Generator install - where to start

[ponytug]

Well then at least look into this...

TRANE TR22REG-DB 22 KiloWatt, Single Phase, Liquid Cooled Whole House Stand-By Generator at Sutherlands

Find 22 KiloWatt, Single Phase, Liquid Cooled Whole House Stand-By Generator and other TRANE products at Sutherlands

sutherlands.com

20kw Single-Phase Standby Generator - Lifan Power USA

The Trane 20,000-Watt LPG/NG Liquid Cooled Standby Generator is driven by a high quality 998cc 1.0 l automotive-style, liquid-cooled engine. This 20kW unit can provide automatic whole-house power for larger homes or essential circuit protection for small and medium businesses such as convenience...

www.lifanpowerusa.com

Well, they are both the same genset, made by Lifan, a large Chinese generator manufacturer. Trane/Lifan warrantees it for 2 years. On the plus side, it has a copper generator head, and there is an oil drain hose to make oil changes easier. On the minus side, it is a brushed head, and the installation manual refers to the "22kW" version as rated to 20kW, also with the typical Chinese manual/figures, e.g.

That sort of thing annoys me, easy to fix, and annoying for pretty much everyone downstream.

No idea of the engine manufacturer but it is probably Lifan nor do I know the quality for this engine. The Lifan engines that I have seen/worked with are smaller.

Is a backup generator important to you, or just a nice to have? How much work are you willing to do on it, and how much in the way of parts are you willing to stock? It doesn't have a dedicated user group that I know of.

@Hunter29 did you have particular questions?

All the best,

Peter

 

[WinterDeere]

...it has been my experience that many generator owners don't follow the daily oil checks and oil service intervals when operating under backup conditions. I've seen manuals from major vendors that suggest at least as frequently as 100hr oil changes in backup mode, more frequently if heavily loaded or the outside temperatures are hot.

I spent many years just changing my portable generator oil after each use, since the thing really only got used maybe 6 - 8 times per 10 years.

After a major weather event, when it might have run 6 hours or 6 days, I'd wheel it up to my shop and park it. The following weekend, I'd run the carb dry, empty the fuel bowl, and change the oil. There was already stabilizer in the fuel, since I never put fuel into my genny without stabilizer. This routeine would ensure it was always ready for next time, whether that was next year or 3 years from now.

More recently, I've started just changing the oil when I do all the rest of my OPE around New Years. I put a piece of masking tape with "FRESH OIL" written on it over the start switch, which I peel off the first time I use it that year. If I get to the next January and that tape is still there, I know I don't need to bother changing the oil in that machine.

But I assume any installed generator is going to run automatic test cycles a few times per month. So in that case, I'll just plan to change the oil once per year, probably when the weather is nice.

 

[JRH02]

@EddieWalker these days, I would think about generator plus battery, especially because with some of the free nights power plans in Texas, you could put your batteries to good use when not needed for backup.

Part of the reason for batteries is that when you need to run he generator, you can run generator at optimal fuel efficiency all the time. If a generator isn't reasonably loaded, the fixed inefficiencies start to add up. So, batteries can take care of light to moderate loads until they hit a state of charge that needs recharging, and then the generator or generators comes on line.

If you go the two generator route, I would consider trying to find models that could be run in parallel. That way, the generators can spend more of their time in "optimal" zones for power output and efficiency.

Given your space, I wouldn't rule out some solar.

All the best,

Peter

I'd like to reemphasis the above as for advantages. But when I hear of a 1200aac box at the pole, multiple drops running off to different houses and probably other things too, you'd need a whole different approach. I don't want to try to comprehend some kind of a hybrid system.

 

[Hunter29]

Well, they are both the same genset, made by Lifan, a large Chinese generator manufacturer. Trane/Lifan warrantees it for 2 years. On the plus side, it has a copper generator head, and there is an oil drain hose to make oil changes easier. On the minus side, it is a brushed head, and the installation manual refers to the "22kW" version as rated to 20kW, also with the typical Chinese manual/figures, e.g.
View attachment 5017621
That sort of thing annoys me, easy to fix, and annoying for pretty much everyone downstream.

No idea of the engine manufacturer but it is probably Lifan nor do I know the quality for this engine. The Lifan engines that I have seen/worked with are smaller.

Is a backup generator important to you, or just a nice to have? How much work are you willing to do on it, and how much in the way of parts are you willing to stock? It doesn't have a dedicated user group that I know of.

@Hunter29 did you have particular questions?

All the best,

Peter

No, dint know it was Chinese. Btw as far as I know all consumer alternators are of brush type. Thx

 

[Hunter29]

PS second link had better photos

 

[Hunter29]

Btw again, to OP , good 1800 rpm NG gensets are available for a few more dollars, but at least they are real.

 

[ponytug]

No, dint know it was Chinese. Btw as far as I know all consumer alternators are of brush type. Thx

That's not always the case. One of four generators here is brushed, and it dates from 1960 something.

All the best, Peter

 

[Hunter29]

So which ones are not..

 

[ponytug]

Well, I know of Mecalte, Yanmar, Caterpillar, and Onan generators without brushes. They are fairly common, at least in my experience.

Most inverter generators are brushless as far as the output goes, though some use brushes for the excitation, with no real impact on output power quality.

Personally, I like an inverter or brushless version with AVR or digital AVR because the power quality is higher, and the THD tends to be lower. Typical setups look like this;

https://yourpowerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Brushless-Alternator-Excitation-Scheme-Final.webp

From Brushless Generator - All You Need To Know About Them

All the best,

Peter

 

[Hunter29]

None of them will be a 3600 rpm consumer NG generators.

Consumer home generators are built to the lowest standard.