Avoid Wet Stacking In Your Industrial Generator Rental Fleet

If you rent out generators, then you're all too aware how sometimes down-renting a generator to get the sale or keep the customer happy is the right choice. However, it can often be a costly choice due to wet stacking.

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What is wet stacking?

Wet stacking happens when customers run the generator at a light load and the generator engine doesn't achieve high enough RPMs to burn off emissions particulates properly, causing a buildup of soot that gets sent to the exhaust system. The "wet stacking" refers to the dark liquid substance running out of the exhaust system.

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Why is wet stacking a problem?

Wet stacking causes four main problems:

1. Repeated wet stacking will shorten the engine life requiring it to be repaired or replaced much sooner than designed.

2. The soot buildup from wet stacking will reduce power the generator is designed to produce.

3. The engine will need to be repaired from frequently, leading to financial loss from downtime and the actual repairs which can cost $2,000 plus for load bank testing.

4. Wet stacking causes to pollution levels that are often unacceptable in many municipalities.

 

How to prevent wet stacking?

The best way to prevent it is to rent out a 65kVA generator for a 65kVA job, but that's not real life. Sometimes you'll have an empty yard except for that one generator, and of course, that's when you'll get the call for a 45kW job! So you rent it out.

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Some rental companies prevent generator damage by installing an automatic buildup shut off. This is not the best option from your customer's perspective in mind as these examples below show: