Portable Generator

 I have been checking my preps the last few weeks. Yesterday I decided to run my small 3500 watt generator for a while, just to exercise the thing.

Had to add a little oil, the thing has a small drip on one corner, and it also has a low oil cutoff switch.  Topped off the gas, and it fired up on about the third pull.

Then I hooked up my weedeater to it, and set about eating some weeds.

The weedeater acted like it was a little underpowered, but I really wasn't paying that much attention, and I got the job done.

Today decided to fire it up, and ran an extension cord to a fridge and freezer I have in my garage. After that, I remembered I had one of those kilowatt meters you can plug things into and check how many watts you're using. This is the one I got at harbor freight:

P3 INTERNATIONAL KILL A WATT Electric Monitor

So I dug mine out and plugged it in and son of a hooskie!!!

My generator is only putting out 102 volts!  WTF????

The kill a watt meter also lets you check amps, volts, watts, and frequency. So I clicked over to frequency and it is only putting out  52.6 Hertz!!! Double WTF??

So now I gotta try and fix that. I know voltage can be adjusted, but I don't know about the hertz.

So I got to lookin at it, and decided the first thing to do is check out the speed. I don't have a tachometer, but I went ahead and cranked the speed screw and got more speed out of it, and got it up to 60 hz. Then I hooked up my portable a/c unit and ran it, it pulled over 800 watts so I figured that was a load. Cranked the speed screw and got 60 hz even and 120 volts output. 

Now I gotta find a tach and order it, don't want to overspeed the little thing.