Your last generator Maintenance Run

[PILOON]

A good 'load' to exercise a generator is a discarded 220 volt baseboard heater, many which are discarded for updates.
(that is what I use)

Select one that is about 50-60% of your genset rared output.
A load will heat up the engine rapidly to spread lubricant, heat out any trapped water vapor as well as maintain magnetism in the generator core.

 

[3930dave]

almost got a hernia getting this heavy gen down off my friends second story porch at her river house, which is sure to flood this week.
It was looking a bit sad under the cover, but started ok. I cleaned it up, painted the rusting metal, charged the battery, and it started
immediately. Noisy beast, no slowdown on light load, a 420cc Chonda. Wow is the little Champion inverter gen quieter, one of the reasons I'm now loaning that
gen to my friend instead of this one. Belt and suspenders.
Changed the oil though it didn't need it. But it's been in a very damp environment for a couple of years, not quite as bad as being at a beach house but getting there.

Rough looking off-brand engine, and it starts up fine. Showroom condition name-brand.... how many have we seen here that take hours or days to get going...... Equipment gods are fickle......

Nice cleanup and paint d ! That and the oil TLC, great present for your friend :thumbsup:. Bonus marks on the belt+suspenders lineup, but hey, in big outage, a noisy gen is a whole lot better than nothing !

Charger looks familiar - is that a B&D ? If it is, I like how well sealed those are.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I would try Gaffers tape.
It doesn稚 leave any residue at all.

Thanks for stopping by :drink:

A lifetime ago, doing audio work, I remember that tape..... other than online, where would that be on-the-shelf today ?

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

A good 'load' to exercise a generator is a discarded 220 volt baseboard heater, many which are discarded for updates.
(that is what I use)

Select one that is about 50-60% of your genset rared output.
A load will heat up the engine rapidly to spread lubricant, heat out any trapped water vapor as well as maintain magnetism in the generator core.

Harder to find as surplus, but sauna heaters are a nice combination of high-wattage and relatively compact. Used one years ago, to fire up a burn-in room we built for testing electronics.

Rgds, D.

 

[aczlan]

Thanks for stopping by :drink:

A lifetime ago, doing audio work, I remember that tape..... other than online, where would that be on-the-shelf today ?

Rgds, D.

Professional audio/video store or rental place.
I would just get it from Amazon or eBay, less hassle than driving in to the city to the audio place there.

Aaron Z

 

[Industrial Toys]

I use old baseboards and an old electic furnace, where I can parallel and series the elements to get just the right load, plus the blower keeps them cool.

 

[OnGreenPond]

Thanks for stopping by :drink:

A lifetime ago, doing audio work, I remember that tape..... other than online, where would that be on-the-shelf today ?

Rgds, D.

I got mine from I believe B & H years ago.

 

[3930dave]

Thanks for the 411 guys.

Rgds, D.

 

[Katahdin]

I exercised my PTO generator for an hour on Sunday, my load run concurrently was:

1) Baking a frozen pizza (electric)
2) Load of laundry in the clothes dryer (electric)
3) Dozen LED lights
4) Dishwasher/Well pump/Oil Burner Boiler

Got lunch and a bunch of chores done with 1.25 gallons of diesel. I used a stick to measure the tank level before the test and while refilling.

My next test will be to measure fuel consumption with a more idle load such as just a few lights, small electronics, and fridge.

 

[daugen]

have now loaned out both my portable generators, after going over both of them. One is close neighbor, older couple, so if my big gen conks out, which is unlikely,
I can go retrieve my other one and it can be the community gen. Have to explain to recipients carefully and repeatedly they can't let gens run for hours on end without any load but lights. One wanted to let it run unattended while she had evacuated to next town over. No....so her neighbor will run the gen while attended enough to run refrigerator, all she needs. My neighbor is going to jury rig something through his dryer outlet, who knows, electrical code nightmare and dangerous, but if done ever so carefully and fully disconnect the street line, well, I just don't want to know... It's called an interface box and go get one...this happens enough here that he really needs that.

predictions are now 49mph sustained winds and 7-10+++ inches of rain. 36 hours of continuous heavy rain, no way our power will stay on through that.
Almost makes me wonder if I should sand bag my outside gen. Sure wish I had installed that on a foot high riser...

In search of non ethanol gas since my local station has been out, found two more downtown. Filled up three cans of premium E0 and I'm ready, hopefully for nothing as
my propane gen does the work.

maybe I'll put a set of new plugs in the Generac 22kw, sort of a pat on the head and thanks in advance...