FINALLY got a working generator!

[oregano]

So on Wednesday I exchanged one Harbor Freight generator for another. Then it took me two days to break in the engine. Of course, on Friday it died with just 50min of running the air conditioner. So I took it back, got my money back, and headed to Grants Pass where I had bought my Cummins. By the time I got there the heat wave had rolled in and I was hungry, so I ate at a casual sit down dining place and then checked in to the hotel next door.

While I was trying to sleep I decided to check availability of generators at the building supply store. (A local one, not a Big Box one.) Turns out they don't even carry Cummins anymore. Then I remembered seeing a Cummins generator at a Camping World RV sales/service place in Redding. So I checked their Medford location online and sure enough they had one.

The next morning I had to wash my clothes, and the laundromat I wound up at has a stupid prepaid card system that had to be explained to me by the only other person doing laundry at 6am on a Sunday. Later it was off to Medford. Sure enough, I got the generator. I went back to Grants Pass and canceled the third night I bought at the motel since I was headed back home today.

Got back around first light and started the generator up for an "engine break in", then I went to lunch. So I've had my AC on since 1pm and it is now 3pm. The Cummins of course works fine. Turns out it has a fuel filter I didn't know about, and the earlier one had been run until the fuel filter clogged solid and the engine cracked. At least now I know that Camping World services them.

So, FINALLY have AC again. And to think I deliberately insulated my home with the goal of minimizing use of AC and heat. Sigh.

 

[JayCee]

Yaay for AC during heatwaves,glad you scored a generator. Been searching for a good used Honda myself , Hopefully above 4500 watts. Had fantasies about a propane one but they seem yo be particularily rare these days. Even better a electric start. But not holding high hopes for that . But am not , off grid in anyway yet. But did paint part of the roof with the most sun exposure bright white . Seems to have helped

 

[Outdated]

But did paint part of the roof with the most sun exposure bright white . Seems to have helped

I helped a bloke up in the tropics do that, it was a massive roof and took us weeks including all the prep but it did knock a few degrees off the temperature. It wasn't much fun up there doing it though.

 

[Aspychata]

We had our membrane on roof washed, and recoated, made a big difference.

 

[Hazel_1914]

The local Harbor Freight had some engines for sale at cut rate prices. They were 3hp, four-cycle single cylinder gasoline engines and had been returned without being damaged, by people who are not mechanically inclined.

Those might be a good idea to figure out repowering a generator for you.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

The generators where I come from were saved special for NFL nights where the whole valley would be invited, and Saturday Morning Cartoons.

How nice to have AC off grid!

 

[JayCee]

Yes the prep on the roof was harder than actually coating it . And building a generator from a harbour frieght motor is quite brilliant if you can find out how to rewire a high output Alternator, or track down a old generator from a much older car . Then Harbour frieght also has larger 12 volt to 110 volt ac inverters for sale . Bolt it all to a thick piece of plywood , sized well .And insta generator. Might need a fan belt to hook them together too.

 

[Jumpinbare]

When I was living in a school bus on a remote piece of property, I had an AC Delco heavy duty car alternator driven by a 3.5 hp horizontal shaft motor. The alternator charged a 110 amp hour deep cycle lead-acid battery (lithium ion batteries were years away at the time). Inside the bus, I had a 500 Watt inverter to get 120 Volts AC when I needed it. But my lighting and fan ran directly on 12 volts DC. I had a remote kill switch for the motor so I didn't have to go outside to turn it off when I was ready for bed.

 

[JayCee]

Well now, if,n I can get a propane generator type deal ..then if you are patient and build a food digestor / methane generator , am thinking if you can generate , and maybe even compress alittle of it , after awhile , just maybe you could give your propane alittle methane assist ? And depending how far you wanna go into left feild ? hydrolize some water . And split that water with low voltage .in a sealed container with a bleed off tube and bleed off some hydrogen.to add to the mix to help you run that generator maybe?