Generator question

Right now, we are generating ALL our Electrical Power with a Single GenSet... We had a Radiator failure on one of our twin 20Kw Norther Lights Diesel Gensets.... The OverTemp Shutdown Switch had been disconnected, by who I do NOT know, but I caught it before the Engine was damaged, and got it cooled down, before it siezed up.. The Radiator Core has a small hole in the bottom Tank, New Radiator, both upper & Lower Hoses, and a New OverTemp Switch, should be on the MailPlane, tomorrow... It is a bit disconcerting not having a Ready Backup, but I do have a 125Kw Diesel Genset that powers the Dock Cranes & Lights in the winters, that I can bring online in about two hours... It sucks a lot more fuel than my Northern Lights does, but it. would get us by, until we can get something else setup...

 

Our Dock Cranes were powered by Diesel Hydrolic before, but the EPA wants NO Fuel lines over Salt Water, that are NOT Double Walled, so they switched to Electric Hydrolic, and when I noted that there was NO WAY I could run the 50Hp Dock Cranes without an Electrical Power Source, and I was NOT Qualified to Operated our 5 MegWatt Powerhouse, they bought a John Deer 125Kw Mobile Genset, on a trailer, and parked in in front of the Port Shop. Then wired it into the Dock Feed on the Load Side of the Disconnect Switch which is fed by the Main Cannery Buss, and is Lock out OPEN.... So to run off this source I need to disconnect My Powerhouse that Feeds the Main Cannery Buss thru a3 Kw Transformer and feeds an Inverter/Battery System, that runs the Telco System, down at the Office, in Winter Mode. Once I disconnect that Transformer Secondary from the Main Cannery Buss, I can then CLOSE the Dock Disconnect, and backed feed the Main Cannery Buss, clear back too my Powerhouse, and run my Place in Summer Mode... Getting all that setup takes about two hours, but it is doable, in an Emergency...

 

It ain't obvious to the casual observer, Paul, but yes it is a SMALL city this time of year. One household until the barge comes in and needs unloaded in the spring, then the dock crane gets fired up and used until the "factory" staff shows up and the main power plant gets lit off. (BT will tell me I'm caught off base, I betcha, with a couple of those guesses.)

If you have Google Earth, do a lookup for Excursion Inlet, Alaska. It explains a LOT of what BT says.

 

The Breakup Crew comes in, in the Spring, a few days BEFORE the first Barge, arrives... We have Summer Power within 3 hours, of their arrival, and usually Summer Water, within the Second Day... The Main Powerhouse runs until "Lights Out Day" in the Fall, when the Last of the Cannery Crew, Leaves on the Last Plane Out....

 

and the rest of the Story..... My neighbor showed up at 9Am to help me put the South Genset back together.. First we installed the new Radiator Hoses, both upper and lower... then worked on installing the New Radiator. By 10: 30 that was mostly finished but i didn’t want to install the Grill & Top Cover, until I had the setup tested.... Hit the Starter Swich to crank over the Engine, and found the Battery had discharged significantly, over the period the Genset has been down, but it did crank a bit and the Fan wasn’t hitting the Radiator or Shroud, so the Install was Good, with no rubbibg... Went to fill the Radiator with Coolant, and dumped in a Gallon of Yellow Stuff, then went and got a Gallon of Rain Water, and just as I started to add it, my Buddy spotted a leak in the Thermostat Tank Gasket. We disassembled the Top Hose, and Thermostat Cover and found the Gasket, was basically Non-Existent.... So down to the Port Shop, looking for some Gasket Material to make a new Gasket... That took twenty Minutes but found a Stash of Gasket Material, and a new Tube of “Form-A-Gasket” and came back and traced the pattern on the material and cut it out... Decided to change out the bad OverTemp Switch, BEFORE adding any more Coolant, and then reassembled the Thermostat Tank, Thermostat, Gasket, and Cover, and reinstalled upper Radiator Hose... Added about half Gallom of water, and the Radiator was full... Battery was charged up by then so I hit the Glow Plug Switch, which is also the Safety OverRide, for 30 Seconds, and then hit the Starter... Crank, Crank, Varooom.. Just then I remembered that the Fuel and Return Lines were Shut Off, because there was a small leak in the Main Fuel Line right where in entered the Raycor Main Fuel Filter Housing. Shut it down, QUICK, and chopped an inch off the rubber Fuel Line where the Leak was, and opened the two Ball Valves on the Fuel and Return Lines, and then restated the Engine... Let it run Unloaded for 5 Hours to check for leaks or other issues, and everything looks good. Temp came up to 190F and melted a bunch of Snow just outside the Powerhouse where the Radiator blows... Checked Coolant Level, just Right... Tomorrow Morning, I will put this Genset OnLine and Under Load and watch it close for a few hours... then Run it till it’s 200 Hour LubeOil Change (another 54 Hours) and do an Oil Change... If no other issue pop up by then, I will consider this Job DONE.... Knock on Wood...