Your last generator Maintenance Run

[LittleBill21]

That’s what I thought too. Tech said not load banking it regularly may have caused it. I don’t really know what that would have to do with it. The block heater burnt out probably 20 years ago, so maybe there was an internal condensation problem related to that. It was always exercised weekly, except for a time when some unknown person removed the timer keys. Then it went inexercised until I discovered the issue. Highest compression on one of the cylinders was only 180 psi, so something was clearly wrong.

Yea I thinking he was pulling that out of his butt, maybe increased oil usage and maybe a rering. how long was the run time for the excise? did the oil smell like fuel?

 

[Popgadget]

is the extra expense to go 1800 rpm due to needing a larger higher torque engine or
a more expensive alternator? or both

To get the same HP at 1800 rpm as you would have at 3600rpm you need a much larger (more expensive) engine.
Making a 4 pole generator instead of the two poles required for 3600rpm takes more copper and steel.
So the answer is both.

 

[Popgadget]

I’ve found that all batteries are not created equally, and do a capacity check every six months. Once a degradation in capacity beyond 10% is observed the battery gets replaced regardless of age.
Sometimes that is a surprisingly long or short interval.

 

[Racer4]

Yea I thinking he was pulling that out of his butt, maybe increased oil usage and maybe a rering. how long was the run time for the excise? did the oil smell like fuel?

Oil level never really changed and no diesel smell to it either. Exercise time was about 45 minutes every 2 weeks. Maybe the hour meter was wrong? Seems like the hours should have been more based on the exercise time per every 2 weeks over 35 years. Can’t imagine what the whole thing cost. Glad I didn’t have to pay for it.

 

[90cummins]

What was the exercise cycle?
A proper exercise load would be 50% for 30 minutes minimum which may not be possible unless there is a load bank in the system.
90cummins

 

[Racer4]

What was the exercise cycle?
A proper exercise load would be 50% for 30 minutes minimum which may not be possible unless there is a load bank in the system.
90cummins

I believe the exercise was a no load condition. Even when it was under load, I don’t think it had much of a load on it. Unless it was summer and the A/C was running.

 

[daugen]

hard to believe my power went out, again, last night. 3am wakeup.
out I go at 18 degrees out, wondering if gen will run off a 30 pounder in this cold but it fired
right up and seems to be running happily.
That gen sure earned an oil change after this week.
meanwhile the roar of motors has drowned out the country quiet, most of my neighbors have some kind of gen.

1400 homes out, must be something big, like yesterday.
this is the real cost of all those ash trees dying, taking down all the power lines year after year

 

[daugen]

I believe the exercise was a no load condition. Even when it was under load, I don’t think it had much of a load on it. Unless it was summer and the A/C was running.

this is why I wondered about wet stacking. If diesel engine doesn't reach full temp, can gum up the works after awhile.
that seems to be the joy of propane, stays clean a long time.
maybe a can of Pri-D or similar is what the diesel gen would enjoy

 

[Smokeydog]

Our farm is no longer in the country. Sprawling urban growth from blue state migration. Several hour power outages becoming more common. Recent storm had power out for 14hours. 9,000 out of 71,000 customers. Little 20 years old Yamaha inverter 2400 kept the lights, refrigerator, freezer, internet, phones, tv, coffee pot or toaster/microwave working. Eventually had to start a fire in the wood stove. Wood stove fan on emergency circuit. Found the extra gauges monitoring the wattage useful. Can read it thru the window from the generator power cord. Didn’t get to try the new pto generator out yet. Another storm and cold blast coming Wednesday.

Has taken several years to use up 6.6gallons of 100% premium gas. Credit PriG.

 

[grsthegreat]

hard to believe my power went out, again, last night. 3am wakeup.
out I go at 18 degrees out, wondering if gen will run off a 30 pounder in this cold but it fired
right up and seems to be running happily.
That gen sure earned an oil change after this week.
meanwhile the roar of motors has drowned out the country quiet, most of my neighbors have some kind of gen.

1400 homes out, must be something big, like yesterday.
this is the real cost of all those ash trees dying, taking down all the power lines year after year

I just wondering…..its 3am, why bother going to start generator….just go back to sleep

 

[3930dave]

Our farm is no longer in the country. Sprawling urban growth from blue state migration. Several hour power outages becoming more common. Recent storm had power out for 14hours. 9,000 out of 71,000 customers. Little 20 years old Yamaha inverter 2400 kept the lights, refrigerator, freezer, internet, phones, tv, coffee pot or toaster/microwave working. Eventually had to start a fire in the wood stove. Wood stove fan on emergency circuit. Found the extra gauges monitoring the wattage useful. Can read it thru the window from the generator power cord. Didn’t get to try the new pto generator out yet. Another storm and cold blast coming Wednesday.

Has taken several years to use up 6.6gallons of 100% premium gas. Credit PriG.

Well served, efficiently, by a now-vintage Yammy ! (Obviously nice to have the heavy artillery in reserve..).

Good luck, with the next storm.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Interesting load-bank discussion here lately. Expensive problem.....

Rgds, D.

 

[HAR]

Once again, a little late to the party, but what a good thread. As LouNY said in post #7309, I think nothing of using my PTO generator. My tractor is used frequently, thus it gets plenty of preventative and required maintenance, and starts up each and every time needed. The PTO genset is used when necessary, but also gets 'exercised' a minimum of 4 times a year. I actually connect to the house and run for upwards of 30 minutes. I figure, if I am hooking the genset up to exercise, I might just as well benefit from the power being produced, though it might be a tad more expensive than the grid. While I also have a small 2kw inverter genset, that is mostly used when travel camping, and also at deer camp doing cleanup and repair chores. That too gets bi-monthly exercise. If you do not use it, it may not work when you need it.

 

[3930dave]

Once again, a little late to the party, but what a good thread. As LouNY said in post #7309, I think nothing of using my PTO generator. My tractor is used frequently, thus it gets plenty of preventative and required maintenance, and starts up each and every time needed. The PTO genset is used when necessary, but also gets 'exercised' a minimum of 4 times a year. I actually connect to the house and run for upwards of 30 minutes. I figure, if I am hooking the genset up to exercise, I might just as well benefit from the power being produced, though it might be a tad more expensive than the grid. While I also have a small 2kw inverter genset, that is mostly used when travel camping, and also at deer camp doing cleanup and repair chores. That too gets bi-monthly exercise. If you do not use it, it may not work when you need it.

Welcome HAR. Sounds like you have things well covered and maintained.... but we all fight w. Murphy now/then....

I have some special-words (that I can't type here) for modern gas snowblowers.... I've been donating Sea Foam, Quik Start, and a heat-lamp to my neighbour (who is reasonably handy). He's changed the plug (which needed it), but I suspect a plugged-carb. < That, is bad enough, but @ MinusFrigid, these stupid-*** plastic panels shrouding the carb seem to have many engineering-hours put into them.... so that they will likely break themselves, and associated plastic controls, if you dare try and get @ the carb..... getting even a whiff of Qstart into the carb, is just about impossible.

Progress ?????

Rgds, D.

 

[90cummins]

Building a load bank is relatively easy and affordable. I use portable space heaters for my testing.
They are typically 1400 watts and inexpensive when you consider the consequences of not loading a generator properly.
I have 3 similar to this and 1 with three heat elements of 2.5kw each. Combined load is over 11kw.

 

[Robin Veerman]

Yeppers, I use heaters too. 4500 watts on the EM6500 and 2000 watts on the EU3000. About 30 minutes monthly …

 

[Riding a Relic]

I run my genset about once a month and always load it using a portable ceramic 1000 watt heater.
Loading is important as a real test as well as it gets the genset hotter faster.
Heating the engine is necessary to 'boil out' any water vapors that are the cause of internal corrosion and acids.
Loading also allows the core to remagnetise.

In the industrial world they call that "wet stacking", I call it a load test.

 

[Riding a Relic]

I fired up one of the two portable generators we have before that 13 degree weather hit us in the deep south here. Alabama, that is. Then about two weeks later we were dodging tornados.

 

[RjCorazza]

Welcome HAR. Sounds like you have things well covered and maintained.... but we all fight w. Murphy now/then....

I have some special-words (that I can't type here) for modern gas snowblowers.... I've been donating Sea Foam, Quik Start, and a heat-lamp to my neighbour (who is reasonably handy). He's changed the plug (which needed it), but I suspect a plugged-carb. < That, is bad enough, but @ MinusFrigid, these stupid-*** plastic panels shrouding the carb seem to have many engineering-hours put into them.... so that they will likely break themselves, and associated plastic controls, if you dare try and get @ the carb..... getting even a whiff of Qstart into the carb, is just about impossible.

Progress ?????

Rgds, D.

I'm in the same boat with impossible to access carbs on my (2) Ariens blowers. The small single stage is very cranky to start in even moderate (30 deg f) temps. I was in the process of deciding where to just drill a 1/2" hole through the plastic, when I discovered that it starts on the first pull if I press the primer bulb WHILE pulling the start cord. I suspect if I can get at the carb I'll find a partially disconnected or damaged primer hose.

 

[3930dave]

I fired up one of the two portable generators we have before that 13 degree weather hit us in the deep south here. Alabama, that is. Then about two weeks later we were dodging tornados.

Cause and Effect ?

I was joking with my boss this week.... he sold off all his skidoos last year..... this year we are buried in snow, that hasn't been seen around these parts (I've seen worse) in decades+.....

More than a few posters on here, have finally put in a full auto-gen (Generac etc) system @ home, then received thanks from their neighbours as the grid-stability went to near perfect after that.....

Murphy.... he wears many masks, and can be a joker @ times.....

Rgds, D.