Every dairy farmer dreads the uncertainty that comes along with a power outage. Modern milkhouses rely on dependable power to operate, and missed milkings are not an option. Most dairy farms are equipped with modern diesel generators to back up the available grid power and provide standby power on an as-needed basis.

However, these diesel systems can be particularly tricky to keep operational during the winter months, particularly in the Great Plains region of the U.S. and Canada where cold winds blow for a month at a time. In this article, two seasoned generator technicians – Dale Routh, owner of Power Solutions in Spirit Lake, Idaho, who has 36 years of experience in this field; and Robby Robinson, owner of Genesis Power in Apple River, Illinois, who has 40 years of experience – share some tips to help keep your generator running smoothly all winter long.

Monitoring

Perhaps the easiest hack that both Routh and Robinson recommend is a communication module installed on each generator that is managed through a phone app. The farmowners and managers should all have access so they can monitor oil temperature, coolant temperature, block heater engagement, battery voltage, fuel levels and temperature. The objective of monitoring these things is to find the problem first and proactively fix it instead of discovering the problem when the power goes out. Robinson adds, "The day-to-day crews on the dairy are often heavily involved in their daily tasks, and often generator monitoring gets lost in the shuffle.” This is why it is important for owners and managers to designate who is in charge of monitoring the generators.

Block heaters

According to Routh, the three top points of failure on generators are block heaters, batteries and fuel systems. Winter conditions magnify these weaknesses, and small problems during warm weather are now large ones since the extreme cold is a diesel generator’s enemy. This leads us to our topic of the day: tips to keep your diesel generator working during those cold winter months.

Block heaters are essential for diesel generators.

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“Unlike other farm equipment where one can start the engine and let it idle to warm up, a backup generator needs to go from zero to 1,800 rpm in seconds of the power going down,” Routh says.

If the engine is stone cold, the result could be a cracked head or other damage. To solve this, block heaters are installed on diesel backup generators. For cold-weather conditions, Robinson recommends a circulating pump style against the standard convection style. The stock convection type will often heat one end of the engine to 120ºF while the other end could remain at 30ºF. A circulating block heater will ensure even temperature throughout the entire engine by heating and pumping the anti-freeze. Most stock block heaters are the convection type; the cold-weather hack is to replace it with an after-market circulating block heater.

Coolant needs to be tested and maintained as well. A malfunctioning block heater can cook the coolant, degrading it significantly.

Generator location

When purchasing a generator, a weather enclosure is cheaper, but a sound attenuated enclosure provides additional protection from the wind cutting through the generator as it sits. On the Great Plains, this is significant.

For a period of time, it seems dairy designers fancied placing the backup generators directly in line with the barn exhaust fans. The issue no one thinks of is methane. Those fans blow methane directly onto the generator itself. Methane is acidic and corrosive and often has its way with the delicate radiator fins or it attaches and corrodes to the bus points on the controller, resulting in a failed control board. A simple wall between the generator and the fan exhausts will solve this issue.

Batteries

Batteries are another popular fail point, especially in cold weather. The cold derates weak batteries quickly and efficiently. To combat this, generators are equipped with battery chargers to maintain a full charge at all times.

Routh recommends “making sure you have a premium battery charger installed, not one from the local auto parts store.” On larger units coupled with automatic transfer switch (ATS) arrangements, there is a constant draw on the generator for communications with the ATS. A battery charger is a must. To keep batteries in shape, extreme cold battery heaters are available either in pad form (battery sits on top of heat pad) or the up/downside models that wrap around the battery itself.

Fuel system

The last major fail point is the fuel system. Filling tanks with winter blend in October prior to the cold weather arriving is one hack to keep your fuel system in good shape. There are also fuel heater kits available that heat the fuel just prior to going through the fuel filters. These heaters prevent icing and gelling of fuel and can be set to activate when a certain low temperature is achieved. Another tip is to avoid biodiesel and instead use petroleum-based products only from a reputable supplier. Biodiesel tends to hold moisture and grow algae easier than petroleum-based products.

Additional tips

Exercise the generators and test the transfer switches (full load) weekly.

“I recommend running these tests on Tuesday mornings between milkings so if there is a problem a tech can come out, diagnose and order parts, with everything finished and not delayed by the weekend,” Robinson says.

Other tips include:

  • In extreme environments, one can add an oil pan heater as well. At 30ºF, 15/40 oil will become molasses-like. This helps generators start properly every time.
  • Plan to have an annual maintenance session late in the year before wintertime on all generators to test fluids, oil, fuel and coolant.
  • Use a marine-grade battery charger; those are built for weather.

Robinson says it makes a difference when farms have a certified generator technician working on their machines instead of a favorite electrical contractor.

“Generator technicians are trained to service and troubleshoot the controls for the generator, engine and ATS,” he says. “They can work on the engine itself and the generator. Electricians are trained to connect and disconnect the generator, ATS and switchgear.”

Phil Thompson is a power consultant and owner of Redtop Power Solutions LLC. He can be reached by email or (208) 661-4880.