Your last generator Maintenance Run

[3930dave]

these are basic lawn mower engines, splash lube, no oil filter, so clearly not suited for long oil intervals.
We have more bad weather coming or I might change the oil tomorrow, otherwise will wait til after next run.
I think I'd be more concerned if it was 95 out vs 28.
easy to use suction oil changer, only takes about a quart

Yep, my concern too would be high-ambient, for air-cooled. Getting some heat into it, this time of year, Not a Bad Thing....

Long enough run; you'd have a low-oil shutdown on it, but sounds like you are not using any . Heat, water (In/Out) would be top of my list, this time of year. I'm used to something like 50 hours on Briggs (+/-) for OCI, but am not sure for your model. Synth should stand up a bit better, esp. at high-ambient.

Good luck d, and hopefully they are back up before 6. Crazy CO story you related !

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

it's 28 out now and the winds are howling, serious wind chill.
I have an open frame Westinghouse generator that has been running since dinner time last night.
And will run until 6pm tonight if PECO is telling the truth.

I turned unit off this morning to check the oil, and it was fine. I run full synthetic oil.
is there anything to be gained by turning off gen for an hour?

just went to TSC and filled up my primary 40 pounder which ran out at 4am this morning.
bottom six inches still there, cold enough out unit stopped when not empty. Running on 30 pounder now, will switch
back over to 40 this afternoon.

Can't remember, if you've done a manifold for propane ? Somebody on here did, for their portable gen....

(Like an RV setup.... I'm no propane expert, but I think you can gain an exposed area benefit (open the valves to both tanks) that can help @ low Temp. My preference is One Tank, then Switch, but @ really Low Temps..... Whatever Works !).

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

is there anything to be gained by turning off gen for an hour?

Slightly further away from a Valve Adjustment, is the main thing I can think of....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

There's a sticker on my Predator 3500 inverter generator that says "change oil every 8 hours". There is no way I'm changing the oil every day in this thing during a power outage. They're crazy.

I DO keep Sta-Bil and a small dose of carb cleaner in the tank, and I am on a schedule of running it for 15 minutes per month if it doesn't get used normally.

I've heard good things about Predator, but that OCI seems really short. If I had to keep a sump pump running for 3 days.... 9 oil changes !

I wonder if their non-inverter gens (larger sump?) have longer OCI recommendations ?

Rgds, D.

 

[Racer4]

There's a sticker on my Predator 3500 inverter generator that says "change oil every 8 hours". There is no way I'm changing the oil every day in this thing during a power outage. They're crazy.

I DO keep Sta-Bil and a small dose of carb cleaner in the tank, and I am on a schedule of running it for 15 minutes per month if it doesn't get used normally.

Wow, that’s an insanely short oil change interval. I remember the old splash lube engines were usually 25 hours, while the pressure lubed engines were usually 100 hours.

 

[daugen]

it's a sunny day out so the solar heating through windows keeps the house warm for a while, even in these high winds, but I
turned off my gen for an hour. It was a blessedly quiet hour. Back on now.
I'd like to get main power back on so I can turn electric hot water heater back on.
looking forward to a nice hot shower
another six hours they say

 

[WinterDeere]

Wow, that’s an insanely short oil change interval. I remember the old splash lube engines were usually 25 hours, while the pressure lubed engines were usually 100 hours.

... and even most splash-lube engines I've had are more like 50 hours.

 

[Robin Veerman]

My 40 gallon water heater had enough hot water reserve for the 2of us to take showers during a power outage, for 3 days…or 6 quick showers

 

[LouNY]

It may cost me a bit more in fuel but when needed I enjoy having my 25 Kw PTO generator. Crank up a tractor start the generator and go in the house for 24 hours. Run every thing just as if the utility is on, no skimping or load shedding. As long as I stay out of the shop.

 

[daugen]

thankfully my power came back on an hour ago, went from "investigating" skipped over "on site" to we have fixed you.
ok....
Robin, kinda doubt my builder model Bradford White will hold heat that long, plus it already had issues but maybe.
I'd likely go over to my brother's home 15 minutes away if I really got stuck. He seems to be on a different grid, fed off lines running along
a major road here. I'm in the country and so many dead ash trees leaning over.

Lou, I bet your tractor liked the exercise too.
I wonder if it makes a fun dieselly chugging sound under load. Like you were pulling a plow or disc and hit a heavy spot.
my 10kw Westinghouse portable makes unpleasant grunting and straining noises though the voltage
doesn't dip more than a few volts; I can monitor voltage on my UPS near my desk.
gosh it was nice to turn it off and quiet returns

Lou, during the night when low load, any chance of wet stacking that diesel?

 

[LouNY]

thankfully my power came back on an hour ago, went from "investigating" skipped over "on site" to we have fixed you.
ok....
Robin, kinda doubt my builder model Bradford White will hold heat that long, plus it already had issues but maybe.
I'd likely go over to my brother's home 15 minutes away if I really got stuck. He seems to be on a different grid, fed off lines running along
a major road here. I'm in the country and so many dead ash trees leaning over.

Lou, I bet your tractor liked the exercise too.
I wonder if it makes a fun dieselly chugging sound under load. Like you were pulling a plow or disc and hit a heavy spot.
my 10kw Westinghouse portable makes unpleasant grunting and straining noises though the voltage
doesn't dip more than a few volts; I can monitor voltage on my UPS near my desk.
gosh it was nice to turn it off and quiet returns

Lou, during the night when low load, any chance of wet stacking that diesel?

Both of the ones normally used on the generator are 4 cylinder diesels and the generator hardly pulls them down. When the Branson is on the economy mode and only turning about 1700 rpm a heavy load will pull it down a tiny bit for a split second.
No I've never had them wet stack on the generator. In the winter I usually put a cover over most or even all of the radiator inlet area.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It may cost me a bit more in fuel but when needed I enjoy having my 25 Kw PTO generator. Crank up a tractor start the generator and go in the house for 24 hours. Run every thing just as if the utility is on, no skimping or load shedding. As long as I stay out of the shop.

Same here...

AND the tractors have long oil change intervals too, even my little one has a 200-hour oil change schedule, and I wouldn't have any problem at all stretching that a little with synthetic oil.

SR

 

[grsthegreat]

it's a sunny day out so the solar heating through windows keeps the house warm for a while, even in these high winds, but I
turned off my gen for an hour. It was a blessedly quiet hour. Back on now.
I'd like to get main power back on so I can turn electric hot water heater back on.
looking forward to a nice hot shower
another six hours they say

Thats why i switched out to gas cooktop, dryer and water heater and furnace years ago. Got tired of having to cycle elect appliances while on generator. Nowdays, i just run anything i want at same time.

 

[grsthegreat]

... and even most splash-lube engines I've had are more like 50 hours.

My cyclone vac motor has a 8 hr oil change requirement. That surprised me.

 

[grsthegreat]

thankfully my power came back on an hour ago, went from "investigating" skipped over "on site" to we have fixed you.
ok....
Robin, kinda doubt my builder model Bradford White will hold heat that long, plus it already had issues but maybe.
I'd likely go over to my brother's home 15 minutes away if I really got stuck. He seems to be on a different grid, fed off lines running along
a major road here. I'm in the country and so many dead ash trees leaning over.

Lou, I bet your tractor liked the exercise too.
I wonder if it makes a fun dieselly chugging sound under load. Like you were pulling a plow or disc and hit a heavy spot.
my 10kw Westinghouse portable makes unpleasant grunting and straining noises though the voltage
doesn't dip more than a few volts; I can monitor voltage on my UPS near my desk.
gosh it was nice to turn it off and quiet returns

Lou, during the night when low load, any chance of wet stacking that diesel?

A 10 kw should have been able to run a water heater as long as there were no other heavy loads. Problem in my neck of the woods, a portable can usually run a well, or a water heater…l but not both. Thats why i have a 22 kw propane unit. Spoiled and love it

 

[Racer4]

One of my customers just had their generator changed. The old one was a 30kw Kohler from 1988. It developed a smoke issue, and after having the generator load tested, IP and injectors replaced, wouldn’t start without a shot of ether. Engine was a Deere 4cyl. I forget the model number. Here’s the new one in place:

Taylor Generator with a Perkins engine. Used the same transfer switch as the old one. Seems a bit quieter than the old JD. And yes, it’s installed in a crawl space.

 

[LittleBill21]

One of my customers just had their generator changed. The old one was a 30kw Kohler from 1988. It developed a smoke issue, and after having the generator load tested, IP and injectors replaced, wouldn’t start without a shot of ether. Engine was a Deere 4cyl. I forget the model number. Here’s the new one in place:

View attachment 2707775


Taylor Generator with a Perkins engine. Used the same transfer switch as the old one. Seems a bit quieter than the old JD. And yes, it’s installed in a crawl space.

how many hours on the old one before it started smoking?

 

[Racer4]

how many hours on the old one before it started smoking?

560

The tech scoped the cylinders and said the cylinder walls were pitted and that resulted in lower compression. Which caused the smoke.

 

[LittleBill21]

560

The tech scoped the cylinders and said the cylinder walls were pitted and that resulted in lower compression. Which caused the smoke.

that's an incredibly low number, was there speculation on what caused the issue?

 

[Racer4]

that's an incredibly low number, was there speculation on what caused the issue?

That’s what I thought too. Tech said not load banking it regularly may have caused it. I don’t really know what that would have to do with it. The block heater burnt out probably 20 years ago, so maybe there was an internal condensation problem related to that. It was always exercised weekly, except for a time when some unknown person removed the timer keys. Then it went inexercised until I discovered the issue. Highest compression on one of the cylinders was only 180 psi, so something was clearly wrong.