I can't believe the amount of rude people and their inconsiderate comments. The guy said he wasn't an expert. He is simply an owner of the generator and wanted to help others with an issue he has dealt with. I for one appreciate the video and appreciate him sharing what he has learned about owning this unit.
Thanks Frankie. I appreciate it very much. Interesting breadth of comments from the very helpful and kind, right through to the opposite. But hopefully, it has helped a few folks out along the way. A lot of comments have certainly helped me out tremendously and for that I am very grateful. Cheers and thanks again good sir!
The mentally ill are always drawn to online comments sections where they can hide in their anonymity. So many people are full of so much hatred and bitterness the only thing that makes them happy is the thought that they have made at least one other person's life a little bit more miserable. "Misery loves company" you know.
My sentiments exactly. I believe there are a lot of people (AKA trolls) who have nothing better to do than spend the day flapping their gums about whatever, just to make themselves look intelligent (pun intended) and hijack other people threads. It never ends.
where do you live. on earth most people are like this. i really think folks like you put down all people do to the fact your people are pos. every video on youtube has people like you who comment that people are bad, they are not. stop watching the idiot box and go outside and talk to your neighbors. how fucked up are your people to think everyone is bad.
We don't send kind words and thoughts to our most excellent Canadian neighbors quite enough. I am VERY thankful for having Canada and Canadians share our northern border! Thank you, good friends!
Get a “duck bill” one way drain valve - it’s a simple rubber check valve that lets condensate drain in air filters, but won’t let it suck dirty air into the engine.
Doesn't a "duck bill" valve have to have some pressure to push the condensate out thru the "duck bill" itself? I think the air filter box is operating on negative pressure inside the box "inhaling" air thru the filter and box into the engine intake. I suspect a "duck bill" would not work in this instance.
@@GrayLensman51 You could use with a small pump with a limit switch, or even simpler a small cheap pump and a heating coil on a timer. "Frost free" refrigerators are a lie - they just turn on a heating coil periodically using s simple rotary timing switch - it literally just rotates a contactor around and during part of the rotation closes the circuit. ( Side note: Super cheap switch and they last for years and years - until they don't. I had one get jammed and as luck would have it, it jammed with the circuit closed and turned my freezer section into a small oven by the time I got home from work and wondered what the weird smell was. I didn't even replace the switch - just nudged it and it worked fine for another couple years until I moved.) With one of those switches, the heating coil would turn on periodically, melt the ice and run the pump and switch off. Wouldn't hurt anything to run when the plenum is dry. You could probably just use an aquarium pump and let it run 24/7 without a heat source at all - with slight constant airflow you shouldn't have any condensate to freeze.
@@GrayLensman51 …what you say makes sense but the duckbill rubber is very light and flexible and is long enough to hold a bit of water allowing the weight of the water to dribble out as it collects. The light thin rubber opens easily with sufficient water and closes just as easily keeping out dirt and pesky insects (I am a retired product manager for a light construction equipment manufacturer).
I agree with Frankie about his assessment on this man video all the man tried to do was give some helpful advice no need for anyone to be rude I think what he showed was very helpful and I appreciate I thank you.
This man is genuine. He is meticulous, a real fit and finish man...look how carefully he cleaned up his unit. Listen to him and give him good comments. We need more people like him in this world, Thank you sir, for your well done video. Side note. This is NOT my problem, since I live in San Diego County USA, but we do have very strong Santa Anna Winds, also spelled Santana, and it knocks out our power very often, so Ii use my unit nearly every "wind storm." Thanks again, but yikes, I am glad that I don't have to kneel down in the snow to remove "ice plugs." Warmly Dr. George Whitehead
Good day and thanks Edward. I hope it helps a few folks. They are not bad generators overall but just wish they would resolve that one issue. The point of the generator is to be reliable in severe conditions when power goes out, and of course, that's when this happens. LOL. Have to laugh. Keeps me sane. Thanks again and have a great week!
@@GPOutdoors I'm kinda looking at the Kubota SQ and J and SJ lowboy generators plus they have feul and oil guage with low engine oil light and feul gauge and glowplugs wich pretty smart design plus same oil filters used from kubota tractor
I'm a factory trained tech on these things and I have to say that over my 20 plus years in the field we never saw this problem till the EPA got involved and asked for certain changes. They asked for a shorter exercise period with the idea that it saves fuel, (about 5 minutes) then asked for a slower speed during that time to cut noise. That one might be a marketing ploy but I know for a fact certain areas have noise limits during non emergency use. Bottom line is if the engine doesn't fully warm up you get condensation, which we never had with the older sets. A hot engine doesn't make condensation so we can already figure the answer is a longer full speed exercise. The quick fix here is to get into the menu and change the speed for "quiet test" exercise and select "off" to get full speed. Next go to the options for how often it runs and change from weekly to monthly. (less cold runs) Last but not least, go out and manually start it for 15 minutes a few times per month to fully warm it up. Hearing through the grape vine you may see new units going back to a 10+ minute exercise option to dry things out internally.
Good morning Rupe, and thanks so very kindly for the detailed explanation. This makes a lot of sense to me. I will try that during this coming winter and see if that helps. I also had my local techs install the vent pipe heating kit on it as well, so I am hopeful these things will help resolve it. The techs have told me that several customers up in this area have the same issue. Thanks again for taking the time to explain and for your suggestion. Cheers and all the best!
For the newer Generac generators with the lower speed, quieter exercise option, that can be turned off. That is what I did since it was recommended to use full speed for colder climes like here in Chicagoland. It is also interesting to note that the exercise frequency can either be decreased or increased with the newer generators. On the older models it was also fixed to once per week.
the EPA wants those things because they know it makes the generator not last as long. all environmental laws are made for that reason from lawn mowers to 18 wheelers. the job of the EPA is to slow all production in the US. you dont see any emissions crap on military machines or any jets do you?
@@mikecubes1642 … Actually there have been changes to military stuff and commercial jets that we're not aware of. Most of it is to get better fuel economy and reduce weight. Of course anything to do with planes has to pass muster with the FAA as well. Not so with most consumer products. The buck stop with the EPA.
I work on these machines on a daily basis. Happens a lot of time in the winter. Do to the amount of venting on the intake side they will actually suck snow into the airbox. It will Melt the snow while running, then freeze. For the most part if you keep the snow away from it this doesn't happen.
Don’t buy a generac. Generacs are the most unreliable generators on the market. I’m a fully trained military generator tech who trains on hundreds of different types and brands, don’t do it.
It's not exhaust. It's the crankcase ventilation. Its allows any pressure in the crankcase to neutralize and any gasses to be sent back through the intake to be burned. The source of the water is from the engine not being run long enough to get hot and eliminate its own moisture. It needs a longer exercise time. DO NOT put any holes in the air box. Dirt and insects have direct access to the inside of the engine
@@drew738 All crankcase vapors, moisture included, goes to the filtered side of the air box and is drawn right back into the intake to be burned again. Been this way since the '60's. The water you see dripping from a tailpipe is not from the same source.
@@fliegenmann2562 I would try drilling install a port then attach fish tank air hose to route water away and use fiberglass door screen to cover the hole if bugs are a problem
We go to Canada periodically and have found being friendly is a way of life. Course we are from Texas and they may just feel sorry for us. Visit Prince Edward Island. Worth the trip. Rude awakening ......compare the Canadian side of Nigeria Falls and the State side. Daylight and dark.
That is the most Canadian thing I've seen all year! Thanks for the video, I am considering a Generac for my South Carolina home. You just sold me on the concept with your video. Thanks for being so nice, Canada!
I am a Generac service dealer in central Ohio and have been installing and servicing units for 17 years. I have seen this problem several times with really cold weather. A few additional comments to what is in the video is that the breather mechanism (not exhaust) is under the shroud that is around the flywheel. This can ice up even without the exposed tube icing up. On the newer Evolution controller generators, I would advise taking the short rubber air intake tube off of the air cleaner cover when running in below 0 deg F weather so that the engine can breath in warmer air from the inside of the generator box. This will help prevent ice from forming.
Good morning and thanks very much for the helpful advice Ken! I will give it a try this coming winter and see if that makes a difference. I had the technicians come and put the additional heater kit on that vent pipe at the end of last winter. So we will see how both do - again, very much appreciate you taking the time to write this out. Cheers and all the best!
@Kenlynjay Just a curiosity question, but what if an owner of these Generac generator units put like a tablespoon of engine anti-freeze in the bottom of that reservoir??? That should prevent condensation from freezing like that, right???
@@AzzKicker-bz1cb I guess it would be worth a try but some of the condensation comes from the breather mechanism and comes up through the tube while the engine is running, so it could still freeze up. Part of the problem lies in the engine temp being to low during cold weather. You could try putting a piece of cardboard across part of the air inlet on the right side of the unit when temp is really low to slow the air circulation. Also, as other people have posted, there is a cold weather electric heat tape that goes around the breather tube that will help.
Ken I also service Generac but deal pretty much exclusively in portables and refer most onsite standby unit to another guy in town that does mainly standby units. I don't have familiarity with standby unit other than most are propane or natural gas and that they self operate periodically as a self test. I am curious how long that self test runs on the norm. I would think that in a cold climate situation, the unit might not run long enough to cook off moisture. Especially since propane and/or natural gas burn efficiently which usually will equate to more water vapor as a byproduct in the blow by gases and build up in the air box. Another not so good side effect is moisture build in the crankcase. Interesting side note is this unit looks pretty darn close to the 17.5 kw portable save the lack exhaust heat to a carb and exhaust header layout.
Dwayne, the older units will do weekly exercise for around 12 minutes. The newer Evolution controller units will exercise for around 5 minutes when it is warm but I believe that they are supposed to exercise longer in cold weather since they have a temp sensor in the controller to tell it to do so. The times that the breather ices up is usually when the unit runs for a while in super cold weather, so longer exercise time probably wouldn't help.
@@michaelrice500 Bloody hell !!! -45 ! No wonder the generator is freezing up. I noticed he only had on overalls and a flanno shirt. I was cold just watching this video. He speaks very clearly and well. very easy to listen to. I might be getting a portable generac for camping, but I wont have to worry about THIS sort of cold.
Great video that explains the problem and solution that he’s found! I’m not a generator expert but I’ve been a technician for 40+ years and I’ve see these rubber weep valves in the bottom of many air filter housings. It’s designed to automatically open and discharge foreign material at the slightest positive pressure and automatically contract with negative vacuum while the engine is running to allow crankcase purge. It is round at the top and converges to a “vee” shape at the bottom where the two sides form the flap valve. I would not drill and leave an open hole, unless you have one of these rubber weep valves to insert. Hope it was a help!
Unit is a one size fits all good for Florida where it is warm good for Northern Canada where it is cold. This shows a small flaw for colder places the comments here show some of good solutions. Thanks for the posting this problem and thanks to the people who offered solutions in the comments. You have helped me out.
Having worked on Generac home standby generators I will agree with the statement that you need to check on them on a regular basis. In the winter depending on the outside temperature and exercise frequency maybe as much as weekly after the exercise to clean out the water and ice. 15 minutes today will save an hour or more later. Give it a good run so the engine heats up to operating temp and gets the moisture out of the crankcase. A 6 minute exercise time is too short.
I worked with a somewhat larger industrial generator. It had a 750 horsepower Caterpillar diesel with twin turbochargers. Doing the routine check fluids and monthly start up, it ran for a minimum 10 minutes. We had a status panel for the generator in the computer room so we could monitor if it was running if there was a problem. Those one light that was labeled in a way that didn't make much sense and we didn't know what it was until one Saturday, generator over crank. I was heading out the door to go home early which was extremely rare. I would let my hourly employees go home with pay before I would take time off and go home and make them stay. As I was leaving I heard the generator tried to start three times and it did not start. I literally ran back into the building badged into the computer room went out the fire exit with the keys and opened up the UPS from and flipped it from generator and batteries to utility power. I went back in looked at the status panel and the light was lit next to over crank! I now knew what that light meant. It took about a week for them to fix that generator and it don't recall what was wrong with it but yeah it would have been really ugly if I hadn't reset the breakers. It would power off a dozen mainframes and probably 80 to 100 peripheral devices. As I said very ugly.
Generac knows this test run is too short and doesn't seem to care or they would have put out a firmware update for a longer run time. We're in a cold area and get condensation in the oil cap and the oil gets a bit milky. Generac says it's synthetic oil so it's fine. Why would they say that? Water does not belong in the crankcase.
I have one but I have a maintenance agreement with the company. They monitor the unit 24/7. It saved me when we had that cold weather in Texas a few days ago.
Good stuff Linzie. I have it now as well and it is worth the money. The tech has been able to re-start it remotely a few times for me. Happy you had it during the outages we heard about down there. All the best!
I have a newer model Generac stand by generator without that problem. I'm in west part of Tennessee where it generally doesn't get nearly that cold for a long time like up in Canada where he is. Thanks so this nice helpful man for sharing his knowledge with us.
People may put this generator down, but it has served us well keeping nothing in our refrigerator and freezer from spoiling. As well as staying worm or cool in the summer. Talk shit about it because you more than likely have NEVER used one. This guy gave us a very useful idea and could save a service call.
No, I talk shit about it because I service and repair them. Brand new you have a 50/50 chance that they will need warranty work. I've replaced several governor stepper motors on these units, some more then once. And all most all of them will have water in the oil when it's changed due to condensation because the controller only let's it run 12 minutes per exercise. And they've had a spate of bad control boards. Bad to the point that all the guys carry an $800 control in the van because chances are that it will be a bad control at 3 am in a storm when the thing quits.
Huge recall this past week...it did not give details, but I'd be willing to bet that it is about this very problem. Thanks for posting and perhaps getting the attention that this needed,
I'm shopping for a standby generator, so this video was helpful. Thankfully, I live in central Texas. We had your weather for a week last February. We pretty much all almost died, more from shock and awe as much as anything else. Both our water and power systems failed almost at once, so we lived like savages for a solid week. Even though your kind of cold is a 200 year event down here, I decided to try and not relive the experience.
Bought a 22kw 3 years ago and I am very happy with it so far. I've only had to run it for 9 hours in the Texas 100 degree heat once but it kept the house cool and freezer cold.
I was grateful for finding this video since I live in WNY. The temperature was zero or below each night for several days and didn't rise above freezing for over two weeks. After reading this I immediately checked my generator. Thankfully there is absolutely no evidence of frozen condensation. I will continue to be diligent of this possibility over the next weeks of winter. A week ago, however, I discovered 36" of snow drifted over the end vents. After clearing that I decided building deflection walls on either side but allowing for proper ventilation would be an appropriate summer project. Before starting the generator 2 years ago I had built a roof over it to protect from snow and ice sliding off my barn roof. That has proved to be important, but now need to attend to protection for the side vents. Thank you for this valuable video.
Thank for the tip. Having one installed within the next two months under a carport in my home in Binghamton. I will look into protecting the sides, but still allowing good air circulation.
Very recent Generac owner in NC. This will be the first winter with my unit. The power grid here is fairly stable and winters are not usually too severe; so I don't expect this to be a problem, but it is good information to have. Thanks for posting!
Jeff, you have to remember your unit will "exercise" itself once a week and you still may have this issue result. Please be watchful. This is a bad design flaw.
You might think about disconnecting the crankcase breather hose from the airbox and putting a filter on the end. Don't forget to plug the hole in the airbox. Your aren't reburning the exhaust fumes to save the environment but the engine will like it better and you wont have an issue blocking the vent.
instead of plugging the hole in the airbox, put a one way check valve in there to drain any condensation buildup so that the airbox doesn't fill up with water.
Don’t buy a generac. Generacs are the most unreliable generators on the market. I’m a fully trained military generator tech who trains on hundreds of different types and brands, don’t do it.
When saying exhaust port, he's referring to the crankcase breather. Its function is to introduce any crankcase vapor into the air intake to be burned thus reducing emissions
@@joenaylor34 That's how we er I mean some fellows in the 60's and 70's did it on cars. When putting on a custom air cleaner it was a must. Also, you can exhaust it in the vicinity of the out side air intake if you want to burn it, but it gets your air filter dirty faster. I'm looking at getting one of these and it should be interesting to see what can be done with the crankcase gasses.
Don’t buy a generac. Generacs are the most unreliable generators on the market. I’m a fully trained military generator tech who trains on hundreds of different types and brands, don’t do it.
@@aaronkellar6583 I don't know about all that. Mine is 18 years old, original battery, only have had to do routine maintenance, no issues. This is in Central Maine, where we lose power all the time, and not for just a few hours, but sometimes for 2 weeks depending on the storms.
I'm responsible for five Genrac units all around 10 kW capacity. They're used for standby power at radio stations I service in South Western Ontario. Bar batteries failing I've had few occasions when they didn't start and service their duty. I've never encountered the water problem. Maybe because all mine run on propane. If this gentleman has an on going problem I would suggest the answer is a 1/8" hole or two, drilled in the bottom of the air filter housing, put a split pin in the holes with the legs partly spread so they rattle when the engine runs and keeps the holes open to drain but keep the bugs out. The other thing we've done from the start is to have a heater sleeve around the oil filter and one around the battery to counter sluggish starting in the cold of Canadian winter .
@@jake733 No the sleeves are actually heaters. They are connected to the "sample 120 voltage" in the control housing. Installation instructions are supplied with the heaters. They each have a thermostat built into the sleeve so they only heat below about 10*C so they're not on all the time. When the power fails and the generator starts, if the ambient temperature is below 10*C then the oil with be warm and the battery will be more efficient for cranking the motor. The thermostats are not accessible and therefore not adjustable. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the info! Considering getting one here in Louisiana. Even though I won’t have the frozen reservoir problem, I still found it very informative from a preventative maintenance point of view.
These things sell like hot-cakes here in Upstate NY. I've installed some myself but never heard of this issue (I don't service them, just install them). Hard to believe a design flaw like this could exist on such a popular item. Good video!
You did well identifying the problem .now you need video with a fix . drill a hole in bottom of air box install a 1 way drain valve and water will empty soon as engine shuts off .not freezing and plugging the manifold pressure port. good job Gp .bet you saved people a lot of service calls .and sitting in the dark cause they dont know whats wrong.
I have a Generac 14 kw and this happened to me today and I wasn't sure where to look for the problem. This video was right on the money, I removed the ice block and problem solved. I will be checking this regulary from now on. From Nova Scotia Canada, -24 C / -11F with high winds and blowing snow and a power outage... not a nice day to be working on a generator! Thank you very much for posting this video, it was spot on.
@@peach495 Reliable generator... no warranty... reliable generator... no warranty. Lets be honest. If you're dependent on the generator, and it has a habit of icing up and blowing its oil out all over the place, I'm not sure the warranty has any value. If its a toy for you, maybe you're ok with sitting in the dark. I was going to say until the spring thaw, but honestly, the water is still there... so it could be late spring until its warm enough to both thaw the ice and evaporate any collected condensation. The unit really needs a simple drain.
@@brianmcgovern6119 Most people aren't "dependent" on a generator but want it to work when it's supposed to. I get that the warranty isn't going to do anything for you if the unit fails. Nevertheless, I expect the fucking thing to work as designed without the need for me to intervene by checking it every week.
Agreed with anyone suggesting the water should be weeped or drained away from the air box. Also some supplemental heating will help. Thanks for the video Sir. A genset is a critical part of our existence.
I would just drill a 1/16 hole in bottom of filter box so water would leak out and not build up like I have done on others, it works. Better than always having to take it apart and clean it out.
@@trustme7731 Just a possible suggestion, install a one way valve that will only open when the engine is not running, pulling air through the filter box, yet will allow the water to drain out of the filter box upon shut down of that generator. It would need to be a port large enough to allow the water to drain without freezing inside the drain opening causing the same issue. Maybe a 1/16 hole isn’t large enough to allow a lot of unfiltered air to flow through the air box(filter box), but if there wasn’t that concern, then the engineers would have made drain holes in the filter box! Maybe the pressure exhaust port needs to be moved higher in the filter box to keep it out of the reach of condensation build up!!!
I live in Canada and thinking about one of these units. I have a portable Honda standby but not automatic. We are not home for several weeks in the winter and power is essential to keep the pipes from freezing and the freezer freezing. Thanks, very good video and I will keep this in mind.
Great tips! I have the same 16kw gen set works great. I live in a very rural area at 1300 feet above sea level. Several power outages per year sometimes for 3-5 days. FYI when ever you open the generator cabinet always 1. inspect battery for swelling from overcharging. 2. Inspect wires & terminals for rodent damage and corrosion. 3. Check battery voltage on the panel & with a multimeter. 4. Check battery charging voltage & amperage.
Not sure why there’s so many rude comments. If I lived up north and had a generator, I’d be glad if I saw your video and got mine going again in the middle of winter.
Pay very close attention to the warranty guidelines I just left a generac production facility and they are letting so much garbage and poor quality units go through its disgusting. To top that most the people assembling the units don't know how to do it or use the proper components. Just some advice from someone witnessing the assembly of the units.
@@mgallus How long are they warrentied for? The company I purchased mine from, wanted to sell me an extended warrenty which was quite pricey so I am leaning against it.
@@gym_bob not exactly sure but I wouldn't buy one myself, unless the competition is somehow worse. There have been places I've worked that I'd recommend buy their products but not generac at least the units that come out of the whitewater location.
Generator update: Today finally came when Wired Electric came out and installed a new engine into our 20KW Whole House Generator. The old engine had low compression on one cylinder. The generator was 2 years out of warranty. After calling Generac and sending them the serviceman's diagnose of the engine they deemed it "Manufacture Defect". The original warranty was 5 years. I had the generator 7 years. The new Generac Generators now carry a 7 year warranty. I got a call from Generac telling me they were going to cover the cost of a new generator. The serviceman worked on it from 11:30 to 3:45. He put oil in it and fired it up. It ran great. I ask him how long have he seen these generators run without stopping. He told me over 3 weeks when the power came back on. At that time you change the oil and filter and put it back in standby mode.
I hope NO ONE ran a generator for 504 hours straight without changing the oil. The oil is flat WASTED by 200 hours and realistically should be changed at 100 hours. A 500 hour service interval will just about destroy an engine.
The exhaust port is actually a crankcase breather. Blowby from the engine is routed into the air intake to be burned in the engine. Since blowby has a high moisture content from the combustion of fuel and air it will condense and freeze. You may want to ask Generac if they offer a cold weather kit that warms the intake air to prevent the moisture buildup. I have an Onan genset and it has a cold weather kit installed for issues like his.. Otherwise very good video, many thanks!
I've been repairing power generation equipment for 45 years in the Industrial world . A friend wanted me to recommend a generator brand for his own use . I strayed away from the reliable brands I knew and bought 2 each 15 KW Generac's , one for him and one for myself because of the low price . Both units required major repairs costing more than half the original price in less than 2 years because of circuit board failures . Spend the money to buy a Onan or Kohler or go with a cheap Predator brand . I'm stuck with this Generac hoping to recover my losses and eating crow for ever recommending them ....
Ed Mckinney I’m sorry To year that Ed where did you buy your most have “For a period of three years from the date of original sale, Generac Power Systems, Inc. (Generac) warrants that its standby generator will be free from defects in material and workmanship for the items and period set forth below.This Scheduled Maintenance should be performed by an Authorized/Certified Generac Dealer” you can get 5 year warranty on certain promo days too.
A very well organized and thought out video. Thank you. I might make a suggestion or two. Northern Pa winters can be cold. I installed the following on my Stand-by Generac 20KW: A battery heater pad, an oil filter wrap around heater and finally some heat trace tape below the air filter housing. Since I took these measures I have had no issues through the years with any potential ice build-up and lends itself to an easier start-up. Stay well (and warm)
Thanks very much for the great suggestions. I have 3 heaters on it currently and had aded the last one -which was a new kit they offered this past winter, which wraps on the vent port to stop the water from freezing back into it. The water still builds and freezes in the filter box but at least it is not blocking the vent port any longer. Thanks again and all the best to you!
Thank you sir, seems like Generac could solve that easy enough. I’m getting a quote from Generac soon for my home backup unit in TEXAS (yes San Antonio to be more specific) 😳. I’ve seen more power failures in the last five days than I have in my lifetime here… And I’m 63
We had a heater installed when purchased as per the installer’s recommendation. Also installed the generator in a somewhat protected location reduce wind cooling the unit.
I had a similar issue with my 20kw Generac gen as well the first winter we had it. Found the winterizing kit eliminates the issue quite good. Still have to check it from time to time, and no issues since. There is a low heating 3rd party attachment you can get to put in the air filter container.....very small and does a great job.
Does your cold weather kit have a air filter warmer? Just order a generac 24kw and it's a 3-6 month lead time but I am getting the cold weather kit. Home depot rep didn't explain what's in the kit.
Here in San Antonio and this past week has been interesting. Have house wired to our 6500 gen, glad we prepared, but will be adding one of these ourselves this summer before hurricane season to run central A/C. Great video and thanks for the info!
Thank you for the information. I have been looking for one of these for my home and my son and I have thought about this one for a while now. Glad to know a little more about this product.
This confirms the comments I have heard from other Generac users up here in Ontario cottage country -- namely "Buy a Kohler". Great channel, always enjoy watching! Keep it up.
Good morning M. Well it certainly gets a little frustrating sometimes.Overall they are good units. Just wish this didn't happen. But I have a few good solutions from subscribers now that should fix the problem. Cheers and have a great week!
Luckily the people who live in the carribean like me don’t have this issue with our standby gas generators because we have warm weather all year round but this is a good advice for those who live in this type of environment.
This is a great example of why you follow the directions. Both Generac and Kohler, require you install a Cold Weather Kit in climates like this. Part of the kit is a small electric heater that wraps around that exact hose that he's having a problem with, and it prevents exactly his problem.
If as someone said that is a crankcase vent, it may have two functions, one to warm the air and also to vent the crankcase, I would put a small tube to elevate the exhaust higher in the air intake to alleviate the problem or drill a small hole to run off water. I have installed these units and they perform quite well not saying other manufacturers don't have good units. I do appreciate knowing about this cold weather issue.
I install these units, and they are generally pretty good for what you pay for them. The crank case breather has a heater which is part of the cold weather kit. The kit has 3 heaters, one for the battery, one for the oil filter, and one for the breather. The breather heather is only energized when the generator is running. The other two run when the temp is below approx 30F.
You got it right! This generator needs a heater. I installed them on my Briggs generator, see my videos.. They work when gen is not running and temp is below 32F or so. Not having it will wear out the engine as the engine oil will be Jello when started in that cold temp. I installed the oil filter heater in my video on a generac and that may be enough, but a heater wrap there may help. Is it possible to drill a drain hole? Anyway good video, TH-cam critics just complain. Keep up the Good work!
Quote,,,,, " The breather heater is only energized when the generator is running." This has to be the most idiotic design... if it's true. Truly amazing. For a generator that is supposed to work in emergencies.
@@TheWilferch That cant be true. The whole purpose is to ensure start up. Once running the engine heats itself. Watch my generac video with a friend. There was an electric always hot bar to connect power for the oil heater. I believe that the breather heater connects to that too. They come with a temp sensor that only allows electricity to flow when under around 32F.
@@silverbankruptcy ,read the original poster's statement ( Taylor Sutherlan), that I am simply quoting....so I still stand by my statement...it is a most idiotic dessign if this is true. We don't have such pre-heater complications on PCV valves on cars...and they run in severely cold weather.
We National Security and Emergency Prepardness folks were looking for power generators in 1989 for Y2K mitigation. Telephony Central Offices have permanent generators and batteries. Some other common situations only had batteries. You get the drift. One fellow in my travels said he would buy a personal one after the new millinum rush when the surplus cost plummeted. I live 10 miles from Generac HQ.
Excellent video! I'm going to be buying a Generac generator for my cabin in northern Wisconsin. Since Generac is made here in Wisconsin it was an easy choice. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for this educational video been looking at Generac and other brands to install a system for my home, great video definitely something to think about! Thanks again
Thanks for making the video - good to know!. Glad it blew out the dipstick and not sideways out a gasket! I'd put an extension on the port that got plugged and raise it up abit as well as check regularly. Now, all I gotta do is get enough $$ to BUY one for my home!
I don't have that problem nor will I ever have it.When I had my Generac installed the tech advised me to spend $150 extra and have a heating element installed in the case to keep the engine warm when the temperature goes below 30 it comes on automatically and keeps the engine warm no matter how low the temperature goes and the engine fires up in an instant .That was great advise from the Generac tech.
Thank you for the great information and video. Something interesting to know newer cars today have heated crankcase ventilation systems so that don't freeze up.❤
Good advice and good how-to video, GP. My suggestions were listed below in many of your viewers' comments. I'd have the unit high up on a slab, have the unit sheltered so no snow/water can get inside, a light-bulb lamp inside the shelter to keep it warmer than outside temperature, and store clean-up wipes, cleaning solution, oil and parts in the protective shed for easy access. The precautions I mentioned are not going to stop the unit from the condensation build-up but just how I'd like it set up. Your video is definitely spot-on for generator owners. I wonder if other brands have PCV issues. As you recall, I recently went through hurricane Florence and said I was going to get a generator and your video definitely taught me something. As always, your videos hit a home run. Later and thanks much.
Hey good evening Houndsman. Thanks for the suggestions. The Generac is a good unit overall and not sure if it is just the climate we have here but have spoken with a couple of the techs here and will have Generac's latest Kit installed soon which should help. Cheers and all the best!
Knock on wood, I havent run into that here in New England. I have had a 22kW unit going on 5 years now on a gen pad outside and it has been flawless in the 3 to 4 events we get every year. Granted, weather typically not as severe. That said, I will keep an eye out for that. Thank you for the video and the good tips!
Sheesh that's a fire waiting to happen right there. Oil mist and vapor flying all around in an enclosed cabinet. I'm sure it runs quite a while until the low oil alarm trips. As others have suggested, you need to relocate that PCV breather to another location on the intake or just let it vent into the atmosphere. Letting this happen to many times will eventually blow out an oil seal as quite a bit of blow by and expansion pressures are building up in the crankcase. Thanks for making this video to alert others to the design problem.
Dig the “Coke Bottle Blues” background jam. Thanks for the info. Ours has been running for 14 hours straight in the Great Colorado Blizzard of ‘21. I will be looking into this as soon as the snows stops flying sideways. We Love our Generac. Were the only lights on for 20 miles!
Thank you for the heads-up, whew, in Florida my extremes are the 90+degree Fahrenheit temps, not freezing temps. Great video tip nonetheless, and cheers to you also sir!!
Pour a little RV antifreeze in reservoir to stop freezing - exhaust pressue should be able to displace liquid. As video suggests, it is always a good idea to routinely inspect your backup system to ensure operation when it is needed.
I can't believe the amount of rude people and their inconsiderate comments. The guy said he wasn't an expert. He is simply an owner of the generator and wanted to help others with an issue he has dealt with. I for one appreciate the video and appreciate him sharing what he has learned about owning this unit.
Thanks Frankie. I appreciate it very much. Interesting breadth of comments from the very helpful and kind, right through to the opposite. But hopefully, it has helped a few folks out along the way. A lot of comments have certainly helped me out tremendously and for that I am very grateful. Cheers and thanks again good sir!
STICK YOUR NECK OUT and some RUDE oxygen thief takes a chop at it TOOO USELESS 2contribute
The mentally ill are always drawn to online comments sections where they can hide in their anonymity. So many people are full of so much hatred and bitterness the only thing that makes them happy is the thought that they have made at least one other person's life a little bit more miserable. "Misery loves company" you know.
My sentiments exactly. I believe there are a lot of people (AKA trolls) who have nothing better to do than spend the day flapping their gums about whatever, just to make themselves look intelligent (pun intended) and hijack other people threads. It never ends.
Lots of Trolls on you tube !
If it was more people like this gentleman it would be a better world
This dude only showed an issue and never resolved it lmao the world would be fucked if it was run by people like him
See people like you made my point foul mouth and Hellbound
Damn Right about that.
where do you live. on earth most people are like this. i really think folks like you put down all people do to the fact your people are pos. every video on youtube has people like you who comment that people are bad, they are not. stop watching the idiot box and go outside and talk to your neighbors. how fucked up are your people to think everyone is bad.
@@allroadsleadtoRoam Lord come quickly?
Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV)
not exhaust port.
Nice video. 👍🏻
I'm here because I live in Texas, and am tired of getting caught in these severe weather situations and depending on the local government for help.
So sorry to hear about you and your community down there. Hope you are safe and finding warmth and food.
Power back on here in Houston. I am definitely getting a standby generator after this BS!
Dont get a generac.. you will be let down
@@nickonickster1 What's a better alternative that you suggest?
@@nickonickster1 How so? Feedback would be great.
Snow, flannel shirts, and a polite, thoughtful human. So Canadian!
Thanks kindly Alex! All the best to you.
Handsome too.
We don't send kind words and thoughts to our most excellent Canadian neighbors quite enough. I am VERY thankful for having Canada and Canadians share our northern border! Thank you, good friends!
When we're in hockey gear , the whole story changes. Hahaha
Also, listen to the temperature of that snow. Sounded like below 20F. Cold for no gloves to clean the Generac deficiency.
Thank God there are guys like this that can save people a lot of grief,....and money.
Get a “duck bill” one way drain valve - it’s a simple rubber check valve that lets condensate drain in air filters, but won’t let it suck dirty air into the engine.
Doesn't a "duck bill" valve have to have some pressure to push the condensate out thru the "duck bill" itself? I think the air filter box is operating on negative pressure inside the box "inhaling" air thru the filter and box into the engine intake. I suspect a "duck bill" would not work in this instance.
@@GrayLensman51 You could use with a small pump with a limit switch, or even simpler a small cheap pump and a heating coil on a timer.
"Frost free" refrigerators are a lie - they just turn on a heating coil periodically using s simple rotary timing switch - it literally just rotates a contactor around and during part of the rotation closes the circuit.
( Side note: Super cheap switch and they last for years and years - until they don't.
I had one get jammed and as luck would have it, it jammed with the circuit closed and turned my freezer section into a small oven by the time I got home from work and wondered what the weird smell was.
I didn't even replace the switch - just nudged it and it worked fine for another couple years until I moved.)
With one of those switches, the heating coil would turn on periodically, melt the ice and run the pump and switch off.
Wouldn't hurt anything to run when the plenum is dry.
You could probably just use an aquarium pump and let it run 24/7 without a heat source at all - with slight constant airflow you shouldn't have any condensate to freeze.
@@GrayLensman51 …what you say makes sense but the duckbill rubber is very light and flexible and is long enough to hold a bit of water allowing the weight of the water to dribble out as it collects. The light thin rubber opens easily with sufficient water and closes just as easily keeping out dirt and pesky insects (I am a retired product manager for a light construction equipment manufacturer).
This right here. It should have had it to start with
@@GrayLensman51 It will work as there are heavy pulses of air flow caused by the 2 cylinder engine cyclic intake suction. Good suggestion!
I don’t have a house generator back up system but i learned something from your video. Thank you for taking the time to make it.
I agree with Frankie about his assessment on this man video all the man tried to do was give some helpful advice no need for anyone to be rude I think what he showed was very helpful and I appreciate I thank you.
Thanks very kindly Alan. Was all I wanted to offer. Factual truth on it. Cheers and all the best!!
I’m just going to applaud this guy’s efforts to keep that thing clean. 👏
Could you put in a drain line to help relieve moisture build
Ok
Not to mention to throw the frozen oil onto the ground..
Thanks bud
@@stankornsey7525 that too would most likely freeze. Unless it was a small heated line.
This man is genuine. He is meticulous, a real fit and finish man...look how carefully he cleaned up his unit. Listen to him and give him good comments. We need more people like him in this world, Thank you sir, for your well done video. Side note. This is NOT my problem, since I live in San Diego County USA, but we do have very strong Santa Anna Winds, also spelled Santana, and it knocks out our power very often, so Ii use my unit nearly every "wind storm." Thanks again, but yikes, I am glad that I don't have to kneel down in the snow to remove "ice plugs." Warmly Dr. George Whitehead
Thanks very kindly Dr. Happy New Year!
Would drilling a small whole in the bottom help ?
😅@@vincehughes
Generac offers a cold weather kit. Part of that kit is a small heater that you wrap around that breather hose to prevent it from freezing.
If Generac knows about this problem, then this option should be standard when selling this unit in cold weather areas....... cheep bunch!!!!!!!!
@@petewerner1494 or.....because Generac sells through dealers the local dealers should recommend the kits.
@@petewerner1494 the number of people that need it is much lower. damn...do you need EVERYTHING fed to you???? trying thinking for once. O.o
@@petewerner1494 not needed in warm weather. So why charge the customer for something not needed?
Good morning... I'm betting you just saved someone from much frustration. Sharing information like that is worth its weight in gold.
Thanks. 😊
Good day and thanks Edward. I hope it helps a few folks. They are not bad generators overall but just wish they would resolve that one issue. The point of the generator is to be reliable in severe conditions when power goes out, and of course, that's when this happens. LOL. Have to laugh. Keeps me sane. Thanks again and have a great week!
@@GPOutdoors I'm kinda looking at the Kubota SQ and J and SJ lowboy generators plus they have feul and oil guage with low engine oil light and feul gauge and glowplugs wich pretty smart design plus same oil filters used from kubota tractor
I'm a factory trained tech on these things and I have to say that over my 20 plus years in the field we never saw this problem till the EPA got involved and asked for certain changes. They asked for a shorter exercise period with the idea that it saves fuel, (about 5 minutes) then asked for a slower speed during that time to cut noise. That one might be a marketing ploy but I know for a fact certain areas have noise limits during non emergency use. Bottom line is if the engine doesn't fully warm up you get condensation, which we never had with the older sets. A hot engine doesn't make condensation so we can already figure the answer is a longer full speed exercise. The quick fix here is to get into the menu and change the speed for "quiet test" exercise and select "off" to get full speed. Next go to the options for how often it runs and change from weekly to monthly. (less cold runs) Last but not least, go out and manually start it for 15 minutes a few times per month to fully warm it up. Hearing through the grape vine you may see new units going back to a 10+ minute exercise option to dry things out internally.
Good morning Rupe, and thanks so very kindly for the detailed explanation. This makes a lot of sense to me. I will try that during this coming winter and see if that helps. I also had my local techs install the vent pipe heating kit on it as well, so I am hopeful these things will help resolve it. The techs have told me that several customers up in this area have the same issue. Thanks again for taking the time to explain and for your suggestion. Cheers and all the best!
For the newer Generac generators with the lower speed, quieter exercise option, that can be turned off. That is what I did since it was recommended to use full speed for colder climes like here in Chicagoland. It is also interesting to note that the exercise frequency can either be decreased or increased with the newer generators. On the older models it was also fixed to once per week.
the EPA wants those things because they know it makes the generator not last as long. all environmental laws are made for that reason from lawn mowers to 18 wheelers. the job of the EPA is to slow all production in the US. you dont see any emissions crap on military machines or any jets do you?
@@mikecubes1642 … Actually there have been changes to military stuff and commercial jets that we're not aware of. Most of it is to get better fuel economy and reduce weight. Of course anything to do with planes has to pass muster with the FAA as well. Not so with most consumer products. The buck stop with the EPA.
@@mikecubes1642 The government is always exempt from the laws they create. The very opposite of our constitutional republic as it was created.
Generac needs to redesign that and send service changes to owners. Those things aren't cheap and oil can be a fire hazard.
I work on these machines on a daily basis. Happens a lot of time in the winter. Do to the amount of venting on the intake side they will actually suck snow into the airbox. It will Melt the snow while running, then freeze. For the most part if you keep the snow away from it this doesn't happen.
@@ericgruner5614 I would suggest to owners to build a vented doghouse to protect the units from this problem
Don’t buy a generac. Generacs are the most unreliable generators on the market. I’m a fully trained military generator tech who trains on hundreds of different types and brands, don’t do it.
@@aaronkellar6583 which would you suggest, and why?
Sounds like they did redesign it to EPA regs. Hence the problem.
Well done sir. I learned something and will be a more educated buyer when it comes time to purchase a backup generator.
It's not exhaust. It's the crankcase ventilation. Its allows any pressure in the crankcase to neutralize and any gasses to be sent back through the intake to be burned. The source of the water is from the engine not being run long enough to get hot and eliminate its own moisture. It needs a longer exercise time.
DO NOT put any holes in the air box. Dirt and insects have direct access to the inside of the engine
Trust Me I think so too!
But I would drill a 0,04 inch hole in the bottom... Car air intakes have those too.
Or install a one way valve 🤷♂️
I don't trust you. source is moist intake air. Crank case water goes out the exhaust.
@@drew738 All crankcase vapors, moisture included, goes to the filtered side of the air box and is drawn right back into the intake to be burned again. Been this way since the '60's. The water you see dripping from a tailpipe is not from the same source.
@@fliegenmann2562 I would try drilling install a port then attach fish tank air hose to route water away and use fiberglass door screen to cover the hole if bugs are a problem
flynja that sounds a bit fishy.. 🤷♂️
Im moving to Canada, this guy is GENUINELY nice and caring...
Thanks very kindly Alex! Have a wonderful week!
We go to Canada periodically and have found being friendly is a way of life. Course we are from Texas and they may just feel sorry for us. Visit Prince Edward Island. Worth the trip. Rude awakening ......compare the Canadian side of Nigeria Falls and the State side. Daylight and dark.
Too dam cold
@@overout429 Niagara, not Nigeria.
don't let the door hit yer ass on the way out! goodbye!
That is the most Canadian thing I've seen all year! Thanks for the video, I am considering a Generac for my South Carolina home. You just sold me on the concept with your video. Thanks for being so nice, Canada!
I own a Generac….great tip to know, Thanks👍
I am a Generac service dealer in central Ohio and have been installing and servicing units for 17 years. I have seen this problem several times with really cold weather. A few additional comments to what is in the video is that the breather mechanism (not exhaust) is under the shroud that is around the flywheel. This can ice up even without the exposed tube icing up. On the newer Evolution controller generators, I would advise taking the short rubber air intake tube off of the air cleaner cover when running in below 0 deg F weather so that the engine can breath in warmer air from the inside of the generator box. This will help prevent ice from forming.
Good morning and thanks very much for the helpful advice Ken! I will give it a try this coming winter and see if that makes a difference. I had the technicians come and put the additional heater kit on that vent pipe at the end of last winter. So we will see how both do - again, very much appreciate you taking the time to write this out. Cheers and all the best!
@Kenlynjay
Just a curiosity question, but what if an owner of these Generac generator units put like a tablespoon of engine anti-freeze in the bottom of that reservoir???
That should prevent condensation from freezing like that, right???
@@AzzKicker-bz1cb I guess it would be worth a try but some of the condensation comes from the breather mechanism and comes up through the tube while the engine is running, so it could still freeze up. Part of the problem lies in the engine temp being to low during cold weather. You could try putting a piece of cardboard across part of the air inlet on the right side of the unit when temp is really low to slow the air circulation. Also, as other people have posted, there is a cold weather electric heat tape that goes around the breather tube that will help.
Ken I also service Generac but deal pretty much exclusively in portables and refer most onsite standby unit to another guy in town that does mainly standby units. I don't have familiarity with standby unit other than most are propane or natural gas and that they self operate periodically as a self test. I am curious how long that self test runs on the norm. I would think that in a cold climate situation, the unit might not run long enough to cook off moisture. Especially since propane and/or natural gas burn efficiently which usually will equate to more water vapor as a byproduct in the blow by gases and build up in the air box. Another not so good side effect is moisture build in the crankcase. Interesting side note is this unit looks pretty darn close to the 17.5 kw portable save the lack exhaust heat to a carb and exhaust header layout.
Dwayne, the older units will do weekly exercise for around 12 minutes. The newer Evolution controller units will exercise for around 5 minutes when it is warm but I believe that they are supposed to exercise longer in cold weather since they have a temp sensor in the controller to tell it to do so. The times that the breather ices up is usually when the unit runs for a while in super cold weather, so longer exercise time probably wouldn't help.
-25 degrees outside.
Canadian: "I should put on my long sleeves."
-45: Alaskans zip up their vests.
-25 ...going to be getting cold soon..still don't need a coat! Lindsay Ontario Canada..
@@michaelrice500
Bloody hell !!! -45 ! No wonder the generator is freezing up. I noticed he only had on overalls and a flanno shirt. I was cold just watching this video. He speaks very clearly and well. very easy to listen to. I might be getting a portable generac for camping, but I wont have to worry about THIS sort of cold.
@@steiny3353 You have to be tough in the North, Graham. In fact, I once went an entire month in 1978 in Alaska with no internet! Bloody hell indeed! 🤨
Texan from the US: it’s +30°F. I need to put on my long johns, and my thickest Carhartt jacket.
Thank you sir. Your kindness, information and advice is very appreciated and valuable. A knowledgeable gentleman and a Canadian 🇨🇦 of course.
Happy Holidays and all the best!
Great video that explains the problem and solution that he’s found! I’m not a generator expert but I’ve been a technician for 40+ years and I’ve see these rubber weep valves in the bottom of many air filter housings. It’s designed to automatically open and discharge foreign material at the slightest positive pressure and automatically contract with negative vacuum while the engine is running to allow crankcase purge. It is round at the top and converges to a “vee” shape at the bottom where the two sides form the flap valve. I would not drill and leave an open hole, unless you have one of these rubber weep valves to insert. Hope it was a help!
Drill a small hole ......that is a solution
Unit is a one size fits all good for Florida where it is warm good for Northern Canada where it is cold. This shows a small flaw for colder places the comments here show some of good solutions. Thanks for the posting this problem and thanks to the people who offered solutions in the comments. You have helped me out.
Having worked on Generac home standby generators I will agree with the statement that you need to check on them on a regular basis. In the winter depending on the outside temperature and exercise frequency maybe as much as weekly after the exercise to clean out the water and ice. 15 minutes today will save an hour or more later. Give it a good run so the engine heats up to operating temp and gets the moisture out of the crankcase. A 6 minute exercise time is too short.
I worked with a somewhat larger industrial generator. It had a 750 horsepower Caterpillar diesel with twin turbochargers. Doing the routine check fluids and monthly start up, it ran for a minimum 10 minutes. We had a status panel for the generator in the computer room so we could monitor if it was running if there was a problem. Those one light that was labeled in a way that didn't make much sense and we didn't know what it was until one Saturday, generator over crank. I was heading out the door to go home early which was extremely rare. I would let my hourly employees go home with pay before I would take time off and go home and make them stay. As I was leaving I heard the generator tried to start three times and it did not start. I literally ran back into the building badged into the computer room went out the fire exit with the keys and opened up the UPS from and flipped it from generator and batteries to utility power. I went back in looked at the status panel and the light was lit next to over crank! I now knew what that light meant. It took about a week for them to fix that generator and it don't recall what was wrong with it but yeah it would have been really ugly if I hadn't reset the breakers. It would power off a dozen mainframes and probably 80 to 100 peripheral devices. As I said very ugly.
I am no expert, I just pay the bills. Monthly is what is used in other commercial environments, so that should be suitable for home use.
Generac knows this test run is too short and doesn't seem to care or they would have put out a firmware update for a longer run time. We're in a cold area and get condensation in the oil cap and the oil gets a bit milky. Generac says it's synthetic oil so it's fine. Why would they say that? Water does not belong in the crankcase.
Excellent for all of us in cold weather climates using this Generac generator. Great and well done educational videos. Thanks you from Colorado.
When I saw the Spray Nine I knew you were serious, even Covid craps its pants when it sees Spray Nine, its great stuff!
I feel like I'm on an episode of this old house. THIS GUY IS FANTASTIC ! I want to go Live in 🇨🇦. THANK YOU SR.
I have one but I have a maintenance agreement with the company. They monitor the unit 24/7. It saved me when we had that cold weather in Texas a few days ago.
Good stuff Linzie. I have it now as well and it is worth the money. The tech has been able to re-start it remotely a few times for me. Happy you had it during the outages we heard about down there. All the best!
A clean Generac is a happy Generac. Well done Sir
Texas needs these generator's
I just bought a home with this unit, in a cold climate. This is GREAT to know! Thank you!
I have a newer model Generac stand by generator without that problem. I'm in west part of Tennessee where it generally doesn't get nearly that cold for a long time like up in Canada where he is. Thanks so this nice helpful man for sharing his knowledge with us.
People may put this generator down, but it has served us well keeping nothing in our refrigerator and freezer from spoiling. As well as staying worm or cool in the summer. Talk shit about it because you more than likely have NEVER used one. This guy gave us a very useful idea and could save a service call.
No, I talk shit about it because I service and repair them. Brand new you have a 50/50 chance that they will need warranty work. I've replaced several governor stepper motors on these units, some more then once. And all most all of them will have water in the oil when it's changed due to condensation because the controller only let's it run 12 minutes per exercise. And they've had a spate of bad control boards. Bad to the point that all the guys carry an $800 control in the van because chances are that it will be a bad control at 3 am in a storm when the thing quits.
You have been very lucky. My engine block cracked within the first six hours of operation. & that's very typical of these units. Best of luck to you.
Huge recall this past week...it did not give details, but I'd be willing to bet that it is about this very problem. Thanks for posting and perhaps getting the attention that this needed,
I'm shopping for a standby generator, so this video was helpful. Thankfully, I live in central Texas. We had your weather for a week last February. We pretty much all almost died, more from shock and awe as much as anything else. Both our water and power systems failed almost at once, so we lived like savages for a solid week.
Even though your kind of cold is a 200 year event down here, I decided to try and not relive the experience.
Bought a 22kw 3 years ago and I am very happy with it so far. I've only had to run it for 9 hours in the Texas 100 degree heat once but it kept the house cool and freezer cold.
Good stuff! Cheers!
Thanks for your help! Once again things require MAINTENANCE! Body, car, home, etcetera!
AWESOME.... I'm in Louisiana... don't think I'd have this issue... but if this were to happen... I can fix it... THANKS to you!!
I was grateful for finding this video since I live in WNY. The temperature was zero or below each night for several days and didn't rise above freezing for over two weeks. After reading this I immediately checked my generator. Thankfully there is absolutely no evidence of frozen condensation. I will continue to be diligent of this possibility over the next weeks of winter. A week ago, however, I discovered 36" of snow drifted over the end vents. After clearing that I decided building deflection walls on either side but allowing for proper ventilation would be an appropriate summer project. Before starting the generator 2 years ago I had built a roof over it to protect from snow and ice sliding off my barn roof. That has proved to be important, but now need to attend to protection for the side vents. Thank you for this valuable video.
Thank for the tip. Having one installed within the next two months under a carport in my home in Binghamton. I will look into protecting the sides, but still allowing good air circulation.
Fredonia here...
Being a new owner I appreciate the advice.
Very recent Generac owner in NC. This will be the first winter with my unit. The power grid here is fairly stable and winters are not usually too severe; so I don't expect this to be a problem, but it is good information to have. Thanks for posting!
Jeff, you have to remember your unit will "exercise" itself once a week and you still may have this issue result. Please be watchful. This is a bad design flaw.
@@flaminraymin8 Okay, thanks, Ray!
You might think about disconnecting the crankcase breather hose from the airbox and putting a filter on the end. Don't forget to plug the hole in the airbox. Your aren't reburning the exhaust fumes to save the environment but the engine will like it better and you wont have an issue blocking the vent.
instead of plugging the hole in the airbox, put a one way check valve in there to drain any condensation buildup so that the airbox doesn't fill up with water.
Thanks! Seems like the Generac engineering dept needs to see this, and address the problem.
Don’t buy a generac. Generacs are the most unreliable generators on the market. I’m a fully trained military generator tech who trains on hundreds of different types and brands, don’t do it.
@@aaronkellar6583
What brand would you suggest?
@@tonyhemingway7980 literally anything.
@@aaronkellar6583 WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST BUYING THAT WOULD COMPARE IN PRICE?
When saying exhaust port, he's referring to the crankcase breather. Its function is to introduce any crankcase vapor into the air intake to be burned thus reducing emissions
Thanks for the added detail.
Why not just vent the crankcase to the atmosphere and dont tell the EPA
@@joenaylor34 That's how we er I mean some fellows in the 60's and 70's did it on cars. When putting on a custom air cleaner it was a must. Also, you can exhaust it in the vicinity of the out side air intake if you want to burn it, but it gets your air filter dirty faster. I'm looking at getting one of these and it should be interesting to see what can be done with the crankcase gasses.
Excellent video, thank you for taking the time to make it.
Don’t buy a generac. Generacs are the most unreliable generators on the market. I’m a fully trained military generator tech who trains on hundreds of different types and brands, don’t do it.
@@aaronkellar6583 Hey Aaron, what brands would you recommend that run on natural gas?
@@aaronkellar6583 I don't know about all that. Mine is 18 years old, original battery, only have had to do routine maintenance, no issues. This is in Central Maine, where we lose power all the time, and not for just a few hours, but sometimes for 2 weeks depending on the storms.
I just ordered one and we live in a cold climate. This is extremely valuable information! Thank you!!!
I'm responsible for five Genrac units all around 10 kW capacity. They're used for standby power at radio stations I service in South Western Ontario. Bar batteries failing I've had few occasions when they didn't start and service their duty. I've never encountered the water problem. Maybe because all mine run on propane. If this gentleman has an on going problem I would suggest the answer is a 1/8" hole or two, drilled in the bottom of the air filter housing, put a split pin in the holes with the legs partly spread so they rattle when the engine runs and keeps the holes open to drain but keep the bugs out.
The other thing we've done from the start is to have a heater sleeve around the oil filter and one around the battery to counter sluggish starting in the cold of Canadian winter .
I think propane and natural gas have much more water in them than gasoline.
The heater sleeve is just to insulate right as u cannot run power to it ?
@@jake733 No the sleeves are actually heaters. They are connected to the "sample 120 voltage" in the control housing. Installation instructions are supplied with the heaters.
They each have a thermostat built into the sleeve so they only heat below about 10*C so they're not on all the time.
When the power fails and the generator starts, if the ambient temperature is below 10*C then the oil with be warm and the battery will be more efficient for cranking the motor.
The thermostats are not accessible and therefore not adjustable.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the info! Considering getting one here in Louisiana. Even though I won’t have the frozen reservoir problem, I still found it very informative from a preventative maintenance point of view.
Thanks and best of luck!
@NOLAgame Did you purchase one, yet?if so, how's it working out for you? Is it worth it?
These things sell like hot-cakes here in Upstate NY. I've installed some myself but never heard of this issue (I don't service them, just install them). Hard to believe a design flaw like this could exist on such a popular item. Good video!
Mine does it with no ice. Gets oil in the air box and drips inside the case. In Mississippi
You did well identifying the problem .now you need video with a fix . drill a hole in bottom of air box install a 1 way drain valve and water will empty soon as engine shuts off .not freezing and plugging the manifold pressure port. good job Gp .bet you saved people a lot of service calls .and sitting in the dark cause they dont know whats wrong.
I have a Generac 14 kw and this happened to me today and I wasn't sure where to look for the problem. This video was right on the money, I removed the ice block and problem solved. I will be checking this regulary from now on. From Nova Scotia Canada, -24 C / -11F with high winds and blowing snow and a power outage... not a nice day to be working on a generator! Thank you very much for posting this video, it was spot on.
I like you. I don’t know you, but I like you. Thanks for putting in the effort to train me.
Install a 90 degree plastic elbow pipe in air box breather so it stays above any water that may accumulate
That’s a great idea. I was going to to say put a drain hole with either a screen or one way valve to keep water out, but yours sounds good too
I've seen different video on this subject where they covered the fact that modifying the breather in any way nullifies the warranty.
You would have figured the manufacturer thought of this before hand...no problem. I'll just fix it myself. That's what men do!
@@peach495 Reliable generator... no warranty... reliable generator... no warranty. Lets be honest. If you're dependent on the generator, and it has a habit of icing up and blowing its oil out all over the place, I'm not sure the warranty has any value. If its a toy for you, maybe you're ok with sitting in the dark. I was going to say until the spring thaw, but honestly, the water is still there... so it could be late spring until its warm enough to both thaw the ice and evaporate any collected condensation.
The unit really needs a simple drain.
@@brianmcgovern6119
Most people aren't "dependent" on a generator but want it to work when it's supposed to. I get that the warranty isn't going to do anything for you if the unit fails. Nevertheless, I expect the fucking thing to work as designed without the need for me to intervene by checking it every week.
I just got a Generac Standby Generator installed, and the install tech warned me of this issue. Its nice to see how to check it.
Excellent video. Thanks. I'm having a 24kw Generac installed in the next few weeks and I wasn't aware of this issue.
Agreed with anyone suggesting the water should be weeped or drained
away from the air box. Also some supplemental heating will help.
Thanks for the video Sir. A genset is a critical part of our existence.
I would just drill a 1/16 hole in bottom of filter box so water would leak out and not build up like I have done on others, it works. Better than always having to take it apart and clean it out.
@@randycrump5464 wouldn't it just suck unfiltered air through the hole?
Randy Crump Oh well, little won't matter in the big picture.
@@randycrump5464 What about all the ice build up inside the cabinet?
Running the engine for an hour is the ONLY solution.
@@trustme7731
Just a possible suggestion, install a one way valve that will only open when the engine is not running, pulling air through the filter box, yet will allow the water to drain out of the filter box upon shut down of that generator.
It would need to be a port large enough to allow the water to drain without freezing inside the drain opening causing the same issue.
Maybe a 1/16 hole isn’t large enough to allow a lot of unfiltered air to flow through the air box(filter box), but if there wasn’t that concern, then the engineers would have made drain holes in the filter box!
Maybe the pressure exhaust port needs to be moved higher in the filter box to keep it out of the reach of condensation build up!!!
I live in Canada and thinking about one of these units. I have a portable Honda standby but not automatic. We are not home for several weeks in the winter and power is essential to keep the pipes from freezing and the freezer freezing. Thanks, very good video and I will keep this in mind.
Outstanding video. Thank you for taking the time to share you're experience.
I am so glad that you posted this and that I watched this. I was looking at one of these. Now NO WAY! I will be looking at other brands. Thanks again.
Great tips! I have the same 16kw gen set works great. I live in a very rural area at 1300 feet above sea level. Several power outages per year sometimes for 3-5 days. FYI when ever you open the generator cabinet always
1. inspect battery for swelling from overcharging.
2. Inspect wires & terminals for rodent damage and corrosion.
3. Check battery voltage on the panel & with a multimeter.
4. Check battery charging voltage & amperage.
Good day Sean. Thanks for the great tips! Cheers and all the best!
Not sure why there’s so many rude comments. If I lived up north and had a generator, I’d be glad if I saw your video and got mine going again in the middle of winter.
WOW! I just bought a generac and am waiting for the propane to be delivered. I am so glad I saw this! Thankyou for sharing!
Pay very close attention to the warranty guidelines I just left a generac production facility and they are letting so much garbage and poor quality units go through its disgusting. To top that most the people assembling the units don't know how to do it or use the proper components. Just some advice from someone witnessing the assembly of the units.
@@mgallus How long are they warrentied for? The company I purchased mine from, wanted to sell me an extended warrenty which was quite pricey so I am leaning against it.
@@gym_bob not exactly sure but I wouldn't buy one myself, unless the competition is somehow worse. There have been places I've worked that I'd recommend buy their products but not generac at least the units that come out of the whitewater location.
Generator update:
Today finally came when Wired Electric came out and installed
a new engine into our 20KW Whole House Generator.
The old engine had low compression on one cylinder.
The generator was 2 years out of warranty. After calling Generac
and sending them the serviceman's diagnose of the engine
they deemed it "Manufacture Defect".
The original warranty was 5 years. I had the generator 7 years. The
new Generac Generators now carry a 7 year warranty.
I got a call from Generac telling me they were going to cover the
cost of a new generator.
The serviceman worked on it from 11:30 to 3:45.
He put oil in it and fired it up. It ran great.
I ask him how long have he seen these generators run without stopping.
He told me over 3 weeks when the power came back on. At that
time you change the oil and filter and put it back in standby mode.
That's great news - worked out well for you!
I hope NO ONE ran a generator for 504 hours straight without changing the oil. The oil is flat WASTED by 200 hours and realistically should be changed at 100 hours. A 500 hour service interval will just about destroy an engine.
The exhaust port is actually a crankcase breather. Blowby from the engine is routed into the air intake to be burned in the engine. Since blowby has a high moisture content from the combustion of fuel and air it will condense and freeze. You may want to ask Generac if they offer a cold weather kit that warms the intake air to prevent the moisture buildup. I have an Onan genset and it has a cold weather kit installed for issues like his.. Otherwise very good video, many thanks!
I've been repairing power generation equipment for 45 years in the Industrial world . A friend wanted me to recommend a generator brand for his own use . I strayed away from the reliable brands I knew and bought 2 each 15 KW Generac's , one for him and one for myself because of the low price . Both units required major repairs costing more than half the original price in less than 2 years because of circuit board failures . Spend the money to buy a Onan or Kohler or go with a cheap Predator brand . I'm stuck with this Generac hoping to recover my losses and eating crow for ever recommending them ....
Ed Mckinney Ed Doesn't Generac have a 5 or 6 year warranty's and is this issue covered? Id contact the manufacturer.
@@edmckinney8457 Thank you for the valuable advice.
NHseacoast 1 year warranty ..
Ed Mckinney I’m sorry To year that Ed where did you buy your most have “For a period of three years from the date of original sale, Generac Power Systems, Inc. (Generac) warrants that its standby generator will be free from defects in material and workmanship for the items and period set forth below.This Scheduled Maintenance should be performed by an Authorized/Certified Generac Dealer” you can get 5 year warranty on certain promo days too.
A very well organized and thought out video. Thank you. I might make a suggestion or two. Northern Pa winters can be cold. I installed the following on my Stand-by Generac 20KW: A battery heater pad, an oil filter wrap around heater and finally some heat trace tape below the air filter housing. Since I took these measures I have had no issues through the years with any potential ice build-up and lends itself to an easier start-up.
Stay well (and warm)
Thanks very much for the great suggestions. I have 3 heaters on it currently and had aded the last one -which was a new kit they offered this past winter, which wraps on the vent port to stop the water from freezing back into it. The water still builds and freezes in the filter box but at least it is not blocking the vent port any longer. Thanks again and all the best to you!
Thank you sir, seems like Generac could solve that easy enough. I’m getting a quote from Generac soon for my home backup unit in TEXAS (yes San Antonio to be more specific) 😳. I’ve seen more power failures in the last five days than I have in my lifetime here… And I’m 63
nice! Another brand to look into is kholer they make some solid equipment.
We had a heater installed when purchased as per the installer’s recommendation. Also installed the generator in a somewhat protected location reduce wind cooling the unit.
I live in San Antone working for audie Murphy. I know what you mean about power outages…. Really an inconvenience!
Very useful tip, I'm contemplating buying a Generac this spring. Thanks a lot for this video.
Cold weather kit will stop that from happening. Save battery life and prevent hard cold starts.
I had a similar issue with my 20kw Generac gen as well the first winter we had it. Found the winterizing kit eliminates the issue quite good. Still have to check it from time to time, and no issues since. There is a low heating 3rd party attachment you can get to put in the air filter container.....very small and does a great job.
Does your cold weather kit have a air filter warmer? Just order a generac 24kw and it's a 3-6 month lead time but I am getting the cold weather kit. Home depot rep didn't explain what's in the kit.
Here in San Antonio and this past week has been interesting. Have house wired to our 6500 gen, glad we prepared, but will be adding one of these ourselves this summer before hurricane season to run central A/C. Great video and thanks for the info!
Thank you for the information. I have been looking for one of these for my home and my son and I have thought about this one for a while now. Glad to know a little more about this product.
This confirms the comments I have heard from other Generac users up here in Ontario cottage country -- namely "Buy a Kohler". Great channel, always enjoy watching! Keep it up.
Good morning M. Well it certainly gets a little frustrating sometimes.Overall they are good units. Just wish this didn't happen. But I have a few good solutions from subscribers now that should fix the problem. Cheers and have a great week!
Luckily the people who live in the carribean like me don’t have this issue with our standby gas generators because we have warm weather all year round but this is a good advice for those who live in this type of environment.
I've had a generac generator for 6 years and absolutely no issues. I have the oil changed every three months. I totally recommend this generator.
This is a great example of why you follow the directions. Both Generac and Kohler, require you install a Cold Weather Kit in climates like this. Part of the kit is a small electric heater that wraps around that exact hose that he's having a problem with, and it prevents exactly his problem.
If as someone said that is a crankcase vent, it may have two functions, one to warm the air and also to vent the crankcase, I would put a small tube to elevate the exhaust higher in the air intake to alleviate the problem or drill a small hole to run off water. I have installed these units and they perform quite well not saying other manufacturers don't have good units. I do appreciate knowing about this cold weather issue.
Got it in one, Thomas.
I install these units, and they are generally pretty good for what you pay for them. The crank case breather has a heater which is part of the cold weather kit. The kit has 3 heaters, one for the battery, one for the oil filter, and one for the breather. The breather heather is only energized when the generator is running. The other two run when the temp is below approx 30F.
WHT good is it if it only operates when it's running? It would still puke oil out until it melts... Maybe still all of it down to the oil switch
You got it right! This generator needs a heater. I installed them on my Briggs generator, see my videos.. They work when gen is not running and temp is below 32F or so. Not having it will wear out the engine as the engine oil will be Jello when started in that cold temp. I installed the oil filter heater in my video on a generac and that may be enough, but a heater wrap there may help. Is it possible to drill a drain hole?
Anyway good video, TH-cam critics just complain. Keep up the Good work!
Quote,,,,, " The breather heater is only energized when the generator is running."
This has to be the most idiotic design... if it's true. Truly amazing. For a generator that is supposed to work in emergencies.
@@TheWilferch That cant be true. The whole purpose is to ensure start up. Once running the engine heats itself. Watch my generac video with a friend. There was an electric always hot bar to connect power for the oil heater. I believe that the breather heater connects to that too. They come with a temp sensor that only allows electricity to flow when under around 32F.
@@silverbankruptcy ,read the original poster's statement ( Taylor Sutherlan), that I am simply quoting....so I still stand by my statement...it is a most idiotic dessign if this is true. We don't have such pre-heater complications on PCV valves on cars...and they run in severely cold weather.
Thank you for this helpful video. I am currently researching standby generators and this is good to know!!
We National Security and Emergency Prepardness folks were looking for power generators in 1989 for Y2K mitigation. Telephony Central Offices have permanent generators and batteries. Some other common situations only had batteries. You get the drift. One fellow in my travels said he would buy a personal one after the new millinum rush when the surplus cost plummeted. I live 10 miles from Generac HQ.
Excellent video! I'm going to be buying a Generac generator for my cabin in northern Wisconsin. Since Generac is made here in Wisconsin it was an easy choice. Thanks for posting!
Great video, simple to understand and I like this guy’s look.
Great video saving a lot of headaches to many generac generator owners.
Great video. Always do preventive maintenance. Especially if you're getting heavy usage. At least once a week.
Thanks for this educational video been looking at Generac and other brands to install a system for my home, great video definitely something to think about! Thanks again
Looking at all that snow and issues that arise from extreme cold make me glad I’m from Texas.
me too eh, its good to be a hoser from tx
J M hhhh
Just bought one of these generators thank you very much for that bit of advice,
Thanks for making the video - good to know!. Glad it blew out the dipstick and not sideways out a gasket! I'd put an extension on the port that got plugged and raise it up abit as well as check regularly. Now, all I gotta do is get enough $$ to BUY one for my home!
I don't have that problem nor will I ever have it.When I had my Generac installed the tech advised me to spend $150 extra and have a heating element installed in the case to keep the engine warm when the temperature goes below 30 it comes on automatically and keeps the engine warm no matter how low the temperature goes and the engine fires up in an instant .That was great advise from the Generac tech.
Spend an extra 150?? That thing is expensive as it is. I would be on the phone with generac everyday till they fix their design flaw..
@@philllsxga.7737 YAGODATSHITRITE
The Tech forgot to say thank you for the Commission he earned on that upsale.
@@philllsxga.7737 so you spend 8k to install and you worry about 150?
@@chadschafer3890 Exactly!!! 8 thousand dollars!! Think about that... That is a lot of money to pay for a flaw...
Very nice video sir. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Great video, well spoken, audio was perfect….well done sir. Thank you for your contribution
Thank you for the great information and video. Something interesting to know newer cars today have heated crankcase ventilation systems so that don't freeze up.❤
Good advice and good how-to video, GP. My suggestions were listed below in many of your viewers' comments. I'd have the unit high up on a slab, have the unit sheltered so no snow/water can get inside, a light-bulb lamp inside the shelter to keep it warmer than outside temperature, and store clean-up wipes, cleaning solution, oil and parts in the protective shed for easy access. The precautions I mentioned are not going to stop the unit from the condensation build-up but just how I'd like it set up. Your video is definitely spot-on for generator owners. I wonder if other brands have PCV issues. As you recall, I recently went through hurricane Florence and said I was going to get a generator and your video definitely taught me something. As always, your videos hit a home run. Later and thanks much.
Hey good evening Houndsman. Thanks for the suggestions. The Generac is a good unit overall and not sure if it is just the climate we have here but have spoken with a couple of the techs here and will have Generac's latest Kit installed soon which should help. Cheers and all the best!
Knock on wood, I havent run into that here in New England. I have had a 22kW unit going on 5 years now on a gen pad outside and it has been flawless in the 3 to 4 events we get every year. Granted, weather typically not as severe. That said, I will keep an eye out for that. Thank you for the video and the good tips!
Sheesh that's a fire waiting to happen right there. Oil mist and vapor flying all around in an enclosed cabinet. I'm sure it runs quite a while until the low oil alarm trips. As others have suggested, you need to relocate that PCV breather to another location on the intake or just let it vent into the atmosphere. Letting this happen to many times will eventually blow out an oil seal as quite a bit of blow by and expansion pressures are building up in the crankcase. Thanks for making this video to alert others to the design problem.
Dig the “Coke Bottle Blues” background jam. Thanks for the info. Ours has been running for 14 hours straight in the Great Colorado Blizzard of ‘21. I will be looking into this as soon as the snows stops flying sideways.
We Love our Generac. Were the only lights on for 20 miles!
Awesome!!
I have one. And have had it for yrs. works great. No problems. It’s a 14kw. Super unit. Love it
Thank you for the heads-up, whew, in Florida my extremes are the 90+degree Fahrenheit temps, not freezing temps. Great video tip nonetheless, and cheers to you also sir!!
How 'bout the 'canes? Not an extreme?
I hope Generac is watching this. The next generation may have some heating elements & other sensors, thanks to you, sir.
Pour a little RV antifreeze in reservoir to stop freezing - exhaust pressue should be able to displace liquid. As video suggests, it is always a good idea to routinely inspect your backup system to ensure operation when it is needed.
Very helpful! Thank you!! God bless you and your family! God bless America and her people!!