generator hours

[bayview]

There are many discussion about main engine hours but I don't recall any generator hour discussions
They run in pretty ideal conditions so I am wondering who has the record for hours on a boat genny?

 

[catalinajack]

I have a Perkins-powered 12.5kw Kohler with 2,578 hours and a Mitsubishi-powered Westerbeke 7.7 kw with 3,750 hours. Both run like a top but, of course, it cannot be predicted how much longer each will last. My guess is that the generator ends will fail long before the engines. Recently, on the Westerbeke, I did have to replace the four wires leading from the brushes as they had corroded from end to end and had become brittle. This led directly to excessive heat (resistance) and was causing the 60 amp breaker to pop. Very scary. The breaker box was becoming too hot to touch.

 

[godfather]

Have 9 kw Northern Lights brand new when I got it. Three years running and 1100 total hours- very reliable. I assume I am just breaking it in. Starts easy and once warm will run all day and night at 180 degrees. I think I ran it nonstop without turning it off for 4 days straight. Just wondering how long do you feel it is safe to run without stopping? Talked to a Northern Lights rep and he said he knows an owner that ran one for 16 days straight in the Bahamas-

 

[rslifkin]

I'm probably not that high on the list. Meter on my generator only shows 1414 hours right now. Put 32 hours on it last season (compared to 90 on the mains). Mine is a gas generator, as a note. And it's about due for me to check the brushes and such, as I don't know if it's ever been done.

 

[Iggy]

I hope this helps. I work on a boat with a Northern Lights genset. I can't remember the model# but I know its in the 10K watt range. It has over 3500 hours on it and still going strong. But in the past 3 years, they did have to replace the circuit board in the junction box. Other than thats, just normal parts replacement.

 

[Tator]

Scrapped out a 1978 Onan MDJE 7.5kw this year with 6900hrs. It was still running and producing electric. Just was taking too much of my time to find parts and keep it running.

Tator

 

[Fletcher500]

I bet a few people who are running commercial gear will chime in with some really large hour numbers.

 

[Retriever]

I recently saw an ad for a pair of running take out 65kw Northern Lights gensets (based on JD 4045). These were keel cooled and dry stacked. They each had about 61,000 hours, with cylinder heads rebuilt at around 27,000 hours. I was impressed with the longevity!

 

[Lepke]

Detroit Diesel generator engines run a long time. Their normal rpm is 1200. Even ones with heavy use last a decade between overhauls. Light load doesn't seem to bother them. The 2-71's (20kw) last just about forever. They're popular with people off the grid.


Most generators need their end bearing changed every 5 years. Most people ignore it until there's no power.

 

[rslifkin]

In general, with steady rpm and not as frequent load changes, generator use is fairly easy on an engine compared to a lot of other duties.

 

[jleonard]

The gen on my 1983 Albin had 2600+ hours on it when I sold the boat last summer. It started instantly and was still running quite well.
It was a Westerbeke 4.4 kw 2 cylinder diesel unit.

 

[catalinajack]

Detroit Diesel generator engines run a long time. Their normal rpm is 1200. Even ones with heavy use last a decade between overhauls. Light load doesn't seem to bother them. The 2-71's (20kw) last just about forever. They're popular with people off the grid.


Most generators need their end bearing changed every 5 years. Most people ignore it until there's no power.

Lepke, I will keep that in mind as my two generators are both 38 years old with 2,750 and 3,500 hours on the clock. Guess I am lucky as neither has failed yet. When one quits I will repair it. With two aboard I have that luxury although I recognize that my situation is not relevant to most.

 

[Dougcole]

Interesting discussion.

I think being run too little kills more generators than being run too much.

Our Kohler is a 2005 with about 1,700 hours on it, we have put all but 75 of those on it since we bought the boat in 2013. It runs great and I expect to get many, many more hours out of it. My brother’s sportfish is an AC boat, so he pretty much runs his genset 24/7 if they are aboard. He recently replaced his 9kw westerbeake after 13,000 hours. He didn’t take great care of it either to be honest.