Boom! By Bashan (Read 740 times)

[Bashan]

My computer desk is right by a large window in my basement. Just outside the window is a large automatic Generac Generator. It's the kind that comes on automatically if the power goes out. It runs an "exercise" cycle every Sunday at 10 AM where it comes on and runs 20 minutes to charge the battery and keep moisture out of the case. At ten today instead of it cranking by itself there was a huge explosion and then complete silence. I of course was engrossed in the computer and just about did a Hanes steamer as I elevated a foot out of my chair. Here's the generator after ground zero, looks OK from here:

Wait, that looks kinda funny:

OMG:

This explosion compressed the windows in the basement and sounded like a huge July 4th firewroks. Anybody ever had something like this happen and what would do this? Rich

[Alleyoop]

It must of been leaking fumes and it ignited, that is why they tell you when messing with a car battery to not smoke or make any sparks.
Alleyoop

[jct842]

About 40 years ago I used to drive a tow truck for a transmission shop. One of the other part time drivers jumped a car that had a almost dead battery and it went boom too. Great big industrial sized battery cable clamps that do not slip and acid every where including one eyeball. He got it washed out right away and did not loose any vision but it could have been bad.

[JR]

Does anyone ever do a service check on this unit? Also why the acid filled battery instead of maintenance free?

I'm betting the acid/water level was low and she over charged? Going to need to sprinkle baking soda in and around the inside of the cabinet and carefully flush it out if it blew acid all over the unit. If you don't it'll rust up like a field plow.

How old is this unit? It's always possible that the generator mal-functioned and sent more than 12Vdc to charge the battery too?

time to have someone go through the unit and find out what's wrong and also get rid of the dinosaur age acid fill battery.

Now on the bright side did I mention that I just bought me one of these bad boys? Mowing time now = 2 hours!

[Bashan]

I've did the service on it the past two years because they were charging me $90.00 to change the oil. I watched the guy do it while pretending to be interested in what he was saying. That's all he did, no multi, no special instruments. That was the battery they put in it when the last one went south. These were the guys that installed the whole system so I didn't question what they were doing. It's like anything else anymore, nobody knows they are doing and are full of crap. You can't trust anybody to do anything and everybody is only thinking of procreating. I checked the fluid levels at the last oil change and they were fine. But yeah, that makes sense, the R/R probably went south. OK, here's what's freaky. I took the battery out and thought OK, it's offline now, I got the switch off to it. Well the negative cable brushed up against the positive and there was a big orange flash! Here comes steamer number two! Now I'm paranoid, what the hell happened to the system to energize the starter circuit when there's no battery in it? What else is going to short? This thing is tied into the house circuitry! I think it's cool now but I'm getting this thing off of the house grid, it's dangerous. Rich

[JR]

You'll need to trace out the main wiring from the house meter panel to the auto/main disconnect switch to the generator. Once you get that traced out then you can get the power company to come pull the meter so you can disconnect the main wires from the meter loop panel, once this is done you can then remove the entire system and be done with it.


JR

[cyborg]

Jeesus you never saw a battery explode before? where you livin boy??under a rock??? does the system have a capacitor? may have had some residual juice stored

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2014 21:45:37 GMT -6 cyborg said:

does the system have a capacitor? may have had some residual juice stored

thats what i was thinking.

[Bashan]

That may be it because after the flash the lights went dark on the unit's dash. Also, JR had a good point, and that is the sharp point on his head. I kid buddy I kid! Really though, JR thought it may have had a trickle charge function off of the house power which may have tripped after the orange flash. I just know I'm getting this puppy off of the house grid one way or the other. It is over ten years old and JR thought it was on borrowed time...I agree. Rich

[Bashan]

Cyborg.....Hanes Steamer? ala your previous reference? C'mon...a new term for the populace..it may be epic. I'm just sayin' Rich

[cyborg]

personally i'd do what JR suggests with the baking soda wash,,,i would not however remove the system from the house,,,i'd go thru it buy a sealed battery,and do a major service and keep it on line,,,,,,,and i also would put a manual service disconnect on it if it doesn't already,,,,,that would be my call

[cyborg]

And as a side note that was way out of the scope of a peekaboo squirl,,,,that would have been in the badger/ground hog scale,,,,and yes it was epic,,,,glad i missed it ,, your probably still cleaning up

[Bashan]

I've noticed whenever I sit down now I seem to be six inches higher off of the chair....very odd.

Can Jack call 'em? Like his ego needs to be bigger than it is but he told me the battery cables probably arced when I accidentally touched them because the generator had a built in trickle charger running off of the house voltage. I thought he was full of it, and I still do...HAR! but he was right....check out the multi:

That's a perfect DC 12v charging voltage. Now he's trying to help me sort out the generator's wiring into the house to make sure it's safe to test it after the colon cleanse the other day:

EEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!!

[JR]

Did I mention I bought one of these bad boys?

[Bashan]

yyeeeeeesssssuh....you did. Six times now. Anyway, Jack you were right, I armed the system and went upstairs and turned the main 200 amp breaker off. 30 seconds later the generator came to life and we had power! The scary part was turning the power company's power back on. I thought the transfer switch would pop immediately but it took like 15 seconds. Then it was just as you described, an extremely loud "snap". Sue and I both jumped about a foot in the air! Then the generator ran for about 20 more seconds and shut down. Thanks for your help man, you saved me a bundle. And if you can afford a freakin' gravely I ain't sending you squat! Thanks man, Rich