Need a new engine @ 26 hours. Gas installed wrong.

kspearrin · Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:44 pm

Hey guys,
Generator stopped working @ ~26 hours. Had my Generac-authorized service guy come out and he checked several things. Final conclusion was that I have no compression on cylinder 2 and that I need a new engine. Well, glad I bought the extended warranty, so no problem. After he gets off the phone with Generac to order the new engine he tells me that he had to send some photos of the installed unit to Generac. Generac tells me that my gas line is installed improperly and could have led to the engine issues. They are still going to send me a new engine, but I need to pay to have the gas company come back out and fix the install per the installation manual and send them photos of the fixed install before they will send the replacement engine. They claim that the manual shows that there should be at least 5ft of pipe between the generator and the gas regulator. My install is ~2ft. Generac service guy says he sees them installed like mine all the time. I call the gas company and they tell me that this is how they install all units and that the fuel pressure was tested under load at startup and all checked out to be within spec. So, I go dig up my installation manual and find the following:

I have model Model G0070432. The manual that came with mine is titled "Installation Guidelines, 9 kW to 22 kW". My manual is also available on Generac website here. See attached screenshot from my manual (notice label "F"). My manual has no mention of the minimum distance needed from regulator to generator.

Then I find the newer manual online titled "Installation Guidelines, 10 kW to 26 kW". See attached screenshot from the newer manual (notice label "F"). Newer manual mentions needing 5ft of pipe after the regulator.

Did Generac just change this all of a sudden? How am I suppose to know that the gas line was originally installed improperly? Obviously Generac changed this guidance at some point and now they seem to be blaming the issue on the customer/gas company. Will I have any luck in pressing Generac to cover the cost of the gas line reinstall work? It feels like this should be treated like a recall.

grsthegreat · Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:59 pm

Did the tech adjust valves prior to resting compression?

grsthegreat · Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:00 pm

Code requires regulator to be 5 feet from combustion source.

Birken Vogt · Tue Jan 31, 2023 12:51 am

grsthegreat wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:00 pm
Code requires regulator to be 5 feet from combustion source.

Generally speaking, regulators with a pressure relief inside them. Mainly those are propane. Which the one pictured does not have. But the volume of pipe for regulator reaction is something.

I think there is something in NFPA 37 that nobody ever reads about reg distance though. But that reg would have no restrictions under NFPA 54 I believe.

UnknownOverlord · Tue Jan 31, 2023 6:37 am

I dont like the placement either. The reg vents right next to the intake side. Code or no code, it makes good sense to not vent explosive gases right next to the intake

And no, you wont get a penny from generac for re-plumbing.

kspearrin · Tue Jan 31, 2023 6:53 am

I am going to call another gas company to get this install issue resolved, however, I am not sure what to tell them needs to be done. Does the regulator need to be moved 5ft away from the generator, or can the regulator stay in the same spot but we just need to do some circles with the pipe until we have at least 5ft before going into the generator?

Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:51 am

The IFGC does state that a pressure regulator must be 5' from a source of ignition, and that Maxitrol regulator does have a vent on it (seen in the image as the blue vent cap just behind the adjustment cover).

I would ditch that regulator as part of your new gas line install though. They're JUNK and cause all kinds of issues... Go for something like a Sensus, or NorGas, which are designed for engine applications. I doubt that if the fuel pressures were good you had engine failure due to this setup... Hopefully the tech did some checks first (like a valve adjustment) before condemning the engine.

kspearrin · Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:08 am

The tech diagnosing the generator told me that he checked the valves and they were good. He also observed that the stepper motor was not behaving as expected so he replaced both the board and the stepper motor. No change and then discovered 0 compression on cylinder 2. Says next step is engine replacement. Sometimes the generator wont start at all. Other times, it will start but only run at ~1000 rpm, very sluggishly.

kspearrin · Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:22 am

Chris wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:51 am
The IFGC does state that a pressure regulator must be 5' from a source of ignition, and that Maxitrol regulator does have a vent on it (seen in the image as the blue vent cap just behind the adjustment cover).

I would ditch that regulator as part of your new gas line install though. They're JUNK and cause all kinds of issues... Go for something like a Sensus, or NorGas, which are designed for engine applications. I doubt that if the fuel pressures were good you had engine failure due to this setup... Hopefully the tech did some checks first (like a valve adjustment) before condemning the engine.

@Chris

Being that I know nothing about NG, I assume I will be at the mercy of whatever the gas company recommends to install. Do you have some specific model numbers you suggest that I could mention "the generator guys say these are the ones that that don't see issues with".

Birken Vogt · Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:32 am

Chris wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:51 am
The IFGC does state that a pressure regulator must be 5' from a source of ignition, and that Maxitrol regulator does have a vent on it (seen in the image as the blue vent cap just behind the adjustment cover).

Chris, do you have a citation for that? The way I remember it is, regulators that have a pressure relief device, not just all regulators.