All you ever wanted to know about a MEP but were afraid to ask....

[Polycop]

I didn't write it but it's got some very basic and good info...

http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.com/Resources/Practical Back.pdf

 

[SouthernSteel]

I printed out the 17 pages i read about half very good info thats for sure :]

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. This was my first attempt at writing an article for the MV club newsletter. After spending some time searching for a subject people would be interested in, I struck upon the idea of doing the article on the basics of MEP gensets and home back-up power in general. After publishing it in the newsletter, the club NL editor (Phil) put the article up on his website where it still seems to be downloaded quite a bit every month according to the server stats. I'm glad to hear it was of some use to folks.

 

[Isaac-1]

I ran across it a week or two ago, there is some good information there, but there was no contact info so no place to send comments or suggestions.

Ike

 

[glcaines]

Good job Carl!

 

[Carl_in_NH]

there was no contact info so no place to send comments or suggestions.

Good point, Ike; I think there was mention at the end of the article of contacting the newsletter editor with comments or questions, and that reflects the original intent that it be embedded as part of the newsletter and not a stand-alone text. I'll see that I address that issue and produce a new revision of the document.

In the mean time, I'd be happy to receive comments via PM here. If you've got something I can address in the update, that would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Isaac-1]

Here go a few potential revision suggestions:

add a section of the advantages of connecting in 120V only mode if the person does not have any 240V loads that must be powered during emergencies (the main advantage being no need to balance the load), this gets a lot more important on the 1.5 and 3 KW units.

I would also point out the option of running extension cords from a generator mounted distribution box instead of using a transfer switch, this is particularly appealing for those people that may move the generator around (trailer mounted or not) and share it between friends and relatives when there may be isolated power outages. We saw this mentioned in the current round of east coast outages where group members loaned out generators.

Since many surplus MEP units have problems with one or more onboard gauges and replacement cost for some can be fairly high (frequency tranducers, ...), a brief note on use of a cheap external easy to use meter like a $20 Kill-A-Watt might be in order.

When it comes to generator sizing, you might want to include a note saying something like as mentioned most civilian generators are rather optimisiticly rated, but to make up for it much of the much of the generator sizing advice found online is overly conservative. (ie much advice only says things like the minimum size generator you need to run a refrigerator is 4,0000 - 5,000 watts even though most modern refrigerators have a running load of well under 500 watts)

You may want mention the group 51R as being a close substitute for the 4HN on the MEP-002a and fit in the trays with just a little wiggle room.

Ike

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Thanks for the suggestions, Ike - we'll work 'em in.

One of the things people kept reminding me of when I started the project was to keep it as an introductory article, and try to make things as basic as possible while still being useful. It's an interesting challenge trying to do so - you end up tossing out a lot of things you'd like to talk about in an effort to walk that line. I had intended to follow it up with another more advanced offering, but like many things in life I simply didn't get around to writing it. Perhaps someday soon I will.

I can say this; once you try writing an article you begin to realize how much effort it is, and gain a lot of respect for the folks that do this work to support their hobby magazines by writing articles often. My hat is off to those fine folks we read often in the MV rags - they put in a lot of time for not much (if any) money. It's truly a labor of love to do the work they do.

 

[Isaac-1]

I think a great follow up would be a field guide to MEP generators with a set of 1-2 pages of photos and basic information about each of the popular smaller models, possibly with a bit of commentary on things like fuel economy, parts availability, common issues, etc. Maybe even including a bit on what is NOT a MEP generator, like the green "Powr Gard" commercial style generators that have been showing up on GL along with some of the obscure pre-MEP units.

Ike

 

[trukhead]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. This was my first attempt at writing an article for the MV club newsletter. After spending some time searching for a subject people would be interested in, I struck upon the idea of doing the article on the basics of MEP gensets and home back-up power in general. After publishing it in the newsletter, the club NL editor (Phil) put the article up on his website where it still seems to be downloaded quite a bit every month according to the server stats. I'm glad to hear it was of some use to folks.

Thanks for writing this article and doing the research to write it!!!

I have a fresh 002a rebuilt in 2007 with 6 hours on it and I am skooling up on it before I attempt to start it up.

Your article was well written, informative, followed and supported facts I had gleaned from other sources.

Like other publications I read for the articles, I could not put your article down till I read all the pages

 

[quickfarms]

Interesting

 

[ARYankee]

Great article!! Very informative especially for a generator newbie such as myself.

 

[goldman34]

I think this would be great too...especially large photos if possible...

 

[tennmogger]

That's a great article, especially for those of us who are still learning about MEP's. Ike has a great suggestion for a listing or guide for all the common generators. I have searched and do not find such a listing anywhere.

thanks,

Bob

I think a great follow up would be a field guide to MEP generators with a set of 1-2 pages of photos and basic information about each of the popular smaller models, possibly with a bit of commentary on things like fuel economy, parts availability, common issues, etc. Maybe even including a bit on what is NOT a MEP generator, like the green "Powr Gard" commercial style generators that have been showing up on GL along with some of the obscure pre-MEP units.

Ike