Generac Power Systems PowerBOSS Storm-Plus 1642-0 User manual

Portable Generator Owner's Manual

A his is the safety alert symbol. It isusedto alert you to potential personal injury hazards.Obey all safety messagesthat follow this symbol to avoid possible injury or death.

Questions? Help is just a moment away!

Call: Generac Generator Helpline - 1-800-270-1408 M-F 8-5 CT; Sat.8-4 CT

Web: www.generac-portables.com or www.briggsandstratton.com

Model No. 1642-0 (5,500Watt AC Generator) Manual No. 189027 Revision 2 (06/01/2001)

EQUIPMENT

DESCRIPTION

This generator isan engine-driven, revolving field,alternating

current (AC) generator. It was designedto supply electrical

power for operating compatible electrical lighting, appliance,

tool and motor loads.

This manualcontains informationfor a generator that

operates 120and/or 240Volt AC, singlephase,60Hz devices

that require up to 5,500watts (5.5 kW) of power that pull

up to 45.8 Amps at 120Vottsor 22.9Amps at 240Volts.

CAUTION! Do Not exceed the generator's

wattage/amperage capacity.Add up the rated watts of all

devicesyou will connect to generator receptacles at one

time.This total should not be greater than 5,500 watts for

this generator. Review"Don't Overload the Generator" on

page 9.

The generator's revolving field isdriven at about 3,600 rpm

by a single-cylinder engine.

Every effort hasbeen madeto ensure that informationin

this manualisaccurate and current However, Generac

reservesthe right to change,alter or otherwise improvethe

product and this document at anytime without prior

notice.

_AUTION! Do Not tamper with engine

governed speed.High operating speeds are

dangerousand increaserisk of personal injuryor

damageto equipment.The generator supplies

correct rated frequency and voltage only when

running at proper governed speed.Incorrect

frequency and/or voltage can damagesome

connected electrical loads.Operating at excessively

low speedsimposesa heavy load.When adequate

engine power isnot availableengine life may be

shortened.

The Emission Control System for this generator is

warranted for standards set by the Environmental

Protection Agency.For warranty informationrefer to the

engine owner's manual.

SAFETY RULES

Thisgenerator set was designed and manufactured for

specific applications. Do Not attempt to modify the unitor

use it for anyapplication it was not designedfor. If you have

anyquestions about your generator's application, askyour

dealer or consult the factory.

The manufacturer could not possibly anticipate every

circumstance that might involvea hazard.For that reason

warnings in the manualand warnings on tags or decals

affixed to the unit are not all-inclusive. If you intendto

handle,operate or service the unit by a procedure or

method not specifically recommended by the manufacturer,

first make sure that such a procedure or method will not

render this equipment unsafeor pose a threat to you and

others.

Read this manual carefully and become familiar

with your generator set. Know its applications, its

limitations and any hazards involved.

_, ARNING! You must isolatethe generator

from the electric utility usingapproved transfer

equipment ifthis unit isused for backup power.

Failure to isolate the generator from the

power utility may result in injury or death to

electric utility workers and damage to the

generator due to a backfeed of electrical energy.

Whenever the unit isproviding backup power, the

electric utility must be notified.

_|k DANGER! Generator exhaust gases contain

DEADLY carbon monoxide gas. If breathed in

sufficient concentrations, carbon monoxide

can cause unconsciousness or death. Operate

this equipment outdoors where adequate ventilation

isavailable.

•The generator produces avery powerful voltage that can

cause serious injury or death by electrocution. Never

touch bare wires or receptacles.Never permit a child or

any unqualified person to operate the generator.

• Never handleany kind of electrical cord or devicewhile

standing in water, while barefoot or while hands or feet

are wet Death or serious injury from electrocution may

result.

• Use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) in any damp

or highly conductive area (such as metal decking or steel

work).

• Never useworn, bare,frayed or otherwise damaged

electrical cords with the generator. Death, serious injury

and property damagefrom electrical shock may result

•Gasoline is highly FLAMMABLE and its vapors are

EXPLOSIVE. Never allow smoking, open flames,

sparks or heat in the vicinity while handling

gasoline. Avoid spielinggasolineon a hot engine.Comply

with all laws regulating storage and handlingof gasoline.

•Do Not overfill the fuel tank.Always allow room for fuel

expansion.If tank is overfllled, fuel can overflow

onto a hot engine and cause a FIRE or an

EXPLOSION.

•Never store a generator with fuel in the tank where

gasolinevapors might reach an open flame,spark or pilot

light (ason a furnace, water heater,clothes dryer). FIRE

or an EXPLOSION may result.

• The unit requires an adequateflow of cooling air for its

continued proper operation. Never operate the unit

inside anyroom or enclosure where the free flow of

cooling air intoand out of the unit might be obstructed.

Allow at least2 feet of clearanceon all sidesof generator,

evenwhile operating unit outdoors, or you could damage

the unit

• Never start, or stop the unit with electrical loads

connected to receptacles with the connected devices

turned ON. Start the engine and let it stabilize before

connecting any electrical loads. Disconnect all electrical

loads before shutting down the generator.

•Do Not insert anyobject through cooling slots of the

engine.Youcould damagethe unit or injure yourself.

•Never operate the generator:

in rain; in any enclosed compartment; when connected

electrical devices overheat; if electrical output is lost; if

engine or generator sparks; if flame or smoke is observed

while unit is running; if unit vibrates excessively.

GROUNDING THE

G EN ERATO R

The National Electrical Code requires that the frame and

external electrically conductive parts of this generator be

properly connected to an approved earth ground. Local

electrical codes may also require proper grounding of the

unit. For that purpose, a GROUNDING WING NUT is

provided on the generator end (Figure I).

Generally,connecting a No. 12AWG (American Wire

Gauge) stranded copper wire to the grounding wing nut

and to an earth-driven copper or brassgrounding rod

(electrode) provides adequateprotection againstelectrical

shock. Be careful to keep the grounding wire attached after

connecting the stranded copper wire. However, local codes

may vary widely.Consult with a local electrician for

grounding requirements in your area.

Properly grounding the generator helps prevent electrical

shock if a ground fault condition exists in the generator or

in connected electrical devices.Proper grounding also helps

dissipatestatic electricity, which often builds up in

ungrounded devices.

Yourgeneratorrequiressomeassemblyandisready for

use after it hasbeen properly serviced with the

recommended oil and fuel.

If you have any problems with the assembly of your

generator, please call the generator helpline at

1-800-270-1408.

IMPORTANT: Any attempt to run the unit before it has

been serviced with the recommended oil will result in an

engine failure.

REMOVE G EN ERATOR

FROM CARTON

•Set the carton on a rigid flat surfacewith "This Side Up"

arrows pointing upward.

• Carefully open the top flapsof the shippingcarton.

• Cut down corners at one end of carton from top to

bottom and laythat side of carton down flat

• Removeall packing material, carton fillers, etc.

• Removethe generator from the shipping carton.

CARTON CONTENTS

Check all contents. If anyparts are missingor damaged,call

the generator helpline at 1-800-270-1408.

• The generator

• Generator and engine owner's manuals

• Locking 30Amp plug

• Engineoil

• Wheel kit

INSTALL WHEEL KIT

IMPORTANT:This wheel kit is not intended for

over-the-road use.

To installyour wheel kit you need the followingtools:

• Two 13mm box, openend,or socket wrenches

Install Wheel Kit as follows:

I. Placethe bottom of the generator cradle on a flat,

even surface.Temporarily place uniton blocks to ease

assembly.

2. Slide axle through both axle mounting brackets on

cradle frame, as shown in Figure 2.

Cap Screw

Handle Assembly

Hex FlatWasher

Mounting Leg J

Use Existing Fasteners

Axle

Wheel

Retaining Pin

3. Slideawheel over the axle.

NOTE: Be sure to installboth wheelswith the air

pressure valve on the outboard side.

4. Retain wheel on axle with the retaining pin.You may

acidthe fiat washer if desired.

5. Repeat step 3 and 4 to secure second wheel.

6. Removethe existing hardware from the vibration

mounts with 13mm wrench. Use the same hardware to

attach the mounting leg.

7. Removethe temporary blocks.

8. Center the handle bracket on generator frame at

control panel end of cradle.

9. Attach handle bracket with two cap screws and two

hex nuts. Use two 13mm wrenches to tighten

hardware.

BEFORE STARTING THE

ENGINE

Add Oil

CAUTION! Any attempt to crank or start the engine

before it has been properly filled with the recommended

oil may result in an engine failure.

To fill your engine with oil:

•Place generator on a level surface.

• Follow the oil grade recommendations and oil fill

instructions given in the engine owner's manual.

NOTE:The generator's revolving field rides on a

prelubricated and sealed ball bearing that requires no

additional lubrication for the life of the bearing.

Add Gasoline

_hL WARNING! Never fill fuel tank indoors. Never

fill fuel tank when engine is running or hot. Do Not

light a cigarette or smoke when filling the fuel tank.

_ WARNING! Do Not overfill the fuel tank.

Always allow room for fuel expansion.

• Use regular UNLEADED gasolinewith the generator

engine.Do Not use premium gasoline. Do Not mix oil

with gasoline.

• Clean areaaround fuel fill cap,remove cap.

• Add unleaded regular gasoline,slowly to fuel tank. Be

careful not to overfill.Allow about I/2" of tank spacefor

fuel expansion (Figure 3).

1/2" Air Space Tank

• Install fuel cap and wipe up any spilled gasoline.

IMPORTANT: It is important to prevent gum deposits

from forming in essential fuel system parts, such asthe

carburetor, fuel filter, fuel hose or tank during storage.Also,

experience indicates that alcohol-blended fuels (called

gasohol, ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture, which

leads to separation and formation of acids during storage.

Acidic gas can damage the fuel system of an engine while in

storage.

To avoid engine problems, the fuel system should be

emptied before storage of 30 days or longer. See "Storage"

on page I I. Never use engine or carburetor cleaner

products in the fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.

KNOWYOUR GENERATOR

Read this owner's manual and safety rules before operating your generator.

Compare the illustrations with your generator, to familiarize yourself with the locations of various controls and

adjustments. Save this manual for future reference. FuelTank

Circuit

Breakers (AC)

SparkArrester Muffler

Choke Lever

Air Cleaner

120/240Volt AC,

30 Amp

Receptacle

Recoil Starter

Grounding Wing Nut

Rocker Switch

(on engine shroud) 120Volt AC, 20 Amp

Duplex Receptacles

120Volt AC, 20 Amp, Duplex Receptacles -- May be

usedto supply electrical power for the operation of

120Volt AC, 20 Amp, singlephase,60 Hz electrical lighting,

appliance,toot and motor loads.

120/240 Volt AC, 30 Amp Locking Receptacle -- May

be usedto supply electrical power for the operation of

120and/or 240Volt AC, 30Amp, singlephase,60 Hz

electrical lighting,appliance,tool and motor loads.

Air Cleaner -- Uses a dry type filter element and foam

pre-cteaner to limitthe amount of dirt and dust sucked

into the engine.

Choke Lever -- Used when starting a cold engine.

Circuit Breakers (AC) -- Pushto reset circuit breakers

are provided to protect the generator againstelectrical

overload.

Fuel Tank -- Capacity of five (5) U.S.gallons.

GroundingWing Nut -- Used for proper grounding of

unit (seepage 3).

Recoil starter -- Used to start the engine.

Rocker Switch -- Set this switch to "On" before using

recoil starter. Set switch to "Off" to switch off engine.

Spark Arrester Muffler -- Exhaust muffler lowers

engine noise and isequipped with a spark arrester screen.

OPERATING THE

GEN ERATO R

,_ CAUTION! Never start or stop the engine with

electrical loadsconnectedto the receptaclesAND

with the connected devices turned ON.

Starting the Engine

Disconnect all electrical loadsfrom the generator. Use the

following start instructionsteps by numerical order:

I. Turn the fuel valve to the "On" position (Figure 4).

FuelValveisshown

in the On position

2. Placethe choke leverin the "Choke" position

(Figure5).

4. Grasp the recoil handle and pull slowly untilslight

resistance isfelt.Then pull rapidly to start engine.

5. Move choke leverto "Run" position a short distanceat

a time over severalsecondsin warm weather or

minutes in cold weather.Let engine run smoothly before

eachchange.Operate with choke in"Run" position.

NOTE: If engine still fails to start after 3 pulls,check for

proper oil level in crankcase.This unit isequipped with a

Low Oil Shutdown System.Seeengine manual.

Refer to the engine owner's manual for complete

starting instructions.

Connecting Electrical Loads

•Let engine stabilize and warm up for a few minutes after

starting.

• Plug in and turn on the desired 120 and/or 240 VottAC,

singlephase,60 Hz electrical loads.

•Do Not connect 240Volt loadsto the 120Volt duplex

receptacles.

•Do Not connect 3_hase loadsto the generator.

•Do Not connect 50 Hz loads to the generator.

•DO NOT OVERLOADTHE GENERATOR. See

"Don't Overload the Generator" on page9.

Stopping the Engine

• Unplug all electrical loads from generator panel

receptacles.Never start or stop engine with electrical

devicesplugged in and turned ON.

• Let engine run at no-load for several minutes to stabilize

the internal temperatures of engine andgenerator.

• Move rocker switch to "Off" position.

• Move the fuel valveto the "Off" position.

3. Set the rocker switch to "On" position (Figure 6).

in On

RECEPTACLES

120/240 Volt AC, 30 Amp, Locking

Receptacle

Use a NEMA LI4-30 plug with this receptacle.Connect a

4-wire cord set rated for 250Volt AC loads at 30 Amps (or

greater) (Figure 7).You can usethe same 4-wire cord if you

_lanto run a 120Volt load.

120 Volt AC, 20 Amp, Duplex

Receptacles

Eachreceptacle (Figure8) isprotected against overload by

a 20 Amp push-to-reset circuit breaker.

4-Wire CordSet

Y (Hot) X (H_)

Ground

NEMA L14=30 (Green)

This receptacle powers 120/240Volt AC, 60 Hz,single

phaseloads requiring up to 3,600 watts of power at

30 Amps for 120Volts;5,500 watts of power (5.5 kW) at

30 Amps for 240Volts.The outlet isprotected bya 20 Amp

push-to-reset circuit breaken

_, AUTION! Although this outlet states it has a

120/240 Volt 30 Amp rating (up to 7,200 watts), the

generator isonly rated for 5,500 watts. Powering

loads that exceed the wattage/amperage capacity of

the generator can damage it or cause serious injuries.

Use each receptacle to operate 120Volt AC, single-phase,

60 Hz electrical loadsrequiring up to 2,400 watts (2.4 kW)

at 20Amps of current. Use cord sets that are rated for

125Volt AC loadsat 20Amps (or greater).

DON'T OVERLOAD TH E

G EN ERATO R

Overloading a generator in excess of its rated wattage

capacity can result in damageto the generator and/or

connected electrical devices.Observe the following, to

prevent overloading the unit:

•Add up the total wattage of all electrical devicesto be

connected at one time.This total should NOT be greater

than the generator's wattage capacity.

• If the appliance,tool or motor does not give wattage,

multiply 120Volts times ampere rating to determine

watts (volts x amps = watts).

The rated wattageof lights can be taken from wattage

listed on the lightbulbs.The rated wattageof tools,

appliancesand motors can usually be found on a data

plate or decal affixed to the device.Use Figure 9 below

asa general reference.

Someelectric motors, such asinductiontypes, require

about three times more watts of power for starting than

for running.This surge of power lastsfor only a few

secondswhen starting such motors. Be sure you allow

for this high starting wattage when selectingelectrical

devicesto connect to your generator. First figure the

watts needed to start the largest motor.Add to that

figure the running watts of all other connected loads.

Recreational/Home Uses

Tool/Appliance .................................................... Watts

AM/FM clock radio ....................................................................50

Light bulb....................................................................................100

Fan................................................................................................200

20" color TV ..............................................................................400

*Deep freezer ...........................................................................500

Personal computer and 15" monitor ...................................800

*1/3 hp furnace fan blower ....................................................800

Microwave oven ........................................................................800

*18 cu ft refrigerator ...............................................................800

Sump pump ..............................................................................1000

Electric skillet ..........................................................................1250

*Y2 hp water well pump .......................................................1400

*12,000 Btu window air conditioner ................................1400

Space heater ............................................................................1800

Electric water heater ............................................................4000

Professional/Contractor Uses

Tool/Appliance .................................................... Watts

"1/3 hp airless sprayer ............................................................600

3/8" hammer drill .....................................................................600

Variable speed Sawzall® .........................................................960

Y2" power drill ........................................................................1000

Quartz-halogen work light ..................................................1000

Belt sander ...............................................................................1200

7¼" circular saw ...................................................................1500

7¼" worm drive saw ...........................................................1600

*1/2 hp air compressor ........................................................1800

*I0" power miter saw ...........................................................1800

6" bench grinder .....................................................................1800

*6" table planer.......................................................................1800

*I0" table/radial arm saw .....................................................2000

Wire feed welder ...................................................................2400

* allow 3 times listed watts for starting this device

SPECIFICATIONS

Maximum SurgeWatts ................. 8,500 watts

Continuous Wattage Capacity ........... 5,500 watts

Power Factor .............................. 1.0

Rated Maximum Continuous AC Load Current:

At 120Volts ....................... 45.8Amps

At 240 Volts ....................... 22.9Amps

Phase................................. I-phase

Rated Frequency ....................... 60 Hertz

FuelTank Capacity................... 5 U.S.gallons

ShippingWeight ......................... 148 Ibs.

GENERAL MAINTENANCE

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Owner/Operator is responsible for making sure that

all periodic maintenance tasks are completed on atimely

basis;that all discrepancies are corrected; and that the unit

is kept clean and properly stored. Never operate a

damaged or defective generator.

Engine Maintenance

See engine owner's manual for instructions.

If you need service for your engine, you need to determine

the engine identification number.To do so, remove the

rocker arm cover hood, item number 55 shown on page

16, by removing the four nuts and washers holding it in

place.The engine model-type-trim number is stamped on

the side of the inner cover attached to the engine. Have

this number in hand when you call the engine service

center for assistance.

_, AUTION! Avoid prolonged or repeated skincontact with usedmotor oil. Used motor oil has

been shown to cause skin cancer in certain

laboratory animals.Thoroughly wash exposed areas

with soap and water.

KEEPOUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. DON'T

POLLUTE.CONSERVERESOURCES.RETURN

USED OIL TO COLLECTION CENTERS.

Generator Maintenance

Generator maintenance consists of keeping the unit clean

and dry. Operate and store the unit in a clean dry

environment where it will not be exposed to excessive

dust, dirt, moisture or any corrosive vapors. Cooling air

slots in the generator must not become clogged with snow,

leaves or any other foreign material.

NOTE: Do Not use a garden hose to clean generator.

Water can enter engine fuel system and cause problems. In

addition, if water enters generator through cooling air slots,

some of the water wilt be retained in voids and cracks of

the rotor and stator winding insulation.Water and dirt

buildup on the generator internal windings will eventually

decrease the insulation resistance of these windings.

To Clean the Generator

_, AUTION! Never insertanyobject or tool

through the air cooling slots, even ifthe engine is

not running.

•Use a damp cloth to wipe exterior surfaces clean.

• A soft bristle brush may be used to loosen caked on dirt

or oil.

• A vacuum cleaner may be used to pick up loose dirt and

debris.

• Low pressure air (not to exceed 25 psi) maybe used to

blow awaydirt. Inspect cooling air slots and opening on

generator.These openings must be kept clean and

unobstructed.

/10

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