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View Full Version : Standby Generator Owners--cold weather kit?



Matt Meiser
12-22-2012, 10:53 AM
Mine (Generac) is definitely cranking a little slower the colder it gets and it could get a lot colder yet. I'm wondering if the cold weather kit is worth the cost both purchase and power consumption wise?

One nice thing--install is easy--plugs right in and there's a pad under the battery and a sleeve that goes over the oil filter. Plus they want you to use different oil so an oil change is needed but that's not a big deal.

Brian Elfert
12-22-2012, 11:22 AM
I have not installed any sort of heater on my Kohler stand-by generator. Kohler has specified a group 25 car battery which is way overkill for the size of engine. That certainly helps for cold weather starting. I have a three stage battery charger to keep the battery charged.

Even a 250 watt heater running all the time would cost around $18 a month at 10 cents a KW. I suspect most heaters would be more than 250 watts.

Matt Meiser
12-22-2012, 12:04 PM
Only 90w total. And it's thermostatically controlled. I think we've got a group 25 as well.

Brian Elfert
12-22-2012, 1:20 PM
90 watt doesn't seem like it would heat up much, but if it works that is good. I figured a lot more watts based on what cars use.

Scott T Smith
12-22-2012, 2:39 PM
My large generator has a cold weather kit on it which is comprised of a convection type block heater (through the water jacket). I keep it set at 120F year round, so that the oil is warm and the engine components warm enough to make sure that the diesel starts both easily and does not have excessive wear. My other generators don't have a kit.

The problem with most generators is that they immediately go to max RPM when they start, and if the engine is real cold you will have excessive wear. A cold weather kit that keeps the oil warm will allow the heat to convect up into the rest of the engine, aiding both starting and minimizing wear.

paul rothman
12-22-2012, 7:17 PM
On Marine units for sailboats we use a heater plate that is magnetic or gues on with marine tex, downside is it is slow th reach 120 degrees and remembering to shut it down, The also have fuel filter wraps to heat the fuel line if exposed to > 32 degrees

Tom Fischer
12-23-2012, 6:37 AM
The problem with most generators is that they immediately go to max RPM when they start, and if the engine is real cold you will have excessive wear. A cold weather kit that keeps the oil warm will allow the heat to convect up into the rest of the engine, aiding both starting and minimizing wear.
Didn't realize that. You'd think for that big bucks, Generac would put some kind of timer on it (the standby generator), maybe idle for 4 minutes, then send power to the house.
My Generac 17.5Kw has switches on the control panel to manually do that.

Matt Meiser
12-23-2012, 8:18 AM
Nope, about 15 or 20 seconds from failure to transfer. I think start is at ten.

John McClanahan
12-23-2012, 10:56 AM
What is "max rpm" on larger generators? I have an Onan with a 2 cylinder engine that runs at 1800 rpms. When I start my truck in cold weather, it runs at 1600 rpms for a short while, several times everyday. Just sayin.

John

Brian Elfert
12-23-2012, 12:25 PM
Generators mostly run 3600 or 1800 RPM. Generators have to run at "max rpm" because they run at a fixed RPM unless they are an inverter model. I'm not aware of any stand-by generators using the inverter model.

Harry Hagan
12-24-2012, 11:12 AM
My large generator has a cold weather kit on it which is comprised of a convection type block heater (through the water jacket). I keep it set at 120F year round, so that the oil is warm and the engine components warm enough to make sure that the diesel starts both easily and does not have excessive wear. My other generators don't have a kit.

The problem with most generators is that they immediately go to max RPM when they start, and if the engine is real cold you will have excessive wear. A cold weather kit that keeps the oil warm will allow the heat to convect up into the rest of the engine, aiding both starting and minimizing wear.

The majority of wear on internal combustion engine parts occurs during startup due to a lack of lubrication on wear surfaces compounded by the time it takes to pump the lubricant throughout the engine from the crankcase. Cold oil makes it worse.

John McClanahan
12-24-2012, 11:43 AM
If you need to keep the generator warm so it will start, and if the ongoing cost is OK with you, fine. My point is, if you are worried about startup wear on the generator that seldom runs, what do you do for your vehicle that gets started several times everyday? :D

John

Matt Meiser
12-24-2012, 12:30 PM
But my truck sits in the garage which rarely gets much below freezing. The generator sits outside and starts once a week, or in the worst conditions.

Scott T Smith
12-24-2012, 2:40 PM
If you need to keep the generator warm so it will start, and if the ongoing cost is OK with you, fine. My point is, if you are worried about startup wear on the generator that seldom runs, what do you do for your vehicle that gets started several times everyday? :D

John

When you start your vehicle, the engine usually revs up to around 600 RPM. Other than the first start, there is usually some residual heat present that keeps the oil warmer than ambient temp on the subsequent daily starts.

Most modern small generators rev up to 3600 rpm (and some higher quality ones rev up to 1800 rpm). Cold, thick oil tends to shear off metal surfaces instead of adhering to them; all of which when combined results in accelerated wear on the engine.

Don Morris
12-25-2012, 3:56 PM
Got in this one late. See two names Onan and Generac. My research puts those two at opposite ends of the quality spectrum. I've had quotes recently for the same size 20K generators. I can get a 20K Generac installed for close to $11,000.00 but a 20K Onan will cost me close to $16,000.00. 3 yr warranty on the Generac. 5 yr on the Onan. Everything I read about the Onan looks good. A soon to be relative has a whole home Generac system and has had problems with it that Generac couldn't solve. A welder fixed it "temporarily". Fortunately it's still working after a couple years. But on a retiree fixed income, it's hard to justify a lot of extra $$$ for essentially the same thing. You get what you pay for I guess.

Don Morris
12-25-2012, 3:58 PM
Forgot to add. Costco sells the 20K Onan generator (delivered on pallet) with a 200amp transfer switch for a little over $5000.00. The company that said they would install it gave me the close to $16,000.00 estimate.