Jim5870

I have a automatic diesel standby generator that powers my greenhouse in case of power failure. It has a block heater that keeps the block at about 100 deg F all the time ready for a 1800 rpm no notice start.
This generator is installed inside my greenhouse in which the temp is
a constant 66 deg F.
If the generator was installed in a cold barn then I know I would need the block heat,
but since the unit sits in a warm enviroment, can I get away with
leaving the block heater off? I know it will start and run , just thinking of the
electrical cost of a 6000 watt heater running for the next 3 months.
Would a 0-1800 rpm start-up be hard on the engine at 66 deg?
intead of 100 deg?
What do you think?

maybe368

My rig lives in phoenix az, hardly a cold environment, but it does get into the high 20's at times. I have never used the block heater and it always starts in a half a turn of the engine. I didn't even know I had a block heater until I replaced the fender and found the plug still with the factory cover on it. IMHO, 66 degrees is not a problem for start up without the block heater...Mark

Jim5870

I know it would start,
just wondering if going from 0 rpm to 1800 rpm @ 66 deg is harmful?
(constant speed fuel control)

#2isgreen

i would think the bigger concern is how quick it can bring up oil pressure. I've had a few natural gas generators installed and they have an auto "exercise" program that runs them for about an hour a week, just to keep fluids running and gaskets lubed.

at 66 degrees there shouldn't be any viscosity problems with anything.

Jim5870

I do run it up, for half an hour every other week.

Raspy

The genny is designed to rev up right away like that and there is very little difference in oil viscosity between 66 and 100 degrees. If you run in once in a while it will always get oil pressure almost instantly. Don't worry about it.

The block heater will not be drawing 6000 watts all the time anyway. That is enough energy to heat a whole house.

JJPage

I have several standby generators I maintain for Qwest Communications, ranging from 12kw up to 1500kw.

I don't believe the immediate 1800 rpms at 60* is a problem at all, what you may want to adjust is the time frame in which it takes the load. Hospital generators are classified as "Emergency" because of the Fire/Life/Safety equipment they backup, and are required to accept the load within seconds(2 sec, I believe).

My generators are classified as "Stand by", and are under no such time frame, I have most all of mine set to start and run for 30 seconds before the transfer switch takes the load. This gives the engine a bit of breathing room, before it goes right to full load, depending on the time of year (summer, chillers/hvac/etc).

Jim5870

The automatic transfer switch gives it 30 seconds before transfering the load.
I'll leave the heater un plugged for now, I'll see if it activates the low coolant temp light, if not I'll leave it unplugged.

dzl_damon

You'll be fine not running it. We have Emergency generators on ships 20+ years old that have been used and abused with frequent start/loads followed by weeks of sitting. Yes, they usually have block heaters, but they are exposed to whatever the outside temp may be. I've been on ships where the block heater has not worked for a while, but since the vessel was always in a warmer environment, the Chief Engineer didn't seem to care.

How often will yours work? 2-5 times a year max? I'd say your life on that genny is just fine, especially since you run it every once in awhile. I assume this is a large EDG since you have a 6,000 watt heater on it! Heck, I remember 1 ship had a 450hp 8v92T Detroit that only had a 5kw heater.

Jim5870

It's a Kohler 50 (50 KW?) with a John Deere 4045 turbo diesel, 100HP
I could be wrong about the wattage of the heater.
Just trying to save money on the hydro bill.

HMX-1

Run it once a week for about 10 to 15 minutes and it'll be fine. You should be able to have it programmed for a maintenance run on a weekly basis so that it fires up every Saturday at 2pm or something similar.

Most of the 50kw and up generators have that ability built in.



Kris

chariotdriver

66 degrees is balmy. Let it run about 10 seconds to get the oil pressure up then hit it with the load. What you don't want to do is get it loaded up without any oil pressure; you start scuffing parts which will cause lots of $$ to fly out of your pocket down the road. I have an oil 271 gen-set for a back-up at the house. It gets around 200 hours/year. It is treated pretty good but is still a mess to look at. Always let it run a minute or two prior to pulling the transfer switch handle to load it up. It's got almost 20,000 hours on it and still gives good oil samples and doesn't smoke too much. I'm thinking it will be here long after I'm gone.

annabelle

I have installed several emergency Gen. sets for at&t and the then SW Bell Telephone.......none of them have used a block heater.......some have provided emergency power for critical fiber optic lines. These were typically 12K-15 K units in much colder climates and outside conditions.