Your last generator Maintenance Run

[3930dave]

I'm in escrow for a property that is wired for back up generator and has 3 array solar with Sunny Boy Hardware???

Property owner passed away... so I will need to figure a lot out... as well as 18 station irrigation, alarm, Fire Sprinklered, CCTV, etc... no one to ask... so I figure I will still be learning things a year after Escrow Closes!!!

Should be interesting... my Honda EM 5000 is the largest quality Genset I have followed by a WINCO single cylinder Natural Gas with 30 amp transfer I picked up years ago... it is LOUD!

I may dedicate one for the back up... but would have to make the LOUD genset quiet to use it... plus the gas service may be too small.

That PV setup would be an interesting thread Right There !

Post some pics, and system basics.... there's more than a few people on here that have solar experience....

Coming up with a suitable muffler enhancement on that old gen would be child's play for someone with your skills..... Run the consumption specs past your gas co.... you may have enough pipe already. An engineering buddy installed a Generac in his retirement home build......... needed a specialized regulator to deliver higher pressure than normal household ones.

His issue ^ probably won't be the gating factor for you - he wanted a guaranteed minimum pressure delivered (meeting Generac's spec) for worst-case cold starts (at least -40) ...... nothing you'll be seeing....

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

Great idea on solar...

Even if Escrow closes on time... and without a glitch the seller has 90 days to vacate after close.

My offer was the lowest of the able to perform but the 90 day holdover cinched the deal... listening to seller's needs and outside the box thinking has served me well.

Was not looking to buy... just right place right time with the right attitude...

The generator fire could be an only in Oakland event or not.

Those new home owners didn't have a clue as to many things home related... like generators, sewage ejectors that pump sewage up to the street level...

Oakland has many things that come under design review and view ordinance... as a result... when building in the hills with postcard perfect views of the 5 bridges and San Francisco Skyline and Oakland's Lake Merit the homes on downslopes are basically built close to street level... so as not to block the view for motorists.

The massive concrete driveways have nearly 50% of area supported by very heavy pressure treated timbers covered by pressure treated plywood which is covered by waterproof membrane under the 6 to 8 inches of reinforced concrete... 1" rebar in a 9" grid... almost like a bridge over a moat to the house garage.

These homes really do have out of this world views and often 3 or more levels down...

Only place I have seen concrete supported by timbers used extensively... on my friends home... the dining room is directly under the concrete elevated slab garage... all timber construction designed to withstand severe earthquakes.

These elevated Moat bridges often have utilities and storage and in this case a standby emergency generator...

If you are around long enough... nothing is surprising... too bad I didn't have a camera to take a picture of the gas dryer with a garden hose supply line.

The generator fire was in the Framed enclosed area under the concrete drive...

 

[3930dave]

Things are different in Cali, for sure. Seismic upgrades do drive some of it..... saw a friend's new place in Peta Luma circa 2000, house was basically on shock absorbers. Saw a new convention centre being built in San Diego same time frame - have a pic somewhere..... welder working on the I beam superstructure - there was so much steel up in the air that you could just about walk all the way to the tall peak using I beams as ladder rungs !

Civil engineering seems different.... used to think why all the mudslides ? Then I drove from San Jose to Monterey..... the road (main highway) was just rough cut through dirt hills - no retaining structures at all ! Asked the guys I was with (going to a tech conference) What - they've got no civil engineers out here , just bit-heads ? :confused3:

People vs. land out your way..... some great mansions and views, but they're built in places they wouldn't get permits in much of the rest of the continent. (Not just picking on Cali.... same applies to our left coast.....). I've seen a house that looks like a regular (very expensive) bungalow from the street, but when viewed oceanside is actually about 6 stories, all the way down to the ocean - Victoria BC. I couldn't afford the excavation cost for that project, forget about the building !

I like wood, but what I don't get in that gen application is why not use I beams ? You may get some seismic dampening with wood, but is it worth the fire risk ? With steel I beams, the house may not have been damaged at all.....

Rgds, D.

 

[Katahdin]

Date: 9/7/2018

Generator: Generac Wheelhouse 5.5KW, 12 years old

Activity: Ran Dishwasher, oil boiler, well pump, fridge, minimum lighting, laptop, for about one our. Running the dishwasher might seem laughable but it helps check to make sure I can run hot water for showers.

Final Fueling notes: Gas was 5 months old, Irving Brand, air tight. Ran fine, will change it after this run. I always shut the generator off with the fuel cut-off valve to run the carb dry.

Maintenance notes (Done, or Required):
Fuel valve and bushing was changed in March, no leaks observed. Should change oil and check air filter now that hurricane season is upon us. Generator has always started easily with one pull, but I should probably pick up a spare spark to have on hand.

 

[Katahdin]

Date: 8/29/2018

Generator: 15KW PTO Generator, Rural King Brand, 1.5 years old.

Activity: Welded a well pipe extension with a 200 amp arc welder, 50 amp connection.

Final Fueling notes: I need to fill a 55 gal fuel drum this weekend now that hurricane season is upon us.

Maintenance notes (Done, or Required): Gearbox now has 25 hours on it, should change gear oil to remove any metal particles created during the break-in period.

 

[daugen]

I agree about hurricane season, and am changing the oil on my Generac 22kw tomorrow.
Also glad i have 800 gallons of propane in my tank if need be. Am at tail end of power grid, power has been down here for weeks before.
Not for me thankfully. But my home has an insurance shingle job so that tells me what the last hurricane was like...before my time.

Folks two hours East out on Outer Banks really get whacked badly in these storms, and of course the
Graveyard of The Atlantic is just off the coast.
I wonder what fool cruise ship line is going to get stuck in this particular storm. They go up and down the coast constantly.
Just hope to watch it all with power on, either the city's or mine. Local utility is very good, nice equipment, respond quickly.

Meanwhile I will change my perfectly clean oil and replace it with more clean oil. And a new oil filter.
Need to check my maintenance label from last time to see if I replaced the plugs then. If I did I won't bother this time.

 

[TractorGuy]

My NEXT scheduled generator maintenance run is scheduled for tomorrow. I look it over good and run it under a load every second Sunday of the month. My LAST generator maintenance run will be after I'm too old and feeble to do it.

 

[3930dave]

Date: 9/7/2018

Generator: Generac Wheelhouse 5.5KW, 12 years old

Activity: Ran Dishwasher, oil boiler, well pump, fridge, minimum lighting, laptop, for about one our. Running the dishwasher might seem laughable but it helps check to make sure I can run hot water for showers.

Final Fueling notes: Gas was 5 months old, Irving Brand, air tight. Ran fine, will change it after this run. I always shut the generator off with the fuel cut-off valve to run the carb dry.

Maintenance notes (Done, or Required):
Fuel valve and bushing was changed in March, no leaks observed. Should change oil and check air filter now that hurricane season is upon us. Generator has always started easily with one pull, but I should probably pick up a spare spark to have on hand.

Oil fired boiler.... good point about the dishwasher.

Not sure what that Generac takes, but I just stocked up on the EZ Start (basically a fine wire electrode) version of the RJ19LM. You know Murph, if you have a spare, you won't need it, BUT.....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Date: 8/29/2018

Generator: 15KW PTO Generator, Rural King Brand, 1.5 years old.

Activity: Welded a well pipe extension with a 200 amp arc welder, 50 amp connection.

Final Fueling notes: I need to fill a 55 gal fuel drum this weekend now that hurricane season is upon us.

Maintenance notes (Done, or Required): Gearbox now has 25 hours on it, should change gear oil to remove any metal particles created during the break-in period.

Even today, oil is low-cost maintenance :thumbsup: .

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I agree about hurricane season, and am changing the oil on my Generac 22kw tomorrow.
Also glad i have 800 gallons of propane in my tank if need be. Am at tail end of power grid, power has been down here for weeks before.
Not for me thankfully. But my home has an insurance shingle job so that tells me what the last hurricane was like...before my time.

Folks two hours East out on Outer Banks really get whacked badly in these storms, and of course the
Graveyard of The Atlantic is just off the coast.
I wonder what fool cruise ship line is going to get stuck in this particular storm. They go up and down the coast constantly.
Just hope to watch it all with power on, either the city's or mine. Local utility is very good, nice equipment, respond quickly.

Meanwhile I will change my perfectly clean oil and replace it with more clean oil. And a new oil filter.
Need to check my maintenance label from last time to see if I replaced the plugs then. If I did I won't bother this time.

d- In the engine-karma universe, you make up for all the engines living with black ancient oil, or running out of oil :thumbsup:

Rgds, D.