Generator Grow

Having trouble doing the math some one help me out please!

So its guna be a grow under 2 600 hps lights plus the ballasts, fans, hydro pump, etc. So Im guessing the electricity usage would be around 2500 to 3000W..

I want to run the generator 12 hours a day till harvest. how much gas would the generator use in 12 hours. what type of calculation would i use to find out the costs of using a generator for a grow. also which is more cost effective?: gas or propane generators?

Thanks

If you get a propane generator, you can hook it up to a large tank and not have to worry about refueling if you get automatic delivery from a propane company.

Check this out... http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/fuel_consumption.htm

very helpful thanks man

my 1500 watt generator burns a gallon of gas in about 6-8 hrs at half load so I would guess you would want a 5k generator so you will be burning 3-4 gallons of gas per 12 hr day. 12 bucks a day for gas (at least) x 70+ days will cost you a grand. expect to drop another grand or 2 for a generator.- cheap ones are not made to run every day for months at a time & will only last a 1-2 harvests.
propane would be slightly cheaper and you could run the exhaust into your grow for CO2 but still,wouldn't it be cheaper to run electric to your site?

Takeiteasy, Make sure you DO NOT run your exhaust in you room as suggested... Burned propane creates Carbon Monoxide Not Carbon Dioxide... Carbon Monoxide will kill you and the plants... And if you were to have 1500 PPM of monoxide this is what will happen 1500 ppm0.15%Headache, dizziness, nausea, convulsions, collapse, death within 1 hourLevels greater than 1500 ppm are considered “immediately dangerous to life or health” (IDLH). This is the ceiling limit

what donut said...baaaaad idea

CO2 generators have a very efficient, clean-burning flame that produces CO2 instead of CO. An internal combustion engine will produce CO2 and CO.

I stand corrected, thought since they run propane towmotors in factories, they would be safe. learned something new

If you really have to use a generator, and plan on growing for any length of time, get a diesel generator. When I'm not in the grow, I own a marine service that works on ocean going boats. We work with diesel generators that are meant to run around the clock for weeks on end. The only reason to shut em down is to service them. We see life spans of 10,000+ hrs before any major service is needed. You can figure a minimum of 15 crops before you'd put her in the shop for a rebuild. There are some 5kw generators out there that burn .2 gallons per hour. You'll spend a pretty penny on them. But there's no gasoline generators that will deliver anywhere near the service life of a diesel. In the long run, the diesel unit will be much cheaper than the gas unit. Here's a pretty nice generator to suit your needs: http://www.generatorsales.com/order/inc/invoice_test.asp?Page=yanmar_4kw