Types Of Strokes

A diesel engine can be broadly distinguished as two-stroke and four-stroke. Bulky engines usually operate on the two-stroke cycle. Lighter engines generally operate on a four-stroke cycle. Generally cylinders are used in multiples of 2, 4, 6, or 8. It doesn’t matter what number of cylinders are being used as long as the load on the crankshaft is counterbalanced to prevent excessive vibration. The in line 6-cylinder is used widely in medium and heavy duty engines.

There are three basic size groups of diesel engines based on power—small, medium, and large. The small engines have power-output values of less than 188 kilowatts, or 252 horsepower. This is the most commonly produced diesel engine type. Used in automobiles, light trucks, and some agricultural and construction applications, they also serve as small stationary electrical-power generators (such as those on pleasure craft) and as mechanical drives. They are typically direct-injection, in-line, four- or six-cylinder engines. Many are turbocharged with after coolers.

The most outstanding feature of the diesel engine is its efficiency. By compressing air -- rather than using an air-fuel mixture -- the diesel engine is not limited by the preignition problems that plague high-compression, spark-ignition engines. Thus, higher compression ratios can be achieved with diesel engines than with the spark-ignition variety; commensurately, higher theoretical cycle efficiencies, when compared with the latter, can often be realized. For more information about diesel engines, visit Depco's web site for more details.

Marine Gear: Inboard or Outboard?

When shopping for the appropriate marine gear for your boat, do you know which type you need?

An inboard marine gear is mounted inside the hull of the boat below deck, and the drive unit is mounted on the stern of the boat with a drive shaft encased in a boot, which goes through the stern of the hull. Such engines are standard on most runabouts, deck boats, and small cabin cruisers. The engine can range from a small 4 cylinder, 100 HP (horsepower) all the way up to an 8 cylinder, 400 HP (horsepower), with several others in between. The out drives are either single propeller or dual, counter-rotating propeller types and are mounted onto the transom of the boat. The dual prop tends to provide more 'traction' and power, particularly in accelerating from a stop. The out drives can be tilted up or down to compensate for differing boat load conditions and, since the whole out drive turns from side to side, steering and maneuverability are greatly enhanced.

An outboard marine gear is mounted onto the transom of a boat. Since the whole engine and drive train is a single unit turned by the steering, they provide excellent maneuverability.

Outboard engines are manufactured:

• 2 stroke, which must burn oil mixed with fuel;
• 4 stroke, which burn gasoline by itself; and
• a variation of the two called Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), which is a hybrid. 

2 stroke engines are desirable in high speed applications (like bass boats), and 4 stroke engines are used in applications where power and sound masking are more important (such as cruising).

If you're interested in purchasing new or used marine gear, check out the Depco Web site today.

Go Green - Sell Your Used Power Equipment

Throwing away power equipment or other industrial machinery can be highly detrimental to the environment. These parts usually end up in dumps around the world, contaminating drinking water, polluting the area, and harming the surrounding ecosystem. Instead of throwing away your used power equipment or paying outrageous recycling fees, help the environment by selling your used power equipment to Depco. We have trained experts at our facility ready to buy and repair your used generator set, used generator ends, used transfer switches, and other power equipment parts so you can "go green" and make some green at the same time.

A Sensible Choice

Diesel generators are critical to have in emergencies or for use in areas where there is no traditional electricity. Always keep in mind there are safety issues related to the proper use of the generators. Utilizing a diesel generator to power the homestead doesn’t have to be an environmental disaster. A generator can be a very efficient component of your independent energy system. The key is to observe a few basics: make the generator part of the system instead of a sole source of power.

Why use diesel-power instead of gasoline? Unlike gas engines, diesels have no spark plugs to replace, or carburetors to rebuild and service. Diesels generally burn less than half the fuel that gas engines do for the same amount of work. Diesels regularly outlast gas engines ten-to-one. The fuel-efficiency alone is a good reason for a diesel, plus off-road diesel fuel is cheaper than gasoline. It’s also a lot safer to store. It’s flammable, but not explosive like gasoline. And although diesel engines sometimes produce more visible exhaust, it is less toxic than the emissions from a gasoline engine. A well-tuned diesel, by the way, produces no visible exhaust except briefly, under severe load-changes.

The only maintenance generally required is changing the oil and filters for fuel, air, and oil. This much maintenance is the same for a gas engine. What you will not have to encounter is a tune-up. No carburetor adjustments, no distributor or magneto to burn out, and no spark plugs that require periodic cleaning and replacement. As with any internal combustion engine, proper maintenance is essential. Diesels are no exception, and the most important maintenance aspect is the oil change. An oil change every 100 hours of operation is normal operating procedure for a diesel generator, and it will assure a long and trouble-free life. For more information about diesel generators, visit www.depco.com.

Depco's YouTube Channel

We load tested a Cummins VTA28G5 and put video of the test on YouTube. In fact, we have a few YouTube videos available on the Depco Channel. The videos include the actual testing of diesel generator sets. Click here to see the Depco YouTube channel or go to http://www.youtube.com/depcopower for more information.

The Depco Inspection Process

The power equipment testing process is extremely important to our company. We have two load banks, one 750kW and one 2MW, and a dyno facility to test all generator sets and industrial engines.
During these 1-hour minimum tests we check:

• Unit pulls at full load
• Cooling system function
• Lube oil pressure
• No oil, fuel, coolant leaks
• Base pressure
• Voltage fluctuation
• Responsiveness to load changes
• Turbo boost
• Fuel pressure
• Oil temperature
• AC voltage
• AC current
• AC frequency

All our products must pass their manufacturers’ specifications. If they do not pass, we send them to repairs immediately and test them again prior to making them available for sale. With Depco, you are guaranteed quality inventory whenever you make a purchase from us.

Avoiding Power Failure During Natural Disasters

Since a continuous supply of electricity is what most customers demand, utilities have systems in place that practically eliminate the possibility of service outages. Regular trimming and clearing of trees around overhead lines, infra-red scanning and routine preventive maintenance are just a few of the ways to protect and improve your service reliability. Unfortunately, there are circumstances beyond your utility's control. Situations like severe weather, accidents involving electric lines, equipment failure, and vandalism can cause power disturbances. When longer outages or permanent faults occur on the primary circuits serving an area, all power is interrupted until the cause of the fault can be isolated and corrected.

Diesel generators are designed to be resistant to this sort of power failure. Power failures are particularly dangerous for hospitals, since many life-critical medical devices and tasks require power. For this reason hospitals, just like many enterprises, have emergency diesel generators which are typically powered by diesel fuel and configured to start automatically, as soon as a power failure occurs.

Retail businesses that sell fresh or frozen food that rely on constant refrigeration are another example of the need for emergency power. Many seafood-related businesses closed down permanently after Hurricane Ike, since most of their inventory perished due to multiple days without power.

Consider how important/critical electricity is in your home or business. How long can you survive without power? If there is a situation that causes concern for you, do your homework to determine if a generator is appropriate for you.

Gas vs. Diesel Engine

The amount of power that a used diesel engine can produce is limited by how much fuel it can burn, and the amount of fuel it can burn is limited by the amount of oxygen in the cylinder, which is the amount of oxygen in the cylinder is limited by the amount of air in the cylinder.

Used diesel engine lasts much longer than gasoline engines because gasoline destroys lubrication and diesel fuel does not. Cold start-ups are a real killer for gasoline engines because of extra gasoline required to start a cold engine. Used diesel engines require more frequent routine maintenance than gasoline engines: more oil changes at 3,000 miles and more fuel filter and air filter changes. On the plus side however, routine gasoline engine maintenance--such as replacing spark plugs, a distributor cap, rotor and replacing ignition wires--are not necessary on a diesel engine.

One major difference between a gas engine and a used diesel engine is the injection process. Most car engines use port injection or a carburetor rather than direct injection. In a car engine, all fuel is loaded into the cylinder during the intake stroke and then compressed. The compression of the fuel/air mixture limits the compression ratio of the engine. If it compresses the air too much, the fuel/air mixture spontaneously ignites and causes knocking. A diesel compresses only air, so the compression ratio can be much higher. The higher the compression ratio, the more power is generated. For more information about used diesel engines, visit Depco's website.

Hurricane Season

Hurricane Season 2009 has been quiet so far, but September could be a tricky month. We're approaching the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike next week, and Depco thanks all of you who worked with us last year for your power needs.

As a reminder, for all of our customers and others that may be in the path of a hurricane, Depco is your source for new, used, and rebuilt Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Kohler, MQ Power & other backup generator units. We have diesel and natural gas, industrial & commercial generators to power your home or business in the event of an emergency. Please contact any of our sales staff at Depco Power Systems for your generator needs. In addition to new and low-houred generator inventory, we also have in inventory marine engines and industrial engines, marine transmissions, and generator ends.

Cost-Efficient Power during a Bad Economy

With the economy not doing so well these days, skyrocketing power supply costs are hindering individuals and companies from excelling in their respective businesses by tying up valuable funds. Many are now realizing that diesel generators are the best method to survive in a poor economy. They are relatively cheap, long lasting, and certain kinds have also become much more environmentally friendly than even gasoline. (Diesel generators run on 45% fuel conversion, compared to 30% with gasoline). Diesel generators can also use a variety of fuels, including biodiesel. Additionally, buying a used diesel generator prevents unnecessary landfill waste by prolonging the life of a generator through recycling. As we all strive to work toward a greener way of living and doing business, consider used diesel generators as a strategic investment.

Slow Economy

The economy is definitely hitting home. Our business and almost everyone we do business with are feeling the crunch. Although times are tough we are still making things happen, as this month we sold several large diesel generator sets including two Cummins KTA50 diesel generators. The used marine diesel engine market and the marine transmission market have been a little spotty. I anticipate an increase in sales over the upcoming months. Now that hurricane season is here, we have begun to stock up on standby generator sets and also a few rental generator sets including Cummins, John Deere, Caterpillar, Olympian and many more. We hope to have plenty of inventory on hand to answer the call should a major storm hit the US this year.