Billy Shafer or other generator experts

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member
Location
Twin Cities

I've been doing some work for a woman in Minneapolis.
She has an older whole house generator.
She has owned the house for 15 years and it has never been run in that time.
Has a fiberglass cover over it. One end is plywood and is starting to rot away.
I asked about it. She knows nothing about it but would be glad to see it gone as it blocks the window in her basement laundry room. I trudged through the snow and lifted the cover for a peek. Inside is an Onan built 5K gererator. I immediately recognized CCK style opposed twin on it. It is connected to natural gas. I can have it I get it outta there. Between my own experience with residential wiring and if needed, some expert help from my electric guru pal Steve I could get it properly disconnected from the main panel in the house.
I wouldn't mess with it till warm weather.
I got one photo off the engine. Could get more if I dug it out of a snow drift.
Get it or no?

cvphoto144693.jpg
 
5000 watts and 20 amp is not very large for whole house??

But at 1800 rpm it would last a long time and quiet. Then there is the problem of natural gas but maybe easy to convert to propane for ease of mobility?
 
The CCK series was a very dependable,quiet and extremely durable generator unit. It was built to last and it can produce it's rated amperage for continous use and will easily handle an overload for a while because it has copper windings and the voltage/ Hz regulation is not done by electronics but is controlled by the engine RPMs.

A natural gas fired unit from the factory should be very clean inside and would be easy to convert to propane if needed. Be sure to get all the regulators and shutoffs for the fuel system when you remove it and if possible the transfer switch would be nice to have also. This 1,800 unit will still be going after you wear out several of the chinese 3,600 RPM screamner units.

Sadly Mr. Billy Shafer passed away last December and the world lost a great generator man. He probably forgot more than many of us will ever know about generators.

Gene Davis Tennille, Ga.
 
The cck's were good generators. Well worth the time and effort to get it out of there. Even if just to sell it.
 
I have lost a couple items in life by waiting for a better time. I would be there tomorrow removing it.

I to am saddened to hear of Billy's passing. Another good one lost from the YT forum.
 
The Onan forum on "Smokstak" has additional details about Mr. Shafer.
A good resource for getting information on the CCK there as well.
He will be missed by a lot of people. He was always willing to share his knowledge. zuhnc
 
I've been doing some work for a woman in Minneapolis.
She has an older whole house generator.
She has owned the house for 15 years and it has never been run in that time.
Has a fiberglass cover over it. One end is plywood and is starting to rot away.
I asked about it. She knows nothing about it but would be glad to see it gone as it blocks the window in her basement laundry room. I trudged through the snow and lifted the cover for a peek. Inside is an Onan built 5K gererator. I immediately recognized CCK style opposed twin on it. It is connected to natural gas. I can have it I get it outta there. Between my own experience with residential wiring and if needed, some expert help from my electric guru pal Steve I could get it properly disconnected from the main panel in the house.
I wouldn't mess with it till warm weather.
I got one photo off the engine. Could get more if I dug it out of a snow drift.
Get it or no?

cvphoto144693.jpg
I'll try doing a search of his old posts. Maybe he mentioned this kind of unit.
 
@WI Dan - Yes, get it and all the gaseous components available (regulator, solenoid valve, etc,) as well as the transfer switch, if one was used. Onan did sell that CCK in its own housing for home standby units. Very good unit for its application. Won't run the whole house, unless most of the appliances are gas. Well pump, refrigerator, freezer, MAYBE the central A/C-heat pump if not too big. Using this will take some load management, if connected to the main panel through an approved disconnect device (ATS or lockout) or its own dedicated emergency panel with a proper transfer switch, be it manual or automatic. With proper care it will outlast all of us!

Sadly, Mr Shafer and his knowledge is gone, but a lot of the individuals on the SmokStak Onan forum have taken up the slack, collectively. I am a sponsor there. I have been doing generator work since about 1976; marine, portable, standby, RV. zuhnc
 
I've been doing some work for a woman in Minneapolis.
She has an older whole house generator.
She has owned the house for 15 years and it has never been run in that time.
Has a fiberglass cover over it. One end is plywood and is starting to rot away.
I asked about it. She knows nothing about it but would be glad to see it gone as it blocks the window in her basement laundry room. I trudged through the snow and lifted the cover for a peek. Inside is an Onan built 5K gererator. I immediately recognized CCK style opposed twin on it. It is connected to natural gas. I can have it I get it outta there. Between my own experience with residential wiring and if needed, some expert help from my electric guru pal Steve I could get it properly disconnected from the main panel in the house.
I wouldn't mess with it till warm weather.
I got one photo off the engine. Could get more if I dug it out of a snow drift.
Get it or no?

cvphoto144693.jpg
There has never been a power outage in 15 years ?

New installations of generators , heat pumps etc are now on metal stands . That raise the device 18-24” above the ground . This would allow light in through the laundry window .
 

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