I have a Kohler whole house generator. I have it programmed to run a load test every Saturday. The last couple of times it's fired up, the power has bounced around enough to kick in the various battery backups and make the lights flicker.

Got a recommendation for an electrician from my buddy Dale the Builder. The electrician just stopped by. Pulled the cover off the transfer switch and opened the main to kick the generator in. Problem was immediately apparent: Loose primaries on the transfer switch connections.

Shut everything down, tightened everything up (one leg was two full turns loose) and buttoned it back up. Gave the nice man $25 (which was more than he asked for) and SWMBO won't be yelling at me about the satellite TV dropping out every time the generator fires up.

I was envisioning a few hundred bucks worth of parts and labor...

Shocking!

There are still some good service people around. Glad you found one.

Needs to pull apart a bulldozer...
PHPaul: "I got this. No problem."

Needs to tighten some electrical leads...
PHPaul: "I'm calling someone. This is dangerous!"

Inside those mysterious solid copper tubes live three little gnomes named Amp, Ohm and Erg. One of them looks like smoke, one looks like sparks, and one you can't see but he shocks the hell out of you.

Those little fuckers are dangerous and if you let even one of them out and bad things happen. You let all them out and you may need a new house.

This is a job for a perfessional!

I think you need to add a generator to your diorama including mimicking the loose leads on the transfer switch.

A little smoke, a little dimming of the lights in the house.

Glad you got that fixed on the cheap.

I've seen the communicator lose contact with the armature because they are just pressed in.

It's a terrible design and taking it apart to solder the windings to the communicator is the only fix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIYUjP4aeRQ

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Needs to pull apart a bulldozer...
PHPaul: "I got this. No problem."

Needs to tighten some electrical leads...
PHPaul: "I'm calling someone. This is dangerous!"

I spent 4 years working on 460v 3ph power at the cannery. Tripped an 800 amp breaker twice in one day!

I've just gotten to the point where I'd rather write the check (or fork over the cash in this case) than dick around with it myself.

Had I known it was just loose connections, I probably would've tackled it.

quote:

Originally posted by Patrick-SP2022:
I think you need to add a generator to your diorama including mimicking the loose leads on the transfer switch.

A little smoke, a little dimming of the lights in the house.

Glad you got that fixed on the cheap.

Hmmmmmm. Actually, a generator out behind the house is not a bad idea. Better yet, a PTO-driven unit hooked to a tractor. I like it!

Sounds like you found a good honest service man that if it had been me I would have probably made him accept a bigger amount and told him that I would be passing his name around to people that will listen. ..... and the tractor pto driven generator might be worth investigating as a back-up.
................................. drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
. ..... and the tractor pto driven generator might be worth investigating as a back-up.
................................. drill sgt.

I agree except that once you have friends who learn of it, they won't need a generator of their own.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
. ..... and the tractor pto driven generator might be worth investigating as a back-up.
................................. drill sgt.

I agree except that once you have friends who learn of it, they won't need a generator of their own.

Ummmmmmmmmm...In case it wasn't clear, I was talking about the diorama.

A PTO driven generator isn't very efficient and a HELL of a lot less convenient in The Real World.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
Sounds like you found a good honest service man that if it had been me I would have probably made him accept a bigger amount and told him that I would be passing his name around to people that will listen. ..... and the tractor pto driven generator might be worth investigating as a back-up.
................................. drill sgt.

We did talk about "word-of-mouth" advertising and I told him I was adding him to my list of "preferred vendors". He's been in business 10+ years, has three guys working for him, has a backlog of work and has never advertised.

In retrospect, I do wish I had given him more, but didn't have the cash on had unless I gave him a wad of ones.

Well Paul, at least yours is hooked up.
Have been in the process of building a new house.
Have a close friend who is doing a major renovation on his house. He helped install my Electric service to my new house and told me he would help run the LP line to the generator, as well as give me some wire to hook the generator we have to the transfer switch. Well, that has been put on the back burner. I will not run the LP line myself. I would run the electric over though.
So, my new generator is sitting in my pole barn for now. Thank goodness I bought forks for my Kubota that I got in August, so I can move that generator.