[lt230s]

Haven't had the need for it for awhile, but since neighbors lost power yesterday due to limbs broken from heavy snow on Friday night and another storm due Monday into Tuesday with totals higher than this, I pulled generator out to fire it up and give it a run .
Good thing I did. Didn't want to fire up, so pulled plug. It was wet, so I knew it was getting fuel. Cleaned plug and still nothing. Ran to NAPA got new plug and she fired right up.

Here it is running for a bit with fan going to exercise it.

 

[lt230s]

@chuckv and @Mike_U
I do exercise it several times a year just to make sure. I think spark plug was just something. Generator is over 10 years old as we got it during Sandy in '11.
Got plenty of gas as we stocked up for winter for snow removal equipment and snowmobiles but never got to use it. Treated with Seafoam.
I have plug out side wired into panel breaker with manual switch over. I think Chuck has similar set up. I also want to build enclosure like Chuck's to keep close by and for sound attenuation.

I'm hoping that getting it ready, it will not be needed.👍

 

[lt230s]

My plan was complete service this summer, but may get done earlier. Manual notes first service after 25 hours and then every fifty after that (I think). Its just over 50 hours now and oil looks a little dirty, plus plug cover boot broke when I pulled it off spark plug. It was hard plastic type and I assume it got brittle from heat/cool cycles. It doesn't affect firing but will get replaced along with air filter and anything else that looks questionable.

 

[lt230s]

They are apparently called doghouses John.

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

 

[lt230s]

Unfortunately around here, natural gas is only available if you live along major road or in one of the villages that the major road intersects. Propane wasn't common when we built the house, so went with fuel oil.
Like others, I just make sure any gas stored is treated to help long term.

 

[lt230s]

Yes, multi-fuel covers it as much as anything can... earthquakes can disrupt the utility gas service, among other things.

Tmac, the off-grid house had a solar electric system, direct gain solar heat (stored in an insulated concrete slab of 24+yards) and a back up generator powered by propane. Secondary lighting in the home was also by propane mantel lamps -- primary lamps were the 24 volt DC fixtures.

I modified plans for an octagon home, since it provided cross ventilation for most rooms and a good solar exposure to the three main rooms on the south, southeast and southwest side of the building. I incorporated longer than normal eaves of 3+ feet to shade in the summer but allow direct gain in the winter when the sun is low in the sky. Also used a wall height of nearly 10 feet when most single story houses were just over 8 feet. The taller wall kept the long eave from hiding the view or making things seem claustrophobic.

We built the house by hand -- but I did contract out the concrete work and the drywall work as those are pretty specific skills. I did borrow a neighbor's small caterpillar tractor to level the building site myself, however... Here are pictures of me on the Cat 22.
View attachment 289665
View attachment 289666

These are old snapshots...sorry for the low quality. The back edge of the site in the top picture goes down about 100 feet to a creek bed, so caution was the main criteria, not speed...

Chuck

Boy that description brings back memories of my HS and college architecture classes. We had studied active and passive solar designs. Massive concrete heat sinks to store daytime sun light, long overhangs, and even buried into a southern exposure to take advantage of the constant ground temperature. Never got to put into reality like yours, but always fasinated me.
No need for the geothermal designs or heat pumps they're pushing today.

 

[lt230s]

Shorten it to genhouse and ya got a deal

Deal!!!!! 👍

 

[lt230s]

Well, winds died down and no power loss so getting generator running was a good thing.
Add service note on the growing "to do" list.

 

[lt230s]

Generac XT8000E. Also powers fridge, freezers, well pump, boiler. Unneeded circuits in garage, barn get turned off.