Generator keeps cutting out after 20 minutes - Kipor 3000 on LPG

Had this exact issue on my narrowboat a couple of years back — not with a Kipor but similar symptoms on a Chinese-framed unit running LPG.

Nine times out of ten it's one of three things:

1. Thermal cutout — the AVR or the windings are hitting a temperature threshold. Does it restart fine once it's cooled down for 10-15 minutes? That's your giveaway.
2. LPG pressure dropping — as the cylinder cools during draw (especially in cold weather), the regulator can starve the carb. Seen this massacre runtimes on 6kg cylinders particularly.
3. Carburettor needle/float seat — LPG conversions sometimes have aftermarket jets that aren't quite right, and they lean out under sustained load.

The 20-minute window is actually quite telling. That's roughly when thermals build and when a small cylinder starts losing pressure simultaneously, so you could be chasing two problems at once which makes diagnosis messier.

What's your ambient temperature when this happens? And is it cutting out under load or ticking over quietly before it dies?

Worth pulling the air filter too — had a mate on a Springer who had almost identical symptoms and it turned out the foam element was collapsing under suction and blocking flow after warmup. Daft simple fix.

If it's thermal, improving airflow around the generator housing helps enormously. Mine lives in a poorly ventilated stern locker and I had to cut additional vents before it stopped stressing.

Anyone else on here running Kipor units long-term on LPG conversion? Curious whether the later models improved on the regulator sensitivity.

@PanelEwan interesting you mention the LPG angle — I spent about three weeks chasing a gremlin on my narrowboat that turned out to be nothing to do with the generator itself.

The regulator on my LPG locker was freezing up. Twenty-minute runtime, then starving for fuel. Classic symptom on colder mornings especially. Swapped to a high-flow regulator (the ones rated for caravans and motorhomes rather than basic camping kit) and the problem vanished entirely.

Worth checking your regulator is rated for the actual draw the generator demands — most people undersize them massively. Also check the hose isn't kinked anywhere between the cylinder and the unit. Sounds obvious but I'd missed it for a fortnight.

What's the ambient temperature when it's cutting out?

@PanelEwan @Spider — worth checking the LPG regulator itself under load. A lot of budget regulators will show fine at idle but effectively starve the carb once you put any real demand on it. Classic symptom is exactly this: runs sweet for 15-20 minutes while the bowl stays primed, then cuts out as demand outpaces supply.

Stick a pressure gauge on the line between regulator and carb under full load — you'll see the pressure drop away. I had this on my garden office backup setup; swapped a generic regulator for a proper 37mbar unit with a decent flow rating and never looked back.

Also worth ruling out the thermal cutout on the AVR board — Kipors are notorious for these tripping prematurely, especially in enclosed spaces. Two separate faults presenting identically is a genuine possibility here.

@TracyAllen good shout on the regulator — had exactly that on my boat last winter. Swapped out a perfectly fine-looking regulator and the 20-minute cutout vanished immediately.

One thing nobody's mentioned: check the fuel filter on the carb jet if it's been converted from petrol. LPG conversions on these units sometimes leave the old jet partially in place and it gums up under heat.

Also worth logging the voltage output when it cuts — if it's spiking before shutdown it's more likely thermal/load protection rather than fuel starvation.

@TracyAllen @MuddyFisher worth adding — if the regulator checks out, look at the LPG jet/orifice inside the carb. Petrol jets and LPG jets aren't the same size, and some of these Chinese units ship with the wrong one fitted or partially blocked with debris.

Also on Kipors specifically: the low-oil cutoff sensor can false-trigger when the unit gets warm and vibration shifts the oil around. Had something similar with my backup genny at the garden office — added a tiny bit more oil than the dipstick suggested and the 20-minute cutouts vanished completely.

Quick checklist if you've not tried:

• Check jet sizing for LPG spec
• Top oil up slightly
• Clean the carb bowl

Took me an embarrassing amount of time to work that oil level thing out tbh.