Our first real outage with the 803A

[NATCAD]

That is some serious boom sauce to snap those utility poles like that low to the ground! Also surprised the generators did not walk. What are they powering exactly?

 

[csheath]

That aux tank does make a sweet setup on your trailer.

Howdy,
I don't know about that.
I have 5 tractors that are made to work. I have no problem running any tractor powering my PTO generator.

The again, the PTO generator is a 30KW and spins at 1800rpm.

I didn't mean to step on Haoleb's thread.

I agree, if you have a quality 1800 rpm PTO generator and a tractor with the right power to run it would be no problem. My tractor is too small to run the cheap 3600 rpm type. If I had a Daybreak's setup I wouldn't think twice about it.

I have a New Holland 575E backhoe I can use to clear downed trees with so tying up the tractor isn't a problem for me.

The 803A is a much better choice for me.

 

[DieselAddict]

I have an 831 for when I don't need to run AC. Works great to keep the lights, fridge, and well pump going on minimal fuel consumption.

 

[Haoleb]

Not 100% sure what those generators the utility co has are powering but I believe they are holing up the phone system.

As best I can tell the aux tank is 50 gallon and I put in a large fuel filter between the aux tank and the generator. The Aux fuel system worked perfectly and it is much easier to dump 5 gallon cans into the aux tank than trying to fill the generator tank.

 

[Chainbreaker]

...I really like your auxiliary fuel tank. How many gallons is it? Im still working on a plan for my auxiliary tank.

Look on Craigslist for used 18 wheeler Truck tanks or go to a Truck salvage yard. Aluminum are best so as not to deal with rust issues.

Here is my thread on what I used (refer tank) that may give you some ideas in addition to Haoleb's nice setup: https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?172275-Generator-AUX-fuel-Tank

 

[Haoleb]

On my way home today I drove through the area where I took the photos above. Still looks exactly the same. Some folks still off the grid on day 5. There was one thing that changed though. I noticed the honda generator the utility had there a couple days ago has been replaced with a newer looking generac. Hmmm.. Maybe it did end up growing legs after-all.

Be careful getting an AUX tank from a junkyard. The first one I got came off a reefer trailer and once I got the tank straps off there was bad enough corrosion in the aluminum that it had small holes in the tank. I took it back and they gave me the one I have now that came off a Volvo which was in much better shape.

 

[Katahdin]

Great setup! I especially like the auxiliary tank, I didn't know that was an option. I was affected by same outage just southeast of you in Scarborough. I just got my power back today - 5 days and four nights without power.

I've resisted the temptation to purchase a military generator, and opted for a 15KW PTO Generator off a 45hp Yanmar tractor instead. Its worked well for me, but I'm always interesting to see how others have weathered the storm.

My routine was to run the PTO generator mornings and evenings, it powered every circuit in the house. During the day I plugged my full-size refrigerator into a 3000 watt inverter in my M109A3. The inverter was powered by two golf cart batteries and dual 100 watt solar panels. During sleeping hours, the fridge was powered with a small 2000 watt inverter generator, which also topped off the golf cart batteries. My fuel consumption was about 5 gallons of diesel and a 1/2 gallon of gas per day.

Monday was a mess and work was called off. On Tuesday my wife's car was still stuck behind downed power lines, so she drove my jeep wrangler into work, and I did the 50 mile round-trip commute in my M275A2!

A lot of people still don't have power yet, and I've heard of several gasoline generators that have burned out, its good thing we have our low-rpm water-cooled diesels!

 

[TheAlfredo]

Irma knocked out my power for 9 days. Only had a 7.5kw big box store special to run the house. FEMA gave it to us after Huricane Wilma many years ago.

I was using 10gal of gas every day to run 2 refridgerators, tv and ceiling fans. And some lights at night. Voltage on the 7.5 was all over the place.

Cant wait to instal my 803

 

[maniatopoulosg]

So a little over a year ago I picked up an 803A, Since then I only had to use it for one actual outage and that was only for an hour. But now this time it is no rehearsal. This is the real deal. Sunday night into Monday we had a storm come through. Heavy winds and rain. We lost power around 5AM Monday. No problem I roll the set out of the garage and plug it into my inlet. Just a week ago I installed a plug and sleeve receptacle and plug. Before I was wiring each wire into the terminal block and having to leave the connection box open.

Have not fired the set up since I was load banking it back in the spring. Fired right up no problem and we were back in business. The rest of the morning watched local news with the HDTV antenna since our cable,phone.. internet etc is down. I only got the antenna because I cancelled my cable tv service but kept the phone and internet. Well the cable co never came and installed a filter on my feed so I still get basic cable for free. At least until that went out. So that antenna is coming in really handy to get local broadcast in HD.

Ran the generator from 5am to 9pm Monday. Again on Tuesday. This morning I topped my AUX tank back up with my 5 gallon cans and only put 15 gallons in and it is more full than it was previously so I would say I used a little less than 15 gallons in 2 days.

Going on day 3 now. Some roads closed around me due to downed poles and lines down all over the place. But plenty of detours available to get where you need to go. No utility trucks in my area yet. Probably be at least another day or two I would expect. But not a problem.. I have been prepared for an extended outage just like this and it honestly has not even been much of a hassle. The generator has been starting right up in the morning no problem. I hit the preheat for 15 seconds or so since it is getting down into the 30's. My biggest problem is I am turning on as many things as possible to keep at least a light load on the set. I can get it to about 25% with every light going..small electric heater. dehumidifier.. etc. Up to 75% with the dryer running. No problems with the dryer running and my well pump kicking in. It bumps to 125%+ for a second then comes right back down.

At one point over 400,000 without power. The most outages from one storm in Maine history. I would hate to see it if the trees had not already shed most of their foliage or if we had an actual hurricane. Lost 3 pine trees that I can see just out back on my property. They just snapped right over. Luckily nothing near the house or vehicles. Some were not as fortunate.

Moral of the story. Be prepared! Lots of people do not even have a basic generator. Some people I work with have no power. no water (most folks are on well's) and I can imagine it really sucks. Very happy I made the investment to my backup power setup. I was not sure I would ever see an outage this long but here it is. Everyone else around me who has a generator has a little gasser screamer. One neighbor who is probably 250 yards away drowns out the 803 when they are running their little screamer. One other neighbor installed a built in setup running propane. I hear it running 24/7 when I shut mine down. I am sure that is going to get expensive real quick and very wasteful.

And of course.. worthless without pics right? Parked one of the vehicles sideways in front of the set so it cannot easily be seen from the road.. And blocks it in so it cannot be easily towed off when I am not home.

View attachment 706431

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Where did you get that tank looks awesome


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[Haoleb]

Picked it up from a junkyard that specializes in heavy equipment. Took it off a volvo truck

 

[maniatopoulosg]

So a little over a year ago I picked up an 803A, Since then I only had to use it for one actual outage and that was only for an hour. But now this time it is no rehearsal. This is the real deal. Sunday night into Monday we had a storm come through. Heavy winds and rain. We lost power around 5AM Monday. No problem I roll the set out of the garage and plug it into my inlet. Just a week ago I installed a plug and sleeve receptacle and plug. Before I was wiring each wire into the terminal block and having to leave the connection box open.

Have not fired the set up since I was load banking it back in the spring. Fired right up no problem and we were back in business. The rest of the morning watched local news with the HDTV antenna since our cable,phone.. internet etc is down. I only got the antenna because I cancelled my cable tv service but kept the phone and internet. Well the cable co never came and installed a filter on my feed so I still get basic cable for free. At least until that went out. So that antenna is coming in really handy to get local broadcast in HD.

Ran the generator from 5am to 9pm Monday. Again on Tuesday. This morning I topped my AUX tank back up with my 5 gallon cans and only put 15 gallons in and it is more full than it was previously so I would say I used a little less than 15 gallons in 2 days.

Going on day 3 now. Some roads closed around me due to downed poles and lines down all over the place. But plenty of detours available to get where you need to go. No utility trucks in my area yet. Probably be at least another day or two I would expect. But not a problem.. I have been prepared for an extended outage just like this and it honestly has not even been much of a hassle. The generator has been starting right up in the morning no problem. I hit the preheat for 15 seconds or so since it is getting down into the 30's. My biggest problem is I am turning on as many things as possible to keep at least a light load on the set. I can get it to about 25% with every light going..small electric heater. dehumidifier.. etc. Up to 75% with the dryer running. No problems with the dryer running and my well pump kicking in. It bumps to 125%+ for a second then comes right back down.

At one point over 400,000 without power. The most outages from one storm in Maine history. I would hate to see it if the trees had not already shed most of their foliage or if we had an actual hurricane. Lost 3 pine trees that I can see just out back on my property. They just snapped right over. Luckily nothing near the house or vehicles. Some were not as fortunate.

Moral of the story. Be prepared! Lots of people do not even have a basic generator. Some people I work with have no power. no water (most folks are on well's) and I can imagine it really sucks. Very happy I made the investment to my backup power setup. I was not sure I would ever see an outage this long but here it is. Everyone else around me who has a generator has a little gasser screamer. One neighbor who is probably 250 yards away drowns out the 803 when they are running their little screamer. One other neighbor installed a built in setup running propane. I hear it running 24/7 when I shut mine down. I am sure that is going to get expensive real quick and very wasteful.

And of course.. worthless without pics right? Parked one of the vehicles sideways in front of the set so it cannot easily be seen from the road.. And blocks it in so it cannot be easily towed off when I am not home.

View attachment 706431

View attachment 706432

Love that tank I’m going to copy that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zapp]

Well power back up and running as of sometime around midnight last night. Shut off the gen and flipped the transfer switch back to the grid just in case it came back on and sure enough. Is it bad that I have slight disappointment it only lasted 3 days? It was a good trial run to be off grid. I think I might start looking for just a small generator to keep as a backup to the 803. Something that will run my well pump that is about all I need. Ideally diesel. Might have to look into the little(ish) MEP701a or 831. Or someone getting rid of their generator from this storm that did not work and is easily fixed!

A lot of out of state line crews out working hard to get us all back and running. We were not scheduled to be back until tomorrow afternoon. These pics were just down the road from me on what is a normally well traveled road

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Seen a lot of these portable generators plugged into utility boxes. I am kind of surprised to see they were still there on day 3 and had not grown legs during the night.

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The pin and sleeve setup I got is a Hubbell HBL460P12W Plug and HBL460R12W. Been watching the auction site and some good deals can be had if you are patient. I found this set for a decent price. It is not a "reversed service" set but before I bought it I looeked at the Hubbell data sheets the actual inner parts were the same between the normal and reversed service.. In other words I could take the male insert and put it into the receptacle and take the female side and put it into the plug body. Once I got the parts I found that it was not as easy. In the plug and receptacle body there was a molded plastic tab I had to file off to get the inserts to be able to swap but after that I was able to swap them no problem and I got it setup as reverse service so it is safe. It is basically the pics below but I swapped the inner parts.

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Here is a link to another thread from when I first got the set that shows the transfer switches I have. They are just basic mechanical but I have one between my meter and the main panel I use to switch between the grid and generator power. Then I have a second one that I use to switch between my 60a hookup for the MEP and just a standard 30a hookup that was existing which I wanted to keep just as a backup to be able to plug in a small generator and standard cord.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...wed-me-Home!&p=1940478&viewfull=1#post1940478

What safety was added by reversing (reverse service)?

 

[2Pbfeet]

What safety was added by reversing (reverse service)?

By reversing the male connector to female, the exposed (hot!) pins on the generator cable become enclosed by the female receptacle. The house then has exposed male pins that are unpowered. Much safer.

I have a similar pin system, but was lucky enough to find a male receptacle for the house and a female connector, but as the OP @Haoleb pointed out, these can be pricey, so patience can save one money. (The OP has not been here for some time.)

All the best,

2Pbfeet