Getting ready for new generator....questions (of course!).

We would not be on this website if we did not obsess over things like this lol.
I bought one, came back to the thread and found this post of yours. UncleDave made a very good point in that the magnetic dipstick is the only "filtration" for these machines...it makes sense to me. (y)
 
looks like a nice generator! Looks several notches above my HF generator.
Thanks spasm3. I'm pretty sure it'll be with us from "now on". But, I've got to see how it works out...cranking, fueling, etc.,. It should cover us for anything we need. The only way I can imagine getting another one would be going smaller, electric start, etc.,. We're not getting any younger! :)
 
The magnetic dipstick continues to pull ferrous debris out of the oil even when the engine is not running. After you stop the engine, wipe the dipstick clean and reinstall. After a week or so, pull the dipstick and you'll see it attracted more ferrous material that was suspended in the oil.

Now I make a habbit to check the oil before I start the generator each time and wipe it clean each time.
 
I looked at the manual for this genny and the lash inspection time is 250 hours not too bad. A little over 10 days of run time.

Not sure what to takes to get to the head, but at least you've got some time.

Make sure if you are running gas you fully drain the float bowl.

Kill it by turning the fuel petcock off so you dont get any gas in the carb during storage.
 
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The magnetic dipstick continues to pull ferrous debris out of the oil even when the engine is not running. After you stop the engine, wipe the dipstick clean and reinstall. After a week or so, pull the dipstick and you'll see it attracted more ferrous material that was suspended in the oil.

Now I make a habbit to check the oil before I start the generator each time and wipe it clean each time.
I hadn't even thought of the magnet catching suspended particles while it's not running but that makes perfectly good sense. I definitely be doing the before and after wiping. Great tips!
 
I looked at the manual for this genny and the lash inspection time is 250 hours not too bad. A little over 10 days of run time.

Not sure what to takes to get to the head, but at least you've got some time.

Make sure if you are running gas you fully drain the float bowl to kill it by turning the petcock off so you dont get any gas in the carb during storage.
Yes, the 250 hour recommendation is what I found. I'm hoping against having to use the generator for an outage (don't we all?) so the 250 hours or 10 days could stretch out to literally a couple of years if I'm dedicated on doing maintenance runs on a regular schedule. Naturally if Hurricane XXX comes in the hours used could change quickly.

If I get around to it I may take some close up shots of the generator...while it's all nice and shiny. ;) Maybe get some pointers on things.

I try to always run the carbs dry on small engines that I won't be using again in the next few days. Of course, there's times I "miss". But, so far, no calamities. Hopefully I won't be running a lot of gasoline through it...but enough all along for me to know it *will* run on it with no problem if I need it to or if I need to help someone else out at another location away from a propane hookup.
 
I didn't crank it yesterday. I picked some gasoline up last night and added some Stabil to it. Gotta oil it up today and fire it up. I'm going to round up a couple of electric heaters and figure out somehow to partially enclose them somehow so they'll cycle on and off. I like the size of the generator, it really isn't as big as I thought it would be but it is wider than I envisioned. It's easy for me to read specs but hard to visualize them. :)

One thing that does cause me a little concern is security against theft. I live rural and the generator sits in an opened ended garage. Many years ago I had a small Coleman 1800w suitcase generator and a small air compressor stolen out of there. I'm pretty sure it was some local dopeheads who had been by earlier looking for scrap metal and who I ran off the place. Proving it is another story, though. :mad: We've been here 30+ years and have had four instances of theft (one breaking and entering event). Currently I've got the generator and my big tiller cabled together with a lock. Anybody got some good ideas on securing the generator (and tiller for that matter)? I've got no lockable shed to secure it inside of. I've got plenty of chain and can come up with more locks.
 
When I have extended power outages I don’t run generator continuously. Because use too much fuel. Can’t buy gasoline & propane delivery impossible. I run generator every 4 hours for 1 hour. Powering refrigerator, freezers, etc.
This stretches fuel supply. Seen many run generator continuously, generators fail and they run out of fuel in day or two.
 
I looked at the manual for this genny and the lash inspection time is 250 hours not too bad. A little over 10 days of run time.

Not sure what to takes to get to the head, but at least you've got some time.

Make sure if you are running gas you fully drain the float bowl.

Kill it by turning the fuel petcock off so you dont get any gas in the carb during storage.
Be warned I had to lash my big HD Toro Snowblower engine after 10 hours - the EX valve got real tight and the engine starting running loud and popping when hot. Big LONCIN OHV engine Made in China for the Toro.
Haven't Touched the Generator lash. Maybe something to do this spring. I hope it has a quality re-usable rubber valve cover gasket. gasket.
Yeah - good luck with that!
 
Once in a decade? I don't think I could go that long without changing it...I was brought up with preventive maintenance as being something to do. :)
I check the oil yearly on a white tissue and smell it.

The generator likely didnt have over 35 hours on it.

plus, back then I used the hard to find Valvoline Racing 10W30 synthetic with an ounce of Liquimoly MoS2.

Magic oil combo for unfiltered gennies - and probably air-cooled Corvairs and Beetles too!

Now shes got Mobil 1 FS 0W40 "Porsche" Oil. We will see how that does.

My Snowblower and mower gets an oil change and adjustments every 2 seasons.
Never had one die short of 25 years.

I just feed my Generac to the Dryer 220v outlet through the basement window using a run of flat drilled well pump power cable and of course pull the main breaker and disconnect from the street transformer.

These new OHV engines seem a LOT easier to start the the old SEARS Roebuck Craftsmen "Eager One" engines of the 70's

- Ken
 
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Be warned I had to lash my big HD Toro Snowblower engine after 10 hours - the EX valve got real tight and the engine starting running loud and popping when hot. Big LONCIN OHV engine Made in China for the Toro.
Haven't Touched the Generator lash. Maybe something to do this spring. I hope it has a quality re-usable rubber valve cover gasket. gasket.
Yeah - good luck with that!

Hope it didnt burn..

Yeah chineseum can move fast early, and do I wonder if the 250 hour spec was marketing or testing under load.

Haven't seen the gasket set up on this mill is it rubber? paper?
 
Intheswamp
I hope you enjoy your new generator! It looks like a very nice unit, I have personally had a very good experience with the Champion brand.
I have one of there 4000w units that I've had probably 12 years. It has been very reliable, I put an NGK plug in it when I first got it, And I change the oil annually with Amsoil 10w30 synthetic small engine oil. I have had to do no repairs to it at all in 12 years! Even after sitting for 3-4 months, it always starts in 1-2 pulls!
I do turn the fuel valve off and let the engine run until it stalls to empty the carburetor, and I usually dose my gas with MMO and I always buy the ethanol free 91 octane that is available in my area.
 
Intheswamp
I hope you enjoy your new generator! It looks like a very nice unit, I have personally had a very good experience with the Champion brand.
I have one of there 4000w units that I've had probably 12 years. It has been very reliable, I put an NGK plug in it when I first got it, And I change the oil annually with Amsoil 10w30 synthetic small engine oil. I have had to do no repairs to it at all in 12 years! Even after sitting for 3-4 months, it always starts in 1-2 pulls!
I do turn the fuel valve off and let the engine run until it stalls to empty the carburetor, and I usually dose my gas with MMO and I always buy the ethanol free 91 octane that is available in my area.
Thanks cronk. 12 years of good service sounds like a good resume to me. I’m thinking it will serv is well.

I’m picking up a couple of NGK Iridiums today. I think I’ll do the initial break-in with OE Torch then replace it with one of the NGKs.

It looks like I’ll have to settle for ethanol and adding Stabil 360 for the gasoline but hope to be primarily on propane.

MMO, so it helps a good bit?
 
If
I didn't crank it yesterday. I picked some gasoline up last night and added some Stabil to it. Gotta oil it up today and fire it up. I'm going to round up a couple of electric heaters and figure out somehow to partially enclose them somehow so they'll cycle on and off. I like the size of the generator, it really isn't as big as I thought it would be but it is wider than I envisioned. It's easy for me to read specs but hard to visualize them. :)

One thing that does cause me a little concern is security against theft. I live rural and the generator sits in an opened ended garage. Many years ago I had a small Coleman 1800w suitcase generator and a small air compressor stolen out of there. I'm pretty sure it was some local dopeheads who had been by earlier looking for scrap metal and who I ran off the place. Proving it is another story, though. :mad: We've been here 30+ years and have had four instances of theft (one breaking and entering event). Currently I've got the generator and my big tiller cabled together with a lock. Anybody got some good ideas on securing the generator (and tiller for that matter)? I've got no lockable shed to secure it inside of. I've got plenty of chain and can come up with more locks.
If they can see it , they can steal it.
With cordless grinders and even cordless bolt cutters, you can't stop them. Better for them to not see or know it's there.
 
If

If they can see it , they can steal it.
With cordless grinders and even cordless bolt cutters, you can't stop them. Better for them to not see or know it's there.
Yeah, I'm just hoping the meth-heads around here sold there grinders to buy "essentials" with. I do agree with the out of sight, out of mind mentality. And, of course, the old adage of "A lock keeps an honest man honest."
 
See https://www.pure-gas.org/extensions/maps.jsp?statecode=AL for a list of Ethanol free gas sources near you.
Yes, there's one place in town but it is a keyed access. We use to buy there when we had our business open. I might drop in and see if they accept cash customers...I'm not looking for another bill, ever how infrequent it is, to keep us with. There's another one down the road that I know is a regular retail outlet. It's about 10 miles down the road...I might look into to that, also. Thanks for stirring me up on the pure gas!
 
In regards to using the Reliance 6-circuit manual transfer switch...

We have a couple of light circuits that have LEDs in them. Each light circuit, if all lights are burning, consumes barely 1-1/2 amps. Could a circuit such as one of these be combined with another circuit inside the main breaker box with wire-nuts and that combined load be fed to the transfer switch as long as the load doesn't surpass the amp-rating of the breaker in the breaker box? From what I understand it is acceptable to connect two wires to a breaker as long as the breaker is designed for two wires. The return wire from the transfer switch would be a single wire...the circuit combining having already been made prior to the breaker *but* inside the breaker box.

Another option being to pull the circuit wires that are intended to be combined completely out of the breaker box, combine them in a small distribution box, then bring a single circuit into the breaker box for connection to the house circuit and transfer switch.

Ok, tell me where all I'm wrong at. Thanks!
 
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