Electricity in a pinch

[pkveazey]

I have a bunch of worn out Weed Eaters and the 2 cycle engines still run. I can't bring myself to throw them away because one day I might need them for something. Hmmmm..... I've got an automobile 12 volt generator out in the shed. Now, if can hook up a pulley to the Weed Eater engine, I can spin that generator and get up to 60 Amps at 13.8 VDC. Hmmmm... I better filter that raw DC through a Car or Lawnmower Battery to reduce or eliminate Hum, Hash, Ripple, Noise, etc. I'm pretty sure I can use that to recharge batteries or power 12 volt items. The cool thing is that the Car Generator has voltage regulation built in. Anybody else got any other ideas like maybe using water power to spin a generator?

[pkveazey]

Uh Oh... I called it a Generator. I guess I'm showing my age. I meant to call it an Alternator.

[Felix]

Age is as good as an excuse for mixing "alternator" with "generator" lexicon as I can think of.  Any rental fee if I occupy that space too?
 Clever use of what's at hand will always trump resignation.   But the inescapable fact is that in a "grid down" scenario, fossil fuels will no longer provide solutions to problems we habitually deal with when everything is hunky-dory.  They will run out quickly or be reserved for only the most critical tasks.
Two-cycle engines aren't much for fuel efficiency.   And they are often rather noisy to boot.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to muffle the sound of my propane genset in its 10 x 12 shed without burning the place down   Or burning my bank account down.

[Jackalope]

    A push lawn mower can be coupled with an alternator to make a small generator.  This website provides step by step instructions, and they also sell an inexpensive mounting bracket for the project: https://theepicenter.com/blog/generator-lawn-mower-vertical/

     Felix is correct, fossil fuel will become essentially unobtanium in an extended grid down situation.  I've made a small electric generator using an exercise bicycle and an old disk drive motor, it's perfect therapy for over-active children.  A wind electric generator would be another viable means of producing electricity.  An old fashioned overshoot water wheel with proper gearing could be another alternative.  A parabolic dish steam turbine is another alternative. 

      For low power applications, check out the Biolite stove: https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2-plus   The Biolite stove works pretty good, though it goes through biomass fuel (sticks, pellets, etc.) very quickly, but it will charge up a cellphone or a tablet, I've had one for 4-5 years.  There are other thermoelectric devices which can also charge low power devices which use USB cables: https://www.amazon.com/Ajirangi-Portable-Thermoelectric-Generator-Camping/dp/B00YPKY1ZQ

      I guess you could power an alternator with a weedeater engine, depending upon the size/horsepower.  For 60 amps, I'm guessing you would need over 1 hp to drive the alternator sufficiently.

[pkveazey]

Age is as good as an excuse for mixing "alternator" with "generator" lexicon as I can think of.  Any rental fee if I occupy that space too?
 Clever use of what's at hand will always trump resignation.   But the inescapable fact is that in a "grid down" scenario, fossil fuels will no longer provide solutions to problems we habitually deal with when everything is hunky-dory.  They will run out quickly or be reserved for only the most critical tasks.
Two-cycle engines aren't much for fuel efficiency.   And they are often rather noisy to boot.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to muffle the sound of my propane genset in its 10 x 12 shed without burning the place down   Or burning my bank account down.

Oh no.... I just turned into Horshack on Welcome back Kotter. Me, me, call on me, I know, I know........ I saw a cheap and easy way to quiet down a generator. Redirect the sound UP. I saw a video of a guy measuring the db's unshielded and the after shielding. What he did was use several 4X8 sheets of 1/2" plywood surrounding his generator and laid them back somewhere between 45 and 60 degrees. He dropped the volume to about half of the unshielded sound. With that said, I hope you don't try that crap if you live in a very steep valley because you're going to piss off everybody who lives above you. I also saw a guy remove the muffler system of his generator and completely replaced it with a really good automobile exhaust system. It made a huge difference.

[pkveazey]

    A push lawn mower can be coupled with an alternator to make a small generator.  This website provides step by step instructions, and they also sell an inexpensive mounting bracket for the project: https://theepicenter.com/blog/generator-lawn-mower-vertical/

     Felix is correct, fossil fuel will become essentially unobtanium in an extended grid down situation.  I've made a small electric generator using an exercise bicycle and an old disk drive motor, it's perfect therapy for over-active children.  A wind electric generator would be another viable means of producing electricity.  An old fashioned overshoot water wheel with proper gearing could be another alternative.  A parabolic dish steam turbine is another alternative. 

      For low power applications, check out the Biolite stove: https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2-plus   The Biolite stove works pretty good, though it goes through biomass fuel (sticks, pellets, etc.) very quickly, but it will charge up a cellphone or a tablet, I've had one for 4-5 years.  There are other thermoelectric devices which can also charge low power devices which use USB cables: https://www.amazon.com/Ajirangi-Portable-Thermoelectric-Generator-Camping/dp/B00YPKY1ZQ

      I guess you could power an alternator with a weedeater engine, depending upon the size/horsepower.  For 60 amps, I'm guessing you would need over 1 hp to drive the alternator sufficiently.

I think that some form of oil based fuel will always be available but it may become cost prohibitive. I dread the day that I have to pay someone to build me a GASSIFIER. That's one of those wood burning stove thingies that has a sealed metal chamber inside and the sealed chamber has wood in it and the wood stove heats the inner thingy so hot that the wood inside gives of a gas that will run a gasoline engine. The one's I've seen make it look dammed simple but I'm guessing they have to fiddle with the Gas/Air mix at the carburator until its just right. I actually saw some Hillbilly run his old Ford pickup truck with one.