Your last generator Maintenance Run

[daugen]

it wasn't about the money or the time, with my vacuum oil changer I can change the oil in about a minute. I understand the wear metals for the first oil change or two. after that ?
I take my used oil to gas station to recycle. So no eco concern, just wondering if I'm just wasting perfectly good oil.
the gen only holds about a quart of oil so when in doubt, change it.
If it held two quarts, or three quarts, and had a filter and oil pump, that seems like a much more reliable set up.

 

[5030]

Got the new aluminum enclosure for the diesel standby. The original steel one is on it's last legs. Hopefully it will last the winter but it sure is corroded.

Was kind of surprised that Generac actually had one or maybe they made it up special for me, not really sure. All I know is, it cost me plenty, like 3 grand but still lots cheaper than replacing the unit with a new one as a new one like I own is over 20 grand today. It's exactly like the steel enclosure I now have, minus the rust of course. All powder coat aluminum. Took me over a month to get it and now it's in the shop waiting for spring.

 

[WinterDeere]

it wasn't about the money or the time, with my vacuum oil changer I can change the oil in about a minute. I understand the wear metals for the first oil change or two. after that ?
I take my used oil to gas station to recycle. So no eco concern, just wondering if I'm just wasting perfectly good oil.
the gen only holds about a quart of oil so when in doubt, change it.
If it held two quarts, or three quarts, and had a filter and oil pump, that seems like a much more reliable set up.

Is this a portable generator with manual hook-up, or an automatic fixed genset? If portable, and knowing the area in which you live better than the back of my own hand, I'm guessing the need to actually hook up and run it is less than once per year on average. I've always just changed the oil in mine after each use, as it may sit 2-3 years between uses.

If it's a fixed auto-changeover genset, and running their usual maintenance cycles or actually switching to generator power everytime the lights blip out for more than 30 seconds, then I guess it comes down to how corrosive the blow-by components are in a propane system. I did some quick Googling on that, and didn't find anything super-obvious. The best "hit" was actually a paper behind a paywall, but I'd bet someone with a few more minutes interest could probably uncover a better answer.

 

[grsthegreat]

I change my portable gens oil yearly along with lawn mower, snow blower, and other small engines.

my standby genset only requires oil change every 2 years or 200 run hours, but i usually also do it yearly.

main reason is if its not run often, it builds up moisture in oil. Oil actually is kind of yellowish draining it. Its darker after a few hours run to burn off moisture. The moisture sure isnt good for the engine components.

i buy nearly a pallet of mobil1 oil yearly to maintain generators in the field. I recycle all old oil. Im of the better safe than sorry mold i guess.

i also wish my briggs portable had a filter system.

 

[3930dave]

Got the new aluminum enclosure for the diesel standby. The original steel one is on it's last legs. Hopefully it will last the winter but it sure is corroded.

Was kind of surprised that Generac actually had one or maybe they made it up special for me, not really sure. All I know is, it cost me plenty, like 3 grand but still lots cheaper than replacing the unit with a new one as a new one like I own is over 20 grand today. It's exactly like the steel enclosure I now have, minus the rust of course. All powder coat aluminum. Took me over a month to get it and now it's in the shop waiting for spring.

With you on the Surprised part.... today, there are way too many (even small, critical) Parts that are NLA, across many product sectors.

Coated aluminum..... should be the last one needed, and much better @ keeping mice on the outside !

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

WinterDeere, well I'm in Solebury near the township bldg so can't be far from you
portable unit plugged into a professionally installed interconnect. Small cottage.
it's the trees...so many dead trees bringing down the power lines.
takes 2-8 hours for Peco to fix. Most are in two hour range.

I just installed a battery backed sump pump, so at least now that reason for going out in the middle
of a sleet storm at 2 am to start the gen is removed. A month ago I had two 4 ams in a row.
I was clearly muttering on the second one, wondering if I can install a 24kw on a pallet and take it with me
from this rental home.

My neighbor's son is a Generac installer/real electrician.
really hard to justify 12 grand. Even with long term lease here, could only justify one for the gen and one for the electrician.
My Generacs (20 & 22) never failed to start or perform. I got lucky and mine were flawless over more than ten years.
This portable Westinghouse in less than three years has
suffered a failed start button and now has a wonky electric starter. Had to pull the cord last time.
And pulling a hand starter on that big single is not so easy.

 

[WinterDeere]

Oh yeah, I know the trees around there. I used to drive Sugan Rd. every weekend.

The majority of our outages are thankfully shorter than yours, so that I don't even bother wheeling out the generator for most of them. I can deal w/o power for 1/2 hour. If the storm damage was bad, or I suspect it's going to be a longer outage, then I wheel out the gennie, hook up the cord, and fire it up.

 

[5030]

WinterDeere, well I'm in Solebury near the township bldg so can't be far from you
portable unit plugged into a professionally installed interconnect. Small cottage.
it's the trees...so many dead trees bringing down the power lines.
takes 2-8 hours for Peco to fix. Most are in two hour range.

I just installed a battery backed sump pump, so at least now that reason for going out in the middle
of a sleet storm at 2 am to start the gen is removed. A month ago I had two 4 ams in a row.
I was clearly muttering on the second one, wondering if I can install a 24kw on a pallet and take it with me
from this rental home.

My neighbor's son is a Generac installer/real electrician.
really hard to justify 12 grand. Even with long term lease here, could only justify one for the gen and one for the electrician.
My Generacs (20 & 22) never failed to start or perform. I got lucky and mine were flawless over more than ten years.
This portable Westinghouse in less than three years has
suffered a failed start button and now has a wonky electric starter. Had to pull the cord last time.
And pulling a hand starter on that big single is not so easy.

The only issue I've ever had with the diesel powered Generrac we have (besides the corroding steel enclosure was a bad starter motor) and being a JD Diesel, it was insanely expensive. Still have the old defective one somewhere in the shop. The Bendix gave up on the original one but this ones is working flawlessly and has been for around 9 years now. Other than that it has had zero issues. Starts right up winter, spring, fall and summer and purrs along at 1800 rpm. I do renew the oil, filter and every year and the air filter every 2. I keep a maintenance log inside the enclosure. On it's third starting battery now. They poop out after a few years for some reason, not sure why as the starting battery is always on a trickle smart charger that is incorporated into the genney's circuitry. If I was ever to buy another one, it would be a Generac hands down. Every bolt on the engine and generator head is a socket head Allen bolt and all the wiring is neatly bundled as well. Attention to details like that is important to me. It speaks of quality and care in manufacture and they are built in I think, Wisconsin. No China stuff in there but probably is today. Everything today is 'World Class' which to me means lowest budder prone to fail junk.

Just look at the failure rate on new tractors today. I find that astounding and sad at the same time.

 

[5030]

And pulling a hand starter on that big single is not so easy.

Hopefully it has a compression release on the camshaft. Big singles are always a PITA to start, especially when the operator is older (like me). I dread pulling a starter rope (rewind) any more. Glad my new Echo's all have compression releases. My 028 don't but it's not bad to fire up or at least it isn't so far. Both my shelf queens (075 and 090 reduction drive have them) and I'd never attempt to fire either one without. Good way to stretch your fingers out of joint. Both when idling, sound like motorcross bikes too. Big displacement saws and not for a wimpy old man like me. They sit on the shelf all the time and I should sell them both as 090's and 075's really retain their values but I don't and probably never will. I bought them both when I bought the 028, decades ago and both are in pristine condition, devoid of any fuel and dried out and no bar oil in either, either. Last load of fuel was canned fuel prior to drying them out so I know they will fire right up if necessary. The 075 has a 30" bar with 404 full tooth Oregon chipper and the 090 has a 2 man 5 foot buddy bar with 404 again. It's super heavy as well. Only thing it's good for is bucking big rounds, you never want to even try to use it for anything else. I believe the 090 will pull an even longer bar if necessary, but 5 foot is really too big for around here. Bought all 3 new at the same time from the same shop when I lived in NW Ohio.

Back then I owned and operated a tree company and we roped into every tree and some were huge oaks in Bay Village and Westlake, We specialized in storm related damage, Had a chipper truck, a Mitts & Merril drum chipper with a 300 cubic inch Ford Industrial engine, lots of climbing ropes and harnesses (still have one of my harnesses and climbing spurs hanging in the garage). Sold off everything except the 3 Stihl's, had other saws as well including a couple of Stihl top handle arborists saws and a big yellow McCollugh monster too. Set my own chains back then as well. It all went when I came to the realization that it was for a younger man and I wasn't getting any younger. Even owned a Rayco stump grinder. All sold except the 3 saws. Least back then I didn't have to deal with E-gas back then because there wasn't any. The guy I sold the yellow monster to built a racing cart and used the engine plus another identical engine as well. it was a screamer. I 'piloted' it one time and one time only was enough.

All in the past so I keep the shelf queens as a reminder to what I did back then. Sentimental old fool I am.

 

[LouNY]

WinterDeere, well I'm in Solebury near the township bldg so can't be far from you
portable unit plugged into a professionally installed interconnect. Small cottage.
it's the trees...so many dead trees bringing down the power lines.
takes 2-8 hours for Peco to fix. Most are in two hour range.

I just installed a battery backed sump pump, so at least now that reason for going out in the middle
of a sleet storm at 2 am to start the gen is removed. A month ago I had two 4 ams in a row.
I was clearly muttering on the second one, wondering if I can install a 24kw on a pallet and take it with me
from this rental home.

My neighbor's son is a Generac installer/real electrician.
really hard to justify 12 grand. Even with long term lease here, could only justify one for the gen and one for the electrician.
My Generacs (20 & 22) never failed to start or perform. I got lucky and mine were flawless over more than ten years.
This portable Westinghouse in less than three years has
suffered a failed start button and now has a wonky electric starter. Had to pull the cord last time.
And pulling a hand starter on that big single is not so easy.

Drew,
If you want to go whole house either a precast slab or a wood and gravel base would work just fine for a larger genset.
An example of wood and gravel base is in this video at 10min 04 second.
When I watched this video and saw the location I wondered if a TBN contributor was their dealer.