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So I cleared the hedges this morning and sat the tank where I planto build the platform. If I'm motivated, I'll dig the post holes this evening and install the posts this week. I'll likely have the tank finished up sometime this week or by next weekend.
I have 200A service and therefore used an entrance rated 200A DPDT safety switch as a manual transfer switch. works flawlessly. Also made GA Power and the inspector very happy. With a totally manual transfer system, I will not know when power is restored so I am considering installing a low...
Ok, here are some useful pics. You will see a picture of the area where the generator currently sits. This was the only logical place to put it in my yard. I wanted it obscured and had the uneven ground to contend with so I had to build a raised platform to allow storm water runoff to flow...
Ok, here's are a couple of pics of the tank I plan to use. Once I get started, pictures will be posted of the install. Also, I'll post pics of my self installed ASK.
About to start phase two of the install. I have secured an RDS 90-gallon auxillary diesel tank which is constructed like an aluminium toolbox that mounts in the bed of a pickup truck. I am going to build a second level platform to mount my tank on and plumb it to the AUX fuel connection on the...
I am betting that emergency strip heat will do it. It is on a 60A breaker and is a pure resistive load. I'll try it when it gets cooler outside. This 100-degree August heat is rough and I need to maintain my indoor cool air!
I guess I could really load the crap out of it bi-annually by turning on multiple resistive loads in my home until I think I reach the 10kW threshold or if I'm feeling particularly bold, I could hit the strip heat on my heat pump as a quasi load test.
I have ran everything in my home that I...
Phase two will be an aluminum 90-gallon toolbox/diesel tank sitting on a similar platform near my generator. This will hold my reserve stash of diesel and will be plumbed to the aux fuel connection point on the genset. I figure 100 total gallons of diesel will power my home for ten continuous...
The internal jumper has been removed. The neutral and ground are not bonded together as they would be if the unit were "portable". The copper bar was removed...I pulled a permit with the county and the inspector passed everything. We had to add an additional ground rod at the house and add smoke...
I decided that this is going to be my 15 year home and that we are done moving so I wanted a more permanent installation of my 10kW MEP-803A. I wanted a safe and legal means of connecting it directly to my service panel so that my wife can just throw one lever to restore power after starting the...
I have now settled on a 90 gallon aluminum fuel tank as my means of long term storage based on the recommendations from you guys. It's a little investment but worth it in the long run. It's already plumbed to feed my MEP-803a via the aux connection. All I need is another filter in between and...
I'm trying to work out a reliable storage solution for the diesel I want to keep on hand for my 803 and have decided that two drums will carry me through any outage we are likely to face (and then some). I'm not sure if I should go with the blue poly drums or the metal drums.
Just FYI - I ran 15 year old diesel that looked like sweet tea in an MEP-802a last year and it chugged that stuff for four straight days. The exhaust was a little pungent but that was all I noticed... I hear diesel will keep 50+ years and still burn.
Last year's ice storm wasn't much to "LOL" about... I lived in Maine for 2 years and Michigan for nearly 8 years and we never lost power and had as much storm damage as we had last year in Augusta. It took literally MONTHS to clean up all the damage.
Just a follow-up to my original post folks... I finally made the final connection from my DPDT transfer switch to my meter base and tested my MEP-803A. After bringing the generator up to operating temp, I switched the whole house over to generator and began manually transferring loads to the...
I'd be interested in your test results... When I was in Kuwait, we would shut these TQG's down for 10 minutes per month just to change the oil and blow out the air filters... They would run for six months straight in the desert heat and never miss a lick!
You may have read one of my other posts elsewhere but prior to moving from my rented house with natural gas for heat to the home we are now in which is all electric, an MEP-802a is what carried us through a one week power outage when we were hit with the monster ice storm last year. We ran our...
So have any of you guys tried the "hard start kits" to see if they alleviate any of the issues starting compressors on generator power? We were having "brown outs" and my A/C compressor started chattering and not wanting to start so I ordered the kit and installed it. It was less than $15...