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Old February 8th 09, 03:06 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled
Bob Hoover
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Posts: 75
Default VW powered generator

On Feb 5, 8:42*am, wrote:
> I wonder how that would work out ?

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Works good.
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> Would it be able to run continously for days or possible weeks at a
> time ?

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Yes.

In fact, setting up a motor-generator is the easy part. The hard part
is managing your FUEL SUPPLY. That probably sounds a bit odd but when
you become your own power company you're going to find that storing
fuel is the biggest headache. This is largely because gasoline
doesn't store very well. It is brewed up & sold with the intention of
being used within THREE MONTHS OR LESS. If you want to store it for
more than three months you'll have to add special stabilizers to it.

If you're serious about an auxiliary power system you'll probably end
up using PROPANE. It can be stored for years without any problems.
Kits to convert most engines -- including VW's -- are available. In
seriously cold climates you generally have two tanks of fuel, a small
one that is kept above freezing and your big tank, which may hold 2000
gallons or more. That's because propane has a lot less energy than
gasoline; you'll have to burn more of it to get the same amount of
electricity. Once the engine is started with the 'warm' tank, the
exhaust from the engine is fed to the insulated cover over the big
tank, raising the temperature. (Why? Because propane needs quite a
bit of heat to change from a liquid to a gas.) Also, you will have a
'vaporizor' on the engine. Most of these are designed for water-
cooled engines; water from the head is fed through the vaporizor.
With a VW you generally use the ENGINE OIL as your source of
vaporization heat.

But yes, using a VW as an auxiliary power plant is a pretty smart
idea. Unlike most other systems, it doesn't have anything to
FREEZE :-)

-Bob Hoover
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