Generator safety

[phil]

Years and years ago, my office was across the street from a 7-Up bottling plant that had a lot of grass on the lawn. Some guy was trudging around behind a gas-powered but human-push mower. He had a can of gasoline out there, and I watched as he refilled the mower while it was running.

You won't believe this, but he spilled some of the gas on the engine, and the gas caught fire. I couldn't believe it. The gas in the tank caught fire and didn't blow up -- it just burned.

So he went in to the plant building and came out with a big piece of cardboard. He walked over to the burning lawnmower and waved the cardboard at the flames in an apparent effort to blow them out. Incredibly, it didn't work.

He then tried to smother the flames with the cardboard. He actually laid the cardboard over the burning gas tank. You won't believe this, but the cardboard caught on fire.

So he went in to the plant building and came out with a fire extinguisher. You won't believe this, but the extinguisher actually extinguished the fire in about five seconds. The lawn mower and the ground around it were coated in this white sticky stuff from whatever was in the extinguisher. I've had classes in putting out fires, and I'll tell you the stuff that's in there is teh pits if you ever need to clean it off. Sux0r big time.

So my QST magazine for June has these tips for running a generator on Field Day, which is a week shorter than Burning Man but uses more generators:

Don't fill a running generator. Shut it down and let the unit cool down enough it's not hot enough to set gas on fire when you spill it.

Keep the generator and any attached cords dry. It does rain occasionally on the playa, so be alert to the fact that the wet ground may become a shock hazard.

Watch out for the exhaust system of the generator. It becomes hot enough to ignite not only gasoline but fabrics and other items in contact and to give a great burn to any handy skin you may have. You'll be the envy of several people.

If you refuel at night, keep a light that isn't powered by the generator so you can see where you're pouring your gas.

QST also recommends keeping a fire extinguisher handy. I _know_ you're not going to follow the suggestions, because it'll never happen to you.

The article also recommends disconnecting all loads from the unit when you crank it up. Let the generator run until it's warmed up and stable before connecting your laptop and other electronica. Unloaded generators, says the article, can put out up to 160VAC at 64Hz before they stabilize.

The article says that using an Uninterruptible Power Supply between the generator and the gear may work, but if the generator is under varying loads, the UPS will sense the variations and kick over to the battery, never reverting back to the generator. Battery power then runs out even though the generator has been cranking away fruitlessly for the past hour. Oh, well. At least you saved your computer from being fried.

Since I don't have a generator, I'm sure there are other safety tips that I don't know about. Any clues to share?

[zorro sings]

Chain it so it does not get borrowed.

[MarkM3]

Agreed, also chain the spare gas tank as they occasionally grow legs and walk off too.

Additional tips:
Place some kind of protective covering down on the playa when refueling (i.e. oil drip pan.) A large funnel will be useful if your gas can has a big spout. Don't forget to check the oil and bring some to refill if low. Don't put the gererator very close to a car, as the heat of the exhaust may damage your car's plastic bumper, tires, or paint. Check the air filter before leaving for the playa and oil/replace as necessary. And finally, bring extra, extra gas in case you accidentally leave the generator running all night and use up all the fuel.

Happy Burning!