When winter rolls around, bringing with it freezing temperatures and harsh weather conditions, the reliability of your Kohler or Generac outdoor standby generator becomes more crucial than ever. It's not just about convenience; in many cases, it's about safety and security. That's where an Xtreme Heater comes into play, ensuring that your whole home generator operates efficiently and reliably, even in the coldest of conditions.
Why You Need an Xtreme Heater for Your Generator
Generators, especially those stationed outdoors, are vulnerable to the cold. The engine oil can thicken, batteries can lose charge, and cold starts are hard on any engine, all of which can prevent your generator from starting or functioning efficiently when you need it most. An Xtreme Heater, designed to maintain temperatures between 40 and 55 degrees can prevent these issues, offering several key benefits:
- Ensures Reliability When You Need It Most: By maintaining a warmer temperature for the generator's engine and battery, an Xtreme Heater ensures that your generator starts up without a hitch, even in freezing conditions. This added reliability can prevent "surprise" issues during winter storms or unexpected power outages.
- Extends the Lifespan of Your Generator: Cold weather can be tough on machinery. Frequent cold starts can lead to increased wear and tear on your generator's engine. By keeping your generator at a steady, warm temperature, an Xtreme Heater minimizes this wear and tear, extending the lifespan of your investment.
- Improves Efficiency: A warm engine runs more efficiently than a cold one. By using an Xtreme Heater, you're ensuring that your generator operates at optimal efficiency from startup, which can save fuel and reduce operating costs over time.
- Easy to Install and Use: Xtreme Heaters are designed for ease of use. They can be easily installed on most standby generator models, and once set up, they operate fully automatically. This ease of use ensures that your generator is always ready to go, without any additional hassle on your part. They can be installed permanently or placed in the enclosure seasonally if you prefer.
How It Works
Xtreme Heaters work by maintaining a consistent and safe temperature within your generator's engine and battery compartments. The heater turns on at 40 and off at 55 and uses a high output fan to circulate the heat throughout the enclosure. This keeps the components at an optimal temperature for immediate startup and efficient operation. The heaters are built to be rugged and weather-resistant, making them perfect for outdoor use. The safety standards designed into the product make them the safest solution available.
How effective is the Xtreme Heater for maintaining temp above freezing in a generator enclosure?
We equipped a Kohler 14kw standby generator, a Small, XHEAT Xtreme Heater and a temperature monitoring system with two sensors inside the case and another outside to measure air temperature. The sensors inside the enclosure was placed on the opposite side of the heater location. One of the challenges the heater had to overcome was air leakage. One side of the enclosure is open to the air to facilitate fresh air circulation for combustion and cooling of the engine. We did not try to seal this up as we would in nearly every other situation as the nature of a stand-by generator is to be available as soon as power is cut and auto-starting when that happens. One sensor was placed close to this vented end of the enclosure.
We logged temperatures over the course of several winter days and nights at one minute intervals. With outside temperatures dropping to 13F the enclosure sensors low temperatures of 37.4 and 35.96F degrees. The lower value was recorded by the sensor near the vented wall of the enclosure. A chart with the actual readings over time tells the story of how Xtreme Heaters work.
In the chart above, the Orange line represents the outdoor temperature. The Green line represents Sensor 2 data. This sensor was placed behind the generator while the heater is placed in front. The blue line is Series 1 (1st Sensor), which is placed near the vented end of the enclosure where there is maximum air/heat loss. This is 24 hours of data, so a full day where the high was about 60 and the overnight low was 13.
If you follow the Orange line, you can see where outdoor temps began to drop quite quickly. As the enclosure began to follow that drop, the Xtreme Heater turned on at 40 degrees. The Blue and Green lines then begin a cycle of rising and falling between 40 and 55 degrees. The Blue line, representing the sensor close to the open end vent (See pic above) begins dropping a bit more than the Green due to this location, but still manages to keep up with a low temp reading of 35.96.
You can visualize the heater on/off points and the run times on this graph as well. The "On" point stabilizes around the mid-40s to 50 due to the location of the heater. It is positioned in a way that its thermostat is cooling ahead of the other two sensors. The distance between the "humps" grows a bit longer as the temperature continues to drop, indicating the heater is running a bit longer to keep things warm, but is still cycling, never resorting to running full time to keep up with the conditions.
Conclusion
As the winter season approaches, ensuring the reliability and efficiency of your outdoor standby generator should be a top priority. An Xtreme Heater is an investment in peace of mind, knowing that your generator will function reliably, even in the coldest weather. Not only does it ensure your generator is always ready to serve your needs, but it also extends the lifespan of your equipment, making it a wise choice for any homeowner or business relying on standby power. Stay warm, stay safe, and keep your generator ready for whatever winter throws your way with Xtreme Heaters.
