Your last generator Maintenance Run
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grsthegreat
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i just installed 3 more concrete pads this week, 2 more to go
ultrarunner
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Yes, i remember that one. I think it was two weeks, we got a rebate from PSE. Couldn't get out to a main road for the first week. Thankfully we have wood heat so were able to stay warm.
This is why I can't understand why it is so difficult in some jurisdictions to get a permit for standby power or why new wood burning stoves are outright banned.
If anything, steps to make individuals more self reliant should be encouraged and not discouraged.
daugen
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lights flashing on the oven this morning, power went out last night, have no idea if backup gen went on, slept through it. All good.
Changed oil in Honeywell 9000/7500 portable gen for first time, about 20 hours, unit was bought until I could get a whole house Generac 22kw put in, which is now up and running. Ran the gen for about 8 hours this week, powering up a travel trailer a/c that also needed to be run. Mobil 1 10/30 in a quality Chonda gen, started right up with electric start, though like all of us, gosh I wish these cold little engines would not zoom to 3600 rpm so fast.
I had a Honeywell like this (likely very similar to Champions and others) about ten years ago, loaned it out, folks ran it all night and all day with almost no load on it, carboned up the cylinder head and then it wouldn't start. So I always run these things with at least 15-20 amps pulling on them. Either a couple of electric heaters or this rv a/c did the trick last time.
Was pleased that putting this gen away dosed with Sea Foam and Stabil, plus non ethanol gas, really does seem to make it a reliable starter. Now I dump the rest of the dedicated five gallon gas can I keep for the gen into the mowers, and put fresh gas in the can and then refill the gen with fresh gas. I doubt I will ever need it, unless the whole house gen has an issue, but belt and suspenders works for me.
I change the oil in my Generac 22kw once a year, usually Valvoline Ultra synthetic or Mobil 1, whatever I have.
Air filters never are dirty. Do clean air filters after five years need changing? I do, but wonder if I'm throwing my money away. You know all those maintenance services companies change them out whether they need it or not.
Changed oil in Honeywell 9000/7500 portable gen for first time, about 20 hours, unit was bought until I could get a whole house Generac 22kw put in, which is now up and running. Ran the gen for about 8 hours this week, powering up a travel trailer a/c that also needed to be run. Mobil 1 10/30 in a quality Chonda gen, started right up with electric start, though like all of us, gosh I wish these cold little engines would not zoom to 3600 rpm so fast.
I had a Honeywell like this (likely very similar to Champions and others) about ten years ago, loaned it out, folks ran it all night and all day with almost no load on it, carboned up the cylinder head and then it wouldn't start. So I always run these things with at least 15-20 amps pulling on them. Either a couple of electric heaters or this rv a/c did the trick last time.
Was pleased that putting this gen away dosed with Sea Foam and Stabil, plus non ethanol gas, really does seem to make it a reliable starter. Now I dump the rest of the dedicated five gallon gas can I keep for the gen into the mowers, and put fresh gas in the can and then refill the gen with fresh gas. I doubt I will ever need it, unless the whole house gen has an issue, but belt and suspenders works for me.
I change the oil in my Generac 22kw once a year, usually Valvoline Ultra synthetic or Mobil 1, whatever I have.
Air filters never are dirty. Do clean air filters after five years need changing? I do, but wonder if I'm throwing my money away. You know all those maintenance services companies change them out whether they need it or not.
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Nothing wrong with belt+suspenders approach.... we can get rough weather anywhere, but Atlantic storms can get serious in a hurry.
Looks like 22's are the new normal for residential auto-transfer. Nice capacity. While some (not me) might say you are over-maintaining, I still shake my head over some of the systems grs has had to rescue - they don't need much maintenance, but they do need more than zero. Even a $50 air filter would end up being only about $1/month, so I'd change it out at 5 years too....
Many guys on here are successful with storing their engines dry. Stay with what works for each household is my motto.
With Ontario fuel, my preference is storing stabilized non-E fuel. S+S is one of my favourites - it has performed well for me too. I want my generators ready to go. Not having an auto-transfer system here, I don't want to be racing a sump pump at 3am fueling up by flashlight.
Also nicely done on the test loads :thumbsup: .
Rgds, D.
Electrical and Natgas have to be inspected here before running a standby system, and I know more regs have come into play for diesel tanks, but generally speaking our process is still fairly reasonable. So far.
My provincial govt does run public advertising promoting Emergency Preparedness. But I won't be surprised to see different govt departments promoting cross-purposes.
I watch what is going on in Cali, as for better or worse, enviro trends in your back yard ur tend to propagate. Your general trend is "anything carbon based (including wood) is evil".
The premier here has a personal vanity project at play "Providing Global Green Leadership", so I know more anti-carbon legislation is waiting in wings. Last trial balloon that was floated was "No residential building permits issued after 2030 if carbon fuel is used'. There are parts of the continent were you can get away with that, but I have no interest in trying that when we can see -40.
Personally I totally agree with you ur, concerning people being independent. At least up here, Govt legislation for the most part tends to discourage real independence.
Rgds, D.
ultrarunner
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Most would say Western Europe is very Green and yet when I was working in Austria new homes were required to have a chimney from basement up suitable for wood burning... no matter if you intended to install a wood stove or tile oven.
The thought is should gas, propane, electricity or heating oil availability fail at least folks won't freeze to death...
Whole house generators are still rare... but just about everyone I worked with kept at least a year's supply of seasoned wood just in case.
The thought is should gas, propane, electricity or heating oil availability fail at least folks won't freeze to death...
Whole house generators are still rare... but just about everyone I worked with kept at least a year's supply of seasoned wood just in case.
Western Europe..... what a weird place..... they have ultra-efficient wood-stoves AND legislators with common sense ! Then again, having a nutbag neighbour who supplies much of your Natgas and loves to shut it off in the dead of Winter is probably a big factor in creating politicians and legislators with sense....
I like wood heat, and think it is good backup for our Canuck climate.
Are small portable generators common in the rural areas of Western Europe ur ? I suspect solar PV is more common than here.
Rgds, D.
ultrarunner
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Didn't see many small generators...
Most of my colleagues had wood with either oil or gas for heat... some all three.
Radiant heat is the standard and thermosyphon doesn't require a circulation pump to work... not as efficient if the power is out but still works.
Most are fanatical about being able to keep warm and go to great lengths to insure they do and can also cook.
Gas supplies are problematic as mentioned.
Of course the farmers have 3-point generators... and are very adaptable...
Most of my colleagues had wood with either oil or gas for heat... some all three.
Radiant heat is the standard and thermosyphon doesn't require a circulation pump to work... not as efficient if the power is out but still works.
Most are fanatical about being able to keep warm and go to great lengths to insure they do and can also cook.
Gas supplies are problematic as mentioned.
Of course the farmers have 3-point generators... and are very adaptable...
daugen
Epic Contributor
Looks like 22's are the new normal for residential auto-transfer.
what surprised me is that I can actually run three Trane a/c compressors with it; granted I start flicking off breakers
for the hot water heaters and the hot tub automatically gets turned off. I lived aboard a boat for three years and have load
management down pretty well. only a few things at a time...
The Generac/Kohler 22kw units use an approx one liter twin cylinder "lawn mower engine" for want of a better term.
I think this is about the limit for air cooled engines unless one has the engineering background of Deutz or whatever.
In this country we typically have gone water cooled then, for less hot spots and longer engine life supposedly. of course cooling systems can fail;
oh those little rubber impellers do fail. Particularly if they have been sitting in the same spot for too long and not run.
So air cooled has its advantages; the fan power on my Generac is remarkably strong. It will toast shrubbery for six feet on one side.
Huge cost difference, at least tripling usually, to take the next steep step up to a water cooled propane/LP powered car engine based generator.
My understanding has always been the Generac engine is a slightly modified B&S Vanguard. I am now on my second Generac unit, the first
was the 20kw at another home. They have never consumed oil; only time I ever saw the mark move was in running for four days and that was hardly anything.
These engines don't use oil. Not like the scandalous use of some modern Subarus, BMW's, etc which consume oil intentionally at a rate most of us would be alarmed by. When was the last time you had to add oil in between car/truck oil changes? I never ever have to; maybe I've just been lucky. And that's pulling an rv with my truck too. And I sure never have to add oil to my gen. Though I admit none of them are high mileage. Either Mobil 1 or Valvoline synthetic, oem, Wix or Purolator PureOne oil filter. Have always put in best oil I could find. This is one machine I do not want problems with.
So I guess the piston ring tech is good enough today that oil is retained well and seems like Generac does a particularly good job of that.
I wonder if there is a design spec for unattended operation, assuming a large enough fuel tank, for up to one week straight?
Both my neighbor and I have similar gens, his is a Kohler, but we have a deal that if either of us is away, we check on the other guy's gen, since both of our power comes off the same line and we almost always go down together. Even if it doesn't use oil, I like to turn the gen off every 12 hours anyway for an hour, if I can, usually during the day.
Otherwise mine comes on every second Saturday at 1pm for an automatic exercise run. Apparently just enough to heat up the engine. On the older 20kw, it ran every week. Apparently with propane, they can do every two weeks and maintain reliability. Runs at reduced rpm during test runs.
what surprised me is that I can actually run three Trane a/c compressors with it; granted I start flicking off breakers
for the hot water heaters and the hot tub automatically gets turned off. I lived aboard a boat for three years and have load
management down pretty well. only a few things at a time...
The Generac/Kohler 22kw units use an approx one liter twin cylinder "lawn mower engine" for want of a better term.
I think this is about the limit for air cooled engines unless one has the engineering background of Deutz or whatever.
In this country we typically have gone water cooled then, for less hot spots and longer engine life supposedly. of course cooling systems can fail;
oh those little rubber impellers do fail. Particularly if they have been sitting in the same spot for too long and not run.
So air cooled has its advantages; the fan power on my Generac is remarkably strong. It will toast shrubbery for six feet on one side.
Huge cost difference, at least tripling usually, to take the next steep step up to a water cooled propane/LP powered car engine based generator.
My understanding has always been the Generac engine is a slightly modified B&S Vanguard. I am now on my second Generac unit, the first
was the 20kw at another home. They have never consumed oil; only time I ever saw the mark move was in running for four days and that was hardly anything.
These engines don't use oil. Not like the scandalous use of some modern Subarus, BMW's, etc which consume oil intentionally at a rate most of us would be alarmed by. When was the last time you had to add oil in between car/truck oil changes? I never ever have to; maybe I've just been lucky. And that's pulling an rv with my truck too. And I sure never have to add oil to my gen. Though I admit none of them are high mileage. Either Mobil 1 or Valvoline synthetic, oem, Wix or Purolator PureOne oil filter. Have always put in best oil I could find. This is one machine I do not want problems with.
So I guess the piston ring tech is good enough today that oil is retained well and seems like Generac does a particularly good job of that.
I wonder if there is a design spec for unattended operation, assuming a large enough fuel tank, for up to one week straight?
Both my neighbor and I have similar gens, his is a Kohler, but we have a deal that if either of us is away, we check on the other guy's gen, since both of our power comes off the same line and we almost always go down together. Even if it doesn't use oil, I like to turn the gen off every 12 hours anyway for an hour, if I can, usually during the day.
Otherwise mine comes on every second Saturday at 1pm for an automatic exercise run. Apparently just enough to heat up the engine. On the older 20kw, it ran every week. Apparently with propane, they can do every two weeks and maintain reliability. Runs at reduced rpm during test runs.
