Your last generator Maintenance Run

[grsthegreat]

My generator just emailed and texted me that it's exercising.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Says, She's not Snortin!

 

[3930dave]

They usually only put them on the roof because they are added later and it痴 the cheapest real estate but it makes it a real pain to service even if you get a good view out of the deal.

Worked on several 38 and 50L engines on the roof of office towers. Great fun carrying g 50 or 60 gallons of used oil and half a dozen pails of used filters through the top floor (most expensive elevator lobby in the building) leaving a trail of diesel fumes behind you.
.

Fumoto valve attached to a really long drain-line ?

"What ? That ? It's just upgraded organic piping for the new Quantum Computers"......

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

1994 Generac 5000w bare bones generator.
If there is a power outage that requires generator power, we run it for 3 hours in the morning and 4 at night.
That keeps the freezer and fridge mostly cold, allows us to recharge our well-pressure tank, make coffee, eat, catch the news, etc.
We haven't had an outage that was long enough to require generator power in 3 years.
So,,, Hadn't started the generator in 3 years.
Every year, I siphon out the fuel and replace it with fresh, stabilized fuel.
Today, I fired up the generator. Started on the 2nd pull.
Ran like a top. Connected a 1500w load for a minute or two.
Turn off the fuel, slowly advance the choke as it tries to die,
Then place it on the compression stroke and close the choke for storage.
Changed the oil.
Probably won't run it for a couple of more years unless actually needed.
We had a 7 hour outage the other night.
Liz and I lit a candle and played cards.
No generator needed.
If the power was still out in the am, we would have began out outage routine.
THE LAST thing I would ever want is a generator that fires up at every little power blip.
We run the generator ONLY when absolutely necessary.
The whole "exercise the generator" thing makes absolutly no sense to me.

People have had various "challenges" with storage of generators (and other small engines). I used to store mine dry, then went to wet full-tank storage after having a stuck float.

OTOH, people (including some in this thread) have had good results with dry storage...... I'm all about what works :thumbsup:.... if you've got a routine that works well for your particular machine - no point changing up.

Auto-start xfer systems aren't for everybody, but they do fit certain needs...... If I still traveled on business like I used to, I'd have one here by now.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I thought I would check the capability of my tractor to handle a large surge load
While running steady with a 9.5 kw load.
For that I plugged in my 20 inch 3hp plainer.
Watch the exhaust roll coal for a few seconds when the load is applied then it cleans up nicely.
If I had planned this better I would have put my clamp on amp meter on to record the peak surge load.
Perhaps some other day.
90cummins



25Kw PTO generator surge test. - YouTube

Cool (well, hot actually ) test !

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

PGE said to except another PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff) in Northern CA.

I can only imagine people that never considered a generator are now considering.

Strange Daze Indeed....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

My generator just emailed and texted me that it's exercising. View attachment 625813

Do you have yours programmed to xfer the house load grs, or is that 5+kw load onboard ?

Not many bells/whistles catch my eye, but remote telemetry on gen status

Rgds, D.

 

[LouNY]

I purchased my 25kw PTO generator in 1999 and used it less that 10 hours and thought it would be a good
Idea to check the slip rings to make sure they are nice & shiny.
They were so I hooked it up to my Ford 1720 SSS to check operation.
I use a 3 element heater with 3.5 kw elements so I can adapt the load to 3.5kw 7kw and 9.5kw.
This test is at 9.5 kw.
While testing I found an elusive oil lead in the intake manifold because it was running around 7psi of turbo boost.
The leak was easily resolved by tightening 4 screws.
I used a kilawatt meter to verify voltage & HZ.
90cummins


25 KW PTO Generator test. - YouTube

Nice load tests on your generator,
that little Ford had her work out but she pulled it nice.

I've been telling myself I should pull mine down and grease the generator end bearing.
My gets used a couple of times a year for a few hours or several it seems like.
It's had a couple of week to twelve day runs over the years.

 

[grsthegreat]

Do you have yours programmed to xfer the house load grs, or is that 5+kw load onboard ?

Not many bells/whistles catch my eye, but remote telemetry on gen status

Rgds, D.

I occasionally use the genmon available option to actually switch the transfer switch to apply load to house under exercise mode. house power is not shut down, the switch just switches over to apply gen load

 

[3930dave]

I occasionally use the genmon available option to actually switch the transfer switch to apply load to house under exercise mode. house power is not shut down, the switch just switches over to apply gen load

Nice option.

Rgds, D.