Maintaining a Generator

[t-man403]

Had to start mine with ether as the gas was to old to fire up even though I'd used stabilizer.


Anyway I figure the only way to make sure it will start when I really need it, is to only put in a bit of new gas every now and then and burn it off. Kind of a pain in the ol' arse as this would have to include changing oil as well.


Curious as to how anyone else that has a generator for emergency purposes keeps them ready to go.

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

I stopped using pump gas on any of my equipment that sits. I started using "engineered fuel", like TruFuel. I get it at my local Home Depot. Allegedly has a 5 year shelf life unopened, and 2 years once the can is opened. I have had no problems with my chainsaw, backpack blower, generator, etc since I started using it. More expensive than pump gas, but not having to screw with the equipment = priceless.

[Hooter]

I start my generator 2x a month and run power tools off it at the same time. I let it run for at least 20 minutes and let my table saw run half that time. Add non ethanol gas as needed and Sea Foam the same way. Never an issue. Not starting it and leaving crap gas in it even with treatment can bite you in the ass. Regular Stabil (never tried the marine) caused me more problems than I like to remember. I use Sea Foam to store and Berrymans to clean.

[msb]

Check out Aspen alkylate fuels .... sold here by a local power tool dealer that specializes in generators. I beleive it's sold  through Cabelas and maybe even Canadian Tire. I had some in my pressure washer for well over a year and  it started/ran perfectly this Summer .

[Tx Bohemian]

I start my generator 2x a month and run power tools off it at the same time. I let it run for at least 20 minutes and let my table saw run half that time. Add non ethanol gas as needed and Sea Foam the same way. Never an issue. Not starting it and leaving crap gas in it even with treatment can bite you in the ass. Regular Stabil (never tried the marine) caused me more problems than I like to remember. I use Sea Foam to store and Berrymans to clean.

I do almost the exact same thing but start mine every 4-6 weeks with fresh fuel. Run it 15-20ish minutes and then cut the fuel and let it die.

I was counting my blessings (or patting my self on the back) when Harvey came through and we lost power for a week.  This thing started and ran good right off the bat.

Had this generator over 12 yrs and, so far, it starts everytime on the first or second pull.

I buy the 93octane fuel for it. I've had the same problem with Stabil so I also use Sea Foam and had real good luck with it (Use it in all my "seasonal" equipment).
I've used the "engineered" fuel Oil Burner talked about and it worked great in my weedeaters, but it's not just "more expensive" it's WAY more expensive!! Last time I checked it was like $15-16 a gallon.

[Jess from VA]

I keep mine bone dry (no gas in it).  And keep no-corn gas on hand (15-20 gals), but use it in all my carb equipment and bikes (a little), and try to run it out by 8-10 months and do it again.  And I treat the no-corn too (but not as much as corn polluted gas).

It's a hundred mile round trip for my no-corn gas.

A good man knows his limitations, and I am no good at fixing carbs, and no good at running a generator once a month or two.  And my power outages have gotten less over the years (happy about that).

I am pretty good at emptying out the gas in all the various equipment that is not being used seasonally.

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

I agree that the manufactured fuel is way expensive, but that's why it's only in the barely-ever-used equipment only. It's nice to know that they'll start every time, which they do.

As for the bikes, they run the normal ethanol-polluted fuel all spring, summer, and fall. They get treated non-ethanol fuel for winter storage. Sadly, the only place anywhere near here (according to www.pure-gas.org) only sells Sunoco race fuels by can, and 110 octane from a pump. Both are very pricey, and the pump doesn't get used much, according to the guy that works there. I wonder how old the fuel is before I even buy it.

[Patrick]

As mentioned,
Non-Ethanal fuel [ marine fuel] with Sea-Foam.  [Stabil is junk].

Run the carburetor dry, run the engine until it quits.  Install a fuel shut-off if it doesn't have one.

Add a bit of oil in the cylinder.

Start it and let it run long enough to warm up and dry out a couple times a year, then turn the fuel off and run it dry. Lube the cylinder.

Keep the battery charged and connections clean if it has one.

[sheets]

Purchased a generator this time last year. No power failures last winter. Put last year's unused ethanol free gas in my bikes and lawn mowers for winter storage and purchased two five gallon cans of fresh corn-free gas for the generator. Re-filling my existing gas cans the price for bulk E-free gas is $6.99/gl. Supposedly the E-free gas is good for two years. I still added Seafoam to the gas in the bikes and mowers. 

[t-man403]

I stopped using pump gas on any of my equipment that sits. I started using "engineered fuel", like TruFuel. I get it at my local Home Depot. Allegedly has a 5 year shelf life unopened, and 2 years once the can is opened. I have had no problems with my chainsaw, backpack blower, generator, etc since I started using it. More expensive than pump gas, but not having to screw with the equipment = priceless.

I picked up 3 cans about a week or so ago for my 2 stroke equipment........mostly because I'm tired of the 5 gallon gas can sitting around taking up space and fuel getting old. I'll most likely end up doing the same for the generator as I wasn't aware 4 stroke fuel was also available.



Thanks to all for you suggestions!!

[Robert]

Used the treatment below with SeaFoam and have had the gas for 5 years and still good or at least can use it. I completely drained my portable gen set and took the drain screw out of the bottom of the bowl. Changed the oil and let it sit and never had a problem with starting. Tried the trick with keeping gas in it but sometimes the petcock will still allow a small amount of fuel into the carb.

One thing that has always helped also even to keep things nice and clean and leave a slight oil residue on the inside of the carb is put some 2 cycle engine oil in the gas and let it run a bit so as to make sure it all gets lubed. Sometimes I will put a bit of 2 cycle oil in while running just as a lubricant and preservative and never have a problem and it seems to run a bit better. Took awhile to experiment to find what will work but its good to go now.

I figured the preppers would know what gas treatment to use and thats how I found this stuff. It does really work well and keeps gas much longer than you would think possible.

PRI CP123 G Gasoline Treatment - 16 oz.

https://www.amazon.com/PRI-G-Fuel-Stabilizer-PRI-G-16-16/dp/B0000AXY97

Having to do all this is exactly why I switched to natural gas. There are conversion kits for LP or natural gas available for small engines at a fairly cheap price and work really well. No problem with fuel storage, no worries about gumming up the carb and burns cleaner. Maintenance time and worry time is cut way down and the genset will last longer since there is no fuel dilution of the oil.

[Patrick]

The remarks about 2 cycle oil are good.  Never have an issue with any of the 2 strokes sitting with fuel in them [ still non-ethanol] .  Running 2 stroke oil in a 4 cycle won't hurt them.

Non-ethanol gas can't be bought here easily, most stations sell it. Its the 90 octane. It should be marked on the pump.

[3fan4life]

My plan is to purchase a dual fuel Gas/propane generator in the near future and just use propane in it.

For most of us a generator is something that we never use until we need it.

But when we need it, we need it now.

[Pappy!]

I do things a bit different down here in Florida.
I  do not keep the gasoline in the tank or the carburetor or the fuel line between the two.
At the end of whatever emergency I will change oil in the generator. Shut the fuel off and run engine until carb is dry.
Empty the tank and run that gas in something else.
Drain the carb bowl then flush with a bit of rubbing alcohol through the line into the carb. Let drain and air while you are changing oil.
I spray a protectant into the gas tank. Something like Boshield or even WD-40 will work. You can even spray a couple of paper towels or a rag with a protectant and drop them into the tank through the filler neck.
Store the generator in a dry environment.
The entire fuel system will be clean and dry when you need it.
My generator will start reliably with this process even after a couple of years or more.