Your last generator Maintenance Run

[ultrarunner]

What are you guys using for large gensets to load bank?

My 150 kW connected to normal load is only drawing about 40 kW

Air District regulations limit run/exercise/test time to 20 hours annually.

 

[dragoneggs]

What are you guys using for large gensets to load bank?

My 150 kW connected to normal load is only drawing about 40 kW

Air District regulations limit run/exercise/test time to 20 hours annually.

That's regulated too! :banghead:

 

[TractorGuy]

What are you guys using for large gensets to load bank?

My 150 kW connected to normal load is only drawing about 40 kW

Air District regulations limit run/exercise/test time to 20 hours annually.

To home build a load bank for that you are going to need 28 dryer elements, three 200 amp panels, one 100 amp panel, all hooked up on the wing of a B52.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I got an old electric furnace that someone was throwing out. I never did use it, but was going to put it up in the ceiling, along with the blower, and put on some switches to add or delete elements as required maybe putting some in series to get the right load..

 

[Gale Hawkins]

That's why I have redundancy in almost all my equipment. Things do fail at the worst time.

My little main genset.

View attachment 494536

I couldn't resist and tweaked the voltage pot to 111.0 volts. But I wish I had recorded the field voltage at some point for various loads so I could compare it. Clearly, something has changed.

I have a 5000 watt Kohler and set the no load voltage to 126 volt spec so it would carry a full load with voltage to 110+.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I messed around with the brushes but could not get a rotor reading through the brushes. Rotor itself read 18 ohms directly , which is right and a relief. Never thought to use an armature stone on the slip rings which apparently get dirty. Will see if this helps. It is a common problem with brushed generators, I am told. But I haven't touched it in ten years.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just got a quote of $1472.00 for a 100 kW load bank rental...

$50 less if returned within 8 hours.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That seems like a lot of money considering I have heard numbers for the company to come and do the test, drive four hours round trip, supply the bank (100KW) and charge about half of that in CDN Pesos.

You must have several of those size gensets in a hospital.

 

[ultrarunner]

It sounded high to me too... I could buy one new under 5k last I checked.

I often find smaller rental items can be bought for the cost of renting 4 or 5 times.

 

[PILOON]

I messed around with the brushes but could not get a rotor reading through the brushes. Rotor itself read 18 ohms directly , which is right and a relief. Never thought to use an armature stone on the slip rings which apparently get dirty. Will see if this helps. It is a common problem with brushed generators, I am told. But I haven't touched it in ten years.

Many moons ago I took a basic electrical training in military and seem to recall that chalk was the mild abrasive used for polish or break in on generator brushes.
It is mild and non conductive so sounds right.