Posted by vaughn on July 20, 2010, 1:16 am
> Not sure what to tell you about the battery,but you should probably pull it
> and give it a charge every month or so.
Battery Tender: Jr.:
http://batterytender.com/motorcycle/battery-tender-junior-12v-at-0-75a.html
Vaughn
Posted by Jim on July 23, 2010, 2:16 pm
On Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:08:01 -0400, "Ralph Mowery"
>> bought a 2 or 3 year old honda inverter generator model em7000is last
>> weekend.
>>
>> it has 5 hours on the LCD panel and looks brand new and runs (new battery)
>> like new, very quiet under load
>>
>> tested it for about 30 minutes with a 5500w load and it responded nicely
>> to different demands
>>
>> the owner had stored it for 2 years in a non-ventilated storage facility
>> but it had brand new looking oil and the fuel system was empty when I went
>> to look at it.
>>
>> what should I do as far as maintenance to it?
>> would like to keep it for a couple years in case of power outages, storms,
>> etc
>>
>> the spark plug looks brand new (appears to match the 5 hours on control
>> panel) and there is not a nick or dent or rust in the body
>>
>> should any of the rubber parts, hoses, etc be routinely replaced? I don't
>> plan to store it with fuel but would prefer to not have to run it every
>> month if I can just keep it stored with no-fuel and stick a cover on it
>> and store inside garage.
>>
>>
>I don't have any info on that unit, but would so what many other owners
>manuals do for their modle.
>If you do not plan on running it for many months or more, run the generator
>out of gas. If there is a lot in the tank, you may want to drain most of it
>out, then run the gas out. Change the oil, pull the plug and put a teaspoon
>full in the hole, pull the rope a time to work the cylinder up and down to
>oil it. Replave the plug.
>I did that for a 5 kw unit and when I wanted to run it about two years late,
>it started with about 3 pulls of the rope after I filled it with gas.
>Not sure what to tell you about the battery,but you should probably pull it
>and give it a charge every month or so.
>.
Buy a "Battery Tender" for about $0, and it will keep the battery
like new and ready to go for years and years. I use them on my
generator, motorcycles and such, they plug in the wall, install and
forget it. Get the "Battery Tender" brand, as there are lots of
imitations out there. Ask any motorcycle rider.
Posted by Jim on July 23, 2010, 2:12 pm
wrote:
>bought a 2 or 3 year old honda inverter generator model em7000is last weekend.
>it has 5 hours on the LCD panel and looks brand new and runs (new battery) like
new,
>very quiet under load
>tested it for about 30 minutes with a 5500w load and it responded nicely to
different
>demands
>the owner had stored it for 2 years in a non-ventilated storage facility but it
had
>brand new looking oil and the fuel system was empty when I went to look at it.
>what should I do as far as maintenance to it?
>would like to keep it for a couple years in case of power outages, storms, etc
>the spark plug looks brand new (appears to match the 5 hours on control panel)
and
>there is not a nick or dent or rust in the body
>should any of the rubber parts, hoses, etc be routinely replaced? I don't plan
to
>store it with fuel but would prefer to not have to run it every month if I can
just
>keep it stored with no-fuel and stick a cover on it and store inside garage.
If you have Natural Gas at your location, spend the $25 for a natural
gas/propane conversion, and you will have Tri Fuel. My Eu3000 has
never had gasoline in it yet.
During Katrina (I had no generator but one neighbor and a cousin did),
and they kind of gloated at the rest of us for a few days, UNTIL they
ran out of gasoline, and were in same boat as we were. My cousin had
to drive to Alabama to find gasoline and was paying an arm and a leg
for a few gallons. I have lived through MANY hurricanes since the big
one in 1947 and Betsy and Camille and Andrew and Ike and many more,
and the NG has never gone down, but electricity, phone, cell phones,
water, sewage
and you name it has. Spend the few extra dollars if you have NG feed.
Another neighbor spent about $0,000 having a whole house generator
installed, all automatic. Before Katrina, they set it on automatic
feed, piled in the car, and left town for parts North. The engine
hour meter on the generator (an off brand, sold by Home Depot) showed
about 20 hours on the meter when the oil pressure failed and it shut
down. They came home to freezers and refrigerators full of spoiled
food that stunk to high heaven.
I was dumb enough to ride it out and suffered plenty for not having
any electricity and having filthy standing water full of disease all
over the place. I now have a small solar system and 3 kw Honda
generator that will probably keep me alive next time, and am adding
to the solar as finances become available, and bought a small
12V fan to at least have a mini breeze blowing, and 12V CFL lighting
Don't forget your water supply, stock up PLENTY before the storm
hits, and a portable toilet will be necessary if electricity is out
for any length of time. I'm trying to figure out how to convert
a ceiling fan or two to 12volts, as that would be a lifesaver too.
Jim
Posted by vaughn on July 23, 2010, 3:29 pm
Good post! Listen to Jim!
> During Katrina (I had no generator but one neighbor and a cousin did),
> and they kind of gloated at the rest of us for a few days, UNTIL they
> ran out of gasoline, and were in same boat as we were. My cousin had
> to drive to Alabama to find gasoline and was paying an arm and a leg
> for a few gallons
.
This is the most important lesson you can learn about standby power. Fuel is
hard to find and expensive following any wide-area disaster. A generator is
usless without fuel.
> I have lived through MANY hurricanes since the big
> one in 1947 and Betsy and Camille and Andrew and Ike and many more,
> and the NG has never gone down, but electricity, phone, cell phones,
> water, sewage
> and you name it has.
This mirrors my experience. The NG system in my area has survived every
hurrican so far. Still, I keep a few 100# bottles of propane for my standby
generator. You never know...
If you don't have natural gas available, do the math on your fuel
consumption/fuel storage and make a plan. (Buying new fuel for the first couple
of weeks after the storm should not be part of your plan). Hint: With frugal
use, an EU2000 or similar will keep your refrigerator cold and deliver a few
other comforts on 2 gallons a day. For 2 weeks of use, that is only six
5-gallon cans of gas. Your typical Home-Depo generator will probably only run
about 40 hours on that same 6 cans of fuel.
> Spend the few extra dollars if you have NG feed.
If you are lucky enough to have it available, NG is indeed your best bet.
> I was dumb enough to ride it out and suffered plenty for not having
> any electricity and having filthy standing water full of disease all
> over the place. I now have a small solar system and 3 kw Honda
> generator that will probably keep me alive next time.
I do much the same
>and bought a small
> 12V fan to at least have a mini breeze blowing, and 12V CFL lighting
Yep, me too.
> Don't forget your water supply, stock up PLENTY before the storm
> hits,
Best bet is to put your trash cans in your tub or shower, line with yard-size
trash bags, fill with water. I also have a hand pump to draw toilet flushing
water, but that's just me.
> and a portable toilet will be necessary if electricity is out
Not at my house. Septic tanks don't need electricity. You can always flush
with a bucket.
> I'm trying to figure out how to convert
> a ceiling fan or two to 12volts, as that would be a lifesaver too.
They make 12 volt ceiling fans (expensive). I have found that ceiling fans run
just fine from a cheap inverter. OK, they buzz a little.
Vaughn
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> and give it a charge every month or so.