3000W Chinese Gensets Info.

professor95 wrote:

Old & Slow wrote:
The above statement through's a wrench in my gears to place the fuel tank on top of my box. If I place this box on a carrier on the rear of my MH and this Texas sun heats the fuel in the tank to 140 degrees and someone comes close with a flame (cig. or lighter)the box could be a bomb. More and more Lou's beautiful box with the fuel tank undercover but separated from the genset (his new design coming out soon) may just take first prize. Professor, you do know how to hurt a guy. Got to start over with the present design on my bench. Do you have anymore surprise/s to be in the next post? Maybe should just wait for your propane retro post.

Floyd

Ps: Is there any problem with carrying a propane tank on a rear carrier?

Last question first. No more than carrying a propane tank on the front of a TT.

I did not mean to hurt you or throw a monkey wrench in the works. My intent was to create an awareness to help advert a potential disaster. While I am not referencing you, or anyone else I know on the forum with the following statement, some people are just plain old stupid. Common sense is anything but common. They will run gensets inside a closed garage, or even the house! Fill fuel tanks with a hot or running engine while hanging a lit cigarette between their lips. They also dump their RV black water tank barehanded, spill waste on the ground then walk in it, wipe the effluent from their hands on their pants, then pick their nose and offer to shake your hand. There is also the guy who is stupid enough to stick his little finger in a bandsaw :o. (I didn't mean to do it!)

Please allow me to give another example of a potentially dangerous situation with small gas tanks. My boat has three portable 6.5 gallon plastic gas tanks (Tempo brand). The tanks have a vent on the filler cap that can be closed for travel, or opened for operation. Like most folks, I like to fill the tanks to the brim. After all, when an outboard motor drinks fuel at a rate of approximately 6 MPG, you don't want to run out half way up the river!

If I "forget" and leave the vent closed, the tanks will literally blow up like a balloon on a hot day. Fuel will seep out and saturate the carpet in the back of the boat. Not a very good thing to happen.

Conversely, if I close the vent to trailer the boat home and forget to open the vent when I put it in its garage, the tanks will shrink up like a withered orange. Obviously, the expansion and contraction of the vapor in the tanks is pretty high.

All of the metal tanks on the Chinese gensets are vented. They have to be so that air can replace the space vacated by gasoline being drawn out of the tank. There is no way to seal the tank - and even if there were the internal pressures could rise high enough to blow by the float needle in the carb and spill gas from the float bowl.

Just be aware of all this and avoid filling the tank to the brim. When possible, shelter the tank from the sun or other high heat sources. Also be sure there is no closed space where vapors can collect and then be exposed to an ignition source. As an example, don't place a gas tank in a compartment next to or above your propane water heater, fridge or furnace. The more out in the open it is, the safer it will be.

Professor95:

Thanks, I'll sleep better tonight now that you put my mind at ease.
Maybe I will continue and finish the box I'm working on and then go to the next with the tank having a ventilated lid. More trial and error. How many time did Edison try and fail, to bring us the light bulb?

Floyd
O&S