Your last generator Maintenance Run

[3930dave]

Good thing the bear didn't smoke.

I was testing my 7.5 Onan/Kubota set last week using my 5K hot tub as load. Was taking some readings with a amp probe, having cheated the interlock on a secondary transfer switch when all of a sudden the generator appeared to have some load on there far exceeding it's capacity. I kind of freaked out, trying to get the thing shut off, not knowing what happened.

Ran out of fuel!

Seems the set is so frugal, used so infrequently and has a 126 litre tank, that I never give it much thought. Never did hook up the sender. Anyway, seven jerry cans later and back in business for a while.

Storm raging here tonight, so hoping for an outage.

.... been there.... intensely focused on a higher level issue, and a foundation issue bites you "somewhere".

Debates go back and forth all the time...... myself, I prefer to store tanks full. But, I can see how that configuration would slip your mind....

You may have to wait though.... some of the longest outages I've been through were during pretty decent weather conditions.

Rgds, D.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Quite the storm here, but no outage. Not even a flicker. Guess it's for the best. Life is easiest when someone else is making the power regardless of what systems a guy might have.

Tonight, the issue is keeping the hot tub from freezing in -11c temps. Should have drained it and put it away before now.

I mostly fill such larger equipment fuel tanks when getting a fuel delivery and kind of make sure everything is topped up. Lately, I got lazy.

 

[3930dave]

Tonight, the issue is keeping the hot tub from freezing in -11c temps. Should have drained it and put it away before now.

I mostly fill such larger equipment fuel tanks when getting a fuel delivery and kind of make sure everything is topped up. Lately, I got lazy.

Looks like next week warms up a bit - throw a weekend long party to keep the tub from freezing ?

In anything but an arid climate, full tanks are a good idea, if for nothing other than moisture control. Hit -12C here last night, a change of 19C in 18 hours - lots of free condensation to be had !

That's the "tough" part of having lots of Toys , easy to forget where one is at. I joke with a buddy of mine out West that he needs to get a copy of whatever software Penske uses, so he can keep track of his fleet !

Rgds, D.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I haven't checked the tub yet. Thought the temps would have gone up by now. I tried to check it last night, but everything was (flash) frozen solid on the exterior. I was afraid that if the tub got up to temperature, it would shut the pump and element off and the pump might freeze. Thought about finding a contactor and cycling the thing on and off but I had my hands full draining other stuff. The hot tub is on a steel frame with fork pockets and is usually put inside by now.

My Portable Generator Load Bank:



Still have some outside painting to do!

 

[daugen]

Tom, you truly get an Olympic award for most unusual generator loader !

 

[90cummins]

Tom, you truly get an Olympic award for most unusual generator loader !

Survivors are Innovator's!!

 

[3930dave]

Question for GRS, or anybody else that knows the Generac auto-transfer systems well.....

Are there special requirements for battery venting, or specialized battery chemistries/construction spec'd ?

Back Story:

I was in an auto-parts store today, and got chatting with a guy returning a battery core - it had the whole top blown off of it ! Everybody OK ? Fortunately, yes. I asked if it was a jump-start accident, and he said "no, apparently this is normal on Generacs".

I only chatted with his guy briefly - he may have got that impression from a few internet posts, or "some guy told me", but no matter..... I suggested he talk to Generac and check to see if he was using the correct battery, and verify what to check to see if he has a ventilation issue in the generator enclosure.

The whole top was blown off, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but construction was standard flooded-lead acid, something like a Group 35 in size.

Definitely didn't seem right to me...... as I said to somebody else after he left, "Normal ? That's a bit like saying it was normal for the Ford Pinto to blow up".

Yikes ! :confused3:

Rgds, D.

 

[3Ts]

Was the battery frozen when he tried to charge it?

 

[zmountaineer]

Question for GRS, or anybody else that knows the Generac auto-transfer systems well.....

Are there special requirements for battery venting, or specialized battery chemistries/construction spec'd ?

Back Story:

I was in an auto-parts store today, and got chatting with a guy returning a battery core - it had the whole top blown off of it ! Everybody OK ? Fortunately, yes. I asked if it was a jump-start accident, and he said "no, apparently this is normal on Generacs".

I only chatted with his guy briefly - he may have got that impression from a few internet posts, or "some guy told me", but no matter..... I suggested he talk to Generac and check to see if he was using the correct battery, and verify what to check to see if he has a ventilation issue in the generator enclosure.

The whole top was blown off, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but construction was standard flooded-lead acid, something like a Group 35 in size.

Definitely didn't seem right to me...... as I said to somebody else after he left, "Normal ? That's a bit like saying it was normal for the Ford Pinto to blow up".

Yikes ! :confused3:

Rgds, D.

For mine, 22kw generac, there is a trickle charger on the battery. Battery is a group 26R. Have not hear of batteries blowing up. Though, generac does caution if temps regularly get below freezing to install the cold weather kit that includes a battery warmer.

 

[3930dave]

Fair questions about cold re. Generac battery question.....

Not that I know of (frozen). We haven't had sustained (multiple days to weeks) temperatures below freezing here yet, so it is pretty unlikely the battery froze.

Haven't looked at the charger setups on those Generacs, but that raises a good point - if they are using just basic wall-wart chargers, they probably should be kept an eye on. With short auto-exercise runs, they may be too short to rely on a built-in charger to top up the battery, and on smaller systems the wall-wart will be chosen to save cost anyway.

I have a few basic setups that I've added a low cost analog 12v panel meter to - I like to see at a glance where the battery is at. Might be worth adding to these Generac setups if batt voltage is not continuously displayed.....

I find it perplexing that anybody would consider exploding batteries to be "normal".

Rgds, D.