Generators-see post 63-she's working!!!

[WR Moore]

A brief note: we had outstanding service for quite awhile from a Generac portable. Could have used more capacity, but it worked...until it didn't. Bought a B&S with more capacity. Not my first choice, but it was available right then and has done OK since.

Whatever you get, they all need to run at least quarterly under about 1/2 load for an hour or two. This keeps the engine from freezing and cooks moisture out of the generator/alternator stator/rotor. Given the suspected humidity in Loosianna, maybe more often. Place I worked had backup generators that had heaters in the generator and diesel to keep them at operating temperature, constantly circulating, heated engine lube oil and they still ran them once a month.

 

[oldbrownhat]

... Place I worked had backup generators that had heaters in the generator and diesel to keep them at operating temperature, constantly circulating, heated engine lube oil and they still ran them once a month.

My old 6kW Onan diesel genny is in a sound-reducing box which I put a small heatier in (actually just a 4" duct fan and a ceramic heater bulb) which keeps it around 50º even when it drops well below freezing. (I have a couple of 8" fans which cool the box once it heats up, though.) I even put a fuel "pre-heat" tank in the box, made from a 1 qt. paint tin, so there is about 15 mins. of "warm" diesel for it to run from. The genny is cast iron and weighs about 400 lbs. so once it gets warm it stays there. It really makes a difference when starting up in cold weather; there is practically no smoke and what there is only lasts for 30-40 secs. If i lived in a really cold climate I'd have the whole thing in a proper shed which would keep the 20 gallon steel tank warm as well but it's not essential here as the temps rarely drop below 15ºF.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

She's working!!!
Got an old boy around the corner that works on small engines so I took it over to him Got the call yesterday to come get it. He said that the carb bowl had a lot of stuff in it and the oil was low which probably prevented it from starting I reminded him that I had brought it in a couple of years agor and he put a new carb on and replaced all the fuel lines and changed out the oil and all I did when I got home was run it dry and then put it up. He said that's why you need to run it every 2-3 months with a load. The other old boys were chuckling at the lawyer. He winked at me and said you still owe me fifty bucks.
I happily paid-a good small engine mechanic is worth their weight in gold.
Learned an important lesson-always check the oil-it probably would have started even with the stuff in the bowl with the proper amount of oil in it but I think he was too polite to tell me that in front of the other guys!

Bought this generator for Hurricane Lilly and just looked it up-I got this in 2002

 

[AJ]

She's working!!!
Got an old boy around the corner that works on small engines so I took it over to him Got the call yesterday to come get it. He said that the carb bowl had a lot of stuff in it and the oil was low which probably prevented it from starting I reminded him that I had brought it in a couple of years agor and he put a new carb on and replaced all the fuel lines and changed out the oil and all I did when I got home was run it dry and then put it up. He said that's why you need to run it every 2-3 months with a load. The other old boys were chuckling at the lawyer. He winked at me and said you still owe me fifty bucks.
I happily paid-a good small engine mechanic is worth their weight in gold.
Learned an important lesson-always check the oil-it probably would have started even with the stuff in the bowl with the proper amount of oil in it but I think he was too polite to tell me that in front of the other guys!

Bought this generator for Hurricane Lilly and just looked it up-I got this in 2002

Good mechanics are hard to find!

 

[LVSteve]

I'm thinking $50 is a bit better than the cost of a new generator set...

 

[oldbrownhat]

Good mechanics are hard to find!

Ain't that the truth. My old Onan genny (c.1960) is a prime power beast, and doesn't get much use so it should last me for the rest of my time here, but if anything does go wrong, getting it serviced could be difficult. The guy that refurbished it and sold it to me lives about 40 miles away and he might be able to come out but parts for these old machines can be hard to find. At least it isn't filled with PC boards and computer chips. EPA standards weren't even a twinkle in a bureaucrat's eye when it was made but < 20 hours use per year (barring a big outage) isn't likely to contribute significantly the planet's doom.

I also have a c.1983 gray-market Yanmar tractor and the only place that really has parts is Hoye Tractor Parts in Iowa Park, TX.

 

[ralph7]

She's working!!!
Got an old boy around the corner that works on small engines so I took it over to him Got the call yesterday to come get it. He said that the carb bowl had a lot of stuff in it and the oil was low which probably prevented it from starting I reminded him that I had brought it in a couple of years agor and he put a new carb on and replaced all the fuel lines and changed out the oil and all I did when I got home was run it dry and then put it up. He said that's why you need to run it every 2-3 months with a load. The other old boys were chuckling at the lawyer. He winked at me and said you still owe me fifty bucks.
I happily paid-a good small engine mechanic is worth their weight in gold.
Learned an important lesson-always check the oil-it probably would have started even with the stuff in the bowl with the proper amount of oil in it but I think he was too polite to tell me that in front of the other guys!

Bought this generator for Hurricane Lilly and just looked it up-I got this in 2002

That was $50 PLUS the price of the new carb for a total of around $75?

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

That was $50 PLUS the price of the new carb for a total of around $75?

No I think I paid $75 for the two year ago rebuild and then the $50 yesterday for being a dumb arse-he just dumped the bowl and added oil.

 

[WR Moore]

Good for you! The older stuff is rebuildable. I do believe a lot of the current small engine carbs are pretty much throw aways.

Depending upon how much you've used it, it might pay to have the generator itself looked at after hurricane season is over. If it's old enough to have used brushes they might stand replacement. The communtator might need attention too.

 

[SS336]

You can save yourself the carburetor hassle the next time you run it, you do run it about 3 or 4 times a year don’t you?
Anyway, take the load off it, turn off the fuel peacock and let the engine run dry to stop. No varnish or crud to foul things up next time.
As far as low oil……well you could, well, check it before starting.
Sorry couldn’t resist.