Standby Gasoline Generators
Hi Bald Eagle,
A small 5 kw gasoline generator runs at 3600 rpm and will have a life of only 200 - 400 hours before it requires major service such as removing carbon from the pistons, valves, etc. You can extend this life by using pure synthetic oil after the first few hours of breaking it in, (it uses less than a quart anyway), then occasionally putting in a gas additive to keep the carburetor and valves clean. To prevent gum forming in the carburetor when it is not running, you need to add an additive such as Sta-Bil to gasoline, if you are storing it for more than 2 or 3 months.
The generator ends provided with economical generators are not conservatively rated, so running the generator at 50 - 60% of nameplate capacity, except for brief load surges, is required to achieve long life. Your instructions will also warn not to start / stop it under load or let it run out of gas.
It is difficult to store enough gasoline to run a generator 8 -16 hours a day. To conserve gasoline, you probably only need to run the generator for a couple of hours a day for cooking, pumping water, charging batteries, etc. To provide lights, etc. at other times, you can pick up 2 or 3 used car batteries from a local garage for a few bucks (or nothing if you are lucky) and a medium size charger at an auto supply store. While not good enough to start a car, the batteries will power a 25 watt DC bulb (RV type) for several hours before requiring recharging. A 25 watt bulb running on DC gives light equivalent to a 50 - 60 watt bulb running on AC. If you want to run small AC items such as radios, shaver, etc. , pick up an extra battery and a small inverter. Just make sure that you include an inline fuse near the battery to prevent a fire. Putting the battery in a plastic storage container will keep kids or pets away from the acid. Leave the top off when discharging or charging the battery.
Just some suggestions.
:-))
John |
