Don't Do This

[ChrisOlson]

This morning, on my way to the shop, I happened to think I should check the oil the standby gen because I haven't checked it for over a month.  So I opened the access door and pull the dipstick out.  It was a little low - needed probably a half pint or so of oil.

It's not going to start because the bank is way up.  So I laid the dipstick on the top of the gen housing on a rag and continued on my way to the shop to get some oil and a funnel.

I no more than opened the shop door and the gen cranked up and started.  It hadn't run for a week and the "quiet time" expired at 8:00 AM - the inverter started it to exercise it for 10 minutes because it had been idle for a week.

Frickin' oil all over HELL.  Now, instead of a 1/2 pint it needs two quarts.

What's really stupid on my part is the big red and yellow tag on it:


And there's another one on the master inverter lest you be stupid enough to try to wire something up on that without disabling it.


I've done it many times and gotten away with it.  This time I didn't.
--
Chris

[bj]

   Chris,  many times (hate to admit that) I have been amazed at how much oil can make it out of that hole
in so short a time.   A mess it is, but no damage at least.

[ksouers]

Sounds like it's time for an interlock on the door.

I really hate stuff that protects me from myself, except when I need it!

I'm just glad it's oil you are cleaning up and not blood and fingers.


Kevin

[tomw]

Chris;

I have heard it said that familiarity breeds contempt.

I guess you might have gotten bit by "familiarity", if not "contempt".

Been there, done that. In other ways.

My bet is you learned this lesson "the hard way" and that type learning "sticks".

Luckily it was caught quickly before real damage was done.

Thanks for the share.

Many of us learn from posts of failures as much or maybe even more than success.

I figure if you haven't failed you are either lying to yourself or simply never did much?

Tom

[ChrisOlson]

I have heard it said that familiarity breeds contempt.

Tom, I think that about sums it up as well as it can be.  Besides stupidity for not disabling it, it's one of those deals where you just KNOW when the gen is going to maybe start because the bank is low or your wife turns on something big that draws a lot of power.  Well, the bank was over 25.0 and my wife was outside doing stuff, so it's not going to start.

Who would think that the confounded thing keeps track of when it last ran and the exercise timer expired at the moment I decided to do this?  I won't repeat the exact words I said when the freaking thing started, but I know I hesitated for about 5 seconds with one foot in the shop door and the other out, staring at it in total disbelief.

I keep the inside of that gen housing just spotless and it took me over a half hour to wipe everything down in there and clean up the mess.  It only takes five seconds to go into the utility room and flip the GSM disable switch.  You'd better believe I won't make that mistake twice.

The really bad thing is that the last time I serviced it I FORGOT to re-enable the GSM when I got done servicing it.  I manually started it at the gen console to check for leaks and stuff, shut it off, picked up all my stuff and totally forgot about re-enabling the auto-start.  Until the next day my wife called me on my cell phone and said the inverter was flashing a "Gen Failed to Start" error.

They say your memory is the first thing to go, but I can't remember who told me that.   
--
Chris

[dang]

Chris 'Scrat' Olson....

May the eternal Scrat watch over and protect you

http://www.iceagemovie.com/#video <--- watch both of them, #2 last