Your last generator Maintenance Run

   / Your last generator Maintenance Run #1,152  
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.

My generator is a MEP-803A military surplus unit made by Lister Petter. It has an Onan diesel. It's rated at a gallon per hour at full load but seems to be consuming around .7 per hour under use. Right now I am keeping the clothes dryer running to keep some load on it.

We got lucky in the storm. Just tropical storm forces here. Power went out around 6:30 this morning and the generator is purring away. I think it has a 9 gallon tank and it also has an auxiliary fuel system to keep the tank full. I have two 55 gallon drums of fuel with one connected to the generator right now.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run
  • Thread Starter
#1,153  
My Kohler generator warranty REQUIRES an exercise cycle. It even has a built-in programme for it.

Is that auto-cycle loaded or unloaded ?

Rgds, D.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run
  • Thread Starter
#1,154  
My generator is a MEP-803A military surplus unit made by Lister Petter. It has an Onan diesel. It's rated at a gallon per hour at full load but seems to be consuming around .7 per hour under use. Right now I am keeping the clothes dryer running to keep some load on it.

We got lucky in the storm. Just tropical storm forces here. Power went out around 6:30 this morning and the generator is purring away. I think it has a 9 gallon tank and it also has an auxiliary fuel system to keep the tank full. I have two 55 gallon drums of fuel with one connected to the generator right now.

Nice setup. Being MilSurp, I expect that unit is down-rated (meaning very long-lived at rated specs :thumbsup:).

Glad to hear that you are doing relatively well in your area; the news coverage looks like many areas of FL will be out for quite some time.

Rgds, D.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run #1,155  
Nice setup. Being MilSurp, I expect that unit is down-rated (meaning very long-lived at rated specs :thumbsup:).

Glad to hear that you are doing relatively well in your area; the news coverage looks like many areas of FL will be out for quite some time.

Rgds, D.

I have loaded it to 13,500 with nary a grunt. Been trying to find ways to keep a load on it to prevent wet stacking. Ran it 11 hours straight then shut it down for just a few minutes to check it over and check the oil. All dry and full so I started it back up and it will probably have to run through the night.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run #1,156  
8 million out of power, incredible.
A lot of those folks would sure love to have one of our generators assuming their house wasn't so trashed they could still energize it.
Putting power into a home that was seriously flooded can be risky. Think of all those mud clogged receptacles...things that would now short.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run #1,157  
Is that auto-cycle loaded or unloaded ? Rgds, D.

Unloaded. And now that the warranty is up, I am not using the automatic exercise feature. I simply exercise it myself every once in a while by turning off all the power to the cottage. However, I didn't think of turning the stove on or something in order to increase the load. Will do that from now on!
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run #1,158  
Unloaded. And now that the warranty is up, I am not using the automatic exercise feature. I simply exercise it myself every once in a while by turning off all the power to the cottage. However, I didn't think of turning the stove on or something in order to increase the load. Will do that from now on!

And BTW, it is powered by propane.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run
  • Thread Starter
#1,159  
8 million out of power, incredible.
A lot of those folks would sure love to have one of our generators assuming their house wasn't so trashed they could still energize it.
Putting power into a home that was seriously flooded can be risky. Think of all those mud clogged receptacles...things that would now short.

Like most tools, generators come in all sizes..... I suspect any running (even 1,000 watt) generator is highly appreciated in FL and adjoining States today. Good illustration of the value of portability, in disasters - sleeping in a tent is one up from sleeping in the open, and even a tiny generator helps there.

Quite correct and a good point about operating..... water and power don't mix well..... I think GFI receptacles are now more common on new generators, or at least are factory options.

Rgds, D.
 
   / Your last generator Maintenance Run
  • Thread Starter
#1,160  
Unloaded. And now that the warranty is up, I am not using the automatic exercise feature. I simply exercise it myself every once in a while by turning off all the power to the cottage. However, I didn't think of turning the stove on or something in order to increase the load. Will do that from now on!

Where auto is useful is for a cottage that does not see Winter use, though many do today.

It seems that many/most residential systems exercise unloaded; I was curious if Kohler was different.

I like NatGas and propane for their clean-burning characteristics (don't go by oil colour re Needs Changing though....), and propane for portability. Up here, we just need to make sure propane tank surface area is adequate (low temperatures), and any pro-installation would address that.

Rgds, D.
 

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