Generator Power

I am always thinking of ways to save money and grow efficiently, so I have been looking at generators to power a grow. I don't know if anyone uses them already, and if you do, I would like to hear from you. The only problem I see is that most of the gen's I've been looking at are backup gen's, and I'm not even sure if they make one's that run continously. I have been searching for solar/wind/generator power, and all of these combined would probably be ideal, but for now I want to focus on generators. I guess the point of this thread is to gain some knowledge on the subject, and see if anyone else has already jumped on this band wagon. Any info would be appreciated.

I really dont think generators are cheaper, look at the price of gas, most people use them were there isnt power or when they dont want to be seen using power. But i dont think they are cheap to run, plus they make a lot of noise, but ive never used one for growing so maybe somebody else can help.

Many things we need to know first. What is your room size or more important how many lights? I guess you could just total the watts tha you would be using then size your gen set from there.
I doubt that you will be able to beat the utility company when it comes to cost.
If you are running only One 600 or smaller light and an exhaust fan then I would say a Honda EU 1000 or 2000. They are very quiet and I think the fuel consumption is somewhere in the range of 1/2 to 1 gallon a day. Of course that depends on load.
If you really want to go green I think your best bet would be a combination of solar and wind.
Gen sets really are for those tat are OFF the grid all together.
I know this aint what you wanted to hear but it is the truth.
We ran our farm house on generators for many years. Believe me the gasoline cost adds up quickly!

sorry but a generator or going green is not a way to save money.when it comes to a generator, even if you could get one for free, the fuel costs will be higher than buying from a power company.
I have worked on a few places using wind/solar power & it takes about 10-15 yrs to recoup the costs invested & that is taking advantage of the tax breaks offered.something that may be dificult to do if used for a grow.

Thanks for all the responses. I was looking at propane or natural gas generators, like this http://www.briggsandstratton.com/maint_repair/manual_and_more/doclist.aspx?category=Home Generator Systems&manual_type=Operator Manuals&menu=nav3&subMenu=3.
Size would depend on the size of your grow, but I think getting two units would allow you to run continously. I do feel like solar/wind power are also great alternatives, but from what I have read, it would take a lot of either to power a grow. I know most of us can't afford this technology, but eventually the technology will advance, and the price will come down. I just believe it will be a great day when growers all over the world can power all sized grows, and not have to worry about energy consumption.

Go with a diesel genny, find a farmer you can maybe trade bud for dyed fuel.....just a thought...

another thought....get a bio-diesel unit and make your own fuel??

redi jedi said:

Go with a diesel genny, find a farmer you can maybe trade bud for dyed fuel.....just a thought...

another thought....get a bio-diesel unit and make your own fuel??

Click to expand...

Do they make bio diesel units? Now that idea makes sense. Run all of your power on used vegetable oil, or something similar.

Not much point going generator unless your going to go big really. For me anything over 4k i would have to go generator. Right now planning a 25k grow in 1 year from now that is powered by propane generator. Approx cost in fuel for that setup is $1500 a month in propane. For small grows your just going to give yourself a headache imo. Generators are not cheap. Than you have sound, location, maintenance, and fuel to deal with. For large grows especially where i live it is the only way to go.

Here is a link to a nice site http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/

The initial cost is a little high but you would pay it off with the first harvest. Keep in mind that the generator would need to be swapped out every 5-6 grows if your lucky. You can make a baffle for the exhaust out of a coffee can and some steel wool if you want to DIY. Hope this helps a little.

Edit: I noticed you mentioned solar. I have researched it any way you look at it the cost is much too high compared to return. Unless you are independantly wealthy and just growing for your own herb or fun it is not worth it.

I agree that it's not really worth it unless you go big. I was thinking for a future setup of like a 12K grow or so. I just wish they had something that was cheap and reliable.

Check out the link i posted there are gens on there that put out 30+ KW for about 5k. True they are not top of the line but 5k for 4-6 crops using a max of 30k power is really worth it. - the fuel every month of course and even than huge profits are possible.

Thanks for the link man, I've been going back and forth from that to this, doing all the research I can.

You could get diesel powered generators, but like most people have been saying, its really only worthwhile if you are growing a massive amount

For the time being I'm getting away with my four plants, but I would love to have a large scale setup someday, where I am completely energy independant.

Jack*Herrer420 said:

Do they make bio diesel units? Now that idea makes sense. Run all of your power on used vegetable oil, or something similar.

Click to expand...

They sure do.... I don't remember who the manufacturer is or what the processing unit is worth. I suggest a google search for "DIY bio-diesel" or somethin along those lines.

If there's a soap manufacturer in your area they would probably buy the glycerin that is left over from the production of bio-diesel.

Look at Honda generators, tri-fuels. NG, diesel, propane. Generator hooked to a NG line is a great way to save cost.

Note, you have to have experience with motors, as well as the ability to intake/exhaust air. You need to have some sort of noise control as well.

They sell permanent NG generators as well, but those require professional installation and most likely some kind of city permit.

Get a shitload of solar panels, bro. Or even better, a windmill? lol.

i need a generator that will give me 3-5 kw of power and that can hold enough fuel to run for 36hrs and cost me less than $300 a month in fuel. i just dont feel safe knowing im running 3kw off the grid in a 2,000sqf house. everything i see needs to be refilled every 12 hrs or so. im at work that long i need some custion i cant have the lights go out.

1mikej,

I've been researching generators like CRAZY. You could buy this one ( Link ). It's going to cost you $4500 after everything is said and done. Because you would need to buy sound boards to block the sound. You wanna get the sound under 68DB. Because that's like a A/C unit next to the house. Now the cost to run that unit for 30 days 12/12 light. Would cost you .38/gallons hour to run 3kw of power. I say plan on spending $3/gallon for diesel. So lets do a little math. .38/gallons a hour. So 12 hours of running you used's up 4.66/gallons of diesel that day. So 4.66 gallons of fuel would be $14/day So $14 times by 30 days is $420/month. LMFAO wow it's $420!! Keep in mind that is only running 3kw/hour!!!

awesom, thanks. i was thinking a small constuction type generator 5 k max and increasing tank size from 3 gal to a 55 gal user an old thinner barrel. i would fill up my car and syphon gas out into the barrel . but gas has gone up. i also thought about propane and switching out tanks daily.

I think I would prefer propane or natural gas over deisel, but the bio-deisel sounds even better. I was thinking about getting two units, just in case one went empty, you would have a backup.