A homeowner hoping to run a portable generator on a natural-gas line encountered a potential drawback: The fuel switch could leave less power available for appliances.
Here's what to know
In Reddit's r/Generator, the original poster asked whether an old conversion kit fitted to a 420-cubic-centimeter generator engine would work at typical residential gas pressure of 7 inches of water column. One commenter warned that the setup could reduce output by as much as 20%, even if the engine ran without trouble.
Another stressed the importance of adequate pipe sizing, while others agreed it should run smoothly if calibrated properly, albeit with less power.
"Just something to be aware of," one person said.
What can be done?
Commenters encouraged the homeowner to measure performance rather than assume the generator would retain its gasoline-rated capacity.
For the OP to assess the load, one person said a $20 plug-in watt meter would do the trick. "You'll see the hertz start to drop below 58. When you cannot bring the HZ up anymore by adjusting the mixture screw, you've hit the limit of what it can handle on natural gas," they wrote.
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Where can I learn more?
Power output is just one thing to check when changing a generator's fuel or connecting it to a home.
• An owner preparing a home inlet learned an older Generac could switch to "floating neutral."
• A generator handled an outage on propane, then needed a carburetor swap for gasoline.
• A generator owner considering two small propane tanks heard warnings about freezing during operation.
• In Hawai'i, a generator owner learned propane required a working battery after gasoline ran out.
• Owners responding to propane generator regulator complaints suggested priming the fuel line before startup.
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