[TheForge] OT: Generators

[James Binnion]

About 6 years ago I built an experimental radio data system for the 
Marine Corps that needed to run continuously it was about 6kw peak 
load. It was installed on top of a mountain down in 29 Palms  CA. Now 
you might think that it would be a heat problem rather than cold in the 
desert but at 5000 ft above sea level in the winter we regularly had 
below zero temperatures. We used 2 Generac 7kw propane units. We were 
worried about the propane vaporization at low temps but never had a 
problem and we were using 100 lb. tanks with about the same surface 
area as a standard 20 lb. tank ( just a little taller) as we had to fly 
the propane up to the top of the mountain in a chopper and then hump it 
up to the site so we had to be able to cary the fuel by hand. So if you 
have a 100 gallon or larger horizontal tank you should be able to get 
adequate fuel in temperatures around zero F . The Generac units were 
the same ones you would buy for a home backup power supply we 
alternated generators every couple of days but one of them was always 
running 24/7 for about three months. We had some minor mechanical 
problems but considering that they were consumer generators running in 
a harsh environment continuously they did quite well. We did lots of 
preventative maintenance like frequent oil changes and filters and such 
but they worked well all things considered.
So even though I did not start out as a Generac fan (I wanted the Onan 
but they were too expensive) I would have to say that they worked quite 
well.


Jim