Generator change interval

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Originally Posted By: CaspianM
There is no benefit to thicker oil than what is specified by the manufacturer. Read my post again.
Katerina situation and continuous operation is totally a different topic.


With all due respect, I must disagree. The problem (and benefit, I guess) with having a stand-by generator is that we never quite know exactly how they are going to be used. Hurricanes, I agree, are a different situation, but no-notice situations (tornadoes, severe thunderstorms with high winds, etc) - anything that can cause a long-term outage, can happen at anytime. Since we can't predict the upcoming usage of a generator, some (like myself) would rather be prepared for long-term operation in hot summer weather, hence the thicker oil. Is it needed? As you described above, probably not. But in that one-in-a-million event requiring long-term operation, I won't have to worry about extended generator operation if it's called for.

Please - I'm not trying to start a war, just presenting a potential situation and how a thicker oil might be a benefit in a small engine like this with absolute minimal cooling.
 
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Originally Posted By: CaspianM
There is no benefit to thicker oil than what is specified by the manufacturer. Read my post again.
Katerina situation and continuous operation is totally a different topic.
B&S recommends 50 on at least some of their engines.
 
This is what I use in my 20KW whole house Generator and I live in South Florida. Been using for 9 years. Book calls for 2 year OCIs. I change oil and filter at least once per year unless the Generator has run for long periods of time. Then I change when utility power comes back on. Ran 24 hours straight when Irma came through. Engine runs perfectly and never uses a drop of oil. Oil capacity with large filter is 1.9 quarts. Check it out for your generators.

https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/m...all-engine-oil/
 
I am not speaking about specific situation. Just commented about using 50 grade oil in an engine that has only about 10 hP.
Using a thicker oil outside the design parameters are not recommended.
Why? Simply because using amore viscous fluid in an engine is actually reengineering the product w/o modification. I honestly doubt anyone will get better protection by using a 50 grade oil in any OPE in an outdoor setting in the US. In-fact it is the opposite.

It is a myth that thicker oil provides more protection unless it is specifically stated by the manufacturer (or it is a common knowledge) to be used under specific conditions. At the end it is up to the owner. Enough said.
 
Current Briggs Oil Recommendation Chart. Yes - a 50w is on there, but only for extreme temps.

Oil_rec_chart_smaller.jpg
 
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Originally Posted By: Lawn_Care
Current Briggs Oil Recommendation Chart. Yes - a 50w is on there, but only for extreme temps.

Oil_rec_chart_smaller.jpg



Basically 30 grade is good up to 100F. Honda manual has no other recommendation than 5w-30.
The chart indicates synthetic oil offers far higher temp protection.
Just remember that thicker oil runs hotter because of higher HTHS viscosity causes more rotational friction in the bearings and flows slower.
 
Originally Posted By: Lawn_Care
Current Briggs Oil Recommendation Chart. Yes - a 50w is on there, but only for extreme temps.

Oil_rec_chart_smaller.jpg

Extreme temps? 20F and up? Judging from that chart SAE 30 and 15w-50 are the only oils you should run in FL.
 
I am surprised the chart omits using 40 grade. If consistently using in over 100F (hardly) I would use M1 10W-40 not 15W-50.
Mobil 1 10W-30 high mileage with HTHS of 3.5 is a good all around oil for small engines and should cover marginally over 100F. I used this oil in my B&S mower for 14 years changed every 30 hrs. I retired the mower last year and the motor was not even burning oil but the mower was broken up and needed major over-hall of wheels, cables and clutch.
 
Originally Posted By: CaspianM
There is no benefit to thicker oil than what is specified by the manufacturer. Read my post again.
Katerina situation and continuous operation is totally a different topic.


Thousands of thrown rods beg to differ.

After the hurricanes, generators were pressed into serious duty. The weather was hot, the homes and foods deteriorating. People wanted AC, hot water, well pumps, washing machines and all sorts of other things running.

Placing a portable 11HP generator against the garage, and running it at full load heating the water in the water heater, while sitting in noon day sun is a sure fire way to get oil temp over 300 degrees F. And the result is completely predictable.

I lost 2 Honda water pumps this way, using the recommended oil.

Imagine my surprise when I measured my lawn mower oil temp at 264 degrees. And that's really only at partial load.

In addition, it's very likely that under the right conditions, the hot air around the genset is being recycled. The answer is quite simple. M1, 15W-50. Solves the problem completely.

In addition, conventional 10W-30 oil (as recommended in many engines) is consumed at a faster rate. Leading to a situation where the engine can run out of oil when it's refilled during operation.

This is a situation where real world experience counts. My co-workers generator made it 6 hours before the rod perforated the crankcase, yup, you guessed it, 10W-30. He was heating water. Stories like this are rather common.
 
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Originally Posted By: hatt
For people in cold climates 0w-20 is going to be thicker than me running SAE 50.


Quoted for truth. Many folks completely misunderstand this fact. When the engine is 100 degrees F upon startup, and temp climbs from there, a 15W-50 is actually quite a bit thinner than 0W-20 at 0F.

graph_4_viscosity_comparison.jpg
 
15W-50 M1 is notorious in shearing in high temp. There are far more stable oil out there that resist shearing better.
I have no idea why people jump from 10-30 to 15-50 where there are stout 10W-40 out there to cover anomalies in temp.

The recommended 10w-30 in this case in not based on needs of engines that burn oil heavily, or startup temp is 100F.
 
Originally Posted By: CaspianM
15W-50 M1 is notorious in shearing in high temp. There are far more stable oil out there that resist shearing better.
I have no idea why people jump from 10-30 to 15-50 where there are stout 10W-40 out there to cover anomalies in temp.

The recommended 10w-30 in this case in not based on needs of engines that burn oil heavily, or startup temp is 100F.



Plenty of people run 15w-40 HDEO. Manuals are pretty useless a lot of the time if you have some common sense.
 
I have no clue what that means, especially the last part about 15W-50 being "quite a bit thinner than 0W-20 at 0F."

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Quoted for truth. Many folks completely misunderstand this fact. When the engine is 100 degrees F upon startup, and temp climbs from there, a 15W-50 is actually quite a bit thinner than 0W-20 at 0F.

graph_4_viscosity_comparison.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: CaspianM
I have no idea why people jump from 10-30 to 15-50 where there are stout 10W-40 out there to cover anomalies in temp.


That's exactly why, living where I do, I use a 15w40 (Rotella, Delo, SuperTech) in all of my OPE. The Honda scooter gets a 5w40 in cool weather. Further south, I'd consider a 50-wt.
 
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Originally Posted By: CaspianM
I am not speaking about specific situation. Just commented about using 50 grade oil in an engine that has only about 10 hP.
Using a thicker oil outside the design parameters are not recommended.
Why? Simply because using amore viscous fluid in an engine is actually reengineering the product w/o modification. I honestly doubt anyone will get better protection by using a 50 grade oil in any OPE in an outdoor setting in the US. In-fact it is the opposite.

It is a myth that thicker oil provides more protection unless it is specifically stated by the manufacturer (or it is a common knowledge) to be used under specific conditions. At the end it is up to the owner. Enough said.




For an automobile, perhaps you are correct. In regard to air cooled, small engines, I disagree.

I used to own a new,16 kw whole house, air cooled, Generac generator. Turns on automatically when the power goes out & cuts off when the power is restored. Manufacturer specifies either straight 30 weight or 5W30. I thought I was well prepared, (with Mobil 1 5W30), when a 90F+ power outage hit us in Michigan. After about 15 hours when the lights came back on, I decided to check the oil level after continuous operation. The 1.9 qt capacity (with filter), was so low, the unit should have cut itself off (as it was designed). It was well below 1/2 qt. It would have been ugly if my wife was home alone. I learned my lesson and armed myself with a thicker synthetic than what the book said, for the next time. Other owners with the same generator complained online, their units would run until the oil level dropped to the danger level. So it was not an isolated incident, that I had.

I believe the EPA is the reason manufacturers start with 10W30 on these small engines. (Fuel economy reasons). If you look up both Kawasaki small engines, they allow for 40 weight oil and 20W50. It didn't used to be that way. Even Briggs recommends 15W50 in extreme temperatures.

For the record, Mobil 1 15W50 is sitting in my Honda EU6500is now. I'll only use 30 weight oil during the winter.
 
I would not use 5W-30 in small engine in south.
Straight 30 or 10w-30 of a stout type such as M1 10W-30 HM. If well above 90F I would go to M1 10W-40.
Some years ago we has long blackout (days) in hot summer(09's) and my B&S generator used 10-40 without any issues.
If your manual recommends thicker oil whatever it is listed that is the one to use.
 
I ran my Homelite 5500watt generator all weekend long. M1 10W30 in the Briggs 11hp. Close to max load for 40 hours probably. I never had to add any oil. 35C outside temp. No rods were thrown. Lol.
 
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