Recoveryhill
Gold Member
Disagree: A engine/generator set with capacity over that required is inefficient and at low loads damages the generator section.
Stand by generators
- Thread starter nckennedy
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Disagree: A engine/generator set with capacity over that required is inefficient and at low loads damages the generator section.
Toyboy
Platinum Member
Your right that your Generac is capable of running NG or Propane just by moving a lever on the carb. But I don't know if the regulator is the same for the two fuels. I do know the pressures are set different for them. If the regulator is compatible, all you need to have handy is a gauge to reset the pressure.
MESSMAKER
Veteran Member
Wow! They require oil change every 40 hours?
ETpilot
Gold Member
Reading this thread I never realized that there was such a need for generator power. I have lived in my house 23 years and I have used the generator 6-8 times. The longest was about a week after an ice storm. Most power failures don't last that long. It takes 15 minutes or so to set up.
All this talk about generators, I realized it was time to test my HF. Started up second pull, battery not used. It will get a workout starting this week as I progress in my shed building project.
All this talk about generators, I realized it was time to test my HF. Started up second pull, battery not used. It will get a workout starting this week as I progress in my shed building project.
Water cooled/high capacity/low load/short runs, I can see the engine rarely getting up to temperature. At least in my climate, half the year.
What is the failure mechanism on the generator section, at low load ?
Rgds, D.
Toyboy
Platinum Member
I've had mine installed a little over 2 yr and has 26hr on the clock just from weekly exercise cycle. I did change oil & filter this fall. If the power did go out for days on end, I would do an oil change just for the heck of it. I will probably get into changing oil every fall now (2 qt), and if no major power outages occur, I'll do filter every 2 yr.
GrandLakeGAR
Bronze Member
Is this really critical? My Generac exercises 12 minutes each week at full speed with no load and may go months like that. During an outage loads may be very high during the day but extremely low all night. A 20 kW at half load probably uses less fuel than than a 12kw at full load. Since the portables all seem to be rated at half load for fuel use, they must not consider that a serious problem. Nothing I worry about for sure.
GManBart
Elite Member
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No, the manual says 2 years, or 200 hours of use, whichever comes first. I guess if you had to run it for a week straight (8.3 days technically) it would be a pain to have to change the oil/filter, but that would be a pretty small inconvenience under those sort of circumstances.
GrandLakeGAR
Bronze Member
Generac manual says oil and filter change every 200 hrs or two years. Two qts oil, a $6 filter and about fifteen minutes. Clear access, filter out in the open, and a drain tube for no spillage or mess, I wish all my engines were this easy.
s219
Super Member
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I think the main issue is wetstacking (http://cliffordpower.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IS_09_wet_Stacking_GENERAC.pdf), which is most known on diesels but can affect propane/NG engines too from what I have read. The main problem occurs if the generator is operating for short duration and light load and can never reach operating temperature.
As far as efficiency, my 21kW diesel generator has an Isuzu engine, and it scales down fuel efficiency extremely well at lower loads, to the point were there is almost no penalty for running at lower loads compared to having smaller generators. This was unique to Isuzu units; the Kubota and Mitsubishi powered units do fare worse when running under light loads.
