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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: bearcub who wrote (6747)	7/19/1999 2:40:00 PM
From: John Hunt	Respond to of 9818

Re Gasoline Generator Questions Hi bearcub, << what do you mean by this phrase, the generator ends? The generator ends provided with economical generators are not conservatively rated, i do not have any 'ends' on my generator that i can observe >> Manufacturers take an engine from Briggs and Stratton, Honda, etc and combine it with a 'generator end' from an electrical manufacturer. FWIW, user reports on the net suggest that the Honda engines last quite a bit longer than Briggs and Stratton, but are quite a bit more expensive. To keep the cost down, generator manufacturers skimp on the size of the copper windings which results in poor voltage regulation and more internal heat loss than necessary ... For example, the voltage output on my Coleman unit varies from 140 volts no-load to 115 volts under full load ... Under full load, about 1000 watts are being wasted as generator heat. Running at 50% load, cuts the heat dissipated in half as well as the amount of gasoline used. (Most 5 kw units will use about .75 gallons of gasoline per hour at 50% load) My Coleman model had a design problem with the generator bearing slipping in the plastic housing ... Some people on the web have reported failure in as little as 10 or 20 hours. I understand this has been fixed in recent production, but it is worth asking Coleman about, if anyone is considering buying one. << also, for a 5kw generator, how many hours should the break-in period be? >> My manual says to change the oil after the first 5 hours, which should correspond to the break-in period. After that, oil needs to be changed every 25 to 50 hours, depending on how dirty or hot the environment is and how heavy it is loaded. << also, can a half-way skilled mechanically inclined type do the de-carboning and the degumming process themselves? would you mind giving some pointers? >> I havn't done it, but I would imagine it requires that the head to be taken off, the piston scraped (not sure if you would have to remove the piston) and a new gasket installed when you replace the head. To remove gum, I would think that you have to install new jets, etc using a kit. The library or a bookstore should have a book on repairing small engines. One of my sons is apprenticing as a mechanic, so I think I will leave these jobs to him. < vbg > << also i would like to note for bald eagle and others that batteries such as you suggest should NEVER be stored on a concrete or cement flooring. it saps their charge. >> I have read this is due to the floor being cold, drawing the heat out of the battery, which reduces its capacity and its ability to deliver current. Battery efficiency drops way off below freezing. << also, could you elaborate as to why i sometimes see mechanics garage floors with copper pennies half eaten away and when you ask them why they mumble something about oh, they were on the post of a battery they were servicing. >> I think pennies are sometimes put on the battery post to prevent corrosion of the wiring connectors. Coating the connectors after they are installed with vasoline works just as well. Hope this helps ... I am not a mechanic ... It is all based on reading a lot of posts on the net and having set up and used my generator. John