[army]

Mike. Where ya been? Good advice on generators. After two ice storms recently I've been eyeballing them.

John - smart move getting the generator ready. Hopefully you've got a couple full cans of gasoline ready and heavy gauge wire extension cords just in case too. If you are running a couple high loads like refrigerators and freezers, you will be pulling some current and you don't want voltage drop in the extension cords if you can help it.

Here's a little generator info from my days in the electric power generation industry. Exercising is good not only for the engine but also for the generator. The internal copper windings of reliable generators are typically sealed with a vacuum impregnated epoxy that keeps moisture out of the windings but over time, cracks can occur and a little moisture can seep in. If a lot of moisture is present and the windings are heated quickly, that moisture turns to steam and can permanently damage the windings as it tries to escape. In critical standby generator applications in high humidity areas like basements of buildings, etc., space heater elements are added to the generator housing to keep moisture out.

When you add a small load during exercising you warm the windings of the generator slowly and drive out any moisture that might have gotten between the windings. It's usually not critical on a small unit like yours but every little bit helps keep moisture out.

One thing I like to do when I run my generator is to firmly ground it. I usually take a long metal rod, pry bar or long crowbar if I am desperate and drive it into the ground next to the generator and attach one end of a battery jumper cable to the generator frame grounding point and the other end of the same cable to the bar I drove into the ground. It ensures the generator is properly grounded. I also use an extension cord with a GFCI Ground Fault outlet whenever I can for added protection.

I hope you don't need your generator any time soon. Mike

 

[army]

They are apparently called doghouses John.

I also want to build enclosure like Chuck's to keep close by and for sound attenuation.

 

[army]

Shorten it to genhouse and ya got a deal

I'm not keeping my dog in it, so it'll be called a gennyhouse. 😜

 

[army]

Rhymes with henhouse so it'll be easy to remember.