Remember kids, never service your "new-to-you" generator until you need it.

[echris 1,425]

When I got my Wheel Horse a few months back, some of you may remember that I gave my old 5,500 watt generator to my nephew for helping me pick up the tractor.
 

Well, the replacement generator my neighbor had given me sat in my garage waiting for service. I had no idea of the state of it other than when I tried to start it, 3 pulls and she ran great. It has a nice Honda GX390 11HP on it.

So tropical storm Isiah rolled through and we got walloped pretty good.

No problem, I roll the genny around back in the pouring rain, pull the rope...it barely moves. She's hydro-locked. I already know what's next. Pull the plug, she turns over a few times, cylinder clear... Reinstall the plug. No start. Surprise? not really.
We all know what's next, right? Time to pull the carb. I open the air cleaner housing, a nickel size piece of the foam filter is missing, right in the intake.
Not a big deal, it's rainy and wet so I clean the carb and get her running, no air filter.
~3 hours later it dies. WTF? Check the gas, all good. Check the oil. Ooops, forgot to check that in the pouring rain and 40+MPH gusts.
She runs overnight, 1 tank, maybe 14 hours. Nice!

And died twice the next day.

Long story longer, don't be me. Service that new-to-you equipment BEFORE the power goes out for 3 days.

[ZXT 2,401]

Hindsight 20/20! 

At least you got it to run.

[D_Mac 8,593]

I had same issue, In fact I have 2 generators. They only get used for power outages, that means they sit for yrs without getting pulled out from the rear of the garage to get started. They each have a brand new carb and run like a champ when last started. I even bought the transfer switch to hook up to the house that has never been installed. I know I am going to regret it someday. 

[Skwerl58 702]

To keep my generator in good shape I use it to power my disc grinder to sharpen my deck blades and a few other tasks. I do it to make sure it is used and in good running condition. I sharpen my blades at least four or five times a year.

[JAinVA 4,619]

Here in Gloucester Va the power goes out if t a cow passes gas. In 08 I bought and Baldor genny with an 11hp Honda engine.Expensive then and even more now.It rests in a heated and air condtioned garage When it runs it is to keeps the refrigeration and water going.I baby the thing.Always drain the fuel tank and run it until the carb is empty.The last 2 times I needed it it was hard to start.I thought the fuel shutoff screen was the issue.It has the same shut off the horses have.I pulled the old one out and the rubber grommet came out as well.The tank is now draining and I notice beading with the little fluid that came out.Water had got to the bottom of the tank and once jostled got in the fuel line.Okay got it.I put in a new shut off and filled the tank The genny starts first pull and runs like a champ until half a tank.It sputters until it dies.It acts like it needs fuel.This happened 3 times .It was running out of fuel at 1/2 a tank.I pulled the new fuel shutoff valve and realized the screen was finer than the original.I ripped it out as there is a replaceable filter  in line.I fired it back up and it ran flawlessly until the power came back on.I am rethinking shut offs with screens in the horses.

Edited August 19, 2020 by JAinVA

[SylvanLakeWH 25,490]

I fire mine up couple times a year and run it awhile... keeps it exercised... still starts on first pull after 8 years...

[echris 1,425]

1 hour ago, ZXT said:

Hindsight 20/20! 

At least you got it to run.

I got it to run like 4 times during the blackout.

But wait, there's more!

Also found the RPM was too low, only giving me about 89 VAC!
Throttle return spring is shot, was broken and re-bent at one point.

[echris 1,425]

34 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

I fire mine up couple times a year and run it awhile... keeps it exercised... still starts on first pull after 8 years...

I do the same.

And always close the petcock and let the carb run dry, then fill the gas tank to capacity.

If it sits outside exposed, a slab of plywood and a couple of bungies over the top.

If you're in a deep freeze and a Nor'easter is coming, bring her inside and keep her warm for when you need her.

[8ntruck 6,991]

We've got a propane fueled Generac whole house generator.  It starts every Sunday morning and runs for for about 10 minutes.

 

In the past year, power was down for about a week last winter and for about 14 hours earlier this spring.  The generator came on line, just like it is supposed to.

 

The battery is 3 or 4 years old. I might consider changing it this year.

[roadapples 6,983]

I have a Generac stand by also. Starts every week for 12min. Best piece of mind I ever bought....

[cschannuth 3,816]

I always wanted a generator but always worried that I wouldn’t exercise it enough to have it run when I actually needed. When I found a good used generator for my wheel horse I jumped at it because it fits on almost all of my tractors, is very easy to install because I keep it on a cheap four wheel dolly that positions it perfectly underneath my tractors, and I always have at least one tractor that will start so I always have a generator when I need it. It’s not very big but I have my house wired so that I can use it to power enough critical circuits to keep food from spoiling, heat, and a few lights in the house.

[bc.gold 3,403]

My generator is probably older than some of our forum members, I have a Petter PJ2 coupled to a 15 KW generator that runs on diesel fumes.

[squonk 41,023]

I've lived in this house for 32 years. The power has been out a total of maybe 5 hours. I bought this Generac at the WH show about 5 years ago. I have run a fan with it twice  Tractor is long gone. 

 

[Racinbob 11,044]

Back in 2004 when a massive area of Florida went without power for days after onslaught of hurricanes everybody was rushing to buy a generator but none were to be had. Every unit was sold as well as those coming in from other states. I told my wife that in a few short years those same folks will pull them out of storage to use again only to find they won't run. It's so easy to ignore something when you don't need it. That's the beauty of the tractor mounted generator. I loved mine but I didn't want to dedicate a tractor. After all, it's not that hard to put on. But as time went by I found it became a bit tougher and I also wanted something my wife could manage herself. I ended up selling the 5kw Wheel Horse genny and buying a Caterpillar electric start unit. I wired the house properly for it and figured I was all set until I did a simulated power outage test. Our most critical item wouldn't start up. After scratching my head and researching I discovered that the total harmonic distortion of the Caterpillar was around 23%. The furnace was a whiz bang super efficient unit and it did a self diagnostic check at every start up. It sensed the high THD and shut itself down to protect the electronics. The moral of the story is that you should always do a full test with everything you need or want the generator to run. You might be glad you did when a real outage occurs. Plus, regular exercising the generator is critical if you really want to be prepared. We have since moved to a new place beyond the boonies making emergency power a must have. The Caterpillar is gone and we now have a generator with less that 5% THD as well as being fully wired to be comfortable in a long term outage. New Square D QO panel, UL listed main lock out device, line conditioners, surge protection, power back on sensor, etc. That might be another thread one day.  

[pfrederi 17,665]

I have a portable Generac 5000 watt  lust like picture above.  Came from my now passed in-laws in Florida 20 years ago.  Gets used 1 or 2 times every couple years.  Rigged a drain hose on the fuel tank so after a run drain the tank run it till the carb bowl is empty..  Always starts on 2nd or third pull.  For the more frequent 2-4 hour outages i have a deep cycle battery and inverter that runs the fridge a light and the TV

[clueless 2,976]

Racinbob, nailed it. In a resent post here, I talked about living on a generator off and on for over 500 hr in the last 40 years down here. Run it at least an hour a year, most of the portable ones that's about a half gallon of gas, plug something in that runs continuously at 1800 to 2200 watts. Let it run dry and put it away, and always check the oil. When you buy one open it up and assemble it, put the oil in it and some gas and start it, trying to figure how to make these things work or why it won't run with a flash light ain't no fun. MOST IMPORTANT is to read all the instructions and ALL the safety warnings, the last thing you want is to be plugging electrical cords into a running generator while your standing on a wet surface in your worn out pair of crocs, could easily be the last thing you ever do, happens every year.

[peter lena 8,580]

d-mac , i have had a manual transfer switch wired on my main panel for close to 20 years, with no issues at all, from what i see, you  have a major problem with the minimal generator that you have. my power is 10-12 k , and runs vitals of the house. furnace , all lights , refrig, microwave , tv , water pump. when you are down for days you want to be able to live comfortably, also have the generator in a calf hutch , for total weather proof  operation . just my own experience, pete 

[CCW 1,292]

Have had this transfer switch in my basement for the past six years.  Though we did not lose power in the storm two weeks ago I decided it was time to install it.  The last time we lost power it was for nine days.  Now no more extension cords running throughout the house. Over the past 30 years I have had to use the generator three or four times.

 

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

4 hours ago, pfrederi said:

I have a portable Generac 5000 watt  lust like picture above.  Came from my now passed in-laws in Florida 20 years ago.  Gets used 1 or 2 times every couple years.  Rigged a drain hose on the fuel tank so after a run drain the tank run it till the carb bowl is empty..  Always starts on 2nd or third pull.  For the more frequent 2-4 hour outages i have a deep cycle battery and inverter that runs the fridge a light and the TV

 

4500 watt pure sine inverter that i use when I'm out cutting off catalytic converters, i disfigured the paint and removed the tags to deter theft.

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by bcgold

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,300]

  Exercise mine a few times a year, always on a battery maintainer and it’s stored in my basement so it’s never cold. This last outage a few weeks ago was a bit long so I poured a few ounces of SeaFoam in the tank knowing it would get pulled thru the entire fuel system while it ran overnight.

  Bought it maybe 8-10 years ago. Only on my second battery with 146 hours on the clock.

  Tied to my house via a 200 amp manual transfer switch (big switch on the left) so everything gets powered up.

  

[ZXT 2,401]

7 hours ago, CCW said:

Have had this transfer switch in my basement for the past six years.  Though we did not lose power in the storm two weeks ago I decided it was time to install it.  The last time we lost power it was for nine days.  Now no more extension cords running throughout the house. Over the past 30 years I have had to use the generator three or four times.

 

 

Do you have any kind of a transfer switch or do you just have it tied into your panel? If not I'm curious what keeps it from backfeeding past your panel other than maybe a main breaker that you have turned off. 

 

11 hours ago, clueless said:

the last thing you want is to be plugging electrical cords into a running generator while your standing on a wet surface in your worn out pair of crocs

On top of this, I still see people from time to time selling "suicide cords" online to use with generators.. Good way to electrocute yourself and possibly a linesman trying to get your power back on!  

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,300]

3 minutes ago, ZXT said:

Do you have any kind of a transfer switch or do you just have it tied into your panel? If not I'm curious what keeps it from backfeeding past your panel other than maybe a main breaker that you have turned off. 

 

On top of this, I still see people from time to time selling "suicide cords" online to use with generators.. Good way to electrocute yourself and possibly a linesman trying to get your power back on!  

Those 6 switches are individual transfer switches. Once each one is switched from line to gen that particular circuit becomes fed from the generator and is isolated from street power. Very safe and totally legal 

[ZXT 2,401]

Just now, Sparky said:

Those 6 switches are individual transfer switches. Once each one is switched from line to gen that particular circuit becomes fed from the generator and is isolated from street power. Very safe and totally legal 

Thanks Mike! Couldn't read the labeling on my tiny laptop screen. Pulled it up on the TV and can read it now. I've only installed whole home generators and transfer switches. Never dealt with one of the smaller panels. 

 

We don't have power outages here often (maybe once or twice for an hour during my life) but something like this might be nice to install and have just in case!

[Racinbob 11,044]

Here's what I used. The upper right breaker is the incoming from the generator. As you can see it can't be turned on unless the main is in the off position. And vise versa. The only thing I won't run is the cloths dryer but everything else purrs like a kitten. That 2 pole 30 breaker could actually be a switch duty only (no overcurrent protection) because that line is protected at the source (generator) but I had the 30. There's a company that makes these for most panels http://www.interlockkit.com/ but I went with a Square D brand to keep all the components the same brand. The link I posted is a bit pricey. I'm assuming that's because they know what a 200A transfer switch costs. I got the Square D SD-200A for less than half that. You crafty fellows could fabricate one but I wouldn't recommend it. It's a UL listing thing. 

 

[echris 1,425]

On 8/19/2020 at 12:13 AM, bcgold said:

My generator is probably older than some of our forum members, I have a Petter PJ2 coupled to a 15 KW generator that runs on diesel fumes.

The best generator story I have involves a WWII generator I know only as "Smokey Joe". A very simple IC engine that would run on many combustible liquids, hence the nickname Smokey Joe. It had 120VAC output at maybe 1500w.
Supposedly, they were used everywhere in WWII.

The first time I hooked it up, I tested the outputs, 120AC, all good.

Hooked it up to one leg of the house and a few minutes later, someone called out from inside the house, "The VCR IS SMOKING!!!" lol

If I remember correctly, there was an open neutral on the generator. Not really sure. BUT...

 

I cooked a VCR, TV, digital clock, and computer.
BUT, I fixed them all.
So all in all, I ...won???

PS: The Smokey Joe was retired that day. He was later donated to a better home.