Utility Power finally restored to our house! Although some of our nearby neighbors are still without power. Lineman foreman said they are still in triage mode with 1,000's still without power. So I guess we are lucky it was
only a 7 day power outage for us!
I have learned a lot from this event. My longest previous power outage was 3 days. When you get into the week or more type of outages having
really good prior preparation is key to survival. Knowing your generator is 100% prepped for such an event can eliminate a lot of stress in such chaotic times. Anticipation is key! I had thought and read about common failures here on SS related to my generator model and had a lot of key spare parts on hand. That proved to be very useful! That military saying of: 2 is 1 came true for me! Having a redundant generator that I could wheel in place then plug and go into action in challenging weather was a god send! Friends and neighbors, and even my wife at times, questioned why I needed so many generators. They now know why!
Now that the pressure is off and I can catch my breath it will be time to prepare for next potential power failure round. Got to go through a few gremlins left in my 3 gensets that cropped up during this ordeal:
Genset #1: High Voltage AC Regulator issue: replace AC voltage regulator with Triple Jim's "Lakeland VR board" that is already on its way & fully exercise & test. Repair old board and stock as a spare.
Genset #2: Ran like a champ but still need to troubleshoot why its not transferring fuel (replace aux solenoid if bad with new spare on hand).
Genset #3: Troubleshoot intermittent AC Voltage Reconnection Switch (already have complete rebuilt distribution box if required), test glow plugs to see why one cylinder was not firing off in freezing cold start conditions (have new glow plugs on hand).
No rest for the weary!
Thanks for all those that chimed in during my power outage episode! It was comforting to know that if I experienced any further problems with my generators someone would always be here to offer help, suggestions or just saying - I understand your dilemma, been there done that and survived the ordeal!
Thanks to all!!!
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GRID POWER...finally!