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Quote:

Originally Posted by PSM (Post 590320)

TR,

Can I get an update on your Kohler? After almost 4 years off-grid, I've finally decided to add an automatic gennie. The 8kw LP Kohler is what the solar guy is recommending and it seems to fit the bill. Ours is going to be dual purpose, auto charge if the batts drop below a certain voltage, and whole house if we need to service the solar system. We are using a Generac portable now but I know nothing about the Kohlers except what he said and the online reviews.

We have only had one total shut down of the solar system plus two precautionary manual switchovers so it's just precautionary. This year has been touchy, though, because we have had many overcast days which is very unusual.

Pat

Pat

The Kohler continues to run well and provide seamless power, on a ten-second delay.

I concur with your solar guy, as most people do not consider what they are going to do when they need power and the sun is not out or it has been a cloudy several days, or the winter sun is not enough for your needs.

The eight KW Kohler should be a good way to meet sudden needs, deal with larger requirements, or to recharge the battery bank after depletion when solar is not adequate to meet those demands.

I have changed the oil in mine to synthetic, added a better oil filter, and have run it on exercise every week. It has run on outages as long as eight hours without any difficulty. I have close to 100 hours on it now and am very satisfied.

Just be aware that it is going to burn a gallon or so of propane every hour it is on, so if you are all charged up and have no immediate demands, turn it off.

Hope that helps.

TR

We have two Honda portables that we use, with a slave cable to increase voltage, on the farm and with the big horse trailer. Really good pieces of gear, as long as you have gas for them (which was a small oversight by me last winter).

When building the new house, I had the electrician set me up for 400 amp service. I also had him hook up a plug at the outside electric strut, next to the service-off lever. I'm planning to buy a PTO-operated generator for the tractor. A lot of area dairy farmers use them as backup for their dairy barns. Price isn't too excessive, as the power to spin the generator comes from the tractor which I've already purchased.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper (Post 590343)

Kohler 14 unit has run with no issues.

I changed the oil and replaced it with synthetic, and it has provided good service during outages up to eight hours.

It runs about 30 minutes per week for testing, and otherwise, it is seamless. I agree that it is a great supplement to any battery based system when the charging supply is irregular.

Plan on 1-1.3 gph LP consumption when operating.

TR

Thanks for the update. Is yours air or liquid cooled?

Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigepo (Post 590344)

Really good pieces of gear, as long as you have gas for them (which was a small oversight by me last winter).

For the RV, I added an extended run cap so I could use a portable boat fuel tank.

Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSM (Post 590360)

Thanks for the update. Is yours air or liquid cooled?

Pat

Air.

The liquid was out of my price range.

TR

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper (Post 590378)

Air.

The liquid was out of my price range.

TR

Copy, thanks. And thanks for the additional info in the earlier post.

Pat