[Elecraft] OT GENERAC generators

Sun Jul 27 13:04:26 EDT 2014

One side topic was “how long could power be out?”

At the Carleton Complex fire in Washington, power is being restored after seven days.

I grew up in Baton Rouge. After Hurricane Betsy in 1965, our phones were out for seven days and power for ten days. We lived in a suburban area in the middle of town.

wunder
K6WRU
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/

On Jul 27, 2014, at 9:56 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR <n4zr at contesting.com> wrote:

> I'm sure we're about to get shut down by the moderator, but I couldn't let this go unquestioned, so I called Generac.  They say that the THD spec for their stationary generators is <3%, so they must be using one of the better technologies. Mine is a 14KW propane unit with a whole-house switch.  It runs automagically every Saturday afternoon for about 15 minutes, though with no load.  We've hasd a couple of multi-hour outages since we've had it, and I've been on the air on HF, and never noticed any noise..
> 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
> http://reversebeacon.net,
> blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
> For spots, please go to your favorite
> ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.
> 
> On 7/27/2014 10:24 AM, Chip Stratton wrote:
>> If you want to assess the quality of a generator's output, take a look at
>> it on the oscilloscope, The cleanest waveforms will come from generators
>> using a brushless alternator, or perhaps one of the sine-wave inverter
>> generators like the extremely quiet Honda and Yamaha units.
>> 
>> I know that, at least in the past, Generac used brush type alternators.
>> These typically had rather dirty waveforms when I scoped them, with THD
>> well above the 5%  that is considered good. While most appliances are fine
>> with this higher distortion, a waveform rich in 3rd harmonics makes motors
>> run hotter/less efficiently. Whether significant harmonics extend into the
>> RF zone, I don't know - maybe not an issue with our radios. I was able to
>> find a 6500 watt Porter-Cable unit on wheels with a brushless alternator
>> which I converted to use natural gas in addition to gasolne if necessary.
>> This has worked well for me, though now that I have it power failures have
>> become rare. Go Figure!
>> 
>> Chip
>> AE5KA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 11:27 PM, Edward R Cole <kl7uw at acsalaska.net> wrote:
>> 
>>> That makes sense and I actually like to run with the house load on the
>>> gen.  I have a manual transfer switch so I run about 5-minutes to allow
>>> engine to warm up before applying a load in test runs.  Tend to be shorter
>>> if there is an actual power outage.
>>> 
>>> 73, Ed - KL7UW
>>> 
>>> At 11:29 AM 7/26/2014, Mel Farrer wrote:
>>> 
>>>> While this is getting to be long, I think this excerpt from a generator
>>>> manufacturer sums it up best.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Generator set exercise
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Generator sets on continuous standby must be able to go from a cold start
>>>> to being fully operational in a matter of seconds. This can impose a severe
>>>> burden on engine parts. However, regular exercising keeps engine parts
>>>> lubricated, prevents oxidation of electrical contacts, uses up fuel before
>>>> it deteriorates, and, in general, helps provide reliable engine starting.
>>>> Exercise the generator set at least once a month for a minimum of 30 min.
>>>> loaded to no less than one-third of the nameplate rating. Periods of
>>>> no-load operation should be held to a minimum because unburned fuel tends
>>>> to accumulate in the exhaust system. Whenever possible, test the system
>>>> with actual building loads in order to exercise the automatic transfer
>>>> switches and verify performance under real-world conditions. If connecting
>>>> to the normal load is not convenient for test purposes, the best engine
>>>> performance and longevity will be obtained by connecting it to a load bank
>>>> of at least one-third the nameplate rating. Be sure to return the generator
>>>> control to AUTO at the conclusion of any maintenance.
>>>> 
>>>> Mel, K6KBE
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Saturday, July 26, 2014 12:10 PM, Edward R Cole <kl7uw at acsalaska.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Gasoline storage is easy....use fuel stabilizer...one oz to 2-1/2
>>>> gallons of gasoline.
>>>> 
>>>> But you should run any gasoline engine regularly to keep it in good
>>>> working order.  Once/month long enough at least to reach operating
>>>> temperature.  This keeps oil in bearings and seals in good shape.
>>>> 
>>>> I know most just park their lawn mower over winter with gas in the
>>>> tank.  But an expensive gen set needs a little TLC to keep running
>>>> well...like changing the oil and filters (oil and gas).
>>>> 
>>>> We have enough outages that fuel is not stored longer than a few
>>>> months (and I use stabilizer).
>>>> 
>>>> 73, Ed - KL7UW
>>>> <http://www.kl7uw.com/>http://www.kl7uw.com
>>>>     "Kits made by KL7UW"
>>>> Dubus Mag business:
>>>>     <mailto:dubususa at gmail.com>dubususa at gmail.com
>>>> 
>>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>>> Elecraft mailing list
>>>> Home: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft>http
>>>> ://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>>>> Help: <http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm>http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>>>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>>> 
>>>> This list hosted by: <http://www.qsl.net/>http://www.qsl.net
>>>> Please help support this email list: <http://www.qsl.net/donate.html>
>>>> http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>>> Message delivered to <mailto:farrerfolks at yahoo.com>farrerfolks at yahoo.com
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 73, Ed - KL7UW
>>> http://www.kl7uw.com
>>>     "Kits made by KL7UW"
>>> Dubus Mag business:
>>>     dubususa at gmail.com
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> Elecraft mailing list
>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>> 
>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>> Message delivered to lightdazzled at gmail.com
>>> 
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>> 
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to n4zr at contesting.com
>> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to wunder at wunderwood.org