Your last generator Maintenance Run

[BravoXray]

Murphy, and his endless options.....

w/o your BX/PTO..... probably would have been a multi-day outage BX !

Rgds, D.

The genset is powered by a Yanmar 3 cylinder diesel out of a JD, not the BX PTO.
But yeah, before I built the genset we had a lot of power outages. This was only the fourth time to use it in four years. Cheap insurance though.

 

[3930dave]

The genset is powered by a Yanmar 3 cylinder diesel out of a JD, not the BX PTO.
But yeah, before I built the genset we had a lot of power outages. This was only the fourth time to use it in four years. Cheap insurance though.

I should look at pics on the big screen ...... missed that.

Self-contained trailer.... always nice.....

Rgds, D.

 

[bmaverick]

2 years ago. It runs only on NG, so it fire up when the time comes.

 

[WinterDeere]

Murphy, and his endless options.....

Murphy was an optimist.

 

[groundcover]

Not really a maintenance run, but I did start it and run it for a few minutes.
About 1:00PM the power went out, just as I had started sweeping as my daughter and family are arriving from Florida this evening. Waited about an hour, the neighbor behind me called and said the utility company's help line said it would be at least 4:30PM until power would be restored. Drat!
Went down to the shop, hooked the BX up to the genset, pulled it up to the house and was just plugging it in to the house when the lady that lives to the south walked up with a couple of dozen eggs for me from her flock. She said the power had just came back on.
Unplug the cord, drive back to the shop, back it in, drop the genset, close up the shop and walk back to the house.
At least the genset got a few minutes of idle time.

Really sweet set up !

 

[Robin Veerman]

Trying to decide what’s wrong with the story. Generator pulled out, with a nice tractor….then returned same without actually needing them….then received beautiful brown eggs from the nice neighbor lady… PRICELESS

 

[3930dave]

Trying to decide what’s wrong with the story. Generator pulled out, with a nice tractor….then returned same without actually needing them….then received beautiful brown eggs from the nice neighbor lady… PRICELESS

About Murphy being an Optimist.....

If I had a day like that ^, I'd ending up thinking..... "That was way too easy...... now I'm scared".

A week like I had..... broke an eyeglass lens (exceedingly rare for me), and have an ABS fault that 3 scanners don't show codes for....... trying a Snap On one @ work next.......

^ normal interactions for me with Murph..... somewhere in my collection, is a book somebody gave me many years ago on Murphy quotes...... by now, I could add a few chapters myself !

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

2 years ago. It runs only on NG, so it fire up when the time comes.

Haven't gone there yet, but I do like the long term stability of NG and Propane.

That said, my relationship with nemesis Murphy disallows leaving critical equipment sitting for years...... batteries, starters, control circuits, mice, mud-daubers....... are just some of Murphy's minions that keep me awake @ night.....

But, some people were born under a different star (for real, not being funny), and have a cloaking shield around 'em that 'ol Murph can't penetrate ! Learned long ago, I'm not that ^ lucky !

Rgds, D.

 

[5030]

The steel enclosure on our diesel standby is getting progressively more and more corroded as time goes on, so I've ordered a new aluminum enclosure (which is how they all come today) from Generac and we will have to gut the steel enclosure and re-install all the components in the aluminum one. It wasn't cheap but it certainly was much less expensive than replacing the entire unit.

 

[3930dave]

The steel enclosure on our diesel standby is getting progressively more and more corroded as time goes on, so I've ordered a new aluminum enclosure (which is how they all come today) from Generac and we will have to gut the steel enclosure and re-install all the components in the aluminum one. It wasn't cheap but it certainly was much less expensive than replacing the entire unit.

I can see making that call/repair..... how many years did you get out of the steel one 50 ?

I'm used to steel enclosures rotting near a seacoast, or a road in ice-country, but hadn't heard much on Generacs doing this.

Rgds, D.

 

[5030]

I can see making that call/repair..... how many years did you get out of the steel one 50 ?

I'm used to steel enclosures rotting near a seacoast, or a road in ice-country, but hadn't heard much on Generacs doing this.

Rgds, D.

Maybe 35, not sure actually. Generac has a big issue with rotting enclosures as I found out but most are stand alone 15-17KW gas powered units.

 

[grsthegreat]

Generacs older steel cases rusted alot, especially in coastal areas. But iv seen it even here in north idaho. The aluminum cases have no issues. Powder coated aluminum cases were a option years ago (before id say 2010 ish) but now its the only way they come.

 

[5030]

Ours is so corroded the end panel fell off...lol. Was probably made from lowest bidder steel. Not looking forward to gutting the old one and installing all the guts in the new one but still thousands less than a new unit.

 

[3930dave]

Maybe 35, not sure actually. Generac has a big issue with rotting enclosures as I found out but most are stand alone 15-17KW gas powered units.

I'm getting old enough that 35 yrs doesn't seem like the long-time it once did..... but that is a fair # of seasonal cycles....

Low quality steel, panel prep/paint..... could be anything. Ideally, aluminum should be treated too, esp. up here in Salt Land....

Rgds, D.

 

[5030]

I can have the new one in any color I want so long as it's Bisque, what ever that is. Least it won't be rust red. Interestingly, the base chassis is still steel but the rest is aluminum and I'll be real careful to isolate the aluminum from the steel to avoid electrolysis from dissimilar metals. Aluminum rusts too.

 

[5030]

Gonna unbolt as little as possible (of course the electrical end will have to be taken out) but that is all plug and play Molex connectors. I'll use one of the tractors to lift out the diesel engine and generator head, hopefully in one shot. Gonna be fun I'm sure.

 

[3930dave]

Could set up an Overhaulin' Generators channel on youtube..... you'd have plenty of viewers, just from this Thread !



Rgds, D.

 

[5030]

My local dealer tried to discourage us from doing it, but I'm not about to scrap a perfectly good running unit and buy another one for who knows how much jack. Tearing it apart is probably 30% electrical and 70% mecahnical and a tad bit of cussing I'm sure. All the components are fine, including the John Deere turbocharged diesel engine. First thing I'll do is 100% isolate it from the service so I don't get zapped, the tear into it. It is a 27KW 220/3 genny.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just did the annual on the generator I bought new for the clinic in 1995…

It will out live us all if it was not targeted for removal by the air district…

Maybe I can take it home when it has to be replaced but a little overkill with a 150kW standby rating, 480 volts, 3 phase?

For decades I ran it weekly 30 minutes plus cool down at 40% or better load but now only once a month because non compliant units are limited to 30 hours yearly for maintenance, reliability and 4-hour load bank.

 

[BravoXray]

Just did the annual on the generator I bought new for the clinic in 1995…

It will out live us all if it was not targeted for removal by the air district…

Maybe I can take it home when it has to be replaced but a little overkill with a 150kW standby rating, 480 volts, 3 phase?

For decades I ran it weekly 30 minutes plus cool down at 40% or better load but now only once a month because non compliant units are limited to 30 hours yearly for maintenance, reliability and 4-hour load bank.

I give up, what kind of engine is that?