 4 feet tall, can be vertical or horizontal mounted) that I can use for experimenting, but I would like to use something smaller for the finished version.
So, does anyone know if there is a less expensive secondary, demand-type regulator I can use? Does anyone have a spare primary regulator I could make use of?
All other suggestions and advice welcome.
-Ben Nelson
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