Yep. I used to do "a day in photos" on the boat, which could often be interesting. Sorry, but this is not. But this will give you a sense of what I'm dealing with now.
First, we had our Sasquatch car print to figure out. Then it hit me.
First, we had our Sasquatch car print to figure out. Then it hit me.
A very small Sasquatch was looking in our car.
At the property, I needed to get the rototiller running. To get at the air cleaner, carburetor, and other fuel stuff, I needed to remove the brush guard. That was a pain. But hey, I'm retired. I have all the time in the world.
It turned out to be gunk in the fuel line. I removed the sediment bowl. and blew into the gas tank. When gas started leaking on the ground, I knew I had it and so put it all back together.
Then Pamela and our friend Bill came riding by. They were going to ride the trails to the nearby hunting camp and Stony Creek.
And I tilled Pam's little garden. It was tough because of all the rocks, but over time, we'll get them out and slowly expand its size.
I have three generators. This is the small 2 kw given to us by our friends Jim and Laurie. It needs a gas tank, as you mechanical types will see. I did get it to pop on starting fluid, so I know it runs.
Then I tackled the 4 kw generator given to me by Earl. This shows no promise. It has no spark. While I was considering switching to a solid state ignition, I noticed that it has a perfectly good gas tank.
While lowering the 4 kw generator to the ground from the trailer using the tractor, I noted that the manure bucket wasn't going up and down easily. I poured three gallons of hydraulic fluid into it.
Next up is the 10 kw Yanmar diesel generator. This is the one I want to get running most of all. It runs fine, but stops generating electricity after a minute or two. I have someone coming to look at it, but first I needed to charge its battery.
So how do I charge batteries when I have no grid power? Solar.
45 watts of solar panels from Harbor Fright, connected to a controller, to which an inverter is connected, to which a battery charger is connected. Hey, it works.
It was then time for Vrooman's for wings and beer!
There are many internet threads on generator faults. Have you tried exciting the windings by plugging in an electric drill to the Benny's receptacle, then putting a small rod or bolt in its chuck, put the other end of the rod into the chuck of a reversible drill, and spin the drill plugged into the generator in reverse. This turns the first drill into a generator to excite the windings which is necessary after a long spell.
ReplyDeleteThe gennies may need new ignition coils or modules, available for a few dollars.
Hey Larry! I have read those threads on Al Gore's Internets, but what is confusing is that the generator works fine for a couple of minutes and then stops producing power. To me, that means that some weird electrical part is overheating.
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