Generator Fuel Use
Generators are powered by gasoline or diesel engines. There are many factors that effect the level of fuel consumption. The load (amount of amperage / wattage draw) that you place on the unit, the percentage of the maximum load, the size of the engine and other less obvious factors.
If you expect to run a generator in order to maintain critical systems you need to consider these factors. The first thing to understand about fuel consumption is that “run time” numbers are almost always based upon a 50% load rate. So if you own a generator with a 3200 watt continuous load capacity the “run time” is based upon only using 1600 watts. As you learned on the Power Output Ratings page 1600 watts at 120 vac is a little over 13 .3 amps of load. That is a lot less than you may think. A brand new 8750 peak, 7000 watt continuous unit is advertised to burn approximately 5 gallons of gas per 8 hours. That means at that rate you would need 15 gallons for 24 hours (one day) of continuous power. That is equal to $52.50 in fuel each day at $3.50 per day.
that is why I advise having two generators; one capable of powering your heavy equipment and another that you can use for basic functions; charging cellphones, basic lighting, etc. Small generators have 8 hour run times on 1 gallon of gas making it much more useful for a long outage.
Check back for the results of my prototype tests. I will be mass producing them and selling them through our store at
www.simplesurvivalgear.com .
Generator Noise
