Your last generator Maintenance Run

[CincyFlyer]

^^^Not to get too far off thread...

I have seen this repeat many times when it comes to cost.

Know someone that bought a very large genset for their large million dollar home back in 2004

She wanted it automatic and to be able to run everything... had a large hardwired UPS installed and the genset required the utility to upsize the gas meter to a commercial size... takes a lot of gas at load.

The first time the generator ran it was for most of the night... a vehicle accident took out a utility pole and then transformers blew...

Anyway.. she was shocked at the cost of the extra natural gas to run it and this was a night when everyone was sleeping...

A genset to run everything may be too expensive to run

Also had a tenant that wanted me to put in a new electric service... the original was circa 1922 and she was having lots of issues... they also were into salt water fish... large Aquariums...

I upgrade the service and she is a happy as can be... until the first power bill arrives... those heaters, pumps, etc... add up fast.

Someone who complains about a few hundred bucks for a few days outage needs to consider the cost of moving out for a while, losing their salt water aquariums, etc.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Kills me how many people spend untold money on their home, without a whole house x-fer switch and slow running genset. I would rather live in a cave and have power!

Million dollar house and complain about some gas! But most people don't have the slightest clue about electrical loads. You see it on here all the time. Maybe there was a cold spell that coincided with that one nights loss of power. Maybe a gas furnace switched over to electrical elements. I know one ritzy house with elevator, pool heating, numerous heat pumps and an extremely complex heating and cooling system. All backed up. Sure, that would cost, but they aren't complaining. That outdoor pool has to be heated to something like 80 degrees year round and no one ever goes there!

 

[ultrarunner]

Someone who complains about a few hundred bucks for a few days outage needs to consider the cost of moving out for a while, losing their salt water aquariums, etc.

It is more common than you think... 35 years in managing rental properties...

Some tenants would complain if the Utilities were free...

I've had the same 1 bedroom unit in a duplex with $250 utility bills and $60 before and after.

The $60 were senior citizens on fixed incomes... always sweaters, etc...

The was a single mom of 20 with a child... she would walk around all day in a Teddy and say how cold it was... standing at the front door was like standing in front of an open oven door baking cookies...

As individuals we have tremendous abilities to conserve, save and allocate... some don't have a clue...

She left when the Utility turned off her power for non-payment racked up $800 in 3 months...

She filed a housing complaint saying the duplex was not energy efficient and that is why she could never get warm...

 

[ultrarunner]

Kills me how many people spend untold money on their home, without a whole house x-fer switch and slow running genset. I would rather live in a cave and have power!

Million dollar house and complain about some gas! But most people don't have the slightest clue about electrical loads. You see it on here all the time. Maybe there was a cold spell that coincided with that one nights loss of power. Maybe a gas furnace switched over to electrical elements. I know one ritzy house with elevator, pool heating, numerous heat pumps and an extremely complex heating and cooling system. All backed up. Sure, that would cost, but they aren't complaining. That outdoor pool has to be heated to something like 80 degrees year round and no one ever goes there!

Not to beat a dead horse... a tenant at a 3 bedroom home was always cooking for her church... had multiple skillets, hot plates, convection ovens going...

She said the electrical in the 1200 square foot home was inadequate... it has 125 amp 220volt service with gas heat and water and no A/C... not needed.

I came down and said you have everything plugged into the same circuit... schooled her that one 1800 Watt Hot Plate was it... no way to have two plugged in and expect both to work... she had her son keep his finger on the circuit breaker because it kept shutting off...

I mapped the outlets and labeled them... she got a sideboard and used several outlets... there are actually 4 separate circuits in the kitchen PLUS the 220v electric range had a 120 outlet built in...

Mystery solved... she did use a lot of electricity in that house!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

here ya go...,


Just kidding, ultrarunner,
You always have good input.

 

[Industrial Toys]

You can always glue that breaker in place with a glue gun. No need to tie up an extra man. If it gets too hot, the glue will melt and you are still well protected. I shouldn't even think up such stupid stuff!

 

[ultrarunner]

I have similar with GFCI...

One was the only way to do wash wash by holding down the button... she was not happy.

Problem was her old washing machine... the gas dryer worked fine on the same outlet...

Technology has certainly increased or broadened the scope of Property Management.

Another was using a rubber washing machine water supply hose for natural gas...

I insist to be there and make any gas hookup... tenant said her brother did it... still a mystery to me how he cobbled together the fittings to make it work...

Learned a long time ago to cap any unused gas supply and take a picture and note in rental agreement... same for shower heads... was facing a lawsuit as a tenant guest was injured when a shower head came flying off and hit her in the eye and did damage... thing is the tenants boyfriend installed the fancy head... thank goodness I had a picture of the bathroom at move in showing MY shower head...

Still not a lot of residential generators around here... I have the market cornered as far as portable units...

When the power goes out... everyone learns quick who has power... mentioned before I was away and my neighbor who helps me a lot fired up my Honda EM5000 and it had cords going to 4 homes... all for refrigeration... what are you going to do???

 

[grsthegreat]

I put in hundreds of generator systems over the years.... and you know what.... no one has ever complained to me that they wish they didnt have one. I do occasionally get calls during outages thanking me for their systems. Its nice to be warm and have water.

i find it relative...i had one customer that had me bid a generator for them. He complained about spending 9 grand on a whole house generator that may get used once a year, but had a razor utv and a snow mobile piled into back of shop. Those are used 1 weekend a year, but they dont consider those as extravigant. But having a backup generator ...that they consider extravigant. To each their own

 

[Industrial Toys]

Having a HOT shower during a multi day outage in the dead of winter can make you feel like a billionaire!

 

[3930dave]

Na... a few gallons per hour. We paid $1.37 for propane last time. Have 1000 gallon tank.

Nice option with propane - you can stock up (buy cheap(er)) off-season.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Someone who complains about a few hundred bucks for a few days outage needs to consider the cost of moving out for a while, losing their salt water aquariums, etc.

Just one large freezer will hold a lot more than a few hundred dollars of meat or fish.

Electricity is something that is easy to take for granted.

Shaking my head over ur's tenant "demanding" a generator. No utility will legally commit to 100% uptime; why would a landlord ?

If someone can swing the cost of a whole house generator, they can afford to fuel it. That said, my personal preference is a hybrid approach -> batteries+inverters+generators..... for efficiency - what 90cummins is working with, for example.

CBC news had a clip a few Winter's back, about a guy from Up North visiting inlaws in the heart of old Toronto at Xmas time. Extended power-outage hit, so he went out and bought a Honda suitcase gen and circulated it between his inlaw's house and several neighbour's places. He wired in pigtails to temporarily get each house's natgas furnaces to run - warmed up a house, moved to next one...... repeated as needed. Any "city" person could have done the same, all that was needed was a bit of money, some basic skills, and most importantly, initiative.... lacking that, in a city there may be other services/resources to bail you out.

Out in the middle of nowhere ? Don't go there, IMO, if you don't have a self-sufficient mindset....

Bad ice-storm at the moment in the Fraser Valley BC, lots of people w/o power yesterday and today.....

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've never hooked it up because it is loud...

About 15 years ago I was given for taking it away... a auto transfer 30 amp 220 natural gas gen-set.. will also work on propane... guessing it dates from 1980

The folks that bought the house wanted no part of it and the Realtor said she knew someone that would probably take it away...

It is a single cylinder air cooled generator... quite compact and heavy and loud...

It is an old time brand... Winco and uses a regular car battery for the starter... probably someone way to muffle the sound... but figured it was a good project someday...

 

[grsthegreat]

Ive been so busy this year i forgot to run my 6500 watt briggs and stratton portible generator for over a year....oops.

I had it covered up and sitting under the shelf in shop. I put it away filled with non ethenol fuel and marine staybl. It only took 2 pulls to get it running. That amazed even me. I never had a need to use it this year because im no longer wiring new homes. Its my back up geny now. Its only 2 years old, but im still supprised how fast it started. I shut off the fuel and let it run nearly dry before putting it away.

 

[ultrarunner]

Not as lucky with mine... 13 months for two of them... put away with fuel conditioner full tanks of ethanol... one is a Honda and the other Champion

No one to blame but me and whoever mandated ethanol... there are no alternatives here for most of us... unless AV gas or racing fuel by the drum or one is willing to pay $28 a gallon in one gallon cans...

That said... my brother scored a very nice like new riding mower for $220... the family was holding an estate sale... the mower looked like new but would not run... I got it running after taking apart the carb but not perfect... picked up a new carb for $40 and purrs like a kitten... inside the original carb had corrosion... hope my generators fair better... but the Honda was always easy to start.

 

[grsthegreat]

Not as lucky with mine... 13 months for two of them... put away with fuel conditioner full tanks of ethanol... one is a Honda and the other Champion

No one to blame but me and whoever mandated ethanol... there are no alternatives here for most of us... unless AV gas or racing fuel by the drum or one is willing to pay $28 a gallon in one gallon cans...

That said... my brother scored a very nice like new riding mower for $220... the family was holding an estate sale... the mower looked like new but would not run... I got it running after taking apart the carb but not perfect... picked up a new carb for $40 and purrs like a kitten... inside the original carb had corrosion... hope my generators fair better... but the Honda was always easy to start.

Yeiks. Here non ethenol is about $1.00 a gallon more than regular ethenol....but i dont use too much per year and my equipment thanks me. Alot of stations sell it

 

[daugen]

My 2.2kw Champion took a while to start last time, fully dosed with chemicals and non ethanol premium. I think it's just gas draining down...

I run a 3500sf home with three HVAC systems and a 400amp service off a 22kw Generac. Easy to do, just switch off the electric hot water heaters, switch off the hot tub, most turn off due to relays anyway. Once in a while it really bogs down but not that often. This is the week I really really hope the power doesn't go out since I don't have the cold kit on mine, and it sounds pretty poor starting up in 10 degree weather, surging and popping until it calms down.

My older brother bought a home in VA and put in a 70kw gen for the same 400 amp service as mine. Same systems in house, and when I asked him why such a huge gen, he said he wanted it all to work and so he didn't have to worry about it. Thankfully I think he has a 1000 gallon underground propane tank. I bought my first home forty years ago for close to what he paid to have this whole thing installed; huge panel boards in basement, industrial piping, etc. We both are on the same page as far as the need for an automatic gen at our age, and living in the boonies, but I think some installer sold him the Platinum package. Thank goodness propane gens don't have the same issues as diesel gens with wet stacking; these huge gens must spend a lot of time idling.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Thank goodness propane gens don't have the same issues as diesel gens with wet stacking; these huge gens must spend a lot of time idling.

What kind/brand of diesel do you own that has a problem of "wet stacking"?

I have a bunch of different diesels here and I've NEVER seen even one of them wet stack, no matter how I run them.....including when powering my pto generator.

Only diesels I've seen that wet stacked was some OLD dozers and slobbering john deer tractors...

SR

 

[ultrarunner]

Yeiks. Here non ethenol is about $1.00 a gallon more than regular ethenol....but i dont use too much per year and my equipment thanks me. Alot of stations sell it

The push is to mandate is high as E30... some in government said it is a way to speed up the process to new "Green" technology because cars simply don't rust away in California.

Next time I drive to Washington... thought crossed my mind to bring back a couple of military gas cans of E free fuel...

All of the local small engine shops replace carbs each and every day... my little Mom and Pop said the E fuel has been a huge boon to his 50 year operation...

Carb issues were not a big part of service unless someone wore out from use the shafts or got contaminated fuel...

Corrosion is now the norm and very good for business

 

[Wakey]

I had a Generac Guardian 22KW (G0070431) installed about a month ago. I was hoping to get the maintenance parts cheaper than they are sold in the kits but there is no number on the oil filter.

Where do you folks get your parts for oil changes, etc?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Our JD 6200 slobbers all over it nice green hood. It never used to do that.