The Generator Engine - What to look for

The choice of engine that drives a generator directly influences the generator performance, the maintenance cycles and also the running cost. In some cases only one type of engine will be possible, because of restrictions that are imposed by the emplacement of the generator.

Engine block:
For a long engine life and quiet operation of your generator a four cycle, liquid cooled, industrial duty diesel engine is ideal.

Cooling:
Air or liquid cooling? Air-cooled engines require a tremendous amount of air and may require ducting and they are very noisy. Liquid cooling offers quieter operation and more even temperature control, it's the better solution.

Air Intake - Exhaust:
An often overlooked item, which if not present, can be costly and substantially add to your investment. Make sure your generator has a large, integral air cleaner with replaceable filter element to avoid engine damage by dust particles. Very important is a residential muffler, which is built into the exhaust manifold. This saves the need for an additional muffler. Make sure it's a residential muffler, a conventional muffler dampens the nois less.

Oil Filter and Lubrication:
The lubrication system should have a full flow, spin-on oil filter with bypass. Make sure the filter is easily available from car accessory dealers and not some proprietary fiulter that will be difficult to obtain and expensive.

Fuel filter:
It sounds trivial, but it is very necessary, especially if you have a stand-by generator that is not operated regularly. A good primary fuel filter water separator is a must to protect the fuel system of your generator engine.

Engine Electrical System and Emergency Shut Down:
The engine should be cosntructed with an electrical system as if yound in most cars: DC electrical system. Standard 12 volt, with starter motor and battery charging alternator with a solid state voltage regulator. Diesel units should come with a pre-heat switch and start/stop switch. A safety shutdown system to protect the engine in case of oil pressure loss, generator overspeed or overcrank and high water temperature will protect the engine in case of trouble. Unlike in a car where you immediately notice the lights comeing on when something like this happens, generator engines allmost allways run unattended. A manual DC system circuit breaker should be present also.

Engine Block Heater:
If you live in an area where the temperatures drop low, your stand-by set may require a block heater to keep the coolant water mix at an adequate temperature for easier starting.

Power Generator - Features and Benefits

Power Stability:
To run appliances and motors off a generator, you need stable, clean power. The AC generator should have a 4-pole revolving field with an automatic voltage regulator that will provide clean power. The normal utility power is +/- 5% voltage regulation, modern 1800-rpm generator models are even better and provide a stability of +/- 2%! Do not purchase a generator that does not offer AVR – Automatic Voltage Regulation

Bearings:
One of the parts that are under permanent stress are the bearings of the generator. Make sure your model is built with lifetime lubricated bearings. Less expensive units are not allways supplied with these bearings and then often require complete disassembly every two or three years for bearing replacement. The cost savings when buying such a generator unit is fast lost and turns into higher maintenacne expenses and total cost, when such a replacement is necessary.

AC Switchgear

Switchgear can be as simple or complex as you want or can afford. Of course, as complexity increases, so does cost. Balance and a good electrical advisor are the keys here. All generator systems require a circuit breaker and a distribution panel. The circuit breaker protects the generator set from short circuit and unbalanced electrical loads. The distribution panel divides and routes the connected loads and includes circuit breakers to protect these loads.

Stand-by systems also require a main circuit breaker between the utility source and the transfer panel. The transfer panel switches power from the utility to the generator set and back to make sure that not both are switched on at the same time. Auto-start, auto-transfer systems are very convenient but they are costly. Your supplier or contractor can help you determine what you will need.

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