While petrol generators have their share of advantages, more and more Nigerians prefer to run their generators on gas. Unfortunately, there aren’t many gas generators available in the market, which is why many owners prefer to make the changes themselves. Find out how to convert petrol generator to gas!
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1. Why switch to gas?
Switching a petrol generator to gas is a rather risky decision, which is why you need to be absolutely sure you need it. Here are a few reasons why a gas generator may work better for you than a petrol one:
- The cost of gas is its biggest advantage: it can cost twice as much to buy a gallon of petrol than it costs to buy a gallon of gas.
- Gas is much harder to spill than petrol, and even if does accidentally spill, there won’t be any toxic fumes since it immediately evaporates.
- Gas can be stored for a much longer time than petrol: petrol’s shelf life is just 12 months, while gas can remain intact for years.
There is at least one important downside to gas: if a gas generator fails, the consequences will be much more serious than the consequences of a petrol generator failure, so use a gas generator with caution.
2. Warning
Even though gas generators are generally safe to use, there is a still a chance your generator will eventually fail, especially if you converted it yourself. Please make sure to use high quality generators that will stop the gas feed in case of a failure.
It is also advised that a gas generator should be placed outside of the living premises, for example, in the backyard or the driveway. That way, even if the generator fails, you will be able to take the necessary safety measures before it does too much damage.
3. Step by step tutorial
If you’ve decided that you definitely need to convert your generator from petrol to gas, follow these steps:
- Buy a carburetor that is compatible with your generator model: using a new carburetor for gas allows you to go back to using the old carburetor for petrol in case something goes wrong.
- Unscrew the bowl from your carburetor and remove the spring and the needle valve.
- Next unscrew the butterfly valve with the help of a small screw on the valve plate.
- Now remove the mixture screws jets and the idle. This step is necessary to later install a new needle, which will be in charge of the RPM of the motor.
- Drill a hole in the jet hole plate cover to remove the cover. Be careful not to drill through the carburetor itself – you just need to drill through the thin aluminium cover.
- Pull on the primer bulb, applying some pressure, to remove the bulb.
- Remove the venturi jet by installing the screw into the bottom of the jet and then simply pulling it towards you.
- Thoroughly clean the carburetor and its parts. You can use a special carb cleaner or just a Dremel tool with the right nozzle.
- Drill the old venturi port that will later serve as the port for the tube. Be sure to remove all metal shavings – you can use a chemical cleaner for this purpose.
- Use black ATV silicone to seal up the holes and the jets, including the primal bulb hole and the vacuum control hole.
- Install the new venturi tube parts. You can use a regulator from a standard BBQ grill to later adjust the gas flow. Leave a 6-7 millimetre opening in the regulator and use 15-centimetre tubes with a matching opening.
- Make new venturi tubes that are 7-8 centimetres long and have a 6-7 millimetre opening from copper tubes.
- Assemble the venturi using Teflon Tape to hold the construction together.
- Assemble the whole carburetor. Test the carburetor once again before putting it into the generator.
- Install the carburetor into the motor of the generator. Use a gasket to attach the carb to the generator. Connect the gas regulator line and you’re good to go. You may also need to adjust the valve opening for the ideal flow of gas.
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