Your last generator Maintenance Run

[grsthegreat]

How can you go through a major outage w/o a hot tub ? Just upsize the whole thing to 40kw and the relay noise will go away

(Good feedback grs, I'm sure other auto-Generac owners are taking note.......)

With a maintenance run like this one, is the idea to run at reduced speed just to minimize noise ? No power could be delivered to load at low rpm - the voltage would be wrong; or am I missing something about how these recent 22kw are designed ?

Rgds, D.

the lower rpm is for the exercise cycle only. Personally i never set them to quiet mode because the engine only runs at 2400 rpm or so for 5 minutes, and i dont think thats fast or long enough to bake out any moisture in the oil. I let mine run at full 3600 rpm for 5 minutes every week in winter. Ill change it to monthly in summer.

There is a line of generators called synergy (generac still) that will actually power loads while running at lower rpm for mild loads or full 3600 rpm for heavy loads. They use alot of load shed relays, and personally i wont install them. There too complicated for my old brain. If someone wants one ill refer them to another dealer i know. For people that truly want low noise, kick in another 4 grand and get an 1800 rpm unit with automotive engine. Mine is quieter than a lawn mower. I cant hear it indoors when its running. The closest neighbor is maybe 800 feet away. I doubt he can hear it.

 

[ultrarunner]

1800 RPM units are sure nice... at least the ones I have been around.

 

[3930dave]

the lower rpm is for the exercise cycle only. Personally i never set them to quiet mode because the engine only runs at 2400 rpm or so for 5 minutes, and i dont think thats fast or long enough to bake out any moisture in the oil. I let mine run at full 3600 rpm for 5 minutes every week in winter. Ill change it to monthly in summer.

There is a line of generators called synergy (generac still) that will actually power loads while running at lower rpm for mild loads or full 3600 rpm for heavy loads. They use alot of load shed relays, and personally i wont install them. There too complicated for my old brain. If someone wants one ill refer them to another dealer i know. For people that truly want low noise, kick in another 4 grand and get an 1800 rpm unit with automotive engine. Mine is quieter than a lawn mower. I cant hear it indoors when its running. The closest neighbor is maybe 800 feet away. I doubt he can hear it.

Thanks g, I thought I had that right.

The factory enclosures do a decent job of sound attenuation, and will help a bit with short-run thermals re. what we are discussing. Might be OK down d's way, but I also wouldn't be comfortable with that short run/no-load/low rpm format up here esp. during the Winter..... just can't see that approach getting enough heat-load into the oil.....

Lots more relays........ what could Go Wrong.......... Go Wrong.........

Yeah, those 1800rpm units are pretty sweet........ still remember the first time I tried to figure out if the WhisperWatt I was looking at was actually running...... I was walking around at a (non-music, therefore not loud ambient ) Fair, and pretty much had to walk right up next to it to be sure that it was running..... couldn't hear that WhisperWatt running over the noise of the crowd, until I got really close.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

1800 RPM units are sure nice... at least the ones I have been around.

You working Nights, or just don't sleep much ?

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

You working Nights, or just don't sleep much ?

Rgds, D.

My schedule is all over the place now.

For 25 years I was the "Closer" or late person which suited me just fine... never needed an alarm clock and always came to work ready to work... no coffee needed.

With the reorganization one year ago I was moved to start at 4:45 am... with Sunday off... after a year of getting up early I can't help but get up early every day... But, I am still on call for any hour or day and it plays havoc when I have to cover a late shift and then the next day start early... guess I'm getting old?

The biggest change is I have never taken a nap in my life... except as an infant... starting at 4:45 am has me feeling very sleepy around 3:30 every afternoon.

Plenty of perks starting early... zero traffic... work is generally very calm... I have a routine with the boilers, HVAC, computers, medical gas, sterilizers, etc... which has eliminated 99% of all the issues the Hospital was having starting the day...

Hospital Generators are run every other Saturday... 30 minute under load with 10 minute cool down... the Air District severely restricts run time for testing so every other week it is.

 

[3930dave]

My schedule is all over the place now.

For 25 years I was the "Closer" or late person which suited me just fine... never needed an alarm clock and always came to work ready to work... no coffee needed.

With the reorganization one year ago I was moved to start at 4:45 am... with Sunday off... after a year of getting up early I can't help but get up early every day... But, I am still on call for any hour or day and it plays havoc when I have to cover a late shift and then the next day start early... guess I'm getting old?

The biggest change is I have never taken a nap in my life... except as an infant... starting at 4:45 am has me feeling very sleepy around 3:30 every afternoon.

Plenty of perks starting early... zero traffic... work is generally very calm... I have a routine with the boilers, HVAC, computers, medical gas, sterilizers, etc... which has eliminated 99% of all the issues the Hospital was having starting the day...

Hospital Generators are run every other Saturday... 30 minute under load with 10 minute cool down... the Air District severely restricts run time for testing so every other week it is.

Getting older beats the alternative ! :thumbsup:

Yeah..... schedule all over (late/early) is getting tougher....... I'st year of college I got into cat-naps....worked well for me at the time; back then I could get back to sleep at 3:30am and still make an 8am class. Would be tougher now....

Office or lab, I always preferred to get in early...... found I often got more real-work done between 6am and 8:30am than the rest of the day.....

So you are on 6 days a week, plus OT ?

Rgds, D.

 

[BrokenTrack]

It is... but it works. Don't get me wrong. I am not advocating here but it can be as simple as this.

That is why I never could understand why people were so scared of electricity. I was talking to the lineman of my power company and told them a homeowner could completely wire their home backwards and everything would still work. They looked at me for a second and then nodded their head in agreement after thinking about it for a second.

Like you I am not promoting that sort of thing, but the point is, electricity is very forgiving.

As a welder at a job where electricians thought they were all that, I used to tease them that welders actually used electricity more them them. We manipulated not only voltage and amperage, but also the sine waves in pulse welding to reduce warpage in the steel. They worked with wires that were dead.:laughing:

 

[BrokenTrack]

the lower rpm is for the exercise cycle only. Personally i never set them to quiet mode because the engine only runs at 2400 rpm or so for 5 minutes, and i dont think thats fast or long enough to bake out any moisture in the oil. I let mine run at full 3600 rpm for 5 minutes every week in winter. Ill change it to monthly in summer.

There is a line of generators called synergy (generac still) that will actually power loads while running at lower rpm for mild loads or full 3600 rpm for heavy loads. They use alot of load shed relays, and personally i wont install them. There too complicated for my old brain. If someone wants one ill refer them to another dealer i know. For people that truly want low noise, kick in another 4 grand and get an 1800 rpm unit with automotive engine. Mine is quieter than a lawn mower. I cant hear it indoors when its running. The closest neighbor is maybe 800 feet away. I doubt he can hear it.

Couldn't a person save a lot of money by just buying a PTO Generator which operate at 1800 RPM and remove the gearbox in front of it? Coupling it to a car engine (or better yet a tractor Trailer Reefer diesel engine that operates at 1800) be a cheaper alternative? (I am asking, not being a know it all here).

Those engines are designed to run forever and can practically have gravel poured down their air intakes and still run. I always thought this would make for an excellent high amp, high KW generator for very little money in comparison to other options.

Your thoughts on that perhaps????

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Couldn't a person save a lot of money by just buying a PTO Generator which operate at 1800 RPM and remove the gearbox in front of it? Coupling it to a car engine (or better yet a tractor Trailer Reefer diesel engine that operates at 1800) be a cheaper alternative?

That's pretty much what "I" have in mind. I already have the Kubota refer diesel, it's 40hp and cost me $175.00, it's got less than 2000 hours on it,

Now I'm deciding what's going behind it...

SR

 

[3930dave]

Couldn't a person save a lot of money by just buying a PTO Generator which operate at 1800 RPM and remove the gearbox in front of it? Coupling it to a car engine (or better yet a tractor Trailer Reefer diesel engine that operates at 1800) be a cheaper alternative? (I am asking, not being a know it all here).

Those engines are designed to run forever and can practically have gravel poured down their air intakes and still run. I always thought this would make for an excellent high amp, high KW generator for very little money in comparison to other options.

Your thoughts on that perhaps????

Gen heads are available on their own too, but if you are hunting deals, then splitting a used PTO unit might be cheapest...... if you have the skills, motivation, and access to good used diesel engines, then you can build exactly what you want, and probably save some money.

Unless these ^ are the type of projects you do regularly, then you'll probably put in more hours total than you expect to duplicate (auto-start, equivalent sound attenuation, weatherproofing), but if those features are not needed, then it's just mostly mech fabrication, and a bit of wiring.....

Rgds, D.