*Adding a Generator Hourmeter*
Performing regular maintenance, especially oil changes, is vital to long generator life. During prolonged power outages it is easy to lose track of exactly how many hours the generator has been in operation since the last oil change. I recommend following the manufacturers guidelines which generally range between 30-50 hours for engines without oil filters to 100 hours for filtered engines like Onan.
To solve the tracking problem I added a commercially available hourmeter to the front panel.
Hourmeter Installation:
Here is an example of installing an hourmeter. This one is on my Honda clone generator.
WARNING: If your generator is dual (110/220) selectable voltage be absolutely certain your connection points remain 120 volts regardless of switch position.
This is where I connected my 120VAC Hobbs Model 20001. One wire goes to the hot side of a circuit breaker, the other to the voltage selector switch. Those that have 12VDC available would probably find a wider selection of models. I picked mine up on EBay for $10.
This particular one is rated 108-132VAC and .03 amps.
Now with a way to easily keep up with running hours I can keep an accurate maintenance log.
Warthawg
www.alpharubicon.com
All materials at this site not otherwise credited are Copyright © 1996 - 2006 Trip Williams. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for personal use only. Use of any material contained herein is subject to stated terms or written permission.