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Powetech generator operation
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Hello,
I have a 1998 Featherlight with a Powertech Gen enclosed in a Marine Grade hush box. The generator is totally enclosed inside the bay and when operating you can not hear it from 5 feet away. With the doors of the hush box and bay open it is terribly loud. You could never run it with out everyone complaining about the noise.
There is a very large cooling fan that keeps it operating. It currently has 5400 hours of running with the doors closed.
I am unsure how the set up is on the Royal, but I can’t imagine not being able to run with bay closed?
Do you have a hush box?
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Have a hush box will try running with doors closed to see the actual temps on generator.
Seems I saw somewhere the generator shouldn’t be run with out a load. What is considered a a load?
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Gen should be ran with a load…the more the better…load is amp draw…turning anything you want on inside the coach..
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The picture is two 30 KW Isuzu generators enclosed in hush boxes that are enclosed in a generator room. These generators are 2002 vintage with over 10,000 hours on each one of them.
Why the picture and the note?
Most every larger yacht has generators enclosed in sound boxes that are enclosed in interior area’s. They have thousands of hours on them with little to no issues.
Don’t worry about running your generator with the doors closed. Countless motor homes and yachts have this configuration. It is not a problem to be concerned with.
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Within five minutes of starting my coach I start my generator and I run it until I am where I need to be and the coach is turned off. I put as much load on it as I can find. Jon and others have been clear about running the generator often and with as much load as possible.
Only time I do not run it is at home when I am loading up to take a trip. Inverter is sufficient to power as I load and safety check for a trip.
R
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The Kohler installation on my Liberty (and I believe it’s the same on Powertech and many others) requires the forced ventilation of the hush box. If this fan is not operating, you will not see an increase in coolant temperatures but you may damage the electrical components of your generator which are air cooled. The proper operation of these auxiliary fans should be checked periodically.
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Joel is correct, and to go further, the cooling fan for the hush box is a safety feature. While diesel is hard to ignite a concentration of fumes can pose a risk so the fan(s) for the hush box typically start when the start cycle is initiated.
Since all of the generators I know of have a delay prior to start, that allows fresh air to replace air within the hush box that might be heavy fuel fumes due to a leak.
I know the risk is low, but if there is a fire or explosion related to a build up in fumes in the hush box it has a great potential to cause injury or loss of the coach.
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This brings up an interesting thought for me.
An old barroom bet question is, ” Which is more dangerous, a tank half full of gasoline or a tank half full of diesel fuel?”.
The answer is a tank half full of diesel fuel.
Reason being is that due to the lower volatility of the diesel fuel, the fume/air mixture is a much better mixture for combustion. True, I guess, but both will make you just as dead. I had a friend who is no longer with us because he didn’t take the same precautions in welding on a diesel tank that he would have taken with a gasoline tank. True story.
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Trying to decide what is the best way to operate my generator I took some preventive measures.
I removed the radiator and found the big fan behind the radiator that actually provides the cooling for the coolant system. Big question I was trying to get answered but failed to accurately describe my need to know.
I couldn’t understand how the cooling fan in the hush box was providing cooling for the generator as it was an enclosed box.
Took radiator to a radiator shop for a flush and testing. Guy told me this was becoming a dying business as most radiators are now plastic and aluminum and they are cheaper to replace than repair.
Brought radiator home wit a positive report and spent three hours straightening the fins on the radiator coils. The repair guy said don’t waste your time as the radiator has less than 10 % bent fins which will not decrease efficiency.
Installed radiator and ran generator for 40 minutes with a steady temp of 170 showing on temp gauge.
Put towel in front of radiator and it got sucked quickly up against radiator proving airflow unrestricted through radiator.
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