Thread: Electricity/ Generator/ Post-apocalypse question

Replacement parts are a big deal, but as others have mentioned, fuel is the biggest. Some generators are very specialized and need specialized fuel (like gasoline). Without people to make and ship gasoline, your people are screwed unless they go around robbing gas stations (which will be among the first hit in an apocalypse by looters because all the smart people know that what you want most in the apocalypse are apparently gasoline and ammunition). However one can use other generators or adapt generators to accept other burnable sources of fuel (which may or may not be easy to find depending on your apocalypse), or possibly engineer ones to use solar, wind or hydro power.

A big question for you however is why is power so imperative? People existed without electric power for thousands of years; why is the power itself so important to the story?

Bearing wear on a diesel gen set engine isn't really an issue at all,as you would typically be using an engine rated to produce its top power at around 4500 RPM running at well under 2000 RPM. This means that the gen-set is designed to produce its rated Kw output at tick-over. As for replacing bearings it depends on what bearings you are talking about. Big End Bearings-Small End Bearings-Crankshaft Bearings-Camshaft Bearings, Alternator Bearings. You will need to split the engine to replace most bearings. It is still very unlikely that you will ever give a diesel gen-set much maintenance. There is a lighthouse on an island near my home. It has run on the same diesel engine for over seventy years ( A GARDNER ). It receives a fresh oil change every two to tree years. If a power station were to find itself without a workforce, it would cease to operate in 24 hours or less.
Regards Richard

Begging your pardon, but bearings are made of hardened steel. The brushes which are in constant contact with the rotating commutator are a composite of carbon or graphite bound together with resins then baked and believe me, they are the first things to wear out as they are made to wear.

We live in hurricane country and have had to depend on our generator for 6 weeks before after hurricane Rita. After a wide spread disaster, gasoline would still be around in the thousands of cars, lawn mowers and other small motors and could be scrounged as in the "Mad Max" movies. The oil does need to be changed frequently, about every 4-5 tanks of gas which would be a bigger challenge than the gasoline, you would have to break into stores and such.

Although there are gas fired turbine generators, the most commonly used ones are the old Briggs and Stratton powered ones that they sell everywhere.

But the brushes will always be the first to go, and the hardest to obtain, they have to match that particular generator.

@Ditch Hi Ditch a small Briggs & Stratton four stroke lawnmower engine is in no way comparable to a large diesel gen-set engine from a manufacturer like F.G. Wilson using power plants from Caterpillar,Perkins or Detroit Diesel. These sets are rated at continuous load, and are run on ships 24 hours a day for months on end with the bare minimum of maintenance.
The smallest Briggs & Stratton gen set produces 800 Watts the largest produces 8000 Watts ( I got the figures from the Briggs & Stratton web site )
The smallest portable F.G. Wilson set produces 6.8 kVA ( 6800 Watts ) the largest portable set produces 2800 kVA ( 224,0000 Watts ) nearly a quarter of a million Watts! A typical hospital set will be in the region of one 2800kVA set plus another as backup.
Another advantage of a diesel set is that it can run on vegetable oil with no modifications,you could grow your own fuel; Rapeseed for instance!
I have been building and installing diesel gen-sets for more years than I care to remember. The quality and endurance of these engines is immense. All of the Perkins sets use a Rolls Royce engine. The stator bearings on the Caterpillar are made not of hardened steel but a tungsten carbide composite plated with platinum. It should also be pointed out that most diesel sets in the 24.5 to 2800 kVA use a PMG con-tactless pick up and not brushes so contact wear isn't even an issue !
I have listed below the three standard gen-set configurations .
1.Standby Rating based on Applicable for supplying emergency power for the duration of normal power interruption. No sustained overload capability is available for this rating
2.Prime (Unlimited Running Time) Rating: Output available with varying load for an unlimited time. Average power output is 70% of the prime rating.
3.Base Load (Continuous) Rating based on: Applicable for supplying power continuously to a constant load up to the full output rating for unlimited hours. No sustained overload capability is available for this rating.
Regards Richard

Ditch Hi Ditch a small Briggs & Stratton four stroke lawnmower engine is in no way comparable to a large diesel gen-set engine from a manufacturer like F.G. Wilson using power plants from Caterpillar,Perkins or Detroit Diesel. These sets are rated at continuous load, and are run on ships 24 hours a day for months on end with the bare minimum of maintenance.

All of your information is correct Richard. The problem is that most people can't come close to affording a large diesel generator that will only be used every few years for a limited time. We live on the coast and loose power regularly every hurricane season usually. The really well off have a Generac whole house generator, but they are few and far between. Most everyone has a portable generator in the 5,500 watt range and run extension cords, feed the fridge for a while, then a small AC unit, water heater for a short while. I wired an outdoor receptacle directly into the breaker box, just kill the main and flip what breakers are needed when. Keeps the mosquitoes and varmints out not leaving the door cracked.

@Ditch: I totally agree with your observations. We have a very stable climate in Northern Ireland and no tornadoes thank God they must be terrifying. On very rare occasions we get huge devastating hurricanes..or blistering snow storms..summers are mild and damp. But Ireland is beautiful in any weather.
Regards Richard

A good research tool i used for this question was the documentary ''Life After People''. Most electricity plants would be shut down within days, but Hydro, Solar, and Wind powered electricity can go strong for a while. Don't remember how long exactly though.