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Started By
Message
re: Generac generator crapping out
Posted on 9/2/21 at 7:52 am to tduecen
Posted on 9/2/21 at 7:52 am to tduecen
quote:
Too bad a lot of people who sell them around only say monthly start ups. The fact they advertise as being hands off a lot of people don't think about them or check on them. Now we can make fun of these people but we are probably guilty of doing the same when it comes to other areas where we take the hands off approach.
hell, before laura i was guilty of it. shite....now i make sure it performs the weekly test. storm in the gulf.....as soon as i find out, i pick up extra oil, check the oil, check the filters and overall prep the generator. frick sitting in the hot all day when you have one of those just sitting there.
i keep extra oil, spark plugs, air filter, oil filter and stepping motor on hand at all times. so do all my friends that went through laura.
0
Posted on 9/2/21 at 7:52 am to baldona
quote:
don’t think they suck as much as people ask too much of them
Correct. Its not a continuous duty setup. Just because it "can" run your whole house doesn't mean you should like nothing at all happened.
I run my whole house minus Central air on a crappy little portable unit. Some things I do to protect the little bugger:
Run synthetic 5-40 diesel engine oil. Fresh oil right before storm. Minimize amperage as much as possible (dont let your wife just leave all the shite turned on around the clock). Don't shut it down a bunch (heat cycling is bad), small outdoor fan blowing on the generator side of the unit. Manually cycle window units to control starting amps. Use clamp meter to monitor amps and target ~50% load as maximum continuous load.
Its an air cooled gas engine with a little chicken shite generator behind it. It isn't going to take abuse well.
This post was edited on 9/2/21 at 7:58 am
Posted on 9/2/21 at 7:57 am to tduecen
I treat mine like an insurance policy or termite contract. I knew when I bought it I’d need to pay the annual maintenance fee to have the company come out twice a year and check it, change oil, spark plugs, etc. no way I spend that money and then let it just sit there and hope for the best.
Stopped mine this morning and checked oil. Still full. Need to change it in the next day or two.
Stopped mine this morning and checked oil. Still full. Need to change it in the next day or two.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 7:59 am to scottfruget
quote:
I treat mine like an insurance policy or termite contract. I knew when I bought it I’d need to pay the annual maintenance fee to have the company come out twice a year and check it, change oil, spark plugs, etc. no way I spend that money and then let it just sit there and hope for the best.
Stopped mine this morning and checked oil. Still full. Need to change it in the next day or two.
thats because you understand what it is.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:08 am to kengel2
quote:
99% of gomes are running a 24kw or smaller.
Probably fine for most homes IF the local service company can quickly address issues, even after an outage or storm. They have service plans that are probably worth considering if you aren’t mechanically inclined.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:09 am to scottfruget
quote:
I treat mine like an insurance policy or termite contract. I knew when I bought it I’d need to pay the annual maintenance fee to have the company come out twice a year and check it, change oil, spark plugs, etc. no way I spend that money and then let it just sit there and hope for the best.
That’s a good way of looking at it. Spend the $500 or so a year to ensure it’s going to work when needed.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:15 am to subMOA
quote:
People think this air cooled little natural gas engine in a plastic box on their house is going to be able to run 24/7 for weeks- but they just aren’t made for that. There are going to be more stories like yours.
This 100%….these Generac’s are for short durations of time not the kind of environment that they are being used for now. Generators for longer term use cost a a lot more and go through a lot fuel. My guess is there are not nearly enough technicians to repair all of the ones that are crapping out now. Going to be a bunch of pissed off people.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:17 am to OLDBEACHCOMBER
Plenty brand new genracs shite the bed in LC after Laura. Our office had genrac and it came unwound between 2:30 and 4:00 when I went back to check. Service was non existent and most won’t touch them. It’s a recurrent theme with that brand, get a Cummins and cry ?? once.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:19 am to Teufelhunden
quote:
Got a name brand? I have a 600 gallon diesel tank but no natural gas. Would gladly pay the $ right now.
Try oilfield type rental company, they do sell older fleet, would prolly still be better than a residential model.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:19 am to nismosao
If you’re gonna do whole home I like Deutz air cooled diesel generators
I use one for my catfish hatchery. It’s 12 years old and always fires right up
I use one for my catfish hatchery. It’s 12 years old and always fires right up
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:20 am to LSUStjames
I’ve got a 22kw and this is our first time using it for an extended period. Working fine so far but ppl have to realize they aren’t magic and require some TLC. I turn my AC off for a while if we’re going to run the oven or dryer. It can run it, but I don’t do it. Also give it an hour break every evening and check/add oil. It gets hot AF in there.
Seems to be a lot of confusion on the service schedule but my manual is pretty clear that it’s 100 hours when running steady like this or in extreme temperature. In regular conditions it’s 200 hours but why would you wait that long? Oil and filters are too damn cheap to worry about that when you dealing with an expensive piece of equipment.
Seems to be a lot of confusion on the service schedule but my manual is pretty clear that it’s 100 hours when running steady like this or in extreme temperature. In regular conditions it’s 200 hours but why would you wait that long? Oil and filters are too damn cheap to worry about that when you dealing with an expensive piece of equipment.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:21 am to Kenner 23
quote:
get a Cummins
They aren't immune to problems either and if younanticipate needing to run your standby around the clock for a month, you should be familiar with how to make minor repairs and should have spare parts for it on hand. Spare filters, spark plugs, AVR, low oil pressure switch and starter solenoid come to mind.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:21 am to TygerDurden
quote:
This 100%….these Generac’s are for short durations of time not the kind of environment that they are being used for now. Generators for longer term use cost a a lot more and go through a lot fuel. My guess is there are not nearly enough technicians to repair all of the ones that are crapping out now. Going to be a bunch of pissed off people.
just got a call back from my wifes aunt...it burned up the brushes.
i had warned them to turn it off daily for couple hours and if they were not home to shut it down....they said the manual didnt say that and they were going to follow the manual
air cooled engines are not even recommended for our climate by generac. but nobody wants to pay for the liquid cooled much less pay the extra 3-5 grand to get a cummins.
and over course there are not enough techs. if we allowed price gouging there would be though.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:22 am to kywildcatfanone
quote:
Honda is the best
Expensive, but true. It always is.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:23 am to Jax Teller
quote:
I’m tired of excuses for companies like this. Oh everybody knows they suck. Really? Then they don’t need to be a company. This is some China shite. As long as it’s cheaper we are cool. frick that.
and i'm tired of morons like you.
If you're too stupid to follow directions and use your man brain on how to operate heavy equipment, then don't buy one b/c it's obviously not for you.
you can't be a woman about it and get it installed and just expect it to work with zero work from you ever. tell your wife she can't go vacuuming or straiten her hair, or wash clothes as if you have power. Quit putting unnecessary strain on the generator.
Like everyone else said, let the damn thing cool down for an hour or two every 10 hours.
It's not meant to run for 72 straight hours, especially when it 100 fricking degrees outside.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:27 am to lsu777
quote:
air cooled engines are not even recommended for our climate by generac
Yea, 90+ degrees ambient and running high load continuously is nuclear death for those little light duty machines. The engines not so much as the generator end though. You need to force additional air across the generator to have a hope of keeping it cool enough. The engines don't particularly care too much, just run the highest recommended viscosity oil in them and they'll be fine. I run 5w-40 in mine which isn't recommended as far as I know, but its all I personally use for air cooled engines in Louisiana.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:29 am to OLDBEACHCOMBER
Generac is a bad brand of generator.
Sorry you found out during a disaster.
Sorry you found out during a disaster.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:34 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Yea, 90+ degrees ambient and running high load continuously is nuclear death for those little light duty machines. The engines not so much as the generator end though. You need to force additional air across the generator to have a hope of keeping it cool enough. The engines don't particularly care too much, just run the highest recommended viscosity oil in them and they'll be fine. I run 5w-40 in mine which isn't recommended as far as I know, but its all I personally use for air cooled engines in Louisiana.
yea 5w-30 synthetic is what you are supposed to run in the generacs
this is what people dont understand and dont read. the generac air cooled are derated right off the bat by 2kw when going to NG like most have.
then its derated again when ambient temp is above 77 degrees or above 600 feet in altitude.
so for most people that 22kw is really about a 15kw and they are running the thing 24/7 with it overloaded and way way above the recommended 77 degrees.
and then you got idiots like the guy above talking about he is tired of companies like this....
well it says it derates at in those conditions, wtf did you think was going to happen when you ran it for 96 hours straight without checking the 2 year old oil in it while it was running at 110% of load 
like i said, generac is great in the fact that you can get parts easy and they have prolly the most techs and service centers. but air cooled stand by generators are not meant for warm climates and it specifically states that in the manual. if you insist on running air cooled because of price....well opt for the cummins as it doesnt derate until 104*
and for god sake...make sure the gas company changes the regulator to ensure you are getting proper gas flow for your size generator.
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:36 am to jbgleason
quote:
What the hell are they made for then?
To make the manufacturer money.
There are plenty of auctions that have good generators. Iron Planet or govplanet.com
Posted on 9/2/21 at 8:39 am to lsu777
quote:
lsu777
Thanks bro for explaining the issues with air cooled generators. Your explanation cleared up a lot of questions for me
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