My 802a in the northeast thread

[Bmxenbrett]

Ran a 21amp load on it this afternoon. Had some white smoke in the begning but cleared up after about 10min of running. Could be that it just needed to be ran.

I have only put 30hrs on it in 2 years.

 

[Zed254]

Any more oil consumption? I've been putting time on mine at around 95% load. No smoke at 80% but it gets progressively worse at 95%, 105%, 110%. The dark smoke comes above 100% load. I'd really like for it to run clean at 95% and stop the oil consumption. I'll check oil tomorrow to see what kind of consumption I had. Only ran it 2.5 hours today.

The last 6 hours I was running some Sea Foam through it.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

I didnt really run mine long enough to check for oil consumption, only 30min isnt really enough. Mostly i was looking for wet stacking and any external leaks.

Are you useing the gauge for the percent? There not the most accurate things. I always use a camp on amp meter when load testing mine.

21a at 240v is roughly 80 percent of an 802.

The dark smoke is the engine building all the power it can. These 802a are only 10hp. I wouldnt expect 105* out of it.

 

[Zed254]

I calibrated the gauges and use the per cent rated current. Agree, not particularly accurate but close enough. And I don't run above 100% for very long....more a check of smoke above 100% to compare to my 95% running. I run it for hours at or about 95%. My stove eyes / oven usually hit 93% but sometimes reads 95% (that gauge accuracy again). Anyway, I did not notice any oil consumption from the last run so good news there.

I've got some fittings inbound to put a small air tank in my manometer set up. This engine cycles oil reservoir pressure enough that it is hard to read the manometer I have. I'm hoping installing a peanut butter jar (air tank) in the system will dampen it for more accurate vacuum readings.

 

[Another Ahab]

I have only put 30hrs on it in 2 years.

Wondering:

- Is there some recommended interval/ run-time to generally keep any generator at peak readiness/efficiency?

- Like "once a year for an hour"?

Or is that one of those simple questions without any simple answer?

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Not really sure theres a stead fast number. Personaly i run it on my house every time we change the clocks and try to change the oil once a year...this time it got away from me with a oil filter from 2017.

You could change all the filters every XX months/years but this dosnt see alot of use and i always have oil and filters around for every piece of equipment i own. If its something i see my self keeping for years il buy a case (12) filters.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Wondering:

- Is there some recommended interval/ run-time to generally keep any generator at peak readiness/efficiency?

- Like "once a year for an hour"?

Or is that one of those simple questions without any simple answer?

One consideration is turnover of fuel sitting in the fuel tank, fuel filters, fuel lines, fuel injection pump, etc. With today's diesel fuel containing any % of Biodiesel it does not have as long a shelf life as what was once pure 100% diesel containing a higher sulfur content. As today's BioDiesel laced fuel ages, it attracts even more moisture since BioDiesel is hydroscopic, due to tank breathing and can also react to various metals over time. Fuel that is left to stagnate tends to gum up the works if left there too long...potentially affecting injection pumps, ck valves, etc. My rule is to try to exercise my generators for a minimum of 1 hour under >50% load at a minimum of every 90 days in summer and once a month in winter to circulate & burn fuel and heat up the oil real good to burn off moisture and lube engine internals.

During summer months I withdraw fuel from my aux tanks via external pump to run my tractor and lawn mower to cycle through it. I try to turnover my treated diesel at least every two years in any tank that has a vent, sealed Jerry cans could go longer. When vented tank fuel gets older than that it seems to become more susceptible to promoting growth of biomass. I've had diesel in a vented aux tank that was treated and stored for 4 years but it started to develop strange colors on the surface but it did run my tractor just fine but I would not have wanted it to sit much longer. I think its better to have a routine to rotate fuel stock if you can consume it by doing work if you have other diesel powered machines or vehicles available.