Generators

[Vern]

I have had 2 stand by generators fail me. In both cases the engine runs fine but no electricity is produced. The breakers are not tripped. One repair shop said "It will cost more to fix it than to buy a new one".
These were not real expensive but not cheap either.
The 2nd one I've had for about 4 years but only had about 20 run time on it (90 day warranty).
Vern

 

[Billy Shafer]

What kind are they.

 

[Joe (Wa)]

Portable generators often lose residual magnetism when they are not run occasionally. That requires an external source to initially excite the field coils. If that is your problem you might try to excite it with a drill motor as per the link. This won't work with some electronic voltage regulators.

Joe
gen field flashing

 

[brokenot]

One repair shop said "It will cost more to fix it than to buy a new one".

Unfortunately, the "throw it away" mentality has infected lots of people....including many of those that allegedly possess tools and skills.

Depending on the reason for the "no output" situation, it may very well cost more to repair than the unit is worth. On the other hand, without hands-on diagnosis, no such determination can be made. The agreement that needs to be made between repair shops and customers, is that the repair shop cannot arrive at the "throw it away" conclusion without digging deeper....and.....the customer has to be willing to pay for that diagnosis time. Even if that diagnosis time and invoice results in the decision to hand the customer a box of parts if it will indeed cost too much to repair.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 23:45:58 01/20/12) Portable generators often lose residual magnetism when they are not run occasionally. That requires an external source to initially excite the field coils. If that is your problem you might try to excite it with a drill motor as per the link. This won't work with some electronic voltage regulators.

Joe
gen field flashing

I had heard of this but never if it really worked. I also have heard that variable speed drill motors would not work.

I know for a fact that the armature can be flashed with a 1-1/2 to 6 volt battery. My belt driven 4000 watt generator would not work, after not being used for many years. The manual that came with it tells how to flash the armature, which I did. There is a delay from the time you flash it until it starts to produce 120 volts. Not very long but just long enough that you think that flashing it did not work.

Has anyone had any experience with using a drill motor for flashing a generator ? Was it a variable speed?

Dusty

 

[rocko]

Great link, Thanks Joe, learnt something new.
Rocko.

 

[rocko]

Great link, Thanks Joe, learnt something new.
Rocko.

 

[PJH]

"Has anyone had any experience with using a drill motor for flashing a generator ? Was it a variable speed?"

Dusty - I tried it with my 1/2" V.S. Milwaukee drill on a generator that looks and runs good but won't gen. Tried every switch setting and both C.W. and C.C.W. Didn't work. Out of curiousity, I then chucked the Milwaukee to another drill and metered across the Milwaukee plug. Less than a volt, if I remember correctly. Not enough voltage to flash the field? Can't bear to pitch this nice little generator.

Paul

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 09:25:57 01/21/12) "Has anyone had any experience with using a drill motor for flashing a generator ? Was it a variable speed?"

Dusty - I tried it with my 1/2" V.S. Milwaukee drill on a generator that looks and runs good but won't gen. Tried every switch setting and both C.W. and C.C.W. Didn't work. Out of curiousity, I then chucked the Milwaukee to another drill and metered across the Milwaukee plug. Less than a volt, if I remember correctly. Not enough voltage to flash the field? Can't bear to pitch this nice little generator.

Paul

Paul, I will not be near that manual until April, so I'm going from memory.
Take a battery that puts out anywhere from 1-1/2 to 6 volts, and while the generator is running at ratted RPM. flash the armature through it's brushes. I don't remember about the polarity. I used a AAA battery. When I flashed it it seemed that nothing happened then the generator started working. I had plugged a lamp into it so I would know when it started working.
You might try Googling "flashing generator".
Let us know how you make out.

Good Luck,
Dusty

 

[buickanddeere]

(quoted from post at 17:53:19 01/21/12)

(quoted from post at 09:25:57 01/21/12) "Has anyone had any experience with using a drill motor for flashing a generator ? Was it a variable speed?"

Dusty - I tried it with my 1/2" V.S. Milwaukee drill on a generator that looks and runs good but won't gen. Tried every switch setting and both C.W. and C.C.W. Didn'tO work. Out of curiousity, I then chucked the Milwaukee to another drill and metered across the Milwaukee plug. Less than a volt, if I remember correctly. Not enough voltaOge to flash the field? Can't bear to pitch this nice little generator.

Paul

Paul, I will not be near that manual until April, so I'm going from memory.
Take a battery that puts out anywhere from 1-1/2 to 6 volts, and while the generator is running at ratted RPM. flash the armature through it's brushes. I don't remember about the polarity. I used a AAA battery. When I flashed it it seemed that nothing happened then the generator started working. I had plugged a lamp into it so I would know when it started working.
You might try Googling "flashing generator".
Let us know how you make out.

Good Luck,
Dusty

You would not me flashing the armature/stator for very long or with desirable results for the battery or yourself. Flashing the rotor should be ok. I had one misorable swine that would not excite. Connected that one to a 120v shop outlet to the gen 120v outlet with a male-male cord with a 240v lamp to limit current ! Took a moment but then the light bulb started to flash from zero to full bright.

 

[rlp in Co.]

Is there a run capacitor on it? You can check it with an ohm meter.
Does it have a voltage regulator? See if it supplys a DC voltage to the armature.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 09:25:57 01/21/12) "Has anyone had any experience with using a drill motor for flashing a generator ? Was it a variable speed?"

Dusty - I tried it with my 1/2" V.S. Milwaukee drill on a generator that looks and runs good but won't gen. Tried every switch setting and both C.W. and C.C.W. Didn't work. Out of curiousity, I then chucked the Milwaukee to another drill and metered across the Milwaukee plug. Less than a volt, if I remember correctly. Not enough voltage to flash the field? Can't bear to pitch this nice little generator.

Paul

Paul, I will not be near that manual until April, so I'm going from memory.
Take a battery that puts out anywhere from 1-1/2 to 6 volts, and while the generator is running at ratted RPM. flash the armature through it's brushes. I don't remember about the polarity. I used a AAA battery. When I flashed it it seemed that nothing happened then the generator started working. I had plugged a lamp into it so I would know when it started working.
You might try Googling "flashing generator".
Let us know how you make out.

Good Luck,
Dusty

 

[buickanddeere]

Paul[/quote]

Do you mean the rotor in an AC machine and a armature in a DC machine?

 

[Vern]

Thanks guys. My son is going to try to flash them both. For now the power just came back on.

Vern

 

[brokenot]

Has anyone had any experience with using a drill motor for flashing a generator ? Was it a variable speed?

I've done it with an old single speed drill and a 4" angle grinder. Nope, variable speed power tools usually won't work.

 

[Doug in Illinois]

Hope you can get them going again.

My portable generator is about 8 years old with about 1200 hours on it. It gets used a lot to run small air compressors and power tools when something breaks out in a field or have a flat tire and do a in the field fix.

Anything with an engine needs to be used at least several times per year. DOUG