Questions About a Free Massive Diesel Generator

[Phil Dwyer]

Hi Friends,

I'm a bit over my head on this one (what else is new). The manager of the condo complex we presently rent at has offered me the 11 story building's old generator simply for disconnecting it and hauling it out. It's connected to a bunch of electrical boxes with relays, humming coils and breaker switches. It hasn't been used for years. I just got a quick look at it in the near dark basement. All I could read was Lister Diesel on two lids next to the fuel tank. The exhaust is piped out, no fuel piped in. Heck of a generator. Sure wish I still had my farm. I'm going to scramble to see if I can find someone or place to stash it. Not sure how to go about moving the beast.

Got any suggestions, instructions, warnings???

Oh ya, looks like I can score a hefty Baldor motor and some whopper pillow block bearings shafted (well over an inch diameter) to an old blower. Apparently no one knows about the wiring and history of all this stuff. They just want it out. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Phil

[arftist]

Have an electrician disconnect the transfer switch from the building main. Make sure you get the transfer switch, most of the exhaust system, and everything else. Have A tow truck operator move it with a large ramp truck. Keep the exhaust outlet covered, and it can be stored outdoors for quite a while. If it is a dark, damp basement, bar the engine over first, before you invest in removing it. Most standby generators have had very little use.

[irnsrgn]

copper is $150 a pound now and scrapiron was $250 a ton, don't know about cast. If you are thinking about running it, check with your bank about a loan before ordering fuel.

plan B, find a salvager that will take it out and pay you for it taboot.

[arftist]

If you are thinking about junking this or any other generator, please reconsider. This unit can be made to run on many different fuels, some of wich are available free. Also, large amounts of deisel and #2 heating oil, and jet fuel are hauled away at cost to the former owner, all of wich will run in a deisel. It would also serve greatly as a backup generator, for ocasional use, when some other alternative power sorce was temporarily out of order. The demand for generators like this in third world countrys is unfillable. Deisels can run on methane, propane, natural gas(methane), wood gas, coal gas, water gas, vegtable oil, used vegetable oil, algae oil and recycled motor oil. The gen end by it self can be used for steam or hydro.

[Glenn]

arftist
Go to the top of the forum page and click on user cp
click on edit profile
go to the bottom of the page, enter your location and save.

We would like to know where in the world you are located.

[Vernon]

I agree with Arftist, destroying a big Diesel generator for a few pounds of copper isn't the path I'd choose, either.

[Ratel10mm]

Especially a Lister! Great find bud, good luck with getting somewhere to store it. :)

[Ben Hartley]

A Lister is a good sturdy engine, I'd love to get my hands on one.

[orgtwister]

they still are selling the lister they sell the small ones on ebay alll the time i would find any way to get if it was me like said here before get a tow truck operator to move it it should be skid mounted as some type of frame you could get several piaces of pipe and roll it around on them you will be surprized how easy heavy objects will move once you get the pipe under them you just keep moving them back to the front as they come out the back

[tech413]

I worked on the lister diesels in forklifts for some years. They are a resiliant motor, forklift left outside for a year started fine with new fuel and a battery, DON'T SCRAP IT!! Someone will buy the engine, even if it doesn't turn, it can be freed up.