Easy Generator Fill - Update

We run the remote start Honda 3000i generator a lot. It lives and runs in an enclosure on the roof of my Land N Sea trailerable houseboat. I've made filling it safe, convenient and easy. This is an update on how the older system has been upgraded to allow all filling requirements to be done on the roof at the generator instead of having to open the engine compartment retrieve the fill hose and manipulate valves and switches there.

When I had a new belly tank made, I had them put in a second pick-up port. Many tanks already have two to handle twin engines.

The second pick-up port is plumbed to a generic12vdc electric fuel pump. From the pump a hose runs to the generator. The hose is terminated with a bored out tire valve stem. This allows for a tight fitting screw on cap to keep the hose closed tightly when not in use.

The fuel pump is wired to a switch and a wind up timer. There's an indicator light to show when the switch is on, but the pump won't run until the timer is wound up.

Wind up timer next to the main toggle for the fuel pump.

Light to indicate when the main toggle is on.

Fuel line terminated in a screw cap. The PVC cap fits over a standpipe that lets me push the hose below for storage when not in use.

To fill the generator:
Bring the hose to the generator.
Unscrew the cap from the hose.
Remove the generator gas cap and hold the hose in the opening.
Switch on. The indicator light comes on.
Wind up the 5 minute timer - now the pump comes on.

It takes about 3 timer cycles to fill an empty tank but it's a very controlled flow and certainly much safer than pouring gasoline from a jug into a small opening at night on a rocking boat in the cold, wind and rain. It also makes me comfortable knowing that once my generator is started, it won't run forever unattended, in fact we often only partially fill the tank so the generator will run out of gas a few hours after we turn in. We also know about how much gas the generator is using by keeping track of the times the timer is wound up.

Here we see the fill hose in it's home position in the standpipe. The hose is sealed with a cap and the standpipe is sealed to the deck. The standpipe opens below into an overhead locker in the head. The extra fill hose is stored there.

 

Here you can see the fill cap being extracted from the standpipe. It will be pulled out until it can feed the generator gas fill.