FAQ
General Questions
Q:
What is gasification & how does it work?
A:
Gasification is basically using heat to thermally decompose carbonaceous materials like wood and plants. Plants take in sunlight, water and carbon dioxide and develop complex chains of sugars, starches, cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin to build themselves. Plants are living hydrocarbons. Natures perfect solar collector. The process of gasification rapidly decomposes plants or “biomass” as we call it. Once decomposed into raw gases, they are reformed further into simple gases like hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and inert gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide. This mixture of gases has several names including: producer gas, syngas, towngas, and woodgas. These gases can be used to power engines and electric generators.
Q:
What are the benefits and drawbacks of gasification?
A:
Gasification lets you turn locally available wood into energy. Its there for you right now, not across an ocean, under a dictator. Wood is a battery for solar energy and a gasifier lets you tap into that energy whenever you want. Gasifiers are portable and produce large amounts of power. Gasification is the only technology that has successfully replaced oil in a petroleum crisis during WWII. If the world ended tomorrow, you could keep you lights on and even power your car (that’s another thing altogether. Not convenient, but possible)
Portable, scalable energy from your local area has it’s price though. Work! Learning! Skill! Did we lose you? 90% of the other people reading this just left. That’s O.K, now its just us gamers. Gasifiers like wood in specific sizes and moisture contents and you will need to make it or buy it. Operating a gasifier is like driving a car. Its a mystery at first, but once you have it figured out, it’s a piece of cake. Once you understand the process you just need to practice it and VIOLA! You are making energy from wood and biomass.
This isn’t for people that want to sleepwalk through their push-button life. Though we have made this pretty damn easy once you get the hang of it. It’s worth a little effort. The first time you run and engine on wood your life will change. For the first time in your life you will be free.
Q:
How can I learn more?
A:
VictoryGasworks.com is the largest interactive social network for gasification and it’s chalked full of resources and videos along with the resources you will find here.
Purchasing Questions
Q:
How much is shipping? How many boxes are there?
A:
To get shipping prices click the “add to cart” button and enter your country and postal code, then click “update cart”. Most times the Off Gridder ships in 4 boxes. Adding options will add boxes. If you don’t get a price, then please email us and request one.
Q:
How much is it?
A:
To get the price you need to answer a few questions. Click the “buy now” button. Then choose your fuel. Next learn about engines. Then pick your options and click “add to cart”, that will give you a price.
Q:
Why do you ask for engine size? How come it doesn’t change the price?
A:
We ask for engine size so that we can configure the hearth to match its gas production needs and produce a high quality gas. The price doesn’t change because its a matter of sizing and allows us to serve you better.
Q:
Do you sell a turn key system?
A:
Due to engine weight and international freight costs, we don’t offer a turn key system yet. We may offer one in the future. We do show you in the training videos how to hook up an engine that you have purchased locally or already own.
Fuel Questions
Q:
What fuel (wood, biomass) is best to run?
A:
It depends on what is local to your area. Most woods work well. Some don’t. We offer a fuel testing service to take the guess work out. Just send us a box of chunked or chipped fuel. In our area we like to use Douglas Fir and Pine. Cherry pits, peach pits, and nut shells are great fuel from agricultural waste. Moisture is a consideration. Use dry wood (under 20% moisture) and sift out any fines.
Q:
How long will the unit run on a load of fuel?
A:
Run time depends on the volume of gas processed through the engine (engine size) and the density of the wood (maple is heavier than cedar in a similar volume) As a rule of thumb with a standard hopper expect 2 hours of run time. With the larger hopper expect 4 hours of average run time on a water cooler 4 cylinder engine at 1800 rpm. If you are making 15 or more kilowatts per hour, a single load should more than power a households average daily use in a very short period of time. Which is a good thing, ’cause who wants to listen to an engine run all day?
Q:
I want to run (insert crazy fuel) Will it do that?
A:
Dunno. We offer a fuel testing service, so you can find out. Send a box of fuel and a deposit and we will run it through the gasifier. Call for details.
Q:
Will it run garbage and yard debris?
A:
Once you are a seasoned operator you can mix in small amounts of household waste including: junk mail, egg cartons, cardboard, shells, etc. There is an art to it and don’t expect to combine more than say 15% garbage. It is very satisfying to turn junk mail into energy.
Yard debris is a generic term, but chunked and screened branches will work well. Leaves and grass could be pelletized, but we haven’t seen anybody actually do it yet. Play around and see what happens.
Technical Questions
Q:
What size engine does the Off Gridder run?
A:
The Off Gridder runs best with water cooled cast iron 3, 4 or 6 cylinder low speed engines (1800 rpm). They are going to give you the best power, longevity & suction for proper operation. You can run stationary 1800 rpm small block V-8 engines too, but run time will be less. A 4 or 6 cylinder is the best blend of power output and fuel (wood) economy. We prefer older stuff that isn’t so electronic. Pick up an old car engine and equip it with a truck alternator if you want to make DC power. Buy an old natural gas genset if you want to make AC.
Q:
Will it run my 5 horsepower Briggs? Will it run a 300 hp engine?
A:
5 horsepower won’t provide enough suction. 300 horsepower at what rpm? A 300 hp engine only produces about 70-90 hp at 1800 rpm, which is the speed you need to match a 4 pole generator.
Q:
What is the energy content of the gas compared to propane?
A:
Producer gas gives about 50-75% of the power of propane and has a 1:1 mixing ratio with air. Factor that in when you are sizing your genset. Buy twice as many kilowatts capacity as you need.
Q:
Can I run the gasifier 12 hours a day or more? 24/7?
A:
Yes, you can run the gasifier half a day, or even 24 hours in an emergency, but why do you need to? If its business or church backup power during storms for example, then yeah run it. Run it hard. But if you are trying to run 12 hours a day, every day, you will have to produce alot of fuel. Plus you are going to put thousands of hours on it each year. Like any high temperature device there are consumable parts that wear and need to be replaced. In this case they are inexpensive, but why “run up the mileage” if you don’t need to.
The idea behind the Off Gridder is to make personal energy production simple and easily integrated into your life. Fire it up in the morning while making coffee and go about your day. Let it run until its done. Your power needs are covered. 3-5 minute daily service and 10 minutes on the weekend. Quick, easy and simple.
The two types of buyers usually looking for extended run time are either:
Solar power users that are used to small generators and all day trickle feed. Unlike solar or wind, with wood we can make lots of energy in AC or DC and feed it to our batteries or local grid. Schedule high energy use tasks while its running. It would be easier to upgrade your battery pack to handle 150-200 amps per hour.
Industrial users that want to get rid of a biomass waste stream. Industrial users are better served by buying an industrial grade gasifier and the extensive fuel handling systems that they require. They start in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and quickly go up to the millions. Before making that investment start with something small like the Off Gridder and learn how gasification really works.
Q:
Can I run a diesel engine?
A:
Yes, you can run a diesel, but you will need to dual fuel with at least 20% diesel for ignition to take place. This will require making modifications to the governor. Alternately you could add spark plugs.
Q:
Can I hook up a couple of your gasifiers and make a megawatt of power?
A:
No this is a residential sized unit. A megawatt is a very large amount of power. We suggest starting small and understanding the process before you invest alot of time and money trying to do something on a power company scale. Before you can make a megawatt of energy you need a way to process a huge amount of biomass into a shape and moisture content that your gasifier will like.
Q:
Can I store the gas?
A:
Its best to use it as its created, but people have compressed and stored it over short periods of time. Flammable gas under pressure is dangerous so we aren’t going to recommend it. In the old days they used to use gas storage membranes (think balloon or bladder) and that worked well and was under very little pressure. You can buy 500 cubic feet of storage for about $2000.
Q:
Can I run the gas in my propane appliances?
A:
You might try experimenting with it, but it’s not our focus. We are making motor grade fuels for electricity and work. Beware, don’t ever pump the gas into your home. The gas contains carbon monoxide which is a great fuel that burns cleanly, but is deadly if overexposed to.
Business Related Questions
Q:
Can I make money by net metering?
A:
Net metering varies by area, as do electric rates. We feel gasification has a bright future as part of a people powered grid. Some simple math will tell you that at $0.05 per kwh X 20kw X 4 hours a day = $4. Probably shouldn’t retire just yet. Maybe that internet thing will take off. You might try that.
Net metering is a great way to store energy if you are connected to the grid. The grid can take a large amount of energy, whereas batteries can only charge so fast.
Q:
Do you offer plans?
A:
No, we no longer offer plans. The design has progressed far beyond the ability of a Do-It-Yourselfer to fabricate. Plus we have invested heavily in R&D and have intellectual property at stake.
Q:
Are you looking for sales distributors?
A:
No, not at this time. We put the feelers out on that in the past and were disappointed that no one really wanted to learn about gasification and offer customer service in their local area. It’s scary to us that people want to sell something as powerful as a gasifier and not make the effort necessary to understand it.
Also consider that we have placed our price so low that there really isn’t room for a distributors markup. Its manufacturer direct pricing. We do offer referral commissions to current owners that bring in new customers.
Q:
Can I license and manufacture the Off Gridder in my own country?
A:
We are beta testing licensing & manufacturing relationships in Europe. One licensee per country. Companies that want to inquire about this should be well capitalized, knowledgeable and able to provide customer support in their own country.
Q:
Do you build custom gasifiers?
A:
We have and we can if you have enough lead time and a custom budget. Our kits are a great value because we a diffusing the costs over hundreds of units. Custom work usually requires some trial and error as well as testing to get it right and tight. We prefer to work with customers that have hands on experience, so that they understand the challenges that face a custom builder. Otherwise people approach gasification like they are ordering from a menu and not every dish goes well with the rest. Please have very clear goals.
Environmental Questions
Q:
Is gasification good for the environment? You are murdering trees you evil bastards.
A:
Gasification is the the only renewable energy source that keeps natures processes in place. A solar panel doesn’t purify the air, but a tree does. A wind turbine doesn’t clean the water, but switchgrass does. A hydro project doesn’t feed you fresh food, but a cherry tree does before turning the pits into energy.
As to murdering trees; much of the fuel used is waste from fallen trees, branches, beetle kill, etc. When you use gasification you complete the cycle. Trees are usually way too valuable to take down for fuel. It doesn’t make financial sense. In the future we hope to see fast growing tree crops developed as a resource much the way pulp wood is. And when that happens you can say what you will, but we will shout right back “You are killing sprouts, you tofu eating bastards.” Then we can all have a good laugh and set up your new gasifier power system.
Q:
Does your unit produce biochar?
A:
Yes, biochar is a beneficial byproduct. Its a small amount, good for your garden.
Q:
What is the carbon footprint?
A:
At face value making energy from biomass is carbon neutral. When you take into account the biochar that is sequestered as well as the carbon that is sequestered in the biomass’ root system you quickly see that it is carbon negative.
Q:
Are there any emissions or byproducts?
A:
There is some smoke during the first few minutes of start-up. Once motor quality gas is being made, then its used in the engine where it actually lowers emissions. Byproducts include biochar (good), ash (good), and the possibility of some tars (not so good) that we recycle into the fuel process. Our units are sold in kits to keep the price down and have not been emissions tested for your area.
