Home Generator Selection, Installation and Repair

by Paul Dempsey

Overview

This complete and practical guide shows you, step by step, how to choose the best generator for your needs, safely and properly install it, and handle troubleshootingand maintenance. Home Generator Selection, Installation, and Repair covers a wide variety of models, including those from the most popular manufacturers—Briggs and Stratton, Coleman, and Honda. Nearly 150 photos and diagrams help you to identify thevarious electrical components. This hands-on resource also describes the tools you'll need and provides sources for additional information and discount parts.

Home Generator Selection, Installation, and Repair explains:

• How to decipher the technical terminology used in generator manuals
• Different types of fuels—gasoline, propane, natural gas, and diesel
• How to evaluate a generator's quality
• Essential features, including instrumentation, protection from electroshock, and large pneumatic tires for mobility
• How to safely connect generator output to home oroffice circuits
• Portable generator support requirements, includingproper fuel storage and an inventory of parts, such as oil and air filters
• Emergency fixes
• Generator troubleshooting and repair procedures
• Engine overhaul

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071812979
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	10/11/2013
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	290,279
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Paul Dempsey is a Master Mechanic and former editor of World Oil magazine. He is the author of more than 20 technical books, including Small Engine Repair, How to Repair Briggs & Stratton Engines, and Troubleshooting and Repairing Diesel Engines.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

1 Selecting the right generator 1

Outages 3

What's available 6

Power output 12

Power quality 13

Voltage 13

Frequency 13

Distortion 13

Engines or prime movers 13

Fuel options 14

Other features worth having 15

Instrumentation 16

Circuit breakers 16

Ground-fault circuit interrupters 16

Automatic idle control 16

Noise 16

Sizing 17

2 Powering up 21

Location 21

Hookup 22

Power cords 23

Power inlet box 24

Transfer switches 25

Transfer switches and neutral grounds 27

Electrical safety 28

Grounding rods 29

Fuels 31

Gasoline 31

Propane 32

Natural gas 34

Diesel 34

Planning ahead 34

3 Generator repairs 37

Conventional generators 38

Brushed generators 39

Brushless generators 40

Power quality 40

Tools 44

Measurements 46

Output tests 46

Resistance tests 51

Ohmmeter tests 54

Megaohmmeter tests 56

Rotor excitation test 68

Inverter generators 69

Operation 70

Troubleshooting 73

4 Engine electrical 77

Engine management controls 77

Power sources 77

Fuel cutoff valves 79

Idle control 82

Automatic choke 84

Oil-pressure sensor 86

Oil level sensor 87

Solid-state ignition 87

Ignition myths 89

Starter motors 91

5 Emergency repairs 93

Tools and supplies 93

No power 94

No power from any receptacle 94

No power from one receptacle 94

Genset slows under load 95

Storage batteries 95

Gasoline engine malfunctions 95

Preliminaries 96

No start 96

Loss of power as engine warms 101

Sudden shutdowns 102

Insufficient power 102

Weak compression 102

Diesel engine malfunctions 102

No or slow starting 102

Runaway 104

6 Fuel systems 105

Basic carburetor theory 106

Tools and supplies 110

Parts and materials 112

Removal and installation 112

Cleaning 114

Float carburetor service 115

Needle and seat 116

Float adjustments 118

Jets 120

Primer 123

Diaphragm carburetor service 123

Diaphragm carburetor operation 124

Plumbing 125

Troubleshooting 126

Pressure test 126

Mixture-adjustment screws 129

Fuel pumps 129

Metering 129

Idle circuits 130

Check valves 131

Final pressure check 132

Mixture adjustments: all carburetors 132

Fuel injection 133

Diesel 135

Wet stacking 139

Safety 139

Tools 139

Fuel system checks 139

Injectors 141

High-pressure pump 143

Timing 144

7 Major engine repairs 147

Some basics 147

What's needed 149

Torque limits 150

Evaluation 151

Excessive compression 151

No or barely perceptible compression 156

Compression test 156

Leak-down test 157

Leak-down test-four-cycle engine 159

Leak-down test-two-cycle engine 159

Blowby gauge 159

Cylinder head casting 161

Valves 163

Valve guides 167

Valve springs 169

Pushrods 169

Pistons 170

Rings 172

Installation 172

Piston installation 174

Integral bores 174

Detachable cylinders 175

Connecting rods 176

Construction 176

Orientation 176

Bearings 176

Micrometers 179

Plastigage 181

Failure analysis 181

Rod assembly 182

Cylinders 182

Glaze breaking 182

Inspection 182

Boring 184

Sleeving 185

Flywheel 185

Crankcase 187

Crankshafts 188

Antifriction main bearings 192

Camshafts 193

Balance shafts 193

Oil seals 194

Oil circuits 194

Rewind starters 195

Starter troubleshooting 195

Preload release and restoration 197

Brake 198

Dogs 198

Recoil springs 198

A final word 198

A Generator websites 199

B National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) plug and receptacle configurations 207

Index 211