Your last generator Maintenance Run

[atgreene]

My L100 Yanmar finally quit. Determined that it carboned up to the point that the injector is no good. The issue seems to stem from running a regular test run with no load. 335 hours on the unit, it's been good until this spring when it began running rough. Afyer months of trying different things, we finally narrowed it down to carbon. New injector is on order, hopefully that straightens it out.

So lesson learned, always run with a load, Central Maine Diesel and Casco Bay Diesel both suggest 1-2 hours at near full load.

 

[DEWFPO]

I make sure I hear it run every week.

IMO That's crazy. Way too often. That's a lot of needless wear and tear on the engine. It's better to keep a battery maintainer on them and run them less often, but harder and for longer periods.

DEWFPO

 

[farmer2009]

IMO That's crazy. Way too often. That's a lot of needless wear and tear on the engine. It's better to keep a battery maintainer on them and run them less often, but harder and for longer periods.

DEWFPO

For starters it's in my contract that I provide a backup source of electricity and that it is exercised on a regular basis and they prefer weekly. I have to log weekly generator hours.

This isn't a household generator. It's a standby generator for a CAFO poultry farm.

My electrician programmed it this way. His opinion was it was over kill but he also knows the rules for our contract. All he wires are poultry houses.

If it doesn't start Sunday morning then I know there's a problem. I can troubleshoot and order parts Monday morning at open or my electrician can be there for a repair that day. I chose Sunday as it's the only day of the week that my schedule doesn't vary much.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm no longer permitted to exercise my Hospital Generators weekly... the regs from the Air Quality Management District are specific and enforced...

20 hours annual testing including mandatory 4 hour under load test no longer makes weekly runs feasible unless documented as a bonafide power outage...

So every other week for 30 minutes plus 10 minute cool down for Onan Turbo Cummins Diesels...

Genset water jacket temp is maintained year round at 180F and starting batteries checked and tested weekly.

Code require 10 seconds from power outage to genset power... with 6 seconds typical from start to load...

 

[3930dave]

My L100 Yanmar finally quit. Determined that it carboned up to the point that the injector is no good. The issue seems to stem from running a regular test run with no load. 335 hours on the unit, it's been good until this spring when it began running rough. Afyer months of trying different things, we finally narrowed it down to carbon. New injector is on order, hopefully that straightens it out.

So lesson learned, always run with a load, Central Maine Diesel and Casco Bay Diesel both suggest 1-2 hours at near full load.

Getting any IC engine up to temperature properly matters (IMO), but esp. so with diesels. They produce enough torque that even light-loads often aren't enough to heat-load them.

Plenty of info in other threads, but 2 diesel related items worth touching on here:

1) Treatment - I use Stanadyne products in my diesel fuel (distribution has changed, may try Alliant Power next buy). Lots of other options - Opti Lube XPD etc., discussed well in other threads. Power Service is easy to get, and IIRC, won approval/endorsement from Cummins within the last year.

2) This may have already come up in those conversations with the service companies - Wet Stacking:

Wet stacking - Wikipedia

Good luck and pls update us how that injector change works out.

Rgds, D.

 

[farmer2009]

Ultarunner. Those California regs are crazy. Like you mine stays plugged in year around. I only use a 130* heater though. Battery is on a maintainer also.

 

[daugen]

Genset water jacket temp is maintained year round at 180F
wow, that's hot, but if you go full load immediately, that's the "hot" ticket.
Farmer's 130 means a fast start, and probably ok to go full load in several minutes.
In the hospital with some surgeon's knife inside someone, yeah, seconds count.

I'm very happy with my 13 seconds. Used to be 16. Generac reduced the time
on the 22kw unit vs my prior 20kw; both almost identical. I'd actually prefer the thing ran a little longer.
I've still got to reset the stupid clock on the stove anyway...
And even with the best synthetic oil in there I'd worry about thermal shock in the winter.

What makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck is listening to a small gas gen go immediately to 3600 rpm regardless of how cold
it is or how long since last run. In boating we called that WOT, wide open throttle and you never ran at that speed on a cold engine.
Except maybe if the tsunami was coming after you...

So starting up any engine and going WOT gives me chills, unless it's a really big engine and then they go 950 rpm or whatever and not like
that's racing about. There are many Youtube videos of big Caterpillar gensets, the stuff in hospitals like Ultrarunner runs, and they start up and just roar
their way up to full rpm.(thankfully usually 1800 rpm) Yeah, you'd better keep that oil warm and the coolant warm if you want to do that happily.
I used to run block heaters on my boat's Detroit Diesels almost year round. My girls always were happy to be warm.
Just like Farmer's chickens, they want to stay warm too. And not too hot either. Fussy.

 

[90cummins]

My L100 Yanmar finally quit. Determined that it carboned up to the point that the injector is no good. The issue seems to stem from running a regular test run with no load. 335 hours on the unit, it's been good until this spring when it began running rough. Afyer months of trying different things, we finally narrowed it down to carbon. New injector is on order, hopefully that straightens it out.

So lesson learned, always run with a load, Central Maine Diesel and Casco Bay Diesel both suggest 1-2 hours at near full load.

I sold a new L100 clone generator to a friend and it started faltering as you describe at 300+- hours.
I tore the engine down and found the cylinder glazed with rust patches in spots.
He ran his with virtually no load for 3 weeks during the summer powering small hand tools & battery chargers when it suddenly started running rough.
The piston was cleaned up & rings were replaced and cylinder honed.
Injector spray pattern was checked on engine and was OK.
When it was used for power outages he operated only a couple lights and would plug & unplug the fridge & freezer afraid he would overload it.
I explained to him that it was essential that he load it up to prevent (wet stacking).
Running it at or near full load for 1~2 hours is a bit excessive for an exercise.
I would suggest a minimum of 50% to 90% load for at least 1/2 hour unless ambient temperature is exceptionally cold.
Air cooled engines can warmup quickly but the ambient temperature has a huge impact on the operating temperature it will attain.
90cummins

 

[TractorGuy]

I run my 10KW Diesel generator every month for an hour or two under full load. The only time it runs under less than full load is during a power outage. Today was supposed to be the scheduled exercise but I did it last Thursday in preparation for the storm. I have logged 45+ hours this year in outages and exercise tests.

I use Killum biocide and stanadyne lubricity formula in my reserve fuel. I go through the reserve fuel pretty fast in my tractor and backhoe so I am probably wasting my money on additives but better safe than sorry.

 

[3930dave]

I run my 10KW Diesel generator every month for an hour or two under full load. The only time it runs under less than full load is during a power outage. Today was supposed to be the scheduled exercise but I did it last Thursday in preparation for the storm. I have logged 45+ hours this year in outages and exercise tests.

I use Killum biocide and stanadyne lubricity formula in my reserve fuel. I go through the reserve fuel pretty fast in my tractor and backhoe so I am probably wasting my money on additives but better safe than sorry.

Ounce of prevention..... :thumbsup:

Anyone who's had to sort out problems with contaminated fuel won't want to go through that twice.

What brand of diesel engine, and do you have a rough idea of the fuel consumption ?

How did your area come through the storm ?

Rgds, D.