Generator "heating" for easier cold weather starts

[bmwsyc]

Has anyone added a heater to their generator? I live in Minnesota, and as my gen set is not happy about starting at 15 degrees, I don't want to try it at -15. It seems that larger commercial sets use coolant heaters to keep the engine warm for easier starting. I know the MEP-002 and 3a don't have coolant, but maybe a oil sump heater might work?

Thoughts?

Chris

 

[Isaac-1]

This topic has came up before, you should be aware the MEP-002 and MEP-003's apparently have aluminum oil pans so you don't want a magnetic heater.

Ike

 

[glcaines]

This topic has came up before, you should be aware the MEP-002 and MEP-003's apparently have aluminum oil pans so you don't want a magnetic heater.

Ike

I have used a magnetic heater on mine by wedging a wood block under the heater, which presses the heater against the oil pan, so I don't need the magnet on the heater. However, I normally don't use the heatere for my MEP-003A. Even when very cold, if I heat the glow plugs properly, it starts OK.

I learned another trick on starting air-cooled engines when very cold from experience with my Cessna 152 airplane. I take a hair dryer and place it inside the cowling for about 30 minutes. Really helps.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

I learned another trick on starting air-cooled engines when very cold from experience with my Cessna 152 airplane. I take a hair dryer and place it inside the cowling for about 30 minutes. Really helps.

The only trouble is when you need to start the generator, you likely don't have electricity to run the hair dryer.

There are stick-on type heaters also - they are flat precut shapes that stick in place on the oil pan. Require a good clean surface and they are not as cheap as a magnetic heater.

I don't know if anyone has tried heating the oil with a dipstick heater, but that might be worth a shot.

 

[rosco]

A survival tool, go anywhere source of heat is a weed burner/20# bottle of propane and a couple of joints of stove pipe!!! Also always have a 90 for the stove pipe - 6" will do just fine. Stick the burner just inside the end of the stove pipe and turn on. The force of the jet sucks in a large volume of outside air and is just right for heating. In the old days, I have done brake jobs at -40f with the large volume heat turned on the work piece and worked without gloves. If you want to get fancy, incorporate a tarp in the mix. Test the temp of the heat. You can do damage, if too hot, but like anything, you have to use common sense. This is standard equipment for survival! Those generators would like this kind of heat with a tarp to hold it in. Maybe it takes 20 minutes to start it up and the oil will flow just fine.

 

[Crazyguyla]

There is a setting on the aircleaner for winter operation. It draws hot air off the exhaust to keep the engine warm.

 

[coyotegray]

Not sure how necessary it would be.

You are not starting a generator very often in the first place so the wear would be limited. My 003 starts just fine with the glow plugs no matter how cold it is.

 

[porkysplace]

never used a dipstick heater on a generator but have used them on gas backhoes they work alright
but it gets back to if you need the generator you won't have power for the dipstick heater

 

[Carl_in_NH]

The setting on the air cleaner is to aspirate warmed air once the generator is running, it has no beneficial effect on starting it. Wear from cold starting isn’t the concern with these generators – it’s spinning them fast enough to get them to start and remain running; they don’t generate all that much heat when firing up, and there’s a lot of block to put heat into – which keeps cooling the combustion chambers and makes it problematic to start when cold. That is why it’s so critical to have the GPs working properly in all cylinders and the inlet air pre-heater working as well.

Heating the oil just allows the batteries to spin the engine over faster, which allows the heat to build faster in the combustion chambers and the engine to start and run more easily.

One would assume that when using any type of oil pre-heater - whether attached to the pan or a dipstick type – that it would be plugged in all the time to keep the generator warm and ready to start, and you're not just trying to heat it up once you need to start it. If you only try to preheat it when you need it, then you’ll need one of the propane powered solutions to provide enough hot air to warm it up. Trouble is, the colder it gets, the less the propane wants to change from liquid to gas, and the harder it is to make heat effectively. Chances are also good that your generator batteries will also be discharged in the cold, making it harder to start – if you can start it at all.

For me, you can’t beat having a trickle charger on each battery, and if you need to store it somewhere cold use some form of oil pre-heater (dipstick or stick-on pan) that’s plugged in all the time (you had to run the cord out for the charger anyway, so you might as well heat the oil a little),and covering the unit with a tarp to keep the wind from stealing away all the heat you so carefully and expensively put into the block. This presumes that you do try to start it before it cools off once the power fails, however. No single solution solves all issues – so always be as ready as possible.

 

[bmwsyc]

Maybe I have to check the glow plugs in the block to make sure they are working. I know the ones in the intake work great...burned myself on it.

 

[wreckerman893]

Where is the jenny located?

I am from Alabama so have little or no experience in extreme cold weather starting.

Common sense tells me that the genny needs to be in an insulated enclosure that could be heated with LPG or (in an emergency) wood.

The air intake and exhaust can be ran out through a wall. Most emergency gennys around here are in some type of protective enclosure for security and to protect them from the elements.

You sure don't want it out in the open where the wind and extreme cold would make it even harder to start.

If you have to keep it outside I would at least keep the batteries inside where it is warm. Cold batteries are a set up for failure in extreme cold.

As a last resort I have started Detroit diesels (in a commerical truck) by putting a cut off oil drum with sand and diesel fuel under it and lighting the fuel......Detroits are notoriously hard to start in the cold. Obviously you have to be very careful when doing this and make sure there are no fuel leaks. As stated above when warming the engine you need to keep the wind off it or you are just spinning your wheels.

 

[ODdave]

WM, that is an oxymoron, Detroit with no leaks? Do they exist? lol

 

[acmunro]

Use at your own risk - I use a propane ready heater (35000 btu) to preheat stubborn cold engines. A small inverter will power the blower to make it work. I use it like a giant heat gun very easy to direct the heat exactly where needed. I usually use it to heat the oil pan to thin the oil out for faster cranking and then direct the heat to the air intake while cranking. Works good for me

 

[rosco]

The ready heater is good. Again, a couple of joints of stove pipe w/elbow, sized to fit inside the outlet bore of the heater will direct the heat better where you want it. Tarps help, and for big vehicles that need starting, or to work on them for extensive emergency repairs, we have used a surplus parachute over the whole thing. The heat will make the chute fill and billow up. You can get in there and work in your shirt sleeves.

 

[rickf]

The ready heater is good. Again, a couple of joints of stove pipe w/elbow, sized to fit inside the outlet bore of the heater will direct the heat better where you want it. Tarps help, and for big vehicles that need starting, or to work on them for extensive emergency repairs, we have used a surplus parachute over the whole thing. The heat will make the chute fill and billow up. You can get in there and work in your shirt sleeves.

And you can suffocate because most of what is coming out of a Ready heater is carbon monoxide!

Rick

 

[Oldvw2]

One would assume that when using any type of oil pre-heater - whether attached to the pan or a dipstick type – that it would be plugged in all the time to keep the generator warm and ready to start, and you're not just trying to heat it up once you need to start it. If you only try to preheat it when you need it, then you’ll need one of the propane powered solutions to provide enough hot air to warm it up. Trouble is, the colder it gets, the less the propane wants to change from liquid to gas, and the harder it is to make heat effectively. Chances are also good that your generator batteries will also be discharged in the cold, making it harder to start – if you can start it at all.

For me, you can’t beat having a trickle charger on each battery, and if you need to store it somewhere cold use some form of oil pre-heater (dipstick or stick-on pan) that’s plugged in all the time (you had to run the cord out for the charger anyway, so you might as well heat the oil a little),and covering the unit with a tarp to keep the wind from stealing away all the heat you so carefully and expensively put into the block. This presumes that you do try to start it before it cools off once the power fails, however. No single solution solves all issues – so always be as ready as possible.

This is the same setup we have on the emergency generator at my workplace. It is on a 10 second transfer switch for emergency lighting purposes so when utility power fails it has to crank, come up to speed, and be online in 10 seconds. The diesel has an oil heater plus coolant and battery heaters that are all thermostatically controlled so it is near operating temperatures at all times.

Good idea on those stick on pad heaters - I need to look at one for the hydrostatic transmission on my tractor as it is aluminum too.

Chad

 

[powerhouseduece]

PRO HEAT OIL PAN HEATER KITS - JCWhitney


I ordered this exact one and used it on my deuce. It worked very well on heating the whole lower part of the motor. Just leave it plugged in and when the power goes out you still have enough time to get outside and fire the genset up.

 

[bmwsyc]

I found my problem: two dead glow plugs in the block. New ones should make starting easier.