Time to check out the generator.

[JasperFrank]

Lost electric today for 8 hours. It was a good inspiration for me to test out the generator before winter. Got it all working fine and ran out some old gas it had in it. Last winter, never needed it. Good to know its there and working.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Good thing to keep on top of. I tried to start mine after several years of non-use, and got nothing from the electric start even though the battery was charged. Turns out the starter had gone bad. Replaced that and it started right up and purred like a kitten. I have told myself I just need to start and run it monthly.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

If one has been sitting around for a while, you may need to flash it. Make sure it's making electricity. If not, a quick flash is to plug in an angle grinder, pull the trigger, and give it a spin. All you need is a trickle when the generator is running for the field to pick up and excite itself. If that works, the grinder will start to run, so be ready to let go of the trigger or flip the paddle off.

If the angle grinder doesn't work, turn the generator off. Really. The next part will electrocute you if the generator is running.

Get a battery. Most people use a 12 volt car battery because you have to clip one end of jumper cables to the battery and the other end into a receptacle. If you have 240v out, short the battery across the two hot legs. If you only have 120v., do the hot and neutral. Don't worry. It's AC, remember? The magnetism will figure it out.

If you get all sorts of sparks, you probably did it right. Check all the breakers, because you may have tripped them. Start her up and see if she makes electric.

If you are a person of modest morals and a P. T. Barnum even break sort of guy, you might take advantage of that guy who got the motor running but, "The dad gum thing is dead."

 

[TMGT]

If one has been sitting around for a while, you may need to flash it. Make sure it's making electricity. If not, a quick flash is to plug in an angle grinder, pull the trigger, and give it a spin. All you need is a trickle when the generator is running for the field to pick up and excite itself. If that works, the grinder will start to run, so be ready to let go of the trigger or flip the paddle off.

If the angle grinder doesn't work, turn the generator off. Really. The next part will electrocute you if the generator is running.

Get a battery. Most people use a 12 volt car battery because you have to clip one end of jumper cables to the battery and the other end into a receptacle. If you have 240v out, short the battery across the two hot legs. If you only have 120v., do the hot and neutral. Don't worry. It's AC, remember? The magnetism will figure it out.

If you get all sorts of sparks, you probably did it right. Check all the breakers, because you may have tripped them. Start her up and see if she makes electric.

If you are a person of modest morals and a P. T. Barnum even break sort of guy, you might take advantage of that guy who got the motor running but, "The dad gum thing is dead."

I have a small 120v drill I use to excited my one generator, lot safer then the angle grinder!

I picked up an nice Honeywell/Honda generator a few months ago since the new house doesn't have a standby yet. Had to clean pull the bowl and clean it but otherwise its a good runner.
Still need to change the oil and make up a cord to connect to the gen panel.

My plan is to try to do a monthly run for about 15min.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... Pacific Gas and Electric plans power shutoffs to 25,000 Monday in the name of safety.

 

[DIYOrangeDave]

A good plan is to start and run your generator 10 minutes. I have been doing this for 25 years and twice I found problems. A rodent chewed fuel line and dirty plugs. Not a good time to find out when you need it. We lose power at least 2 times a year for more than 8 hours and 4 times for a couple hours at a time. The last time took out my refrigerator compressor. I am in the process of having a standby generator installed. Not cheap but peace of mind is worth it.
Bottom line, keep your gas fresh and run periodically.

 

[ultrarunner]

Keep your powder dry has been replaced by keep fuel fresh.

Growing up the power never went out as a kid except at Grandma’s cabin due to lightening…

Today’s hot windy utility shut off is a repeat of last year…

 

[ultrarunner]

Rarely have I found issues but once it was rodent caused and this weekend 2 hours in at 80% load bank the genset 200 amp breaker tripped… reset and it tripped again at 60%

My max load is just under 40% but sourcing a replacement 200 amp breaker now…

Bad Breaker is something only encountered once before and from a residential rental where tenant duct taped to prevent tripping when she cooked food for her church… the breaker just crumbled in my hands…

 

[metalbender]

Had a five and a half power outage last Saturday. Champion gen worked great, not cold enough to cause problems in the water system buildings. All went well until I went to put the gen back in the garage. In darkness, just the three wheeler light on, I tripped and did a faceplant on the garage floor. Bloody face and bruised ribs, somehow got back on the bike, headed for the house a hundred feet away. Crawled up the stairs, called the other half about my situation. Not a pretty sight. Dragged myself into the house, felt like I got run over by a truck. Forty five minutes for the paramedics to arrive, twenty five minutes from the city. Checked vitals, breathing, pushed and prodded, I'll live a while longer. Declined an ER visit, last place I want to be at this time. Sleeping on a recliner all week. At age 70, falls are a whole lot more painful. AS a side note, I run the gen every other month, use premium gas and turn off the fuel to shut down. Love the electric start. Be careful out there.

 

[ponytug]

@metalbender sorry to hear about the bad fall, but I am glad it wasn't worse.

Great advice to be mindful when working alone or in the dark.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Peter