I just changed my oil the other day. Made a huge mess, and then decided to check and see if youtube could help me out.Originally Posted by LittleLebowski
Video showed taking that whole side panel off (DUH!). Made it much easier for me and my fat hands than the little port cover. Easier to clean up all the oil I spilled!
If I knew I was staying in my current place long term I would totally be getting a generac system for the house and hook it up with an auto transfer.
For easy oil changes with smaller engines.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's actually made of brass and won't go TU after a few uses. I got it to pump out some oil via my trucks dipstick tube after I overfilled it. The supplied intake hoses are too short for for a long dipstick tube but 50' of 1/4 OD drip watering system hose for $4 made for lots of long enough hose.
For my small gas engines it's gonna work great. Works better if the oil is warm but the brass transfers that heat fast, use a glove or rags to hold it.
Gringop
Last edited by gringop; 09-05-2019 at 11:37 PM.
Play that song about the Irish chiropodist. Irish chiropodist? "My Fate Is In Your Hands."
For those looking to get into the HF 3500 inverter generator game, the HF email list has good news for you.
I think I’m going to see if the wife would be interested in getting my Christmas present a little early this year.
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Last edited by ragnar_d; 09-09-2019 at 09:17 PM.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
Disclaimer: I have previously worked in the firearms industry as an engineer. Thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine alone and not those of my prior employers.
I have a 10k/8k Generac portable and planned on installing a transfer switch for several years. I called an electrician out and he recommended an interlock and an inlet instead of a transfer switch. It runs the whole panel and I just have to balance out my own load. He quoted 1k for the job. Got a second quote from another company and they suggested not even bothering with an interlock and just wiring the inlet to the breaker box for $500. That whole idea seemed unsafe and against code. Once again I decided to do it myself and installed the interlock and inlet this weekend. Total cost was about $200 for the interlock, power inlet, 30 amp breaker, tapcon screws / masonry bit, conduit and 10ga wire. Took about 2 hrs total to install and it works great. Powers everything in my home except for the 5 ton AC unit. I can run the smaller 2 ton upstairs AC unit but everything else must pretty must be off.
I installed this just in time. There's a tropical storm hitting Houston tomorrow.
So the interlock is a kind of lockout plate, and the inlet is basically a “cleaner” way of doing the same thing back-feeding from the dryer outlet would do?
I found this
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questi...ransfer-switch
I guess. It feeds into its own 30 amp breaker in the panel. In order to turn on the breaker, allowing the generator to power the panel, it forces you to turn off the main breakers first. Neither of the electricians I consulted with recommended a traditional transfer switch for a portable generator, which was a surprise to me. I run a GE panel and was able to get the interlock at Home Depot.
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For anyone interested who hasn’t picked one up, Harbor Freight just sent out an email blast with a coupon for the Predator 3500 Inverter Generator for $699.99, regularly $799.99.
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"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
Disclaimer: I have previously worked in the firearms industry as an engineer. Thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine alone and not those of my prior employers.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/CHAM...2.uts?slotId=0
Champion 2000 watt inverter on sale at Cabela's, $399 instead of $499. Not sure where Champion stands in the pantheon of generators though. And, we're heading down to HF shortly to grab a Predator 3500. Many thanks to LL for starting the thread, and to those who have contributed. It was invaluable to us.
OK, here's an important shopping tip: don't head down to HF to grab a Predator 3500 without remembering that PG&E has announced planned power shutdowns for roughly 2.5 million people due to record high winds causing extreme risk of wildland fire. Power lines have been the cause of a number of very large fires over the last few years. PG&E faces tons of cost due to liability so they've started preventative shutdowns of their system when the wind/fire risk looks bad. Generators have been largely emptied out all the way over here in Reno. %$#&* Californians mess up everything!
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