Your last generator Maintenance Run

[3930dave]

I looked at it a little bit this morning. Checked the oil and the status light says ready to run etc. Yes, we have 2 heat pumps for heating/cooling. I did notice a small Generac box next to the heat pump disconnects, so there must be some integrated power management for those.

I'll pull out the manuals and start reading up on it.

Somebody Else ^, that reads Manuals ! I keep getting told I'm risking my Man Card, by doing that .

I'd expect good documentation from Generac, but as you may know by now.... grs is one of Those Guys - that probably has forgotten more about Generacs, than many people get to know.....

Concentrated in Spring and Fall, in a past job I was away from home in blocks of close to a month at a time. Away from Home; definitely highlights the advantage of an Auto-Start generator system !

Rgds, D.

 

[Gregster613]

That’s a pretty accurate list there. As to spare parts, honestly very hard to say. There are so many different things that could fail between the generator and the switch. I carry hundreds of small parts on my service rig. But I agree batteries are the thing that I find mostly. And when a battery fails, it might have tested great a few months previously. I’ve had the same brand battery last for 10 years or 2 years. No idea why.

"I’ve had the same brand battery last for 10 years or 2 years. No idea why." Great statement here - I've had exact same thing and have no clue why either!!

 

[Racer4]

Got a call from the new owner of a house that I used to do the generator service. He said it hasn’t worked since they’ve been there. So I grabbed my stuff, oil, and a service kit. Probably needs a battery.

Got there, no lights on at all on the control panel. Older beige generac, 13,000kw, propane. Pulled the fuse, that was good. Pulled the battery, swollen on one side, from 2018. Don’t even register on my midtronics tester. No voltage at cables, maybe maintenance charger went bad?

Got a new battery from Napa, hooked it up and it came to life. 5 times cranking and a little thumb over the carb hole and it fired up.

Got the oil warm enough to drain. 25 degrees outside, wind blowing like crazy, on a golf course. Oil was leaking from oil filter, was loose. Not sure how that happened. I tighten them pretty tight. Last time it was done was 2021.

New oil, filter, air filter, plugs. Cleaned out the cabinet. Set exercise time and let that run. Charger was putting out 13.2 after a couple minutes with the new battery.

Good to go.

 

[grsthegreat]

I don’t like the older units battery charge system, much too complicated.

 

[ultrarunner]

I don’t like the older units battery charge system, much too complicated.

It’s nice to hear new and improved is more than marketing…

 

[3930dave]

Got a call from the new owner of a house that I used to do the generator service. He said it hasn’t worked since they’ve been there. So I grabbed my stuff, oil, and a service kit. Probably needs a battery.

Got there, no lights on at all on the control panel. Older beige generac, 13,000kw, propane. Pulled the fuse, that was good. Pulled the battery, swollen on one side, from 2018. Don’t even register on my midtronics tester. No voltage at cables, maybe maintenance charger went bad?

Got a new battery from Napa, hooked it up and it came to life. 5 times cranking and a little thumb over the carb hole and it fired up.

Got the oil warm enough to drain. 25 degrees outside, wind blowing like crazy, on a golf course. Oil was leaking from oil filter, was loose. Not sure how that happened. I tighten them pretty tight. Last time it was done was 2021.

New oil, filter, air filter, plugs. Cleaned out the cabinet. Set exercise time and let that run. Charger was putting out 13.2 after a couple minutes with the new battery.

Good to go.

Nice save.... was low on TLC, now addressed .

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

It’s nice to hear new and improved is more than marketing…

I was having a similar conversation today, about the charge-controllers on modern laptops (being better).

Windoze on the other hand..... 'nuff said, as I need to keep this G-rated on here !

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

my understanding is that older chargers would cook the water out over time trying to maintain preset voltage.
modern smart chargers should go into a maintenance mode with desulphation that is supposed
to increase life of battery by reducing internal plate deposits.
nothing like the annoying buzz of a ferro-resonant charger

better chargers and lithium batteries have really upped our game.
is any generator builder offering lithium battery as an upgrade?
though realistically it's only a starting battery, no need for deep cycle.
not sure what a long lasting starting battery is like, perhaps a HD lithium

no sense in having a more expensive longer lasting battery if the charger isn't suited for it.

 

[90cummins]

I have a North Star 5500 belt driven generator that suddenly stopped generating power.
The capacitor failed & I don’t understand the specifications printed on it.
I’ve found one that is very similar in specification but not sure if it is compatible.
An explanation of specs would be appreciated.
Thank you
90cummins

Happy New Year!

 

[kenmbz]

looks the same, does the connector look the same?
25 uF at 500v +/-5% is the important numbers.
The connections are what we can't see in your photo.

 

[3930dave]

90 - I suspect what you are pondering is what looks to be Hour ratings, under different test Classes.

Bigger stuff ^ than the caps I used to work with (down into the detail-weeds @ times), so I don't know those Classes.

No promises, as it is the Holidaze @ moment, but I'll ping a retired buddy of mine, as there is a decent chance he is familiar with those Classes.....

Rgds, D.

P.S. Ducati ! I'm so used to seeing red !

 

[3930dave]

my understanding is that older chargers would cook the water out over time trying to maintain preset voltage.
modern smart chargers should go into a maintenance mode with desulphation that is supposed
to increase life of battery by reducing internal plate deposits.
nothing like the annoying buzz of a ferro-resonant charger

better chargers and lithium batteries have really upped our game.
is any generator builder offering lithium battery as an upgrade?
though realistically it's only a starting battery, no need for deep cycle.
not sure what a long lasting starting battery is like, perhaps a HD lithium

no sense in having a more expensive longer lasting battery if the charger isn't suited for it.

Aside from Cost, low-temperature (Canadian style) performance for Lithium used to be low, compared to traditional chemistries..... but it's been a while since I've looked @ specs.....

Rgds, D.

 

[grsthegreat]

Brushless generators use capacitors for voltage regulation. All you need to do is match the uf and voltage class rating….. I’ve even used slightly different uf rated capacitors when exact replacements can’t be found, and they work fine…maybe a volt or 2 more output.

 

[90cummins]

Connectors are the same.
What does the 25/85/21 versus
25/085/21 mean?

 

[3930dave]

Connectors are the same.
What does the 25/85/21 versus
25/085/21 mean?

might be same...... know better if I can track official test doc....

(Total guess on conditions..... Relative humidity range, 21C) <<< just guessing.

Happy Nu Yr All !

Rgds, D.

 

[grsthegreat]

Those numbers are temperature coefficients

For exmple

What Does 40/70/21 Mean on a Capacitor? | Tolerance of Capacitor​

The minimum and maximum permissible surrounding temperatures are specified on the capacitor as follows: 40/70/21 = minimum permissible temperature: –40°C, maximum permissible temperature: +70°C. 21 is the number of days the capacitor can withstand within specified limits if exposed to 95% relative humidity at -40°C.


I your case, the numbers are the same. Don’t worry about the 0

 

[90cummins]

Thank you!!
Always learning
90cummins

 

[90cummins]

Another question about 5500BDG generator head.
This generator with the bad capacitor has an L16-20 250v three prong outlet, while another similar much newer unit has an L-14-30 250v four prong outlet. I would like to replace the L16-20 with the L14-30 outlet to be compatible with my extensions.
Any issues with this and does the additional wire attach to the existing ground point?

Thanks 90cummins

Happy New Years be safe!!

 

[Popgadget]

Another question about 5500BDG generator head.
This generator with the bad capacitor has an L16-20 250v three prong outlet, while another similar much newer unit has an L-14-30 250v four prong outlet. I would like to replace the L16-20 with the L14-30 outlet to be compatible with my extensions.
Any issues with this and does the additional wire attach to the existing ground point?

An L16-20 is a 4 prong 3 phase connector, are you sure about your description?

If you have a 3 prong outlet it would be a single voltage and a ground.
An L14-30 has 4 prongs, 2 hots, a neutral and a ground.
240 across the hots and 120 from either hot to neutral.

Does the generator have a center tapped output winding that would let you connect the L14-30 correctly?

 

[90cummins]

My mistake it’s an L6-20 3 prong outlet.
Photos are of generator in question.
Generator has 2 taps & breakers.