Genset fuel burn

[Dougcole]

The manual for my Kohler 8.5 Kw genset says at full load it burns one quart of fuel per hour, but in use it seems higher than that to me. It pulls from the same tank as my port motor so I can never really tell how much fuel is burned out of that tank by the motor and how much is burned by the genset.

Anybody got any idea about how much fuel my generator should be burning?

TIA.

Doug

 

[Ski in NC]

Kohler 9EOZ/Yanmar 3TN

100% .83gph
50% .75gph Edit: Typo, 50% is .47gph
25% .33gph

These numbers pretty typical of all brands of 9kW with IDI engines.

 

[O C Diver]

My 9kw Onan with the Kabota diesel burns .5 gallons @ 50% and 1 gallon @ 100%.......or so says the manual.

Ted

 

[psneeld]

Pretty consistent as my Westerbeke 8.0kW burns up to 0.9 GPH at full load.

 

[Dougcole]

Thanks guys, that seems to be more consistent with what I was seeing on mine. I guess I will allow for one gallon an hour, I should be safe that way. Doug

 

[Ski in NC]

I had a typo in the Kohler data above, fixed.

Gennies usually run at 25-50% on average on a boat, so for a 9kW call it 0.5gph.

I have a converted Onan 8kW that runs my house/shop as hurricane gennie, dang consistent at 12gal per 24hrs. My boat gennie is 5kW Northern lights, it averages 1gal per 3hrs.

Not sure where they got 1qt per hr at full load, that is nuts.

 

[twistedtree]

I think 1 GPH per 10KW is a good rule of thumb.

 

[Art]

1 qt fuel per hr may be at NO load, low idle??

On Kohler 7.5 Kw we average 3/4 gal per hr at 50% to 75% load. As you mentioned in post 5 - we also calc fuel use at 1 gal per hr... safe that way!