High Altitude Diesel Generator Use.

Diesel engines work by compressing air with a piston to create heat necessary to ignite the fuel that is then directly injected into it. The hottest point is when the piston is at top dead center. Fuel injection happens at this point or slightly afterwards. The fuel bursts into flame exploding and pushing the cylinder down again. Most diesel engines are designed to work with the air density we have at 500 feet or less. For every 1000 feet in elevation the air density decreases 2.9 - 3% At 3000 feet there is up to 9% less air to compress so less heat is generated. The loss of heat results in incomplete combustion and loss of power. The incomplete combustion also damages exhaust systems and shortens engine life. Starting your generator is also harder. Turbo systems on larger engines are able to ram more air into the combustion chamber increasing the air density however, portable generators do not use turbo or super chargers. Since we start to notice a difference in performance at 3000 feet we suggest you do not buy a diesel generator. It is not considered normal operating conditions and any engine damage would not be covered. It is the same with all diesels however, most other sellers will not tell you this. For higher altitudes you need a super charger or turbo charger. That is only something you find on larger diesel engines. They are compressors that ram more air into the engine to create higher pressures and greater air density.

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How Much Power do you need?

This is the typical questions that everyone asks at one point or another. Most consumers do not understand how to calculate this into their consideration for what size generator will best suite their needs properly. Lets step back to high school physics.

• Watts = Volts x Amps
• Amps = Watts/Volts

You also need to take into consideration that some household items such as your refrigerator or freezer take more wattage to start them and less to keep it running. For example a typical refrigerator takes only about 700 watts to run it (yes, a full size refer/fridge combo). However, each time the compressor cycles it takes approximately 2200 watts to start it. This is the surge wattage of the appliance. We have listed below some typical items with there approximate required wattage. Keep in mind that if it is not listed you can also resort to calculating the requirement by using: Watts = Voltage x Amperage.

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Current technology provides the means of manufacturing engine parts with unimaginable precision however they still far short of achieving the near perfect fit that a proper break-in will provide. Break-in, is the allowance of the machined parts in the engine engine to conform to each other. This conforming or mating specifically of the ring and cylinder surfaces is the ultimate goal of a proper break-in. Mating these two specific parts will produce a very tight seal in each cylinder. A tight seal is very important because of the intense pressure diesel engines operate under. Mating helps prevent the escape of unburned fuel and pressurized gasses into the crankcase, while further preventing crankcase oil from entering the cylinder above the top compression ring. The blow by also causes a loss of pressure and results in lack of power.

Friction causes heat and until the break in occurs extra heat and most of the wear and tear will happen during this period. Break in your engine before using it! Don’t forget oil will become contaminated faster because of combustion blow by fumes and metal that is ground away during the mating process. The oil should be changed at at the first 25 hours.

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