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The Generator Thread

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13 minutes ago, Malsua said:

I searched Ebay for genmon, not seeing anything.  Got a link?  I'll buy a pre-config

I checked my eBay history, looks like he's not selling them anymore. Here is the seller's profile if you want to try to contact him. https://www.ebay.com/usr/colts24_7

 

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3 hours ago, Malsua said:

I had a 4000XL Generator before my standby.  When I started it every 6months or so it was fine.  When I left it longer, it'd need carb attention.  I replaced the carb in that 3 times.

Also, my Generac standby exercises once a week for 12 minutes.  Keeps the mice away.  What I don't have and I want to get is the WIFI link for it but I can't seem to figure out where to buy it.   It may be a stealership only item in which case, they can suck it.

 

Just remember to stay on that maintenance.  all those exercise cycles add up fast.  12 minutes might not be enough to cook off all the moisture sucked into the oil.

I've been having an internal debate about stepping up from a 10kW to a 12kW on my planned upgrade; the price jump is dramatic (~$1000 for 10kW to more than double that for 12kW+) but I get things like dual cylinders, pressurized oil feed (vs. splashed), oil cooler, and spin-on oil filter (vs. none at all.)

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4 minutes ago, Sota said:

what?

I run all the generators I service on walmart brand syntech 10w30 full synthetic.  have for almost 2 decades.  no issues.

 

Wally World synthetic oil got very high ratings (close to Mobil 1) in tests I read about in another forum I'm on. Also on You Tube. Oil is oil...Change it on time and you're golden.

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14 minutes ago, Sota said:

Just remember to stay on that maintenance.  all those exercise cycles add up fast.  12 minutes might not be enough to cook off all the moisture sucked into the oil.

I've been having an internal debate about stepping up from a 10kW to a 12kW on my planned upgrade; the price jump is dramatic (~$1000 for 10kW to more than double that for 12kW+) but I get things like dual cylinders, pressurized oil feed (vs. splashed), oil cooler, and spin-on oil filter (vs. none at all.)

I am pretty good about that.  I've even done the valve lash adjustment.   Since it just ran for 27.5 hours, I think the water is good and cooked out for now ;).

It is a 14kw Generac.  I'd actually like someone who does it for a living to go through it in case I'm missing something.  It does have a slight noticeable miss, but it always has since new.  You can just hear it in the tone when it's running, like 1 in 60 firings or something. It doesn't seem to affect performance.  Maybe it would be different at a heavier load or maybe it's how it governs the rpm to 3600.

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yea ignition isn't 100% precise, even on the best of engines. :D

still relying on a chemical reaction to happen and the variables can tolerance stack easily and quickly.
combine that with a single cylinder or even a dual and a missed/improper ignition event can cause that sound.
same here, I don't worry about it as long as the power supply is consistent.
loading
helps keep the governor from being at it's low limit, which also helps air-fuel mixture to be more consistent.
a perfect example is harley's and any big bore single or twin cylinder motorcycle.

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13 minutes ago, SmittyMHS said:

Wally World synthetic oil got very high ratings (close to Mobil 1) in tests I read about in another forum I'm on. Also on You Tube. Oil is oil...Change it on time and you're golden.

it's usually still pretty golden when I pull it out of the cars. :D

I've even sprung for the occasional blackstone labs test, just to keep an eye on things.
they've always reported back that my 6k change interval on the cars could be pushed as far as 9k or 10k, but I'll stick with 6; if anything I'm more worried about the filter.  oil and filters are cheap (highly recommend people look for master cases, you can save a nice amount that way) and engines are expensive.  it's a no brainer.

has anyone seen what the current supply of generators is like? I haven't gone out shopping yet during this latest round of shenanigans.

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13 hours ago, Bomber said:

I never run the carb dry on any outdoor power equipment. No problems whatsoever over  the course of many years..  

And I run mine dry every year, with zero problems, for decades. Summer equipment gets run dry for the Winter. Snow blower gets run dry for Summer storage. Starts next year every time, NEVER needed to touch a carb.

3 hours ago, Malsua said:

I had a 4000XL Generator before my standby. When I started it every 6months or so it was fine.  When I left it longer, it'd need carb attention.  I replaced the carb in that 3 times.

Which is why I think propane is definitely the way to go. Never had to touch the carb or any adjustments on my genny. Plus, never have to screw around with gas storage, adding Stabil, rotating gas, and the dangers of having 5 gallon cans of gas sitting around. A tank of propane pretty much lasts forever, and never goes bad. Plus, in a pinch, almost every backyard has  a 20 lb. tank of propane in it.

The added benefit of propane is it's multiple use. One, for the barbecue, Two, for the genny, Three, for the portable heater, Four, for the gas fireplace, Five, for the camping lantern, Six, for the camping stove.

Can't do all that with a five gallon jug of gas.

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22 minutes ago, Sniper said:

And I run mine dry every year, with zero problems, for decades. Summer equipment gets run dry for the Winter. Snow blower gets run dry for Summer storage. Starts next year every time, NEVER needed to touch a carb.

Which is why I think propane is definitely the way to go. Never had to touch the carb or any adjustments on my genny. Plus, never have to screw around with gas storage, adding Stabil, rotating gas, and the dangers of having 5 gallon cans of gas sitting around. A tank of propane pretty much lasts forever, and never goes bad. Plus, in a pinch, almost every backyard has  a 20 lb. tank of propane in it.

The added benefit of propane is it's multiple use. One, for the barbecue, Two, for the genny, Three, for the portable heater, Four, for the gas fireplace, Five, for the camping lantern, Six, for the camping stove.

I use NG but have been thinking about getting a 100lb cyl for LP just in case. Tractor Supply has a pretty good price on new ones.

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my goals are to have mine as tri-fuel at the end of the day.

Sandy demonstrated why having flexibility is a good thing.

NG would be the "primary" source.
LP would be backup #1, until I can get the gas cans filled (backup #2.)
I'll probably still do the whole fill the gas cans before a known major storm though.  I cycle it through the lawn mower, or after 6 months, tanker up one of the cars and use it up.

In fact, that's a mod/idea for the new generator shed design: make the air intake draw air from the separate segment that has the gas cans, and that has the outside intake vent.

I need to get on with the sketchups. :D

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2 hours ago, SmittyMHS said:

 

Unless you have oil heat and a big tank I would rethink that. LP and NG are cleaner. We had a small diesel genset at work just for emergency lighting. We could only test it early in the morning or weekends because of the smell and noise. Bunch of cry baby scientists!

My neighborhood has 93 houses.....all are fuel oil....all have 250 gallon above ground tanks ...that's 23k gallons of fuel...in a true shtf you can forage...  i know tinfoil stuff...but is it really.....

 

Not to derail...day by day we get closer to the true shtf....sadly.

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3 hours ago, Malsua said:

You mean 3600?  All the big industrial ones we've had at our plants around the world are these massive 1800rpm behemoths.  200kw and up.  3600rpm diesels are not long haul machines.

 

Ya that 

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2 hours ago, Sniper said:

 

Which is why I think propane is definitely the way to go. Never had to touch the carb or any adjustments on my genny. Plus, never have to screw around with gas storage, adding Stabil, rotating gas, and the dangers of having 5 gallon cans of gas sitting around. A tank of propane pretty much lasts forever, and never goes bad. Plus, in a pinch, almost every backyard has  a 20 lb. tank of propane in it.

 

I've read those 20lb tanks of LP sell out quick in a widespread outage while stations that remain  open are still pumping gas.

For those who have NG a conversion kit for a portable gens is worth looking into, only about $150.

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3 minutes ago, Bomber said:

I've read those 20lb tanks of LP sell out quick in a widespread outage while stations that remain  open are still pumping gas.

That's why you need to be prepared, ahead of time.

During Hurricane Sandy, many gas stations were shutdown, and weren't pumping gas, due to no power. I was able to buy all the filled 20 lb, tanks I wanted, from multiple sources.

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35 minutes ago, Sniper said:

That's why you need to be prepared, ahead of time.

During Hurricane Sandy, many gas stations were shutdown, and weren't pumping gas, due to no power. I was able to buy all the filled 20 lb, tanks I wanted, from multiple sources.

that's why I'm looking at running on all 3 if needed. :)

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6 hours ago, kc17 said:

I checked my eBay history, looks like he's not selling them anymore. Here is the seller's profile if you want to try to contact him. https://www.ebay.com/usr/colts24_7

 

I sent him a message.  Maybe he's got some insight.

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7 hours ago, Bomber said:
9 hours ago, Sniper said:

 

I've read those 20lb tanks of LP sell out quick in a widespread outage

Only idiots buy 20# tanks during an outage. 20# tanks are for grills and camping trips.   All the cool TEOTWAKI kids have a couple 100# tanks tucked away, if not a 500# (or larger) above ground tank.  If you run out, the LP company comes to you when you need a refill.  That is, unless the world really does end.  Then you probably won't need a refill.

EDIT:  Holy crap, propane costs $2.90 a Gal (4.2lbs) in NJ.  That's about a dollar over the national average.

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10 hours ago, siderman said:

Well it runs fine now but not so critical anymore as a 30 amp feed just doesn't cut it any more here in FL where central ac is considered a life support system. And I am not wiring/plumbing the house again to work off a portable anyway, looks like a real standby is in the future.

Instead of getting a large gas sucking genny to power the full ac, I picked up a small window unit to run off my champion inverter.  Clean power to keep my fridge, computer, and window ac running. I can get 20 hours off a grill propane tank, with several stacked up I am good. 

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1 hour ago, SW9racer said:

Instead of getting a large gas sucking genny to power the full ac, I picked up a small window unit to run off my champion inverter.  Clean power to keep my fridge, computer, and window ac running. I can get 20 hours off a grill propane tank, with several stacked up I am good. 

That is an option. But if we get a serious outage here I will be hosting extended family including elderly in-laws in a big house. At this point in my life I want and can pay for convenience and not having to run cords and rotating power is a done deal with a whole house genny. But until then it's my portable and some big box fans lol.Funny thing is I left our big portable ac unit with the house for the new owners, not to be nice but I literally had no more room in my truck for the final trip down :(

 

 

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2 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

Only idiots buy 20# tanks during an outage. 20# tanks are for grills and camping trips.   All the cool TEOTWAKI kids have a couple 100# tanks tucked away, if not a 500# (or larger) above ground tank.

What about the guys with gas gennys? Do they have a 500 gallon gas storage tank in their backyard?

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4 minutes ago, Sniper said:

What about the guys with gas gennys? Do they have a 500 gallon gas storage tank in their backyard?

Don't be an asshat.  There is literally no logical point or purpose to that question.  One thing has nothing to do with the other.  What are you getting at. 

 

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30 minutes ago, Sniper said:

What about the guys with gas gennys? Do they have a 500 gallon gas storage tank in their backyard?

What size is your generator and what's the running time on a 20lb tank? I'll be buying one after this eases up and I would like to be able to run it on multiple fuel sources. I already have a few hundred gallons of heating oil on hand at any given time.

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34 minutes ago, Sota said:

well, my current generator allows me to run my house for about 5 gallons of gasoline per day.  I only run it for 16 hours a day though.

Rationing generator run time is the smart move. You never know anymore how long the outage will last. We were out 2 days while others streets nearby were out 4 days. 

I have one B&S 6250/8500 watt Gen.  Runs 11 hr on 7.5 gallons.  We have a private well, oil fired hot water heating with two big circulator pumps and hot water coil so a smaller gen is out of the question. 

Once the fridge is cold its kind of wasteful to run it just for a couple of fans during the day. I had to run it at night however because the house was sweltering and we needed to get some sleep with the window A/C's going.

I really need a second smaller gen for the low powered items. 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Scorpio64 said:

Don't be an asshat.  There is literally no logical point or purpose to that question.  One thing has nothing to do with the other.  What are you getting at.

Just making a point about your logical comment about someone putting a 500# propane tank in their backyard to power their genny.... yeah... logic...

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49 minutes ago, WP22 said:

What size is your generator and what's the running time on a 20lb tank? I'll be buying one after this eases up and I would like to be able to run it on multiple fuel sources.

It's  a 3250 watt, propane only, Generac. I get around 12 -14 hours on a tank.

26 minutes ago, Bomber said:

Rationing generator run time is the smart move. You never know anymore how long the outage will last.

 

26 minutes ago, Bomber said:

Once the fridge is cold its kind of wasteful to run it just for a couple of fans during the day.

Rationing is the key. Like I mentioned earlier, I have 2 battery banks that I run all the low powered items off of. I only fire up the genny to get the fridges cold, and to top off the batteries, which is only an hour or two at a time. During the Winter, if it's cold, I'll also fire up the furnace at the same time. During Sandy, we would also run the washer and dryer during that same period.

The rest of the time, lights, TV, radio, charging devices, etc, run off the batteries and inverters.

With this method, a 20 lb. tank will last almost 3 days.

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13 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Just making a point about your logical comment about someone putting a 500# propane tank in their backyard

Many rural and suburban homes run off LP for hot water, heat, range etc.  The actual point to my post, which you already knew, but engaged in some sort of attention seeking behavior, is that one can have that kind of capacity for indefinite storage of LP fuel, and many already do.

 

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59 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Many rural and suburban homes run off LP for hot water, heat, range etc.  The actual point to my post, which you already knew, but engaged in some sort of attention seeking behavior, is that one can have that kind of capacity for indefinite storage of LP fuel, and many already do.

But that WASN'T the original point of your post. Yes, anyone living in the boonies has a large propane tank to power their furnace, water heater, cooking, etc. You weren't referring to that. But, since you have a poor memory, let's recap:

5 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

Only idiots buy 20# tanks during an outage. 20# tanks are for grills and camping trips.   All the cool TEOTWAKI kids have a couple 100# tanks tucked away, if not a 500# (or larger) above ground tank.

That infers, at the time of the outage, people should have a large above ground propane tank, to power their portable generator (since that's what we were discussing here with portable tanks). There was nothing in your comment to suggest they tap off their existing tank, which is already powering all their existing appliances.

You can try to backpedal and straw man all you want, no one is buying it.

But, I'm sure you know many people who do have 500# propane tanks in their backyards, just to power their portable generators, right?

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Just for reference, the popular Generac 5500 (5500 watt continuous, 6875 watt peak) burns 0.65 gallons of gas an hour, at 50% load.  With a full tank, it will run 10.5 hours.

The essential function for us is to keep the refrigerator and the chest freezer cold.   Running the generator two hours every morning and two hours every evening is sufficient, with maybe another hour at lunch if it is a hot day.  I keep 15 gallons of fresh gas on hand that is only for generator use, plus another 5 gallon can that gets used for the lawn equipment, so that's an additional 0 to 5 gallons, depending.  So at all times, I'm covered for at least 5 days, and up to 7 days, without having to store crazy amounts of gas.  And the cars always get filled up before a significant storm.

We'll also run the coffee maker in the morning, the microwave occasionally, maybe a lamp or two at night, and charge lanterns and phones, but all that is still under 50% capacity for the generator.  Cooking is mostly on the propane grill, with a spare 20 lb bottle always on hand.  We have city water, and no need for a sump pump.  Almost all of our outages are in temperate weather, so only once did I have to wire the furnace to the generator, and once (after a week-long outage) I had to connect the 240v lift pump in our septic system, but generally I just run one extension cord to the basement freezer, and a second to the kitchen (I haven't gotten around to installing a transfer switch).  

 

 

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