Your last generator Maintenance Run

[grsthegreat]

When we've knocked the Gen Battery question around here a while back, the # I retained was 5 years... interesting that the GoogleMonster knocks it down even further.....

Crazy that you are seeing that 10-2 variation grs; that could be some of what drives Google's low #....

When a retired Eng buddy of mine (Northern Canada) built his retirement home, he did the research on Generac's specs @ the time, and realized that he needed/wanted a higher pressure regulator for Natgas (than standard residential) for the gen to deliver max output @ typical worst case Winter temperatures.

So, he got the gas company to install the higher pressure regulator for the gen, and being who he is, bought a 2nd high pressure regulator to have on the shelf, as it wasn't something the gas company stocked locally. At first the gas co wanted to install 2 meters (never dealt with this in Residential before), but IIRC, it ended up being 1 meter, with 2 regulators in the end.

So, of course, Murph will leave him alone, and that original regulator will probably run fine right up until he no longer has a need for the house !

Esp. since it is grs-reviewed, if you haven't already daugen, you might want to post that Google list over in the AI Being Helpful thread that scootr started..... many people (who don't hang out here) might find that 3 year # informative/startling....

Rgds, D.

Older series Generac’s, say from 2004-2010 we’re lucky to get 3 years on a battery due to the constant trickle chargers being used by Generac. Starting about 2011 ish, the chargers became battery maintainers and most averaged about 5 years safely…stretching to 7 years for cheap people that didn’t mind a dead generator during power outage. In the past nearly every battery I was selling easily reached 5 years. I think the newer DEKA’S I’m using may exceed this. Everytime I service one of these the CCA’S are always far above required.

 

[grsthegreat]

Optima batteries will be destroyed if left to run flat out of juice. AGM’s don’t seem to like this either, but I have been able to save a few.

 

[3930dave]

Thanks g - I'll keep DEKA in mind.

Real World Data ^, one of the reasons I hang out here.

Growing up here, driving carb'd cars back then..... always bought the highest capacity battery I could fit into the battery tray..... like money, running-out of CCA is a bad day.....

Not sure about today, but 10 or so years back, Mazda was way undersizing batteries in their cars here - factory battery was a very low CCA. No general hate on Mazda here (I usually like their driving dynamics), and I get why they did it (mostly made it thru Warranty, and cuts Weight and Cost), but I swear that a large lawn-tractor likely had a higher capacity battery.......

Rgds, D.

 

[mrmikey]

AGM’s don’t seem to like this either, but I have been able to save a few.

I had killed the AGM on my Kawi Voyager twice in the space of two years down to 0V by leaving the radio on. Brought it back twice and it lasted another year or two after that, I think it was 7 years old when it gave up the ghost finally.

 

[grsthegreat]

I had killed the AGM on my Kawi Voyager twice in the space of two years down to 0V by leaving the radio on. Brought it back twice and it lasted another year or two after that, I think it was 7 years old when it gave up the ghost finally.

The AGM battery on my cyclone rake died last winter …. Even though I stored battery separately on a rubber mat in heated shed. I could not get it to take a charge again.

 

[JRH02]

Now we have battery wars. Oh darn.

Why do new rigs' batteries last longer and the replacement?

The replacement batteries are not as good as OEM batteries. So the manufacturers have special batteries that now one can buy. Bull.

 

[ultrarunner]

Manufacturer sourced batteries often the most expensive opposed to no name…

John Deere had Strong Box or something like that and I got great service from the one in the CAT dozer… when time to replace it was the most expensive brand.

I’m all for getting what you pay for but unfortunately high price is not a guarantee if quality…

 

[daugen]

Manufacturer sourced batteries often the most expensive opposed to no name…

John Deere had Strong Box or something like that and I got great service from the one in the CAT dozer… when time to replace it was the most expensive brand.

I’m all for getting what you pay for but unfortunately high price is not a guarantee if quality…

I had one of those (I'm sure much smaller) spec'd for a JD diesel garden tractor many years ago, and
that old fashioned lead acid battery with caps no less was working fine after 8 years.
like others do, if I have a choice, I'll always try to uprate the battery to higher CCA if still fits in
battery holder. I think most of these batteries come from the same two or three places

seems to be a choice now between SLA, AGM and Lithium
I believe the first two are interchangeable but the LI is definitely not.

 

[JRH02]

Manufacturer sourced batteries often the most expensive opposed to no name…

John Deere had Strong Box or something like that and I got great service from the one in the CAT dozer… when time to replace it was the most expensive brand.

I’m all for getting what you pay for but unfortunately high price is not a guarantee if quality…

I have strong box batteries in a 410j- absolutely good. But I do a Minder or whatever.
It works. Not too strong, not too light. But y'all do silly experiments with batteries.

Dang they are expensive.