The PF ICE (gas engine) generator thread

[Spartan1980]

Is that a 6 volt battery or a 12 volt? Will that charger work with a 6 volt?

The datasheet on the link he posted shows it to be 12V so that should at least maintain it. I'm no expert but I've heard that the Battery Tenders will cook the batteries over time. I ran one for a couple of years on my motorcycle and I couldn't tell it did much to extend the life at all.

@rob_s you can probably find a battery for about $20-$30. A lot of these are the same as some of the batteries for deer feeders and game cams. Academy should have something very close to the same specs. It might be worth that just to see. Of course you can probably find a direct replacement on Amazon.

I have a dead generator myself and I need to pick one up for my Briggs & Stratton generator because it's toast. I've pulled and pulled on the rope to no avail. My deceased step-dad swore he ran the carb dry and the tank was in fact empty but I can't get it to even try to fire. So a carb cleaning and battery is on my menu. This generator has basically zero run time on it so I know it'll be salvageable. Probably have to re-excite the generator and I ain't looking forward to that.

[rob_s]

So here’s a funny…

The generator has a “charger” that came with it. It’s just a wall wart with some thing wires down to a 1/4in plug. It hasn’t worked great in the past. But I dug it out and plugged it in along with the Tender, and it appears to have worked. Go figure.

That does, however, seem to me to indicate that neither is sufficient in its own.

That would be an issue if you were trying to charge a flat battery, but it should be enough for maintaining a full charge. I use a little bitty motorcycle tender on my Miata battery.

It was probably going from flat. I think I’m going to start dis in eating the battery when it’s not in use as I think something is slowly draining it. The battery was brand new when I stored the generator

Is that a 6 volt battery or a 12 volt? Will that charger work with a 6 volt?

12. I had a brain fart before when I metered it because it had been on the charger for a day and the voltage was at exactly 6 which allowed me to trick my own brain, haha

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393861723419

I've had REALLY good luck with this specific charger. As in it's been able to revive a couple of car batteries amazingly well. Also doesn't overcharge once it's complete, and adjusts current output as full charge is approached.

Thanks for the tip!

@rob_s No manual pull start? WTF.

Ever considered solar? Also, replace that battery.

It has a pull start, it just requires that the battery be charged.

I wouldn’t even think of solar until I could go with a Tesla roof or similar.

[hufnagel]

https://em.harborfreight.com/pub/sf/...ksflfas5ufv0n0

generators 10% off, 15% if you have inside track, which for a year is $30, and means any generator over $600 purchase price, would make getting inside track a net gain.

[rob_s]

[hufnagel]

since we've had another event to cause people to look into a generator, let me reiterate some of my thoughts:

• 2 is 1, 1 is none, and 3 is better than 2. this mantra works not just for firearms, but for fuel sources for a generator (gasoline, propane, natural gas)
• inverter generators are the new hotness, but they're still kind of new so keep that in mind.
• do your homework on whole house units. they can be expensive to maintain and keep working. they're also almost exclusively single-source fuel units.
• consider, as an additional backup plan, solar panels, batteries, and inverters. remember batteries can be charged relatively quickly from a generator, which helps minimize fuel usage in the long term.
• do a load analysis on what's in your house. what do you NEED (well pump? whole house HVAC? medical gear?) to have running. how often does it have to run. what do you WANT.
• windows AC units can be run from smaller generators. maybe keep 1 or 2 in storage to use instead of trying to fire up a big whole house unit.
• you probably don't need a generator that can supply full rated power to your panel. have a plan to stagger things you might want in an extended outage (washer, dryer, dishwasher, microwave, etc.)
• a generator isn't about making life 100% normal. it's about minimizing the pain. keep that in mind.

[hufnagel]

note that makes their 8750 inverter generator $960+tax.

https://www.harborfreight.com/8750-w...ogy-57480.html

[RJ]

I found out SIL got a new gennie, so he has no longer need for mine, which I loaned him a while ago.



It’s a Honda EB3800X I bought maybe 2003. Good number of outlets and an 8 HP engine. It hasn’t been running ‘for a while’ so when I get it home I plan to change the oil, clean the filter, take off and clean the float bowl and replace the plug. I located a PDF of the Owners Manual online, so parts should be easy to source. I see the fuel line is a two year replaced part, so most likely that’s brittle and needs renewing anyway. Going to get it running and gift it to my son who lives in Eustis.

[boing]

I don’t think it’s been mentioned in this thread, but I just picked up a Reliance Controls PowerBack. It’s an alarm that sounds when the grid power is back on. It mounts in a knockout on the panel, with one wire for the ground bus and an “antenna” wire that wraps around one of the incoming service legs ahead of the mains disconnect. It’s user installable.

I have a manual interlock for the generator hookup on the house panel, and no way of knowing when the power comes back on, unless my neighbor across the street leaves his front porch light on.

https://a.co/d/6YbhVyn

[hufnagel]

I thought about one of those, but usually I just wait until the street lights turn back on, or the traffic control lights return to normal functionality.
Also, JCP&L is pretty good about callbacks to let you know power should be restored.
The one time we had a multi-day outage, since I would shut the generator down for the night anyways, I'd just throw the mains back on, and leave a floor lamp turned on. If it woke my ass up in the middle of the night, then the power was back.

[hufnagel]

note the 1 time 25% off coupon available cannot be used on generators.
also note, that if you don't use the above coupon but DO use the 20% off one, you save $95. HF can be tricky like that.

eta: and because i'm a nerd...

unit	rload %	rload W	rtime	gal	kWh	kWh/gal			best $
9000g	50	3625	13	7.93	47.125	5.942622950819672	$704	
8750i	25	1750	15.1	5.9	26.425	4.478813559322034	$960

that makes the inverter unit less efficient at rated runtime loads. I wish they had identical loading data listed, as i'm not sure how to interpret these results.
my gut tells mes the 9000 is better if you're running closer to its 50% rating continuous.