Generator GPH for what it's worth...

I checked the fuel consumption on our NL 16KW genny, model M844K. Everybody I've talked to at the marina says their gennys burn a gal per hour. It doesn't seem to matter what size they are, everyone claims 1 gal/hr. So I was curious..

I put the pick up and return hose in a 1 qt beaker full of fuel, started the genny and poured fuel in periodically to keep it at/above the 8 oZ level. After it was running for a few minutes I turned on all 4 A/C units. I did not turn on the stove or microwave but the fridge and water heater were running as normal and the stereo was running as were the 120V engine room ventilation fans and some assorted 120v lights. Whether the fridge and water heater were actually "on" anytime during the test, I don't know.

I checked the consumption with a stop watch as the fuel dropped from 8OZ to 4 OZ, repeating this four times. I won't bore you with the math but the total consumption as tested is 1 gal in 64 minutes. Obviously you could require more power for a limited time - say with the stove/oven and the A/C units but that wouldn't continue very long and even on the hottest eve's we never run all a/c units - just the one in the stateroom being used.

Another statistic to note in the boat's logbook!