Your last generator Maintenance Run

[grsthegreat]

Had another power outage today. Got to watch the updated genmon controls. They added more monitoring functions. I took my wifi fuel monitor offline due to it faulting out after 3 years. To replace it i would need a yearly contract now due to generac buying the company….. im now looking for another brand of monitor. Plus, it should have lasted longer. Im going to stay away from tankutility brand. I did rearrange screen to show more gauges. I happen to do a screen save right as utility power came back online.

 

[3930dave]

Had another power outage today. Got to watch the updated genmon controls. They added more monitoring functions. I took my wifi fuel monitor offline due to it faulting out after 3 years. To replace it i would need a yearly contract now due to generac buying the company….. im now looking for another brand of monitor. Plus, it should have lasted longer. Im going to stay away from tankutility brand. I did rearrange screen to show more gauges. I happen to do a screen save right as utility power came back online.





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Telematics, done well, are a beautiful thing.... thanks for posting those g. Business "factors" can mess that up pretty quick though....

Subscription.... it's a great scam. Vehicles - why give you a keyfob or 2 when you buy a vehicle, when you can bang the customer with subscription fees for the same function on their own phone, AND you can turn around and sell the world all the data you pull from customer's phones !

Let us know what you pick for a new Fuel Monitor pls, inquiring minds are watching !

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I like the BatteryMinder charger desulfators, and routinely use the 8amp version.
I haven't done any real testing done on poor batteries recently, but previously tested homemade desulfators based upon a design by Alistar Cooper (sp?) many years ago. They never recovered batteries that were shot, but poor condition batteries showed around a 20% improvement based on an electronic battery tester I have by MidTronics. Regardless, the desulfators were a lot of fun to make, and kept me out of trouble for several years.

Cooper.... that name is familiar...... sounds like a fun project, for the time.

We all need projects... to keep us on the Straight and Narrow !

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

the afternoon before this last snow, decided to fire up the gen.
It started right up, and peanut shells and other stuff flew out.
immediately shut it down, got air blower and cleaned it out thoroughly.
I guess squirrels had decided it was a good spot.
it had been cleaned only a few months back, I guess winter time and a nice cover makes the
gen a happy spot for critters.
the little Makita blower works perfectly for this, one of my favorite tools

 

[grsthegreat]

Ive been told if you place a few moth balls in a sock and stuff it under unit…you will keep them critters out.


might be old wives tail though

 

[daugen]

I bet that would work great GRS, lots of critters don't like smell of naptha or whatever pungent smell that has.
I thought about spraying some peppermint oil I use for ants and keeping critters out of my motorhome. Cats don't like
peppermint apparently; I use it where my neighbor's cat comes and stalks my bird feeders. It works. Washes off of course

27 hours on meter in three years. Not much but sure needed. No big outage so far beyond 8 hours.
I had one go almost two days in NC in an ice storm. Had a 1000 gallon propane tank, I was sitting pretty, but never like an engine
running too long, particularly not one running at 3600 rpm. If it was diesel and going 2100 rpm, wouldn't think twice about it.
Just good exercise for a diesel, always think I'm running the xxx out of the gas engine.

unless you have an old 409 with 4.11 gears, most of us don't see 3600 rpm in our cars. Turbos today provide so much torque down low, my Volvo
rarely gets over 3000 rpm. 3600 rpm has always bothered me. I wish my gen had an idle down feature but I wonder what it's like to have the freezer or a/c come on while that thing is at reduced speed.

 

[grsthegreat]

I think my jut ski runs at like 5000-7000 rpm……….

 

[WinterDeere]

Subscription.... it's a great scam. Vehicles - why give you a keyfob or 2 when you buy a vehicle, when you can bang the customer with subscription fees for the same function on their own phone, AND you can turn around and sell the world all the data you pull from customer's phones !

I'm no sociologist, but I've been on this earth watching people for 50 years, and can usually see a tidal change coming at least as well as anyone else. But this whole "subscription mania" thing even has me wondering.

If the Boomers thru GenX remained the dominant force in the market, I'd say a backlash were coming, that people are going to get fed up with companies pushing subscription over ownership. But then we have these damn Millenials and younger, and I don't think they have the same attachment to owning their stuff, as we do or did. I'm not so sure they "know any better", as they've now grown up in a subscription state.

Can we blame Netflix? Blockbuster?

 

[90cummins]

Im not a fan of small generators that dont have a oil pump and oil filter. At least the generac standbys (except for the 7.5 kw powerpacks) have both pump and filter

I agree!
Prior to Y2K I bought a Generac XL4000 because it was the first small engine that I saw with an oil filter. It was quite problematic because it kept leaking oil from the oil seal between the generator. Require splitting the unit to replace seal.
New seal also leaked so another teardown
Put engineering hat on and found that oil pressure was causing leakage due to oil drain hole being too small causing back pressure.
Enlarged hole & problem solved.
Nice generator but thru testing I found it had more hp than electrical generating capacity.
At the rated load of 4000 watts voltage was approx 100 volts @ 60 hz.
Max load less than 3500 watts before voltage dropped below 110 volts.
This was no fluke because I tested 3 identical generators.
In my opinion any generator should be tested for proper voltage, hertz & capacity before being used.
Advertised ratings are just a sales pitch unless proven!!
I still have one because it is reliable with no leaks & I know its limits.
90cummins

 

[3930dave]

the afternoon before this last snow, decided to fire up the gen.
It started right up, and peanut shells and other stuff flew out.
immediately shut it down, got air blower and cleaned it out thoroughly.
I guess squirrels had decided it was a good spot.
it had been cleaned only a few months back, I guess winter time and a nice cover makes the
gen a happy spot for critters.
the little Makita blower works perfectly for this, one of my favorite tools

Critters tend to crawl under most any covering. Pondering your situation...... w/o going to a full shed, a box with a floor, slightly larger than the gen would be the minimum enclosure.

Obviously could be built from scratch. Depending what is around you (or on your travel paths) for equipment dealers, a non-returnable Shipping Container for "something" might be close to what you need. Might still need light mods, for a door/ramp, but wanted to float the idea..... Lady Luck may provide something on your travels this Spring.

Rgds, D.