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Jeff,<br>
I have had one at my off grid home for a little over a year now. I
just went out to check: 85.3 hours on this unit, so no chance to
wear anything out yet.<br>
<br>
The unit has performed very well. I had two issues come up, both
quite minor: at first the cold starting was slow; a slight bend with
a needle-nose pliers on a choke linkage resolved that (it was a
service call, covered under warranty). Also, the spin-on oil filter
was just loose enough to leak some oil. The unit has a large oil
reservoir external to the engine, so this was noticed early and of
little consequence.<br>
<br>
I have it set to operate on manual remote start, with a simple
toggle switch next to my inverter. It's simple two-wire start and
required nothing but a signal cable to the switch. (I had an extra
signal pair previously installed, which I use to monitor the voltage
of the starting battery via the secondary voltage function on the
TriMetric TM2025 - very slick.)<br>
<br>
It is set up to use 120V AC to run an onboard battery charger, which
I consider a design weakness, as few existing installations have
nearby AC power available. The AC is a continuous 8 watt draw.
However, Generac has told me that they have no warranty issue with
keeping the starting battery charged with a PV panel and small
regulator. As I had AC power at the generator connection point,
during winter I turned on the circuit every few days; I'll
eventually add an old 40W module instead, just haven't gotten a
round tuit yet.<br>
<br>
The standard AC output is 120V, with an optional kit available to
output 120/240. Mine charges my 120V Magnum MS4024 at full 114A
(it's rated 105A) charging output, while simultaneously running a
1250W electric heating element that heats the WVO (waste vegetable
oil) that I then filter to store and run in my diesel Mercedes. Note
that I live at 6700', so elevation output drops the 6kW rated output
of the unit by 23+% I believe that when I'm doing this I'm running
at slightly over 100% of derated output. The engine can pull this
for hours with no signs of strain.<br>
<br>
I have been very well aware of Generac's past reputation on this
list, but I have cautiously stuck my neck out, and am doing so
again, to say that I think this is a solid unit. Nobody else is
making a unit any more that's specifically designed for the runtime
and load demands of off grid applications, as all of the major
manufacturers are focused on residential standby markets. I have
recommended it several times for installations that we've done. We
don't sell it, preferring to let a generator specialist handle
service and support after the sale. So far no complaints have
filtered back. <br>
<br>
I would encourage you to take this one model off of your "stay away
from" list.<br>
Allan<br>
<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><b>Allan Sindelar</b></font><br>
<small><a href="mailto:Allan@positiveenergysolar.com"><font
color="#000099" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><u>Allan@positiveenergysolar.com</u></font></a></small><font
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic
Installer<br>
NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional<br>
New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician<br>
Founder and Chief Technology Officer<br>
<b>Positive Energy, Inc.</b><br>
3209 Richards Lane (note new address)<br>
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507<br>
<b>505 424-1112</b><br>
<a href="http://www.positiveenergysolar.com/" target="_blank"><u>www.positiveenergysolar.com</u></a><o:p></o:p></span></font>
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On 5/7/2012 12:55 PM, Jeff Yago wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:001201cd2c82$ef982a70$cec87f50$@com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">I have not been a fan of any Generac brand generators, especially their
low-cost, highly marketed residential stand-by generators. Although things
may have changed, these were very hard to use with a typical inverter's
2-wire remote start relay, most warranties were voided if used in off-grid
applications, and their high speed engines just did not last as long as
lower speed engines.
Last year Generac came out with their smaller EcoGen 6 kW propane-fueled
model that they claim was specifically designed for off-grid applications.
As I understand it, this is a vertical shaft engine operating at 2600 RPM
and belt-drives the generator section. The info also claims a simple 2-wire
start/stop (like Kohler) which would be a major improvement, and the output
can be 100% at 120 VAC which would be a great match to a smaller single
120VAC inverter off-grid solar system.
However, anyone have any actual experience with this model? Does it
actually hold up to off-grid type longer operating hours? Warranty claim
issues?
Do electronics require lots of standby power or a separate source to keep
from discharging starter battery? (This was a complaint I had with Kohler's
model changes which sucked down power in standby mode due to the added
electronic monitoring panel not on earlier models.)
Any maintenance issues with belt drive? Do I finally take Generac off my
"stay away from" list?
Thanks,
Jeff Yago
DTI Solar Inc.
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