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Interesting information! Thanks for sharing! Happy to hear that my video helped! Yeah... as you probably saw at 23:09 in my video... Just like your experience, when I added a large incremental load (rather than smaller, incremental loads) that pushed my generator somewhat near its limit, it also caused my generator to stall unrecoverably-- even though I quickly removed the load while the engine was still struggling. At $325, you got a heck of a deal on that Champion 200914 (currently ~$600 on Amazon). Let's hope that our efforts were all for naught and we'll never need to use our generators!

Thanks! The "Nash Fuel" brand Hose Block Power Valve linked above (3/8" NPT x 3/8" barbed) is the correct part. It was 2-day Prime shipping when I bought it, but now it seems to be 1-2 weeks on Amazon. Nash Fuel also sells it directly from their website. The price is a bit higher including shipping, but their website currently says "3-4 days". (I'm not sure if that means arrival time.) Nash Fuel also sells it on Ebay but the shipping time is 2-3 weeks. Currently, it has a 4-star rating on Amazon (with 29 ratings). Currently 2 of the 3 written reviews are bad but I think that those 2 reviewers are probably trying to use it for a different application, because they complain of gas leaking. In this application, the engine is sucking fuel from the regulator so the hose block power valve doesn't leak gas out. If anything, it leaks a bit of air into the fuel that's getting sucked into the engine.

@@DaveRaveVideo thank you for the quick response. as i looked at the part that is in your video, it looks different than the "off the shelf" Nash fuel part in amazon. yours has adaptor between the Tee and the regulator. they must have changed this . thank you!

The damage from that Houston storm made the national news this morning. I hope your power outage is brief. But if it's not, I hope that you're able to get the needed parts quickly or at least refill your propane tanks. Good luck! FYI: I did not want to go through the hassle & expense (including permitting and building inspection) of adding a generator interlock switch to my circuit breaker box-- especially for such a low-power generator. So I bought some extension cords & power strips (and 2 shore-power inlets) that I can use to bring electricity into the house and power some essential items like my refrigerator, gas-furnace, router, gas-range, Internet modem & desks/PCs, garage-door opener, LED string-lights, TV, etc. Just in case I'm away from home (but my wife & kids are home) during a power outage, I also added extension cords for difficult-to-move-or-reach appliances (fridge, range & garage-door-opener) such that the extension cord & appliance-plugs discretely emerge from behind the appliance, thereby enabling those appliances to be easily unplugged from the house-power and plugged into the extension cords from the generator, without moving the appliances from their cubbyholes. I also added a generator transfer switch to my gas-furnace so that it can easily be connected to the generator. www.amazon.com/Veepeak-Flanged-Waterproof-Trailer-Straight/dp/B0B87MNXLF www.amazon.com/BOYISEN-Generator-Transfer-Switch-Certificated/dp/B0BW91KN19

I'm pretty sure it's illegal - and dangerous to repair crews - to backfeed without an interlock.

@@reese2694: Yes. An interlock is required by code to prevent back-feeding that could injure or kill repair crews. It also prevents damage to the generator from front-feeding (when the power returns). It would be illegal, but I think that both of those problems could be avoided if the incoming power supply to the panel is cut-off, but people forget to do that, which is why the interlock is required by code.

Dave, It is getting difficult to find propane in Houston and they are estimating we have another four or five days without power in my particular area. I absolutely hate cleaning carburetors out after using gas. Do you happen to know if I use regular unleaded gas in the generator to get through this event, am I then able to just run the generator for an hour or something like that on propane or natural gas to then completely clear the carburetor and the bowl out from having any regular gasoline remaining? My goal is just to not have to drain and clear that carburetor the old fashioned way if these systems are set up to work like that?

@@AndTodaysProjectIs: Thanks for confirming my concern that propane could become scarce in a major power outage. I don't know if running the generator dry of gasoline, and then running it on propane would clear all of the gasoline from the carburetor. It's an interesting idea, but I just don't know how the dual-fuel carburetor is set up. If switching to propane simply cuts of the gasoline-flow and if the propane simply feeds into the carburetor's gasoline bowl, then we might expect the propane flow to evaporate any remaining gasoline from the gasoline bowl (and its sediment pit), float, jets, throttle, etc. But I just don't know. If you find out, please let us know. Good luck!

Conversion from dual fuel (gasoline & propane) to tri-fuel (gasoline, propane, & natural gas).

I don't own a BCM stock nor did you say which model you have, but based in what I've seen on CZcams videos, at least some of the BCM stocks are length-adjustable by squeezing with your hand (without the use of a tool) so they DO NOT seem to qualify as a fixed-stock and would therefore be illegal to use in CA. czcams.com/video/xqlbIOhSKI4/video.htmlfeature=shared&t=465

@@DaveRaveVideo yes, my bad...the method used in the video is how you take a BCM stock OFF a buffer tube....but yes, its always adjustable. i got confused there seeing the same action.

Yes. Fortunately, on the Firman WHO3242 generator, the backside of the 1/4" propane quick-connect is a 3/8" barb, with a 3/8" hose feeding the carburetor. Not sure why Firman didn't use 1/4" hose, but I'm glad that they didn't. Since tri-fuel generators have natural-gas wattage ratings that are about 81% of their propane wattage ratings, if your Champion generator is rated for less than ~2,250W on propane, then 1/4" line is probably good enough supply it enough natural gas for (0.81 x 2250W=) ~1800W. My generator ran nicely on natural gas through the propane quick-connect up to ~1800W so I'm guessing that's the power limit of 1/4" hose.

@@DaveRaveVideo That's an excellent point. Thank you! My Champion 2500 is indeed small, with propane running watts = 1665W. Thus it should be capable of approx. 1350W with natural gas (0.81 x 1665W). Enough to run my fridge and a few lights. And the Champion's engine is 97cc, which is half the size of the WHO3242 engine. So I'll bet that you're right, and that the 1/4" propane inlet and internal lines won't be a bottleneck on performance with natural gas at this low level of power. I'm going to give it a shot and load test it. Thank you again!

@@noads6566: Yep. I GUESS she'll run up to her natural-gas power-limit (~1350W) without being bottlenecked by the 1/4" line. I (and perhaps others) would be very interested to hear your results. Good luck!

@@DaveRaveVideo Well scratch that Dave. There is a part number on the chassis mount quick connect of XQ14 which crosses to be 1/4". My confusion is that the supplied connector on the Firman regulator is bigger than my standard 1/4" connections I have around here. That's a weird connector.

​@@tramonson Bummer. The male & female 1/4" quick-connects on mine seem to be standard, because they work with other 1/4" quick connector components that I bought on Amazon. However, at 8:46 in my video I mention that I bought a 1/4" quick-connect kit at Ace Hardware that would not mate with the generator. I assumed that the Ace kit was non-standard, but maybe it's a difference between a US standard and metric standard?

I'd be a bit surprised (not terribly surprised) if they changed the inlet to the carburetor. Is there any chance that you forgot to remove the air inlet plugs on the natural-gas low-pressure regulator? (I forgot to remove those plugs twice, and it didn't run well.) Did you try running it without a natural-gas low-pressure regulator?

I wouldn’t be able to run it without the regulator as I couldn’t get it started. I did remove the plugs. That I did find out about the first time I played with it. The NG regulator works perfect on my ryobi that I had installed an aftermarket carb that supported trifuel. I should have taken a picture of the carb inlet. It is seriously small compared to the hose that connects to it. Talk about being disappointed…. Thank you though for your great video.

@@dannyjones6251: I'm not sure if it would help, but it could be that your low-pressure regulator is set to be too restrictive. Apparently, they are not all set identically. You might want to watch the following video from "Vlad F K" about how to adjust a Garretson low pressure regulator. (Remove the locking screw above the gas inlet, and then tweak the adjustment screw.) I didn't need to do this. czcams.com/video/d8A-k-TUnwg/video.html

One thing to consider, you will not get the output on NG as you do on LPG or gasoline. (look at the information on ANY tri-fuel generator)

@@CharledKimble: I explained that in my video. On natural gas my Firman WHO3242 generator runs smoothly up to at least 2650W (and 3000W on LPG). Dannyjones6251 commented above that he was only getting 2000W on natural gas.

At 9:14 in my video I said that I wanted to replace the 1/4" female quick-connect with a 3/8" quick-connect but, (1) I couldn't find a 3/8" quick-connect that had a threaded end that it could be mounted to the internal bracket, and (2) I couldn't find one that was thin enough in diameter to fit into the hole where the 1/4" quick-connect resides. (I didn't want to enlarge that hole and void the warranty.) If you find one please let me know. That would be a much nicer solution. It wouldn't be too difficult to adapt the propane output fitting and there are extension-cables available for the propane solenoid cable.

I think you're the 2nd person who compared me to Bob Ross. LOL. Happy to hear that my video helped. For a much easier method to achieve the 2nd option, you may want to try the method that ObYagTxha described in the comments below. He wrote, "Use pliers to twist the “notched” cross rod 180 degree (half turn), then it can be pull straight out." Others commented that this method works.

For many of us, Magpul adjustable stocks come with our AR kits, so it's cheaper to just make it tool-adjustable. Also, it's nice to have a tool-adjustable stock that can be adjusted for different family members and friends. Not sure why you watched this video.

Happy to read that my video helped somebody! Thanks for letting me know!

There are lots of tri-fuel generators, but unfortunately no compact ones. I guess that the generator manufacturers assume that people with natural-gas-fed houses have enough space for big generators.

Cool! Happy to hear that the video helped! That CTR stock is nice!

Adjustable stocks on center-fire guns are illegal in CA, CT, NJ, NY, and maybe MD & VA, et al.

va too wow more proof how clueless DC n governors are@@DaveRaveVideo

Carburetors are not leak-proof valves. So if you don't use a low pressure regulator, then natural gas will leak out of the carburetor when the engine is off. When I tried making a direct-connection to the carburetor I could smell the natural gas leaking out of the carburetor. The same is true of propane unless you have a normally-closed engine-activated solenoid valve (like the blue one that is included with the Firman generator). Also, if you don't use a low-pressure regulator (and a properly tuned hose-block-power-valve) you will essentially force-feed too much fuel to the engine, likely causing carbon build-up and reducing engine longevity. I tried direct connections with propane (without a solenoid valve) and natural gas (without a low-pressure regulator). The engine will run but it's dangerous, bad for the environment, and bad for the engine's longevity.

@@DaveRaveVideoMy natural gas manifold already has a low pressure regulator hooked up to it. If I tee in-I am assuming I am getting the lower downstream pressure from that. I know my main comes in at 2psi. Do appliances (stove, dryer, water heater) typically have a built in regulators, which i am assuming runs at .5psi or less?

@@jamahster I'm not sure what you mean by your "natural gas manifold" and I can't think of a reason why there would be a "low pressure regulator" downstream of your meter. So I'm guessing that by "low pressure regulator", you mean the service regulator at your gas meter. That is not a "low pressure regulator" like the Garrettson-Impco style regulator that I used in my video. From what I've read, natural gas from the street to your meter is typically ~2psi - 60 psi. The service regulator at your meter lowers that pressure to about 0.25 psi for your appliances to use. Natural gas appliances don't need pressure-regulators to further decrease the pressure below 0.25 psi because they were designed to work at 0.25 psi. Therefore gas appliances typically just have valves-- either (1) adjustable-valves that control the flame-height of appliances like stove-tops, or (2) on/off valves for appliances like water-heaters or furnaces where there's no need to adjust the flame-height. Low-pressure regulators take the pressure from 0.25 psi to 0 psi (or actually to something like MINUS 0.125 psi). Low-pressure regulators only allow gas to flow from their output if there is a vacuum on the output (i.e. gas is being sucked from the output). In this case, the low pressure regulator only allows gas to flow when the generator's engine spins and sucks air/fuel into the carburetor. Carburetors aren't like valve-controlled gas appliances. They don't get a force-fed fuel/air mixture from a valve. Carburetors suck in fuel/air. There is no leak-proof valve on a carburetor like there is on a stove-top burner. So if you don't use a low-pressure regulator, the natural gas (at 0.25 psi) will leak out of the carburetor when the engine is not spinning.

If you have a ng bbq hook up is that low enough ? Or still need low psi regulator Mine came with what I thought was a low pressure manufoukd for the propane attachment Can one use that ? Thx @@DaveRaveVideo

@@swormser865 A bbq hookup is not low enough pressure. It's the same pressure (~0.25 psi) as every other gas outlet in you house. If you don't attach a low-pressure regulator (as I did in the video for my bbq outlet) then natural gas will leak out of the engine's carburetor because (unlike a bbq's adjustable burner-valve) carburetors are not leak-proof valves. The low-pressure regulator reduces the pressure to 0 psi (or less). It will only allow gas to flow if the spinning engine sucks in the gas. Firman's included propane regulator is designed to regulate much-higher propane-tank pressures. It also has a solenoid that prevents propane-flow unless its electrical connector is attached to the generator. This prevents propane flow from leaking out of the carburetor unless the engine is spinning (as mentioned above). It is possible to use an adapter to connect natural gas to the inlet of that the propane regulator, but the natural gas flow would be restricted by the the 1/4" hose and quick-connect, and so you'd only be able to run the generator at about 1800W (because natural gas has lower energy-density than propane and therefore requires a 3/8" hose & connector).

I can't speak from personal experience but the widely used formula for this class of generator is: Gallons-of-propane-used per hour=Watts-used/3000×0.65. If by "50%" you mean 1500W, then the generator should use about (1500/3000x0.65=) 0.325 gallons/hour. Considering that "5-gallon" propane tanks really only hold about 4.75 gallons IF YOU HAVE THEM FILLED AT A FILLING STATION*, then that would be about (4.75 gallons/0.325 gallons/hour=) 14-hours per tank. This calculation jibes with the reviews that I watched & read about the WHO3242, wherein reviewers talked about how long a 5-gallon (20 lb) tank lasted in their real-world usage. If you gain better real-world knowledge, please let me know. *If you don't have your 5-gallon tanks filled at a filling station, and you instead do tank-exchanges like Blue Rhino or Amerigas, then the exchange tanks will only contain 3.5 gallons (15 lbs) of propane. In the calculation above, that would be 10.7 hours per tank.

@@DaveRaveVideo FYI, just watched a video today. He ran his RV for 9 hours using everything he wanted. (20lb tank)

Yes. I would prefer to do that. But as I mention in the video at 9:15, I couldn't find an EXTERNALLY THREADED 3/8" quick-connector that could be attached to the existing bracket (with a nut), nor could I find one that is slim enough to fit through the front-panel hole. (I don't want to void the warranty by widening the hole.) Starting at 9:15 I showed several photos of the removed 1/4" quick-connector alongside a ruler and a caliper, just in case anyone wants to search for a suitable 3/8" replacement. (I should have clarified that in my video.) If you find a suitable 3/8" replacement, please let me know! If I could find and install a suitable 3/8" female quick-connector, I'd also try to adapt the Firman propane regulator's 1/4" male-quick-connect output to be a 3/8" male-quick-connect so that I could run on either natural gas or propane through the same female 3/8" quick-connector. If I did that, then the regulator's barrel electrical plug would likely need to be extended, but those extension cords are easily, cheaply available online. I'm pretty sure that the barrel connector is 5.5mm O.D x 2.1mm I.D plug, but it could be 2.5mm I.D. (It's hard to measure.)

IMHO, yes. If you're satisfied with ~1800W, then you can just run natural gas (NG) through a low-pressure regulator (for safety) to the built-in 1/4" propane quick-connect. Alternatively, you could probably just remove the 1st stage, metal propane regulator (that is connected outside-the-blue propane regulator) and directly connect gas into the second stage of the blue propane regulator. According to my notes... AFTER (not before) the engine warmed up really well, I was able to run it up to 1900W with it sounding pretty good. Above 1960W, it really started to bog down sounding unhealthy, and bordering on stalling. Once it started to falter into a stall, it usually would not return to running smoothly-- even if the entire electrical load was removed. (Not sure why. I guess it has something to do with the engine's computer not being programmed to deal with natural gas and getting "confused".) So if I were going that route, I'd target running it at 1800W or less. I seriously considered going the propane-quick-connect route instead of teeing-in a 3/8" NG line because 1800W is enough to run my refrigerator (370W), furnace (425W), Internet modem & router (~29W), a few laptop PCs (25W each), monitors (~27W each), a desktop PC (~200W-500W), gas range (2W) and some LED light strings. But as a rule of thumb, motor-startup surge is typically about double the running wattage, and so my fridge motor probably surges to 740W on startup, my gas furnace probably surges to 850W, and my electric garage-door-opener (445W) probably surges to 890W. So I was concerned that a startup-surge could stall the generator. I was also concerned that I wouldn't have much headroom to run "less-essential" electronics like a big-screen TV (170W) & coffee maker (1100W). So I decided to go through a bit more effort and cost to get it to run at a sustained 2430W (with an occasional surge up to 2650W being OK). If you go the propane-quick-connect route, please make sure that you buy a male 1/4" quick-connect that has a relatively thin rim as I showed in the video. The first one that I bought at Ace, didn't mate with the generator's female connector, but I THINK that's because it was non-standard. Not sure. Most of the ones that I see on Amazon, SEEM to compatible based on the photos. Good luck!

You are so helpful🙂. Thanks a lot. BTW I sent a message to Firman suggesting they consider making a natural gas harness optional or standard with the generator (because it would be popular and profitable). There are a lot of power outages worldwide these days and this easily stored /powerful generator would fill a niche.

@@alexbaskous3603 Yeah... It's unfortunate that there are no compact tri-fuel generators from ANY manufacturer. I guess they all figure that anybody with a natural-gas powered house has plenty of space for a big open-frame tri-fuel generator. They probably figure that compact generators are primarily used for RVs & camping. It wouldn't surprise me if they are correct that the market niche for compact tri-fuel generators is too small to address.

Maybe, but their low price and unique natural gas addition might give them an edge on the competition for “small generators. BTW I’ve been impressed with a friction lowering product called “Tufoil” used by the US military to prolong engine life. You might want to look it up. Thanks again.

(“Aperture” not aerators above)

I'm happy that you found my video and disappointed that it didn't show up on your CZcams search. I added every relevant keyword that I could think of so that it would be searchable. May I ask where you saw the link? (Maybe I should post links on some relevant forums or product reviews.) I hope my video helps you. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

If you simply wrap an adjustable stock with tape, California's DOJ would consider your AR-15 to be an illegal assault weapon. To meet the CA DOJ's requirements, adjusting the stock length must require a tool. No tool is required to remove tape.

Happy to hear that my video helped. For a much easier method to achieve the 2nd option, you may want to try the method that ObYagTxha described in the comments below. He wrote, "Use pliers to twist the “notched” cross rod 180 degree (half turn), then it can be pull straight out." Others commented that this method works.

Yeah... It would be a reasonably easy replacement (and worth a price-adder for many Buckmark owners) if Williams sold fully-assembled rear sights. It was a pain-in-the butt, but I'm very happy that I did the swap.

At 5:19 in my video, I say to separate the upper from the lower before removing the screw, in order to keep it legal. 🙂We law-abiding-citizens jump through these silly hoops, but the criminals don't. E.g. The terrorists behind the San Bernardino attack illegally obtained AR-15s, and tricked them out with 30-round magazines, adjustable stocks, pistol grips, etc.

Then I stand corrected! You're preaching to the choir, jersey is ALMOST as bad.

Agree!

Thanks for posting, I thought it was just me! It was helpful but good lord...