Noob with gen set questions.

[jabberwoki]

I know i want a 10 k gen set .
Whats the best year range and make and what would be considered too many hrs and what problems to look for when searching.
I was looking at a Libby MEP 803A but after reading a few posts maybe i should be looking at a Fermont?
This will be used as a back up gen set for the house single phase.
I do have 3 phase in the shop so it would be cool to be able to use if for that as well but not that important.
Thanks in advance for your imput.

 

[justacitizen]

have you added up your load to make sure you need a 10kw? there are still 002a and 003a gen sets out there also. most like low hours machines but i don't mind a machine with a couple of thousand hours on it either.

 

[nextalcupfan]

Since this is your first set I would recommend getting one that's already confirmed running.
If you're looking for the best (IMO) set look for one after 2006ish or was reset after 2006, those will most likely have the mk3 S1 and S8 switches, the Quad Fuse Mod, and the updated Airtex fuel pump.
If the unit has super low hours be aware you need to break in the engine while under load, which usually takes 100-200 hours.

 

[Guyfang]

I know i want a 10 k gen set .
Whats the best year range and make and what would be considered too many hrs and what problems to look for when searching.
I was looking at a Libby MEP 803A but after reading a few posts maybe i should be looking at a Fermont? (There is no real difference. And best year. Its not like cars. There is no difference between the first and last produced.)
This will be used as a back up gen set for the house single phase.
I do have 3 phase in the shop so it would be cool to be able to use if for that as well but not that important.
Thanks in advance for your imput.

 

[Zed254]

have you added up your load to make sure you need a 10kw? .....

justacitizen has an excellent point: add up your necessary load for an outage. I have an MEP803A and am WAY overpowered during an outage. So much so that I've started running my electric clothes dryer each day to help clean out the wet stacking. I have a gas stove, gas water heater, gas home heat. IF I had done a real load calculation I would have found that an 802 would have been a better choice. So I bought one of those, too. Anyway, do the math first.

If you have an electric stove you will have no problems with wet stacking your 803's engine.

 

[Scoobyshep]

Theres the factor of whats available. The first one I bought was a 004, which I use for home backup. Its on the large size for my needs, but every time I run it for a significant power outage (or several small outages) I hook up my load bank and burn the wetstacking out.

 

[justacitizen]

i was considering matching the load to the gen set for fuel economy also. generally speaking an 802A uses about half of the diesel that an 803A uses . when my 002A 5kw is running the farm, house propane heat gas water heater and electric cloths dryer well pump and all appliances happen to cycle on at the same time my percent of load is only about 75 Percent. when the cycles are spread out i am lucky to reach 25 percent of load. so fuel consumption is minimal and the set gets loaded occasionally so wet stacking isn't a problem. when living on the gen for a month or more it really adds up.

 

[Ray70]

To Justacitizen's point, I would have to agree that often times a machine with 1-2K hours often run better than those that have sat around doing nothing and only have a few hours. They seem to start easier, run smoother and perform as they should. Don't get too hung up on age or low hours, judge by condition and how it performs. But yes... make sure it has or you add the quad fuse at first.

 

[jabberwoki]

Ok well i`m sure that 10k is more that i need but i`m not planning on living here forever , wana get out in the bush so there i`ll need more.
Can someone pls explain wet stacking?

 

[nextalcupfan]

MEP-8xx wet stack info

Howdy, MEP-802A/803A wet stack information. sample MEP-802A wet stacking A lot of the military units are run lightly loaded, or simply not loaded. They might even be started and run for a hour or two every other month. Whatever the situation, the above picture shows a case of wet stacking...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[jabberwoki]

On i`m looking at runs on a separate fuel source not on it`s own . Everything else looks good has 1250 hrs.
Fuel pump maybe?

 

[Zed254]

You probably should read the rules about discussions regarding upcoming auctions......and then delete your post.

Maybe I need to read the rules.....

Collusion:
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• Sharing of bidder ID numbers or names to avoid bidding against another member
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Auction Postings:
Please abide by the following rules concerning the posting of auction information in the forums:
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[jabberwoki]

Thanks Z corrected.

 

[Zed254]

Sent you a PM. I think they've changed rules about upcoming auctions.....