Using gas to generate electricity in a blackout.
August 18, 2020 6:08 AM Subscribe
When ever the electric power fails (e.g. during hurricane Katrina) gas service continues to work. Isn't there some easy way to use gas to generate electricity that won't burn down the house? I'm not looking to run an air conditioner, just would like to charge my phone. Why isn't there a commercial product that can do this?
A natural gas generator? For example.
The ones I linked to are all for home use and the smallest wattage is 4000W. An RV generator may have smaller capacity.
posted by muddgirl at 6:13 AM on August 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
The ones I linked to are all for home use and the smallest wattage is 4000W. An RV generator may have smaller capacity.
posted by muddgirl at 6:13 AM on August 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
There are propane conversion kits for the Honda EU2200 generator (known to its friends as the "Honda 2K"), which is an especially popular "suitcase" generator.
But for charging a phone, a good-sized power bank and/or a solar panel would be cheaper, easier, and less overkill-y. A Honda 2K produces almost enough power to run a window unit air conditioner.
posted by adamrice at 6:22 AM on August 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
But for charging a phone, a good-sized power bank and/or a solar panel would be cheaper, easier, and less overkill-y. A Honda 2K produces almost enough power to run a window unit air conditioner.
posted by adamrice at 6:22 AM on August 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
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Waste heat and exhaust would be major problems. Natural gas engines are kinda special when it comes to lubrication too, so a compact package would need monitoring and failsafes that would make it expensive. The noise would be quite something, too.
There are thermoelectric generators for woodstoves, but sticking one of those on top of the stove's burners and not expecting it to melt would be a challenge.
posted by scruss at 6:24 AM on August 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Isn't there some easy way to use gas to generate electricity that won't burn down the house?
Waste heat and exhaust would be major problems. Natural gas engines are kinda special when it comes to lubrication too, so a compact package would need monitoring and failsafes that would make it expensive. The noise would be quite something, too.
There are thermoelectric generators for woodstoves, but sticking one of those on top of the stove's burners and not expecting it to melt would be a challenge.
posted by scruss at 6:24 AM on August 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
If phone charging is your only concern, for under $50 you can get one of these, which will provide 7 full iPhone charges.
posted by beagle at 6:34 AM on August 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by beagle at 6:34 AM on August 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I've pointed this out in other generator-related threads:
If you just need occasional power, then a car inverter like this one might be for you.
It has all the advantages of a gas generator - reliability and availability - but you don't need to worry about all of the negatives of a gas generator - you don't need to worry about storing fuel, doing oil changes, or anything like that, because you're already doing those things for your car.
posted by Hatashran at 6:39 AM on August 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
If you just need occasional power, then a car inverter like this one might be for you.
It has all the advantages of a gas generator - reliability and availability - but you don't need to worry about all of the negatives of a gas generator - you don't need to worry about storing fuel, doing oil changes, or anything like that, because you're already doing those things for your car.
posted by Hatashran at 6:39 AM on August 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
A traditional Natural Gas backup generator is great, but even the gas gets shut off sometimes if the the disaster is bad enough, as I found out when a tornado went through my town 2 years ago. there was enough damage that the utility shut off gas to entire areas (including mine) due to leaks.
your question got me curious, and it looks like there is at least one commercially-available Natural Gas/Propane fuel cell generator.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:00 AM on August 18, 2020
your question got me curious, and it looks like there is at least one commercially-available Natural Gas/Propane fuel cell generator.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:00 AM on August 18, 2020
It's called a generator. The smallest generators are about 30 pounds and put out 1000 watts. I think portable generators often run on gasoline but I suspect propane is an option as well. Not sure about natural gas.
Like Hatashran says a car inverter is another reasonable option, in which case you're basically using your car engine as a generator. Or if you really only need a little power, a big battery pack works well. Some companies sell those in a portable generator form factor.
posted by Nelson at 7:15 AM on August 18, 2020
Like Hatashran says a car inverter is another reasonable option, in which case you're basically using your car engine as a generator. Or if you really only need a little power, a big battery pack works well. Some companies sell those in a portable generator form factor.
posted by Nelson at 7:15 AM on August 18, 2020
If all you need is 5V 1/2 amp to run a USB charger, perhaps a thermoelectric generator (TEG) can do the work.
Here's one for $99 that runs off any heat-source like a camp fire, sterno can, natgas flame, or BBQ grill.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:38 AM on August 18, 2020
Here's one for $99 that runs off any heat-source like a camp fire, sterno can, natgas flame, or BBQ grill.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:38 AM on August 18, 2020
I think it's pretty hard to get an official natural gas generator for a single-family home in most places (as in there are code restrictions), but they're a viable option commercially. In a previous career life, we priced some to keep a server room running in tornado country where power lines are aboveground but natural gas is buried. My boss eventually decided he'd just bring his gasoline generator to work if things got that bad.
There are natural gas conversion kits for portable/household propane generators. They void the generator warranty, probably violate code in a lot of places, but they exist.
For charging phones, running/charging LED lighting, running a Verizon hotspot, laptops, and a small fan, we have a smaller Jackery and larger Aeiusny portable power stations, which can be charged on household AC, 12v in the car, or via solar panel. Both are pure sine wave, which is safe for electronics.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:53 AM on August 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
There are natural gas conversion kits for portable/household propane generators. They void the generator warranty, probably violate code in a lot of places, but they exist.
For charging phones, running/charging LED lighting, running a Verizon hotspot, laptops, and a small fan, we have a smaller Jackery and larger Aeiusny portable power stations, which can be charged on household AC, 12v in the car, or via solar panel. Both are pure sine wave, which is safe for electronics.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:53 AM on August 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
If you want to charge your phone, just use your UBS outlet in your car or get a cigarette lighter USB converter. You could probably charge your phone 100 times and still start your car.
posted by JackFlash at 9:33 AM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by JackFlash at 9:33 AM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also apparently there are priorities for natural gas too so if there's a sustained power outage then the gas companies will keep supplying things like hospitals while cutting off houses. During the ice storm here a couple of years ago where we lost power for a couple of days the gas was still coming but a friend of mine who designs building systems told me that it would have got cut off if gas supplies started to dwindle. This was in the context of thinking about getting a natural gas powered generator for my house and was one of his points that it wouldn't be as useful as I thought it would be.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:27 AM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:27 AM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
More than 1/2 our neighbors had automatic gas powered generators installed after a major hurricane a few years ago that had many people out of power for multiple weeks. They automatically turn on if the electrical power is cut and run themselves once a month to make sure they are in good working order. In many cases they are sized so even running A/C is an option.
They are pricey - somewhere around $10k, but friends who have managed week long outages without an issue claim they are worth every penny.
posted by NoDef at 5:33 AM on August 20, 2020
They are pricey - somewhere around $10k, but friends who have managed week long outages without an issue claim they are worth every penny.
posted by NoDef at 5:33 AM on August 20, 2020
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If you are just looking to top up your phone, a travel battery pack is sufficient and easy enough to keep around and charged up, and if you want to be able to recharge off grid, you can get a solar panel for it.
posted by larthegreat at 6:12 AM on August 18, 2020 [2 favorites]