I have recently acquired a “triple fuel” generator with the desire to run it on natural gas. That is all the previous owner used. He generously provided a new spare set of “quick connect” fittings for the provided gas line that I intend to use for ease of connection to supply. I have a utility bathroom water heater closet on an exterior wall that has a natural gas supply. I intend to tap in there and run thru the wall to an exterior valve and quick connect station. I’m thinking of installing some type of weather right box to house this in. Looking for any suggestions here or examples of this setup that someone else has installed.
Running a generator on natural gas is a great idea.
However... the generator requires a good flow of natural gas and the line that feeds the water heater may not be large enough to handle both.
Gas CFM can be computed based on supply line size and length.
You also need to know the CFM required by the genny.
You can post the make and model of the genny and I can tell you what that uses.
Generators consume a lot of gas. For example, my generator consumes 327'000 btu of natural gas at full load. That is a HUGE amount and more then most home gas piping can supply, but it's also a biggish generator. You really need to look at the specs for your generator's fuel consumption. Then you can do the math to see if your piping can carry enough gas. You need to check your pipe size from the meter all the way to the generator.
You also should check the capacity of your meter. Smaller ones are only capable of delivering 175'000 btu/hour but bigger ones are also common but they are usually sized for load so you might not have a lot of reserve capacity left and need a larger meter. The meter should have it's capacity listed on it's data plate. If it's in cubic feet per hour multiply by 1'000 to get it's approx capacity in btu.
The generator is a Firman T07571. I’m also attaching a pic of my gas meter plate. The discharge elbow above the Union on my meter has a 1/4” tap, I can likely swap that for a tee and provide a connection point for the 35’ supply hose directly from there.
OK. I’ve located a 10’ natural gas hose 1/2” inside diameter with a quick connect fitting. My plan is to replace the elbow at the gas meter discharge with a 1”x1” with a 1/2” tap as opposed to 1/4” as currently situated. I’ll add a street elbow, a nipple and a gas cutoff valve and then the quick connect female for connecting my hose. I noted a reference to NFPA 54 / ANSI Z223.1. Will my plan be suitable with these regs?
As far as I know... yes. I'm not a licensed plumber so I don't deal with these jobs all the time.
I'm just supplying info based on my knowledge and past install history.
Well I bought all of the fittings to add a 1” tee at that discharge 90 elbow with a bushing to 1/2” and a gas valve to the quick connect. My gas company contact then advised that 1/4” tap has to stay as that is where they tie in to calibrate the regulator so I’ll need to add some more fittings. I’ll post a pic when it’s done.
Take a pic of the gas company's regulator. Often here in SC we get a meter upgrade to 2psi. Then we regulate. you can better control gas flow that way.
Yes that tap has to stay.
I am surprised they are letting you as a homeowner break into the meter..
Hello, I purchased this faucet connector hose from Home Depot and I'm trying to figure out what type of adaptor and what size I need.
The description says it is 1/2 in. Compression inlet x 1/2 in Female Iron Pipe outlet, but when you look at the ends, you can see that one end is a little larger than the other. I need an adaptor to make the smaller end the exact same size and type as the larger end (which might actually be 5/16")
Does anyone know what type of adaptor I need?
Thanks in advance!
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My washer drain pipe started to do something strange. It began overflowing, but this only happens when we run a hot load. We run cold loads and the water drains fine. When it is hot water, the water doesn't go down fast enough and starts to overflow and make a mess. I think it's strange that cold water works fine down the drain, but not hot. I'm no expert though.
Any ideas? I'm assuming I just need to get the drain cleaned out. The house is 50 years old.
03-17-22, 11:57 AM
