Generator How To Information

Generators, like any engine, require preparation before they're ready to be used regularly. Follow this guide for how to break in a generator. Shop Commercial Diesel Generators on AbsoluteGenerators.com.

As cold temperatures grow even more bitter, you'll want to be sure you know how to winterize your generator, whether it's a portable or standby model. Folks in the northern states know there are few things worse than a power outage in the thick of winter. Make sure your backup power equipment is prepared to start when you need it most by following our generator winterizing guide.

Is your air-cooled engine or generator making a lot of noise? Is it keeping you up at night or annoying you with its loud humming sound? If it is, there might be the possibility that you’ve thought about covering it up with something to reduce the volume. Before you do anything, we need to talk about everything that can go wrong if you do cover up your air-cooled engine/generator.

You should NEVER cover your air-cooled engine or generator. Covering it can cause the generator to overheat, as the air has nowhere to escape to, and there is even the potential hazard of a fire if you cover it up. Even if the noise is irritating and loud, never cover your air-cooled engine, because the risks far outweigh the benefits. Would you rather have a loud noise, or have a damaged engine that needs replacing, or even worse, start a fire that could damage more than just the engine/generator?

Just because you can’t cover your air-cooled engine/generator up, doesn’t mean there aren’t ways of reducing the noise. One thing to always check for is that the muffler is working properly. The muffler is designed to help decrease the noise on engines and generators and is very useful in preventing lots of sound from escaping the engine/generator. If your engine or generator doesn’t have a muffler, investigate getting one. If the muffler is broken or not working, you may have to buy a new one.

If the engine/generator doesn’t allow for a muffler to be used, you may have to use other methods of keeping it quiet. Another option to help reduce engine noise is what’s called a sound deadening compartment. Like it sounds, this is a compartment that covers the engine or generator and helps keep the noise levels down, but the difference between this and just covering the engine yourself is that this compartment is very well ventilated and will prevent your engine or generator from overheating.

Even with other methods available to help reduce noise, there is nothing that can completely stop an air-cooled engine or generator from making noise. If you’re looking for something that makes little to no noise you might invest in a liquid cooled engine/generator, and if you have no problem with a little noise, or in some cases a lot of noise, then you should do just fine with an air-cooled engine. Just remember to never cover it up to prevent overheating. If you have any questions about reducing air-cooled engine noise you can contact our Application Specialists.

Buying a generator can be a difficult decision. There are so many options that a customer, especially a first-time buyer, may feel spoiled for choice!

Before you find that your generator isn't ready to go after a big storm, follow this guide to prep your generator for winter.

If you are about to become the first-time user of a generator, there are some important tips to keep in mind as you prepare your new unit.  Whether you are prepping a generator to support a business in the event of power loss or about to fire up your generator at home after a major storm, keep these tips in mind to help avoid both generator damage and injury or loss of life.

Do's

• Do plan ahead for how much power you will need to draw from the generator.  It is important to have a generator that can produce more power than you think you will need in order to avoid overload.  If you read our post on how a generator works, remember that every new load that draws on the generator will cause it to work harder to make up for that power use, so plan ahead for what needs to run on the generator.
• Do keep your extension cords in good condition.  Using frayed cords or cords that are not grounded could result in danger of fire or electric shock.  It is also important here to keep in mind how much power the cord can handle—overloading a multi-plug extension cord can be just as dangerous as overloading an electrical plug inside your home.
• Do keep extra fuel on hand for your generator and exercise caution when refueling.  Make sure your generator cools before adding fuel, and never refuel around anything that might cause the fuel to ignite. 
• Do follow all manufacturer directions and local regulations related to your unit.  If you’re not sure, ask for help!

Don'ts

• Don't try to use your generator in wet environments. This may seem difficult after a disaster like a floor or hurricane, but this could result in electrocution as well as damage to your generator. Make sure you can keep it somewhere dry and covered, and never touch it while you yourself are wet. 
• Don't ever run your generator inside or too close to your home. One of the leading causes of death post-disaster is carbon monoxide poisoning, so follow these tips to avoid become a statistic: 
  – A good rule of thumb is to keep your generator at least 30 feet from any inhabited structure. 
  -- Any covering over your generator should give it at least four feet of clearance. 
  -- If you are permanently installing a generator, be sure to check local regulations and exercise all precautions to avoid releasing carbon monoxide into an occupied area. 
• Don't plug your generator directly into an electric socket.  This can create extreme danger for electrocution for you and others, as well as cause damage to your home.

Visit this Red Cross page for more safety tips related to post-disaster generator use.  We also have an easy to read Generator Wattage Chart to help you determine the typical wattage of appliances and tools in your home, and our How to Choose a Generator page can help you select the right model for your needs.  Give us a call and one of our Application Specialists will be more than happy to assist you.

Commercial backup generators provide security when the power infrastructure fails. Shop commercial backup generators from Absolute Generators.

According to one of our trusted manufacturers, your diesel powered engine's life expectancy is 22,000 hours, compared to 1,000 hour with a natural gas engine, 1,500 hours with a propane engine, and 2,000 hours with a gasoline engine. That's a big difference! 24 hour fuel costs stack up too: $93.20 for natural gas, $90.72 for propane, $57.12 for gasoline, but only $25.21 for a diesel engine!* These differences can mean better savings and more of your money left in your wallet, but it also depends on the level and quality of maintenance you perform on your standby diesel generator. Following a regular maintenance schedule should be one of your top priority to keep your generator performing its best! 

Weekly Maintenance

• Run your generator with no load
• While your generator is running, make sure it has no alarm or warning signals
• Double check fuel levels
• Make sure your generator is turned to "auto" mode 
• Your circuit breaker should be closed
• Check for any fluid leaks

Monthly Maintenance

• Check the level of your engine coolant
• Check the level of your engine oil 
• Check your battery charger

Bi-Annual Maintenance should be scheduled with your certified technician

• Inspection of the enclosure
• Check battery electrolyte level and specific gravity
• Inspection of drive belts
• Inspection of coolant heater 
• Inspection of battery cables and connections
• Inspection of coolant lines and connections
• Inspection of any oil leaks, lubrication system hoses, connectors
• Inspection of the exhaust system, muffler, exhaust pipe 
• Check for any fuel leaks; inspectin of fuel system hoses, connectors
• Clean air cleaner units
• Inspection of air induction connections and piping
• Inspection of DC electrical system, control panel, accessories
• Inspection of AC wiring, accessories

Annual Maintenance should be scheduled with a certified technician 

• Change: oil and filter, fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs
• Clean crankcase breather
• Check coolant concentration
• Flush cooling system as needed
• Perform annual load bank testing
• Fuel testing and reconditioning
• Remove any water from fuel tank 

*Numbers provided by Aurora Diesel Generators based on fuel cost X consumption rate for 10kW x 24 hours

When diesel generators are operated at no or light load for extended periods of time, a dark, thick liquid will begin to drip from the exhaust system. This dripping substance negatively affects the operation of your generator, and is commonly known as "wet-stacking." 

The mechanical workings of a diesel engine can be complicated, so understanding why wet stacking occurs (and how to prevent it) can be somewhat difficult. So first, let's start with the basic function of your diesel engine. 

Basics of a Single Cylinder 4-Stroke Diesel Engine 

1. The intake stroke. The piston moves downwards, and in response, the intake valve opens. Now the turbocharger can deliver compressed air into the cylinder. 
2. Compression stroke. When the piston can't move any farther, it reverses its direction and begins moving back upwards. This causes the intake valve to close, and the piston compresses the air left in the cylinder. At this point, the temperature and pressure of the air raises significantly. 
3. The fuel injection. When the piston reaches the top of its compression stroke, the fuel injector dispenses a mist of fuel into the cylinder. The hot air in the cylinder vaporizes and ignites the fuel. The now burning fuel adds even more heat to the cylinder, and the pressure and temperature continues to rise. 
4. Power stroke. Hot compressed gas pushes the piston down. Through your engine's tie rod, the piston's force is transferred to the crankshaft and causes it to turn.
5. Exhaust stroke. In the final step, the exhaust valve will open. The piston pushes hot gas out of the cylinder, through the exhaust valve, and into the exhaust system. Some of the exhaust gas is intercepted by the turbocharger in order to drive the compression of the intake air so the cycle can start over. 

So what happens in wet stacking?

When your generator is run at light or no load, the inside of the engine is significantly cooler than when operated at higher loads. Since the cylinder cannot reach its peak temperature, there is not enough hot compressed air to vaporize and ignite the fuel. Fuel will still light and burn, but it will leave small, hard particles of unburned carbon – the vaporized fuel and soot that couldn't be burned completely. 

Inside your exhaust system, these vapors will combine with the soot, forming the thick dark liquid that can be mistaken for engine oil. Look for this liquid in two places: the turbocharger and exhaust outlets. 

In addition to this leaking liquid, the soot may also form hard carbon deposits on the fuel injector nozzle inside the cylinder. As part of step 3 above, this nozzle must be able to spray a fine mist into the cylinder. When the nozzle is covered in these carbon deposits, it cannot as effectively atomize the fuel and instead will deliver larger droplets into the clyinder that can't be readily vaporized. This means that more fuel goes unburned and more fuel passes into the exhaust system. Wet stacking occurs progressively in this pattern and will eventually lead to permanent engine damage. 

**reposted from http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2016/04/maintaining-healthy-power-systems-ensuring-generator-longevity.html

 

Negative Consequences of Wet Stacking 

• Expense: Excessive wet stacking shortens the life of your engine, resulting in premature (and costly) replacement.
• Pollution: Many urban areas limit smoke emission levels which are produced by wet stacking.
• Power: The carbon deposits that occur because of wet stacking affect the engine's maximum power rating. An engine affected by wet stacking will operate at a lower power than it was designed to achieve.
• Maintenance: An engine affected by wet stacking will require much more maintenance than one that is appropriately exercised. 

The Solution to Wet-Stacking

Rather than exercising your diesel generator with a light or no load at all, experts recommend that operators run their generators for a few hours at at least 75% load in order to avoid wet stacking. Operating your generator at this load allows the engine to reach the appropriate temperature needed to effectively burn the fuel entering your system.