Generation Proclamation (or: 2006 Generator Q&A thread)

[Abraham Lincoln]

Okay, I have a lot of ground to cover, so please bear with me.

I guess I'll start with a little background information. This year will be my second at The Man, '05 being my first. I've got relatives who have been going since back when they still had the drive-by shooting range, so I've got all the advice and sagely help I could ever use regarding just about everything... except generators.

Last year my camp was small in both size and number, being our first year. This time we've got six people going and we're planning on expanding a bit in terms of our camp as well as luxuries we wished we had last year, one of which being electrical power.

Long story short, I searched the eplaya like a studious little burner and read up on the matter, and took the plunge with a Honda EU1000i (hats off to Capt. Goddamnit and Kinetic IV, just to name a few, for their excellent posts and advice they have given to other burners in the past)

So now I have a couple of questions I was unable to find answers to by searching the forums:

1) How dirty do the insides of generators get? Assuming they are inside of a baffle, how else should they be protected (if at all?). Should they be elevated from the playa, or perhaps have a tarp under them? How often should the air filters/oil be changed while on the playa? Anybody have personal experiences to share?

2) What type of maintenance should be had after getting back to the default world aside from an oil change and air filter cleaning? I'm assuming that the engine compartment (referring to the EU series hondas) gets pretty playafied during the event, so how should I clean that out? What about cleaning the control panel? What has worked for you?

3) What are your personal experiences with noise with/without a baffle? What have your neighbor's response been? How have you resolved noise problems in the past? I know that this is sort of a hot issue with some people totally fine with some generator noise and others ready to form a lynch mob.

Any other advice or experiences would be more than welcome.

-Abe

[Kinetic IV]

Responding to your excellent questions:

1): My generators come back filthy. In the two years I've run my Honda out there I've sat it up on the back tailgate of a pickup, the next year it sat directly on the playa. There was no difference in the amount of dust inside the case, in both cases it was a mess. I don't put a tarp under it either, if I use Captain Goddammit's fuel tank solution I don't have to worry about fuel spills. The tarp under the genny is nothing more than a playa serpent starter IMHO.

2): Considering that I run the generator non-stop for the week I'm out there when I get home I immediately change the oil, air filter, and I go overkill and change my fuel filter too. I use compressed air (gently, don't blast the thing at 120 psi) to blow out the inside shell as best I can too. Then I fill it up with gas that's been treated with Stabil and put it away for the next power outage. (Also I never open the case to check the oil or for any other reason while on the playa. The engine is new, I've used it enough to know it doesn't use any oil so I take the gas and go approach to running it)

3): I use Castrol Syntec full synthetic oil which can take the abuse a bit better than conventional oil, IMHO. Usually my generators run from 3-10 days non-stop. Considering how critical it is I don't skimp on my choice of oil, I want that unit protected. Also synthetic oil flows faster in cold temps, perfect for getting some power going when the January ice storm snaps powerlines at 3 am or when the generator on the SuperCOW won't start.

4): The Honda EU Series needs no additional sound baffling. I make a point of telling my neighbors that I have a generator and if they need any additional power to ask and then plug in. I also follow up to see if it's too noisy. The most frequent follow-up comment I get is "I didn't even hear it". So I say no to generator boxes and baffles if you have one of the Honda or Yamaha super quiet units. (I try and point the exhaust away from any camps and where the wind can help disperse the fumes.

5): One other thing I do when I get home is spray and wipe the case with 303 spray...it's the same stuff I spray on my polyethylene kayaks to give them some UV protection. (303 is NOT Armor All, I'm biased and will NEVER use Armor All on anything!)

6): For my second year on the playa I brought a Coleman Powermate 1850. That thing was so noisy I had people come over and shut it off. Also I tried building baffle boxes, homosote boxes, and between the wind whipping the dust into them and the heat retention effects of them....let's just say I'm no fan of generator boxes. Plus it's something else to haul out there and mess with during the event.

7): One other thing I bring is 2 deep cell batteries and a small Vector 400 watt power inverter as a backup power source. If someone can't sleep because of my generator the backup lets me keep some lights on . (it's actually used to power an electric blanket when I don't want to run the generator for a 250 watt load)

8: Secure your generator. What's that old saw? Believe in Allah but tie up that camel? I loop a Kryptonite cable around the generator handle and then lock it to the tow strap loop on the back of my truck, or in one case I secured it through the holes in my rims. Now if someone wants to take it they'll bring a battery powered sawzall and cut the handle to steal it. But I can sure slow them down or discourage the burn night looters looking for easy pickings. Also while I'm thinking of it my unit has been inadvertantly left out in a couple of thunderstorms including one hailstorm with 2 inch hail. The unit kept running and had no damage. In short they can handle almost anything you can possibly throw at it...a friend even moved mine once and it ended up sitting in 2 inches of water....it was still running without fuss.

I hope this helps, YMMV, my batteries are not included, yadda, yadda!

[Ugly Dougly]

I've got relatives who have been going since back when they still had the drive-by shooting range...

Bye-bye Barney!

[Tiara]

I've got the Honda eu2000i generator. It's been to the playa 3 years in a row. Sometimes I put it in a plastic pan, sometimes I set it directly on the dirt. All I've ever done is change the oil and clean the air filter before leaving for the playa each year. Still runs like a champ.

[timber mischief]

I've got a coleman 6000 watt unit and a baffle. Attached to the baffle is a ziplock bag full of earplugs. If you want it to be quiet, camp on the outer streets. This is Burningman and not the Rainbow gathering so plan accordingly

[Abraham Lincoln]

Thanks for all of your helpful responses.

I guess I'll bring the materials to assemble a baffle so I can if there is a need.