|
|
| Ice Storm |
|
|
The new generator was reloaded back on the truck and I went back home. Using a gas grill cover, I fashioned an enclosure per Stan's advice, closed in the back, completely open in the front with an overhang over the muffler. On the recoil side it was open only halfway up the recoil, and on the generator plug side it was open only up to the top of the electrical plugs. On top of all this, we thought we had a problem with the furnace so, with no phone, I was back on the road again, this time well past curfew, to the home of our fuel company's burner service man. He wasn't home, being out on other service calls, so I left a message. When he did show up, the furnace by that time seemed to have straightened out and it tested all right. I finished the day by servicing the generator and going to bed, leaving it to run all night.
Thursday, Jan. 15, 1998--Day 10
After morning generator service (it actually restarted! Must be the enclosure is working), I went to Clayton to pick up a case of the special 5W-30 oil that Stan recommended for the generator; it hadn't arrived yet. Maybe tomorrow. This was the store where I purchased the generator and they wanted to know if I still needed the special electrical plug. I said no, but I looked at what they had. It was a good thing I had picked up the correct plug in Watertown, because they didn't even know what kind of plug the generator I purchased required and had obtained the wrong type!
I went across the street to Reinmans, another hardware store, to obtain one of the old-fashioned wooden collapsible clothes drying racks. They were all sold out, but I was told that more would be arriving about 1:00 p.m. My next stop was Kinney Drugs, where I snagged the last two bottles of 5W-30 oil they had.
When I got home I shut off the generator and changed the oil. Big mistake! It wouldn't restart. This time there was nothing apparently wrong with it! Our generator was positioned on a screen porch, and with the intense storm we were currently on the receiving end of, there was no way I could work on it efficiently. So I AGAIN dragged it back across the yard (do you see a pattern developing here?) and into the truck for yet ANOTHER trip to BMS to find out what was wrong this time. This time it was in white-out conditions--20 mph and 4x4 all the way!
It seems these extended-run generators utilize an "oil alert" to prevent burning up the motor from lack of oil. Most are set way too high. They are adjusted so if you set the oil with more than two of the threads in the filler opening showing (as you would any other Briggs), the ignition is shorted. The oil must be running out the fill port for it to run reliably. My old generator wasn't done yet, so, since I was more than halfway to Clayton, even though it was blizzard conditions I would go into town and pick up the clothes drying rack ($28.00 for some wooden dowels!).
I started the generator and placed the cover over it. If it kept the generator running in this blizzard without icing, it would work through anything! I then ran a load of clothes through the washer by heating a large five-gallon kettle of water on the gas stove and dumping it into the washer to mix with the cold water from the well.
Initially the washing machine wouldn't start; there was no power to the wall socket. Apparently the 110-volt receptacle was wired to one leg of the 220-volt line feeding the now-shut-off hot water heater. A quick patch with an extension cord to a "hot" receptacle cured that problem.
So far today we have picked up ten inches of snow, but at least the plow has come through. With the blowing snow I was worried about introducing unwanted water into the generator's fuel, so I snaked the fuel hose from our fuel tank into the building beside it. Using the extension cord as a switch, it comes on whenever I plug the cord in, thus allowing me to refill the five-allon gas can out of the weather. I serviced the generator and went to bed, leaving it run because of the single-digit temps and the high winds tonight.
Friday, Jan. 16, 1998--Day 11
I was surprised the next morning to have the generator shut off after only 8-1/2 hours of running. I had been figuring generator fuel consumption at around two to 2-1/4 hours per gallon of fuel. With the five-gallon tank, I should have been getting about ten hours run time, give or take. Apparently, the extreme cold, coupled with the high winds, forced the furnace to run more and the generator to work harder, cutting the fuel consumption to 1.7 hours per gallon of gasoline.
After the refuel it started first pull, indicating that the enclosure that I had built was working properly. Later in the morning I managed to get our tractor started so I could plow out the yard. There were drifts two feet high. However, it soon became apparent that I couldn't push much snow, even with chains on, because of the ice underneath it. I could push snow down the driveway, but then I couldn't back up because of the ice sheet. I had to turn around and get a running start to climb any incline. On the noon TV news I saw where the county was giving out kerosene at the Alex Bay Fire Hall, starting at 1:00 p.m. Since we hadn't received any from Gailey's yet, I decided to get some just in case we ran low. When I went out I stopped first in Clayton to pick up the case of 5W-30 oil for the generator. I also picked up a 100-foot extension cord to transfer power from the gas pump building out to the tractor building in case I needed to use the block heater to get it started or the boost charger because that building also didn't have any power nowr. I picked up a male and female end for the cord because, to transfer power to the socket in the building, I needed a male end on both ends; the extra female end was to convert it back into a regular extension cord again. On the way out of town I stopped at the Clayton Big M and went to the deli for some hot food as a treat for dinner.
We had two power failures today with the generator. The first time the plug vibrated out of the generator's socket because this particular generator doesn't have a twist-loc type of plug. I bent the flat prongs to create resistance when inserted. Hopefully this will keep it in place. The second time was the "oil alert" tripped. Apparently if there are more than three threads showing in the filler hole, the engine won't run. The difference between this level and running out is only half of a Dixie cup(!). Apparently the best we can get in run time because of the "oil alert" is 8-1/2 to nine hours before it uses 2-1/2 ounces of oil and shuts down. A normal Briggs motor can run safely with the oil level down a half-inch from running out. What I have found works the best for topping up the Briggs motor is a restaurant-style,one-quart salad oil dispenser. I just squirt in the oil!
Since the wind has gone down, even though it's in the single digits, I am hoping the generator will run all night without either running out of fuel or that damn "oil alert" tripping.
Saturday, Jan. 17, 1998--Day 12
This morning I serviced the generator after nine hours of running, so the fuel consumption is back to "normal." I checked the oil and it looked OK, so I went back inside; it wasn't three minutes later that the generator shut down. It had to be the "oil alert," so I figured it was as good a time as any to change the oil.
Later in the day I went to Kinney Drugs in Alex Bay. They were running on a large diesel generator, so they had power and their computers were up and running. Now they could process prescriptions. Next I went over to the fire hall for five gallons of kerosene. Then I headed for Clayton to Reinmans, because I had an idea to convert a standard extension cord to a power transfer cable that could be converted back to a standard extension cord instantly.
I purchased two three-prong male ends, two two-prong and two one-foot lengths of 12/3 wire. I installed one plug on each end. This allows you to plug one end into a standard extension cord and converts the cord to male on both ends for transferring power from one receptacle to another. I then returned the ends I purchased the day before to Hungerford's across the street.
While I was out "foraging," a rescue truck came by to check on carbon monoxide levels in the house, which were fine. They did invite us to come down to the Alex Bay shelter at the high school for the evening meal. We shut the generator off and started the Kero-sun while we were gone, and we restarted it upon returning.
At the school they had a working pay phone so I took out my "new" Bell-Atlantic card and attempted to make some calls. However all I kept getting was an invalid account recording. I gave up. The generator was turned off off that night because it was warmer and the Kero-sun started.
Page II
? ATV CONNECTION "ATV Connection" and "Wheeling on the Web" are Registered Trademarks. All Rights Reserved. All content is protected under United States and International Copyright Law, and may not be reproduced in whole, or in part, without written permission.
|
|
|
|
|
|
