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In my area ethanol free fuels became available in all three grades about 15 years ago. Since then, I've always used the middle grade non ethanol fuel with stabilizer in my small engines. I've had no fuel related issues since, even though I once accidentally forgot and let one sit for a year. Good tips that you gave.
My 5,000 watt generator is going on 20 years old. I only use ethanol free fuel, with Sta-bil. After each power outage, I shut off the fuel, then run it until it quits. I change oil while it is warm. I am still on my original spark plug. When needed, just add gas and it starts on the first or second pull. I keep three five gallon cans of fuel, with a purchase date on each can. I use the same fuel for my mowers, so at most it may be six months old.
John, Here is a very important tip. Remove the load before shutting down the generator. Otherwise the current might stress the electronics of the regulator.
You are absolutely correct on that Never start up or shut down a generator under load because of the high risk of damaging the electronic voltage regulator , Electronic governor and other components Also can damage the equipment plugged into the generator What I do is after taking the load off the generator , I let it run at no load for 5 minutes to properly cool the electric end of the generator
@Robnord1 Unplug everything to allow a cool down of the gen set. Then, a few minutes later, turn off the fuel to allow it to run dry. Lastly, I remove the bowl and wipe it dry. After Milton, I have now replaced the carb on my Predator 9000 to a tri-fuel carb, so I won't need gasoline, but it remains an option. I have been picking up used propane tanks when I find them for 5 or 10 bucks each.
One other Tip that I do pertains to when you shut your fuel valve to the Off position and let the carburetor run dry. The engine will begin starving for fuel and surging. Just before the engine dies, throw the Choke Lever on and the engine will begin normal running for a minute or so. The engine will then run that remaining gas in the carburetor completely out and then die. This will help make sure that all of the gas is out of your carburetor. I've done this with my equipment for many years and never had any problems when the next time came to fire up the generator. Thanks for sharing these valuable tips. I never thought about my spark arrestor but will be checking and cleaning mine out. I also use Non Ethanol Gas and I treat it with Ethanol Shield which will take care of any condensation that might occur in the tank.
I have been backfeeding into my house for a little over 10 years with the same 4000 watt generator. I am an ex-lineman, so I know how to sequence this procedure without endangering my fellow linemen working during a storm. What I have always done was run STP fuel injector cleaner through my generator and use only synthetic oil that does not break down. I have always run the carb dry after use and occasionally start it every couple months when not in use. Do these things, and you will have a backup ready to keep the important things up and running when the lights go out. I use a smaller generator because it will go 8 hours without refueling, whereas larger, high-load generators will barely get 5 hours if that. And I can't always be home to refuel the thing because I don't trust my wife to do it. Also, do not allow anyone to handle any part of a running generator during the connection process due to the possibility of shock. Even though the breaker is physically off, all it takes is a simple accident, and your family member may end up hurt or worse by handling a potentially live circuit. I had to make a customized NEMA cord and plug to allow the direct connection from the generator to the dryer outlet. When passing the cord to someone in the house through a window, do not ever have the generator running, and always ensure your house main breaker is off! No matter how urgent the situation is, safety first. My situation with my generator: I keep a few lights on, the sump pump up, the coffee maker and fridge running, and one circuit to run a hot plate. That's it-that is enough for me and my wife to get through any situation. Someday I will pay to have an electrician install a full-house generator system with automatic switching, but I am still paying for Obamacare, so it's taking me longer.
Being older and not wanting to deal with a heavy gen I bought two dual fuel 2500 watt gens with a parallel kit if I need more power. I use gens to charge 2 48volt 5KW batteries They last 3 days longer If only power heater,refrigerator and few circuits. I use small portable power station for lights and LED battery lanterns if outage looks like it’s going to last longer. Haven’t had one that did, knock on wood.
If you are truly a lineman, you know the two safest ways to hook up a generator are an interlock switch or a transfer switch. The interlock switch is affordable, the transfer switch costs more. What are you doing telling people to hook up to the dryer outlet? It only takes one person to not shut off their main to electrify the grid with their generator.
@@grantgrow As a lineman, I have worked 4 kV, 7.2 kV, 19.9 kV, and lastly, transmission towers and poles with 138 kV and 345 kV. The bucket trucks I have worked from were mostly 55' buckets, some 50', but the services I ran were only 35' stack boom trucks, no AC (back when I worked it), stick shift, and an F-350 chassis. We eventually got double-axel boom trucks, which now are remote controlled from the ground. Back when I done the work, we climbed poles up to 80' with only a single pole strap, which are now required to have a secondary failsafe strap according to OSHA. I also built 69 kV sidewinder switches on a training crew decades ago. Now, what I am getting at is that electricians do not work in this environment; they are licensed in a completely different realm of electric. As a lineman, I would meet electricians and home owners on the job site to open transformers and cover the cables and lines of the 120/240, 480Y, or 120/208, inside the transformer or wires pole to house so they could pull in the cable or work safely. When I did this work, we had to hand dig the pole holes when there was a possibility of hitting UG utilities; now they use a vacuum truck, which removes most of the hard work from the ground. Lastly, I brought up my temporary home electric scheme to help the guy who knows little about electric-it is his responsibility to do it safely. I am only trying to help the other guy. There are no secrets- a person is naive to think that this was a secret. Back when I did this work, I also ran a service bucket by myself, installing 1/0 triplex, #2, triplex, and digging in parallel services to feed homes and businesses. A lot has changed now-from what I here from the guys now is that they had a guy get killed sticking his head into the secondary bushings of a transformer and require two to do the service truck work. When all those years I did that stuff by myself! I always wore my hardhat when inside a pad mounted transformer, always. Because I knew there was not going to be the guy behind my to remind me of how close I was in making a fatal mistake. I always wore my dialectic boots as well. The work I done all those years was dangerous and hard. As far as energizing the system with a generator from a home location, the crews today are absolutely religious on grounding the primary first, and if they must work it-they glove it. Which requires supervisor approval before it begins. But lineman now do not hesitate to get it out and just do the work more safely. It speeds things up and just makes life easier for them. Nobody cares anymore about keeping the lines hot-it is all about safety now.
I always change the oil to 5w-30 in the fall and back to 10w-30 in the summer regardless of hours. The lighter viscosity helps it in the cold winter months. Seafoam also works good as a fuel stabilizer. Nothing beats non ethanol gas though.
Agreed. In my climate, I don't worry about changing the oil viscosity but you are spot on about seafoam and non-ethanol gas. I run non-ethanol in all my vehicles and small engines and have not had issues. Back in the day, I had issues with a Honda 2000i generator that had been filled with ethanol gas and not stabilized prior to a length of time with no use. Threw some seafoam in there and gave a few pulls. Let it sit and after a few hours it fired right up and ran like a champ.
@@Seed_burn if you use a synthetic oil you don't need to change the weight of oil for the summer and winter I use synthetic oil in my generator and my air compressor and never had to change the weight of the oil as the seasons change , You have to with conventional oil but not synthetic
18 years ago I got a new generator as we live in a rural area with power outages. It has been outside under the eve of the house since then. It has been through several continuous runs of more than five days without ever an issue. The fuel has never been turned off. This is a not a high end generator and has has sit time as long as a year, but usually less. (5500/8250 watt Briggs brand) It has never seen ethanol gas... like a dozen other pieces of equipment we own. It is worth it, I promise.
Very thorough video. Following through this, here is my comments: 1. I use only ethanol free fuel. 2. I built a shed over my generator that is kept outside. 3. Run it for ten to fifteen minutes every month with a load. 4. I quit using a stabilizer 4 years ago and keep the tank full. 5. I change the oil every fall. 6. Clean air filter when changing the oil, replace it when needed. 7. I brush the spark arrestor screen and check the spark plug when changing the oil. I have two generators, both 10 plus years old, one given to me because it failed to start (Generac). After checking the only thing it needed was a new spark plug. Both now start and run on the first pull. Maintain these machines and you will get many years of service in return.
Great tips from everyone! I'm no guru but I follow a lot of people on YT. I might be considered a prepper? I'm not. I'm a power lineman for a living & my wife has a physical disability. My wife doesn't drive. She is dependent on me. I need lots of gas on standby. When there is a storm that affects our service area. My employer has me working 17 hour days with less than 8 hours off. I barely have enough time to sleep let alone look for a gas station open? I pretreat my ethanol fuel with Star Tron engine enzyme & Marine grade fuel stabilizer. I keep my fuel for a year & I buy fresh fuel every 3 months & rotate my stock. I keep my fuel tank on my genny always full to the top. I have only had to change my oil every year. I use Mobil 1. It runs like a Swiss watch. I periodically start it to run without load & sometimes with connected load for about a half hour. I have only about 75 hours on it in 7 years. Thanks for posting.
Great plan.. My father and my brother-in-law were both lineman. I have a few friends that were lineman as well. I have a lot of respect for what you do. I became an electrician and eventually moved into electrical engineering. I'm retired now but I worked for TI and we brought four 35KV feeds into the main building. They fed switch banks that supplied 22 duel fed substations. 12470v to feed the subs in an older building, 4160v for the chiller plant and the rest were 277/480v or 120/208v. Cool stuff.
Tip #8: Consider a multi-fuel generator. Even with Stabil or an equivalent, gasoline in storage or in a tank will begin to deteriorate, in as little as five or six months. LP gas has an almost infinite shelf life. You can run a generator off of grill tanks, or if you have a large home LP gas tank or a natural gas connection, you can have your gas company install a quick-disconnect gas line where you run the generator.
Another benefit I am seeing running LP gas, is that the oil is staying cleaner for longer. Probably fewer depo0sits on the piston and valves too. Now I just keep gasoline as a reserve, or plan B if propane runs low.
Before you tell your gas company to install a Quick Disconnect fitting, be sure the QD fitting they have is rated for 1.25-1.5 times the BTU rating of your generator, otherwise you may starve the generator for fuel, and cause a harmful lean burn. A standard flare connection is often the better option . (LP gas pro tip)
I had a vacation home in Vermont a few years ago. The home was heated with propane (no natural gas in the area), so there was a 500 Gallon above ground propane tank in the back yard. The propane delivery guys will only fill to 80%, so it would hold 400 gallons. The price of propane is about $3.50 per gallon, so to fill that tank it would cost about $1400. When I looked for an auto start, whole house generator, there are two kinds: Natural gas and propane. I calculated the fuel consumption rate of a 10-15KW auto start generator and determined that, in the event of a serious power outage (like we get fairly frequently) I would burn through the full 400 gallons in just over a week. Nevermind the cost of the fuel, if I emptied the tank in the middle of a power outage catastrophe, usually in the middle of winter, the chances of getting the propane company to fill the tank on short notice is pretty slim. Plus, when I ran out of propane I would have no more heat. Instead, I installed a panel interlock, and breaker to feed my panel from a temporary emergency gas fueled generator. Gasoline is readily available, even during widespread power outages, because all of the gas stations have backup generators. It’s a 6KW, manual start. I also installed a remote, internet based temperature monitoring system that alarmed if the furnace wasn’t keeping temps up, and also alarmed if it didn’t check-in every hour (power outage). In the event of an alarm I had to jump in the car and drive the 2 hours to the vacation home. We sold the vacation home, but I still have and use that generator (a Generac), for the rural Vermont home we live in full-time now. I keep four, 5 gallon cans with E0 fuel in them. 10 gallons will last about 24 hours, so I only need to fetch gas every other day during extended power outage. The E0 fuel won’t go bad for more than a year. After a year I burn it in our vehicles and refill the cans with fresh E0. We have lost power for a week twice here in the past 4 years, and my wife’s 97 y/o mother lives with us. Having emergency power is literally a life saver.
In cold weather propane isn't as efficient,and you can have moisture,it will turn oil milky,,is it quality of propane?? I prefer non ethanol gas....and I now use ethanol shield in my gas when I hav'nt made the 60 mile trip ....try adding colored water to gas and MEASURE it....before and after. It will remove the ethanol.
@@daleharvey3278 Propane isn't causing milky oil Dale. Research time young man, unless you're okay with hearsay and myth as fact. Generac, Onan, Honda, and the rest all have the real answers to milky oil causes.
When you shut off the fuel to drain the carburetor, you should then apply full choke, then, attempt to start the engine again. you'll be surprised, that the generator will most likely actually start! The extra vacuum of having the choke closed while running, will clear the emulsion tube, as well as clearing the idle circut. That way, there is no residual liquid fuel to evaporate, and leave varnish/gum behind.
Excellent Video. I live in FL and have not needed to use mine for the past few years, but run mine at least twice a year and use every single one of these tips. One tip I would like to add, when possible, use and store ethanol free gas when possible. I buy 20 gallons every spring before hurricane season and put it in my vehicles in November if not used. This will lessen the possibility of gas going bad or adding too much stabilizer, which can gum up your fuel.
As an Alaskan myself I store my stabilized ethanol free fuel outside and my generator tank empty and in a heated storage area. Makes it easier to start at 10 below.
UGreat tips. I have a plain jane 5000w generator that is 22 years old and runs well. The only thing that has caused any problems has been ethanol fuel which at one point required a new carb. During an emergency, running 10% ethanol is fine. However when i put it away I drain the tank fully and run the engine dry. Then I put just enough non ethanol in and then run it dry on the non ethanol. I check and clean the spark plug. My area of Vermont had significant flooding this and last year. My unit was out on loan multiple times with no issues.
Great list of tips. I realize it is controversial but I run the gas tank dry during my quarterly test runs. Ethanol gas is hydroscopic so it absorbs moisture from the air. That is much less of a problem with gas stored in sealed gas cans. Our generator has a drain plug on the carburetor bowl so every once an a while I drain any remaining gas out of the bowl, this gets rid of any trapped water. To better empty the gas tank I stick one end of the genie on a 2x4 to help slope it toward to shutoff valve. I use a 1500 watt space heater as a load during test runs and try to remember to alternate which receptacle I use each time. Our generator has electric start so I use a battery maintainer to keep it fully charged without the risk of overcharging. Perhaps it is the engineer in me but I keep a log book of testing and maintenance. I have an old school battery load tester so every once an a while test the battery. SLA batteries slowly degrade over time but I have gotten years out of the ones I use. Our generator did not come with an hour meter so I bought a cheap stick on meter that wrap the sense lead around the spark plug wire. That lets me record run time hours. Our generator runs on gas. Getting gas right before an outage can be problematic. I keep five 5-gallon gas cans in our shed and use stabilizer. Using the genie a few hours a day that should last us a week. We have occasional week long power outages here in NH due to massive winter ice storms. The cans are numbered so I rotate them and when it gets old dump it in one of our cars. I also log when each can is refilled as a reminder to not let the gas get too old. Have not had a problem storing gas for a year (the cans are sealed) but I try not to go longer then that. Bottom line as you posted you want to do everything you can to insure the generator will actually work when needed.
@@BackyardMaine The only non-ethanol gas around here is premium, which is all I use in my small engines. Idk if that's good or bad bc I don't know what effect the higher octane has on the engines, if any. I put stablizer and a little Lucas right in every gas can when I fill it. That way I don't have to worry when I forget to start something for a while. Cheers from upstate NY.
When running it dry, as it starts to surge, use the choke to keep it running, that will get more gas out of the carb. As for storage, most of mine are outdoors and only get used when they're needed, and they always work.
I buy Sunoco non ethanol for my power equipment. I run my generator spring and fall. Pull it out and drain the gas. Refill it and run it for 10-15 minutes while I'm doing something else. It doesn't take long. That way I know, (or am fairly confident), that it will start when I need it. Too many people buy a generator when they lose power. Then let it sit for 2 years until the power goes out again. Then find it won't start. Spend a little time on a Saturday twice a year. I won't encounter that during a blizzard in February....at night...with no lights.
Excellent advice! Even though my generator only requires 87 octane gasoline what I do to avoid the problem created by using gasoline containing ethanol, I only run "Premium Gas" in my generator and ALL of my gas powered yard tools (i.e., mower, weed eater, chain saw, etc.), and my motorcycle, because most, if not all, Premium Gas does NOT contain any ethanol! I just don't burn ethanol in any of those motors, and they all perform much better and need less repairs. 1 - Don't shut off the generator, shut off the gas feed and let it run out of gas to empty the carburetor. 2 - Store the generator in a clean, dry location, and leave it easily accessible for when it's needed. 3 - Periodically Test Run the generator every 3 months, let it run for 10-15 minutes with a load on it. 4 - Use "Sta-Bil" Fuel Stabilizer in your gas can to ensure your gas is ready to go. 5 - Check your engine oil before each use, & Change your engine oil after the first 5 hours (for new) and then every 50-100 hours of use. 6 - Inspect and Clean the Air Filter at least once every season. 7 - Check & Clean the Spark Arrestor in the muffler at every oil change.
We have a small Ryobi camping generator. It is quiet, and produces enough power to run a couple of refrigerators and charge other things. I test it once or twice a year, and it's due now, so thanks for the reminder. It has NEVER experienced ethanol, and never will; untainted regular ONLY. It has no fuel shutoff (that I know of), so I put a few ounces in the tank then run it dry. It is stored inside.
My Champion generator is 9 years old and still runs flawlessly. I never run gas with Ethanol and I pull it out every month and run it for about 20 minutes. I also use a fuel stabilizer. It stays in my shop under cover. I run it dry. I bought this generator at lowe's on sale and it got me through hurricane Michael. Our power was out for 4 days and ran 24 hours a day.
If you live in a city and have natural gas piped to your house it makes sense to have a generator that can use that. If the grid is out, natural gas will still be available and there’s no need to store regular gas. The Honda eu2200i with the tri fuel adapter kit is a good option
If this is considered wrong please let me know.I add stabil to the gas & let it run dry but before it’s ready to die I add more Stabil until it stalls out.This way I know there’s stabil in the carb & hopefully protects it from gumming up.I pulled mine out from last year & it takes a little longer to start until the stabil clears but then it fires right up.My thinking is leave Stabil in the carb because I heard the carb shouldn’t be left dry.The seals can dry out is what I have been told.
A few things if I may add to your list - Be sure not to turn off the generator under load, dont think most people mention that or know about it? I use an oz or two of seafoam with 5 gallons of ethanol free gas instead of sta-bil. Then put it in the car/truck every 3-4 months to use and refill the can with fresh gas. Running propane/NG in a dual fuel model is cleaner on your oil and exhaust than gas which might extend your oil change and spark arrester maintenance intervals or incase of power outage you arent forced to turn everything off and do an emergency oil change. Keep spare parts - spark plug, air filter, etc as the stores might be closed or out of parts. In a power outage cover the freezer/fridge in blankets while not running off backup power to hold their temps longer. Put boiling water in a 2 liter bottle in the covers or sleeping bag to warm it up before bed. A tent inside full of people is easier to warm than a whole house, use heat tape on pipes to keep from freezing and you dont have to heat the whole room if no one is staying in that part. Also suggest a backup plan to your backup, two generators is better than one so you can combine the power with a parallel kit or if one stops working suddenly, electrician installed input plug and breaker lockout on the house keeps the extension cords down to a minimum and the wife much happier (on my to-do list), solar generators are wonderful backups to run the gas furnace fan, charge devices for communications, run electronics to entertain the whole family - after the teens have contributed or learned a skill to be helpful when you're not there, then recharge on the inverter generator or solar. Show your spouse how to connect and run everything, then show them again every fews months when you pull out the generator to warm up and test.
For my 1998 Generac XL 5500, the manual has a long term storage procedure. After the emergency, you run the generator out of fuel, Change the oil and filter, then pull the plug, clean it and put a squirt of oil in the cylinder, pull the cord a few revolutions, replace the plug then pull the cord until both valves are closed. The your generator is ready to store for years. Every few years if you did not use it, pull it out of the shed, add gas and run it for 30-45 minutes under load then run the engine dry again. This process has allowed the generator to start on the first pull when starting up. Gas for my generator is Ethanol Free and stabilized before use. I also keep 27 gal of stabilized ethanol free Super gas in storage, and every 6 months(March and September) the gas is put though a car and replaced. Yes also follow the maintenance schedule in the manual.
Amen to the run dry technique. Been doing it for years. I “exercise” my generators by using one or the other to power an electric edger. Sure, it is easier to just plug the edger into the house power, but this way some actual work can be obtained from the exercise. In my location the lawn needs to be mowed year round, so many of you who live in the frozen tundra of the north may not like this method. One other tip. Do not use a generator larger than needed. I have a larger one (6500 cont) and a smaller one (1800 cont). The smaller one is WAY quieter, AND more importantly is WAY easier on fuel. When the last tropical cyclone went through and left me without power for 6 1/2 days, I found the smaller unit could power the refrigerators and a small window A/C unit. No worries about gas, and quiet enough to run any time. It is NOT necessary to run the generator non-stop. If one is careful to open the fridge only when absolutely necessary one can run an on-off cycle. I use 3 hours on 3 hours off.
I've had a Troy-Bilt 7,500 watt generator for 18 years and it always starts as well. I use pump gas with ethanol in it. Makes no difference as long as you run the carb dry after each use.
I've got some Stihl equipment and I use a torch to clear the spark arrestors. Never thought about my generator. The torch burns the coke off in just a few seconds. Got the tip from another person in the Great White North.
I have a 25 year old 3500 running watt troybilt with briggs and stratton engine...use full synthetic oil, mix ethanol fuel which is common here, with stabil and techron fuel system cleaner..run tank dry...still starts and runs great..
One thing I strongly recommend is using a synthetic oil in the engine for better lubrication , Especially on startup because the engine is immediately running at 3600 RPM and you definitely need good lubrication for an engine that's running at 3600 RPM Which is much faster than a car engine at highway speed , Check the owners manual because your generator may call for synthetic oil
@BackyardMaine Even though your generator doesn't call for synthetic oil , It would be wise to switch to synthetic but once you switch to synthetic , You have to stay with synthetic , Synthetic oil gives you better lubrication on startup because 90%. of engine wear is starting wear
One thing that has kept my old McCullough generator going is using only ethanol free fuel. Its not cheap, but I use it on all my two and 4 stroke power tools and dont have any problems.
Marvel mystery oil mixed in the fuel will do much To protect your carburetor and internal engine components and cylinder / valve train. Fogging oil into the carb intake will also help
I do this as well. At the end of hurricane season, I’ll drain the tank completely and run that in my truck. Disconnect the fuel line and feed MMO to the carb until it smokes/stalls. Carb, valves, cylinders are fogged and the tank is dry. Fresh fuel goes in when needed next time or for a periodic run.
I run 5w-40 diesel full synthetic oil in all of my small engines + Lucas oil additive. Never had one problem. And I have many small engines and two generators.
i buy ethanol free gas for all of my small engines and use stabilizer in gas and run them out of gas if they will not be used for a while. have you tried the engine cylinder foaming oil for keeping cylinders from rusting? I have a brand-new generator i have never used not sure if I should put gas in it and run it or just leave it as it comes from factory.
They aren't usually shipped with engine oil. I would check and or add oil, fuel it up and run it so you know it's ready when needed. I find it better to keep the gas tank full for two reason. It limits condensation and rust but also give you a head start of fuel depending on how many gas cans you have on hand. We lost power for 3 days in March and 10 days later we lost it for another 3 days.. Finding gas when 3/4 of the state is out of power is not always easy. Just my two cents..
I don't use gasoline with ethanol in any of my small engines. If you don't have any gas stations with ethanol free fuels there are many TH-cam videos that show you how to take the ethanol out of your gasoline. P.S. great video
I used to use Stabil but Ethanol Shield is better. A multi fuel generator is best. I use my propane exclusively because it does not go bad and no ethanol to worry about.
For Sta-Bil use you need to make sure the Sta-Bil itself is fresh. It has a "use by" date and can go bad. Unless it has changed it is five years unopened and two years opened. I have accidently used old Sta-Bil and it did render the fuel unusable. I no longer use any stabilizer and buy non-ethanol and rotate that every six months. And yes, I drain my generator on a six month cycle. I keep it fully fueled year around to prevent rust in the tank.
With my generator I store it in the box it came in I just cut the bottom of the box away and I put the top over it. I run it twice a year on a test tank I run the carburetor dry and I drain it. I drain all the fuel from the gas tank years ago when I was finished with it so it's ready to go.😊
I bought a 5500-watt generator during the 2004 Florida hurricanes, two of which passed directly over me. I've had to use it only about three times since, for a few days to a few hours, But I use only non-ethanol gas with StaBil and a bit of Marvel Mystery oil added. I pull it out prior to each hurricane season for a test run with a half-gallon of gas or so, make sure it's producing power, and then let the tank and carb run dry. After twenty years it still starts on 1-2 pulls. The only real problem is the tubed tires always seem to be nearly flat. It is stored in the garage with a cover and is in like-new condition--except for the low tires. One day I'll put sold wheels on it.
I live in Pinellas County Florida. When Helene hit many homes went underwater. When Milton hit the power outage map showed over 400,000 without power. That led to a new problem, with a low estimate of about 20,000 generators running using about 12 gallons of gas a day that meant that upwards to 180 extra loads of gasoline at 8000 gallons load would be needed in the county just to run generators. People were driving 100 miles to get gas for the generators. I may be off with my numbers I don’t know.
Another reason why I like your videos.. you did mention residual magnetism... But when talking about occasional running you could have mentioned it again explaining that putting it under load helps to excite the field keeping that residual magnetism that is so essential rather than to have to flash the windings... I'm from away but my family came from Ft Kent to Brunswick. You have that Yankee ingenuity and are smarter as a Mainah !
Thank you.. It's a beautiful state. I've lived here for about 30 years now. I have had to flash a few generators and have had success every time except one.
I'm in the habit of changing the oil on my Honda EU 2200 every 24 hours of use. It's less than a half a quart. I also run only non-ethanol fuel. It's been running seamlessly since 2017 and I haven't even needed to change the spark plug
I wasn't home during the flood and my BIL was running my generator and he managed to soft seize the engine. I asked my wife if it was FULL of oil? She told me there was oil in it. I will guarantee you it wasn't full to the bottom of the threads of the oil fill the way I left it. They ran it about 5 days before the oil got low enough it wasn't lubricating properly.
Tip # 8, use only recreational or marine fuel in all small engine equipment, these fuels have no ethanol, if I had no choice but to run an ethanol based fuel, after use i suck out as much fuel as I can , I tilt the machine in a way that all the fuel goes to the lowest part of your gas tank and I run the tank dry , leaving the machine in the same tilted position add a cup or so of rec fuel and run that dry and repeat with an additional cup and run dry , this ensures you flush the remaining ethanol based fuel out of not only the tank but the carburetor , ethanol based fuel has a finite amount of moisture, leaving ethanol based fuel in your carburetor will produce rust particles and plug it up , I learned that the hard way when it wouldn’t start when I needed it .
I've got any unexpected one for ya. My Wgen11500TFc won't start without a battery while using the pull cord. It uses 12v to open the fuel solenoid on the carburetor. A side effect of being multi fuel. So keep a charged battery jump pack or jumper cables is part of the preparation.
A jump pack probably won't work. The circuitry in them checks that they are connected to a battery and the polarity is correct. If the generator's battery is totally dead, zero volts then jumper pack won't provide voltage. Use jumper cables from your car instead.
Not true, I repair generators and always use a jump starter with a stone dead sulfated battery or no battery at all. I have never had an issue using them.
@@elviraraff6809 My neighbors dual fuel Champion 11,000 watt generator had a dead battery (zero volts) and using my fully charged jumper pack would start her generator or even connect to her battery because it could not see the generator's battery. Pull start wasn't an option as fuel solenoid would not open. Perhaps some jumper packs might work but not one that needs to see at least minimal voltage on the battery being jumped.
First tip: Always use alkylate petrol. Nothing else. That is a very clean petrol, more expensive yes but way way better for you, the environment and the engine. It has excellent storage properties - can be stored for at least ten years in a clean sealed container. Second tip: Always change the oil every year. Even though you only did some test runs.
I run mine once a month to run my air compresser that i use to air up tires and turn off the gas to shut down summer and winter sal-bil dont work will with todays gas unless its straight gas
One thing I learned a Millennia ago, Never shut down an Engine running at full throttle. Especially Air cooled Engines... On My Gennies (7) after removing the Load, I will reach under and pull the Governor to idle and hold it there. till it runs out of Fuel. With all the Plastic Crap on the New ones it may be hard to do that. But it lets the Engine cool down and dissipate heat.
That's a bad idea if it's a steel tank. Keeping it full of stabilized fuel keeps oxygen out. An empty steel tank = rust. Besides it's better to keep it full so it's ready to go. Most people only have one or two gas cans so keeping it full means double the fuel available without getting more. Just my opinion of course.
@@nodak81 Guess it might depend where you live. My tank is plastic, but steel tanks are emptied at the factory and shipped across the ocean and stored in warehouses. Watched Taryl’s 2 year test of stabilizers and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. If you live where you can get non ethanol gas, that would be best. Here in commie Ca. I can only get ethanol crap.
I don't see a need. If the generator is regularly "excersized", and occasionally used during power outs, you will add enough fuel, to keep it reasonably "fresh".
Running it dry gets most of the gas out of the bowl but there will be a small amount left. I find this shutting off the fuel work very great at preventing the tiny jets for clogging. I had to buy some tiny drill bits to clean them out. They were plugged solid. Never had an issue since.
The thing to do, is wait a few minutes after it stops, then, apply full choke, then, try to start. Most likely, the generator will start! Very often, it will come up to almost full speed. the advantage of that is, the extra vacuum created by the choke valve will clear the last bit of liquid fuel from the emulsion tube, as well as the idle circuit. What little fuel is left in the float bowl after that, won't reach up in to the jets of the carburetor, which helps guarentee, that there will be no restriction to fuel flow in the main circuit,, or the idle circuit. I do that every use, and have never had a problem, even though I use the cheapest gasoline I can find.
Engineered fuel in the carb before storage will keep ethanol and old fuel from damaging the carb diaphragms and condition them. You'll never need to rebuild it because the fuel is pure parafins. Works excellent.
Yes, Fuel with no ethanol will begin to degrade at about 6 months so unless you're cycling through it stabilizer is a good safeguard. The STA-BIL says it will extend the life out to two years.
I run some fuel stabilizer . for storage.and shut the fuel off until it has stopped .then there is a 10mm bolt and the carburetor by the carb housing drain it until there's no more gas . coming out screw it back .and there should be no gas in the carburetor
It's very important to remember: Never use any ethanol containing fuel in ANY small device engine. BTW, "Ethanol Shield" works far better than "Stabil".
If you don't live in a dusty area I don't think it's necessary. I have heard of this practice but unless you have a lot of dust when you run your generator I wouldn't bother.
The owners manual will usually state if it's recommended or not. Unless the manual specifically recommends dipping the filter in oil, and then squeezing out the excess, I wouldn't bother.
I don't recommend ever using ethanol pump gas, I have seen it damage small engine carburetors in as little as a few weeks. I use enthanol free gas with Sta-Bil and 1 ounce of Marvel Mystery Oil per gallon. I have tested this mix out to 5 year with no fuel degradation. I use 0W-40 synthetic motor oil, which is especially good at handling the temperature extremes air cooled engines encounter anywhere in the US. For long term generator storage, I drain the carb and fuel tank, pull the spark plug and shoot some motor oil in the cylinder. When finished, I place a large plastic bag over the generator for storage.
I ran my 35 year old 5hp Briggs wood splitter out of fuel 5 years ago after all my seasonal firewood was split, I wont do that again. It took the next two years and carb rebuild kit to get the engine run right again...... After that I used Sta-bil fuel treatment, the following year two years ago the engine started right up after sitting til Oct, last year I used the same Sta-bil fuel treatment and it took two dozen pulls and then I had to put gas in cylinder, then it fired up. That tells me we need fuel stabilizer for Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer because after one year it goes bad... This year I put in PRI-G in my wood splitter and in my 25 year old 14 hp Generac, I'll let you know in 50 years if it works...... The only question I have is who makes engines for Generac? For some reason always I thought it was Briggs, but I just looked at the manual and it says Gaudian, who the heck is Guardian.........
Sta-bil is one of the worst actually and has been tested. My GEN carb got totally corroded in the bowl and jet while using it, and cleaning did not help. Bought a new one on Ama for $17. Just keep a spare on hand. Star-Tron or Ethanol Shield seem to be better
I do all these things with my generator and over many years, including three or four times when an extended power outage had the generator running for several days continuously, and have never experienced any issues with it starting on the first pull, or not running smoothly. I consider the #1 thing to do is 'running it dry' at the end of each use. However, I do NOT use a fuel stabilizer. My preferred alternative is to just keep the fuel fresh. I use a 5 gallon fuel 'can' to fuel the generator, and always have two more such cans in the garage and fully fueled, for a total of 15 gallons of fuel at the ready. Twice a year (Spring and Fall), I use a battery powered fuel transfer pump (by TeraPump) to suck the old fuel out of all my gas powered equipment, including the generator, putting the 'old' fuel into a spare 5 gallon can, then I use the same pump to move that old fuel into my two vehicles, where it mixes with fuel that is no more than a week or two old, and I just burn it up that way. Then, again twice a year, I refresh the generator tank and the two standby 5 gallon cans with fresh fuel. This is about a 20 minute chore done twice a year.
Or you can just run non ethanol gas and never have to worry about bad gas.. I had had the same fuel in my generator for 5 years. It's starts up and then I switch to propane. Same 1 gallon of gas always starts right up. Nonethanol is the key.
Non-ethanol gas will last longer and cause less problems than gas with ethanol but it still starts to degrade after six months. Fuel stabilizer can extend that out to about 2 years. I'm not saying old gas won't run your engine but 5 year old gas will have significant degradation. I find rotating my fuel and running my generator often keeps everything ready to go. Propane is great but you loose a little bit of capacity.
Great points number one you forgot was make sure your generator is anywhere from 25 to 30 feet away from the house because of carbon monoxide……… and make sure your CO2 detectors are working in the area to close proximity of your generator!!!!!!!!!!!!! people could be come poison because the generators are too close to the house>…………… also I don’t use stable and I don’t use ethanol gas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I’m a big advocate of the VP fuel or the Trufuel that sold in either quarts,,,,1 gallons or 5 gallon containers in a peace of equipment it’s good for year and a half in the equipment two year on the shelf,,,,,,,it’s good for two that’s the way I’ve been gone with my stuff for the last five years Sam bacon
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I use avgas in all my small motors and chain saw seafome for gasoline additives
In my area ethanol free fuels became available in all three grades about 15 years ago. Since then, I've always used the middle grade non ethanol fuel with stabilizer in my small engines. I've had no fuel related issues since, even though I once accidentally forgot and let one sit for a year. Good tips that you gave.
My 5,000 watt generator is going on 20 years old. I only use ethanol free fuel, with Sta-bil. After each power outage, I shut off the fuel, then run it until it quits. I change oil while it is warm. I am still on my original spark plug. When needed, just add gas and it starts on the first or second pull.
I keep three five gallon cans of fuel, with a purchase date on each can. I use the same fuel for my mowers, so at most it may be six months old.
John, Here is a very important tip. Remove the load before shutting down the generator. Otherwise the current might stress the electronics of the regulator.
AGREED. Loaded shutdowns = risking damage to electronics. The one missing element in this otherwise excellent video.
The video I link at the end of this one goes into that and six other important tips.
You are absolutely correct on that
Never start up or shut down a generator under load because of the high risk of damaging the electronic voltage regulator , Electronic governor and other components
Also can damage the equipment plugged into the generator
What I do is after taking the load off the generator , I let it run at no load for 5 minutes to properly cool the electric end of the generator
@Robnord1 Unplug everything to allow a cool down of the gen set. Then, a few minutes later, turn off the fuel to allow it to run dry. Lastly, I remove the bowl and wipe it dry. After Milton, I have now replaced the carb on my Predator 9000 to a tri-fuel carb, so I won't need gasoline, but it remains an option. I have been picking up used propane tanks when I find them for 5 or 10 bucks each.
@@ironmartysharpe8293 Of course. Check out the video in the end screen where I go into this in detail.
One other Tip that I do pertains to when you shut your fuel valve to the Off position and let the carburetor run dry. The engine will begin starving for fuel and surging. Just before the engine dies, throw the Choke Lever on and the engine will begin normal running for a minute or so. The engine will then run that remaining gas in the carburetor completely out and then die. This will help make sure that all of the gas is out of your carburetor. I've done this with my equipment for many years and never had any problems when the next time came to fire up the generator. Thanks for sharing these valuable tips. I never thought about my spark arrestor but will be checking and cleaning mine out. I also use Non Ethanol Gas and I treat it with Ethanol Shield which will take care of any condensation that might occur in the tank.
Great tip. Thanks
I have been backfeeding into my house for a little over 10 years with the same 4000 watt generator. I am an ex-lineman, so I know how to sequence this procedure without endangering my fellow linemen working during a storm. What I have always done was run STP fuel injector cleaner through my generator and use only synthetic oil that does not break down. I have always run the carb dry after use and occasionally start it every couple months when not in use. Do these things, and you will have a backup ready to keep the important things up and running when the lights go out. I use a smaller generator because it will go 8 hours without refueling, whereas larger, high-load generators will barely get 5 hours if that. And I can't always be home to refuel the thing because I don't trust my wife to do it. Also, do not allow anyone to handle any part of a running generator during the connection process due to the possibility of shock. Even though the breaker is physically off, all it takes is a simple accident, and your family member may end up hurt or worse by handling a potentially live circuit. I had to make a customized NEMA cord and plug to allow the direct connection from the generator to the dryer outlet. When passing the cord to someone in the house through a window, do not ever have the generator running, and always ensure your house main breaker is off! No matter how urgent the situation is, safety first. My situation with my generator: I keep a few lights on, the sump pump up, the coffee maker and fridge running, and one circuit to run a hot plate. That's it-that is enough for me and my wife to get through any situation. Someday I will pay to have an electrician install a full-house generator system with automatic switching, but I am still paying for Obamacare, so it's taking me longer.
Being older and not wanting to deal with a heavy gen I bought two dual fuel 2500 watt gens with a parallel kit if I need more power. I use gens to charge 2 48volt 5KW batteries They last 3 days longer If only power heater,refrigerator and few circuits. I use small portable power station for lights and LED battery lanterns if outage looks like it’s going to last longer. Haven’t had one that did, knock on wood.
Thank you for your time keeping the fire in wire, lineman and those that supply support are heroes.
If you are truly a lineman, you know the two safest ways to hook up a generator are an interlock switch or a transfer switch. The interlock switch is affordable, the transfer switch costs more. What are you doing telling people to hook up to the dryer outlet? It only takes one person to not shut off their main to electrify the grid with their generator.
@@grantgrow As a lineman, I have worked 4 kV, 7.2 kV, 19.9 kV, and lastly, transmission towers and poles with 138 kV and 345 kV. The bucket trucks I have worked from were mostly 55' buckets, some 50', but the services I ran were only 35' stack boom trucks, no AC (back when I worked it), stick shift, and an F-350 chassis. We eventually got double-axel boom trucks, which now are remote controlled from the ground. Back when I done the work, we climbed poles up to 80' with only a single pole strap, which are now required to have a secondary failsafe strap according to OSHA. I also built 69 kV sidewinder switches on a training crew decades ago. Now, what I am getting at is that electricians do not work in this environment; they are licensed in a completely different realm of electric. As a lineman, I would meet electricians and home owners on the job site to open transformers and cover the cables and lines of the 120/240, 480Y, or 120/208, inside the transformer or wires pole to house so they could pull in the cable or work safely. When I did this work, we had to hand dig the pole holes when there was a possibility of hitting UG utilities; now they use a vacuum truck, which removes most of the hard work from the ground. Lastly, I brought up my temporary home electric scheme to help the guy who knows little about electric-it is his responsibility to do it safely. I am only trying to help the other guy. There are no secrets- a person is naive to think that this was a secret. Back when I did this work, I also ran a service bucket by myself, installing 1/0 triplex, #2, triplex, and digging in parallel services to feed homes and businesses. A lot has changed now-from what I here from the guys now is that they had a guy get killed sticking his head into the secondary bushings of a transformer and require two to do the service truck work. When all those years I did that stuff by myself! I always wore my hardhat when inside a pad mounted transformer, always. Because I knew there was not going to be the guy behind my to remind me of how close I was in making a fatal mistake. I always wore my dialectic boots as well. The work I done all those years was dangerous and hard. As far as energizing the system with a generator from a home location, the crews today are absolutely religious on grounding the primary first, and if they must work it-they glove it. Which requires supervisor approval before it begins. But lineman now do not hesitate to get it out and just do the work more safely. It speeds things up and just makes life easier for them. Nobody cares anymore about keeping the lines hot-it is all about safety now.
Sorry to hear the Obamacare is costing you so much.
I always change the oil to 5w-30 in the fall and back to 10w-30 in the summer regardless of hours. The lighter viscosity helps it in the cold winter months.
Seafoam also works good as a fuel stabilizer. Nothing beats non ethanol gas though.
Great point! Thanks for sharing.
Agreed. In my climate, I don't worry about changing the oil viscosity but you are spot on about seafoam and non-ethanol gas. I run non-ethanol in all my vehicles and small engines and have not had issues. Back in the day, I had issues with a Honda 2000i generator that had been filled with ethanol gas and not stabilized prior to a length of time with no use. Threw some seafoam in there and gave a few pulls. Let it sit and after a few hours it fired right up and ran like a champ.
@@Seed_burn if you use a synthetic oil you don't need to change the weight of oil for the summer and winter I use synthetic oil in my generator and my air compressor and never had to change the weight of the oil as the seasons change , You have to with conventional oil but not synthetic
18 years ago I got a new generator as we live in a rural area with power outages. It has been outside under the eve of the house since then. It has been through several continuous runs of more than five days without ever an issue. The fuel has never been turned off.
This is a not a high end generator and has has sit time as long as a year, but usually less. (5500/8250 watt Briggs brand)
It has never seen ethanol gas... like a dozen other pieces of equipment we own.
It is worth it, I promise.
Non ethanol gas is a life saver for small engines. Ethanol is a scam.
Very thorough video. Following through this, here is my comments: 1. I use only ethanol free fuel. 2. I built a shed over my generator that is kept outside. 3. Run it for ten to fifteen minutes every month with a load. 4. I quit using a stabilizer 4 years ago and keep the tank full. 5. I change the oil every fall. 6. Clean air filter when changing the oil, replace it when needed. 7. I brush the spark arrestor screen and check the spark plug when changing the oil. I have two generators, both 10 plus years old, one given to me because it failed to start (Generac). After checking the only thing it needed was a new spark plug. Both now start and run on the first pull. Maintain these machines and you will get many years of service in return.
Great tips from everyone!
I'm no guru but I follow a lot of people on YT.
I might be considered a prepper? I'm not. I'm a power lineman for a living & my wife has a physical disability. My wife doesn't drive. She is dependent on me. I need lots of gas on standby. When there is a storm that affects our service area. My employer has me working 17 hour days with less than 8 hours off. I barely have enough time to sleep let alone look for a gas station open? I pretreat my ethanol fuel with Star Tron engine enzyme & Marine grade fuel stabilizer. I keep my fuel for a year & I buy fresh fuel every 3 months & rotate my stock.
I keep my fuel tank on my genny always full to the top. I have only had to change my oil every year. I use Mobil 1. It runs like a Swiss watch. I periodically start it to run without load & sometimes with connected load for about a half hour. I have only about 75 hours on it in 7 years.
Thanks for posting.
Great plan.. My father and my brother-in-law were both lineman. I have a few friends that were lineman as well. I have a lot of respect for what you do. I became an electrician and eventually moved into electrical engineering. I'm retired now but I worked for TI and we brought four 35KV feeds into the main building. They fed switch banks that supplied 22 duel fed substations. 12470v to feed the subs in an older building, 4160v for the chiller plant and the rest were 277/480v or 120/208v. Cool stuff.
Tip #8: Consider a multi-fuel generator. Even with Stabil or an equivalent, gasoline in storage or in a tank will begin to deteriorate, in as little as five or six months. LP gas has an almost infinite shelf life. You can run a generator off of grill tanks, or if you have a large home LP gas tank or a natural gas connection, you can have your gas company install a quick-disconnect gas line where you run the generator.
Another benefit I am seeing running LP gas, is that the oil is staying cleaner for longer. Probably fewer depo0sits on the piston and valves too.
Now I just keep gasoline as a reserve, or plan B if propane runs low.
Before you tell your gas company to install a Quick Disconnect fitting, be sure the QD fitting they have is rated for 1.25-1.5 times the BTU rating of your generator, otherwise you may starve the generator for fuel, and cause a harmful lean burn. A standard flare connection is often the better option . (LP gas pro tip)
I had a vacation home in Vermont a few years ago. The home was heated with propane (no natural gas in the area), so there was a 500 Gallon above ground propane tank in the back yard. The propane delivery guys will only fill to 80%, so it would hold 400 gallons.
The price of propane is about $3.50 per gallon, so to fill that tank it would cost about $1400.
When I looked for an auto start, whole house generator, there are two kinds: Natural gas and propane. I calculated the fuel consumption rate of a 10-15KW auto start generator and determined that, in the event of a serious power outage (like we get fairly frequently) I would burn through the full 400 gallons in just over a week.
Nevermind the cost of the fuel, if I emptied the tank in the middle of a power outage catastrophe, usually in the middle of winter, the chances of getting the propane company to fill the tank on short notice is pretty slim. Plus, when I ran out of propane I would have no more heat.
Instead, I installed a panel interlock, and breaker to feed my panel from a temporary emergency gas fueled generator. Gasoline is readily available, even during widespread power outages, because all of the gas stations have backup generators. It’s a 6KW, manual start. I also installed a remote, internet based temperature monitoring system that alarmed if the furnace wasn’t keeping temps up, and also alarmed if it didn’t check-in every hour (power outage). In the event of an alarm I had to jump in the car and drive the 2 hours to the vacation home.
We sold the vacation home, but I still have and use that generator (a Generac), for the rural Vermont home we live in full-time now. I keep four, 5 gallon cans with E0 fuel in them. 10 gallons will last about 24 hours, so I only need to fetch gas every other day during extended power outage. The E0 fuel won’t go bad for more than a year. After a year I burn it in our vehicles and refill the cans with fresh E0.
We have lost power for a week twice here in the past 4 years, and my wife’s 97 y/o mother lives with us. Having emergency power is literally a life saver.
In cold weather propane isn't as efficient,and you can have moisture,it will turn oil milky,,is it quality of propane?? I prefer non ethanol gas....and I now use ethanol shield in my gas when I hav'nt made the 60 mile trip ....try adding colored water to gas and MEASURE it....before and after. It will remove the ethanol.
@@daleharvey3278 Propane isn't causing milky oil Dale. Research time young man, unless you're okay with hearsay and myth as fact. Generac, Onan, Honda, and the rest all have the real answers to milky oil causes.
Ha, that’s what I use for the test load - either a space heater or a heat gun 💪🏼👍🏼
Great minds think alike.. 🧐
Excellent tips! One more item I would also add to this list to have spare spark plugs, they are generally cheap and they don't go bad.
When you shut off the fuel to drain the carburetor, you should then apply full choke, then, attempt to start the engine again. you'll be surprised, that the generator will most likely actually start! The extra vacuum of having the choke closed while running, will clear the emulsion tube, as well as clearing the idle circut. That way, there is no residual liquid fuel to evaporate, and leave varnish/gum behind.
Thanks for the info..
When i turn the knob to choke, it will start flowing petrol again so...
Good information.
I usually perform all these, but did not think about the spark arrester screen..
Wow! What a great video for all of us first time generator owners. Thank you very much from Central Florida!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching.
Excellent Video. I live in FL and have not needed to use mine for the past few years, but run mine at least twice a year and use every single one of these tips. One tip I would like to add, when possible, use and store ethanol free gas when possible. I buy 20 gallons every spring before hurricane season and put it in my vehicles in November if not used. This will lessen the possibility of gas going bad or adding too much stabilizer, which can gum up your fuel.
Big plus in Alaska, no ethanol fuels.
I know fuel stations that have non ethanol fuel in Ohio.
As an Alaskan myself I store my stabilized ethanol free fuel outside and my generator tank empty and in a heated storage area. Makes it easier to start at 10 below.
You guys are fortunate.
Thanks for video
Good to know some basic maintenance tips you shared here
Take care and be safe
You bet
UGreat tips. I have a plain jane 5000w generator that is 22 years old and runs well. The only thing that has caused any problems has been ethanol fuel which at one point required a new carb. During an emergency, running 10% ethanol is fine. However when i put it away I drain the tank fully and run the engine dry. Then I put just enough non ethanol in and then run it dry on the non ethanol. I check and clean the spark plug. My area of Vermont had significant flooding this and last year. My unit was out on loan multiple times with no issues.
had to flash mine a few seasons ago... worked fine ... thanks
Great list of tips. I realize it is controversial but I run the gas tank dry during my quarterly test runs. Ethanol gas is hydroscopic so it absorbs moisture from the air. That is much less of a problem with gas stored in sealed gas cans. Our generator has a drain plug on the carburetor bowl so every once an a while I drain any remaining gas out of the bowl, this gets rid of any trapped water. To better empty the gas tank I stick one end of the genie on a 2x4 to help slope it toward to shutoff valve.
I use a 1500 watt space heater as a load during test runs and try to remember to alternate which receptacle I use each time. Our generator has electric start so I use a battery maintainer to keep it fully charged without the risk of overcharging. Perhaps it is the engineer in me but I keep a log book of testing and maintenance. I have an old school battery load tester so every once an a while test the battery. SLA batteries slowly degrade over time but I have gotten years out of the ones I use. Our generator did not come with an hour meter so I bought a cheap stick on meter that wrap the sense lead around the spark plug wire. That lets me record run time hours.
Our generator runs on gas. Getting gas right before an outage can be problematic. I keep five 5-gallon gas cans in our shed and use stabilizer. Using the genie a few hours a day that should last us a week. We have occasional week long power outages here in NH due to massive winter ice storms. The cans are numbered so I rotate them and when it gets old dump it in one of our cars. I also log when each can is refilled as a reminder to not let the gas get too old. Have not had a problem storing gas for a year (the cans are sealed) but I try not to go longer then that.
Bottom line as you posted you want to do everything you can to insure the generator will actually work when needed.
Awesome lessons! Thank you very much!
Great video. I’m happy I do all of these steps!
Perfect!
Great vid, John. Thanks!!
You bet! Thanks for watching..
@@BackyardMaine The only non-ethanol gas around here is premium, which is all I use in my small engines. Idk if that's good or bad bc I don't know what effect the higher octane has on the engines, if any. I put stablizer and a little Lucas right in every gas can when I fill it. That way I don't have to worry when I forget to start something for a while. Cheers from upstate NY.
Shutting off the gas and letting it run out is the BEST way to make sure it'll work EVERY TIME!
@@thomasschwarting5108 Yes just remember to turn it back on when you try to start it. lol Mine usually starts on the first pull.
When running it dry, as it starts to surge, use the choke to keep it running, that will get more gas out of the carb.
As for storage, most of mine are outdoors and only get used when they're needed, and they always work.
Very nice summary of maintenance. Thanks john
You bet.. Thanks for watching.
Thanks so much for the good tips, I already do some of these but now I have more information. Good instruction!
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching.
I buy Sunoco non ethanol for my power equipment. I run my generator spring and fall. Pull it out and drain the gas. Refill it and run it for 10-15 minutes while I'm doing something else. It doesn't take long. That way I know, (or am fairly confident), that it will start when I need it. Too many people buy a generator when they lose power. Then let it sit for 2 years until the power goes out again. Then find it won't start. Spend a little time on a Saturday twice a year. I won't encounter that during a blizzard in February....at night...with no lights.
Excellent advice! Even though my generator only requires 87 octane gasoline what I do to avoid the problem created by using gasoline containing ethanol, I only run "Premium Gas" in my generator and ALL of my gas powered yard tools (i.e., mower, weed eater, chain saw, etc.), and my motorcycle, because most, if not all, Premium Gas does NOT contain any ethanol! I just don't burn ethanol in any of those motors, and they all perform much better and need less repairs.
1 - Don't shut off the generator, shut off the gas feed and let it run out of gas to empty the carburetor.
2 - Store the generator in a clean, dry location, and leave it easily accessible for when it's needed.
3 - Periodically Test Run the generator every 3 months, let it run for 10-15 minutes with a load on it.
4 - Use "Sta-Bil" Fuel Stabilizer in your gas can to ensure your gas is ready to go.
5 - Check your engine oil before each use, & Change your engine oil after the first 5 hours (for new) and then every 50-100 hours of use.
6 - Inspect and Clean the Air Filter at least once every season.
7 - Check & Clean the Spark Arrestor in the muffler at every oil change.
Excellent! Very relevant, succinct and well presented!
Thank you kindly!
We have a small Ryobi camping generator. It is quiet, and produces enough power to run a couple of refrigerators and charge other things. I test it once or twice a year, and it's due now, so thanks for the reminder. It has NEVER experienced ethanol, and never will; untainted regular ONLY. It has no fuel shutoff (that I know of), so I put a few ounces in the tank then run it dry. It is stored inside.
Great tips, thank you
My Champion generator is 9 years old and still runs flawlessly. I never run gas with Ethanol and I pull it out every month and run it for about 20 minutes. I also use a fuel stabilizer. It stays in my shop under cover. I run it dry. I bought this generator at lowe's on sale and it got me through hurricane Michael. Our power was out for 4 days and ran 24 hours a day.
If you live in a city and have natural gas piped to your house it makes sense to have a generator that can use that. If the grid is out, natural gas will still be available and there’s no need to store regular gas. The Honda eu2200i with the tri fuel adapter kit is a good option
If this is considered wrong please let me know.I add stabil to the gas & let it run dry but before it’s ready to die I add more Stabil until it stalls out.This way I know there’s stabil in the carb & hopefully protects it from gumming up.I pulled mine out from last year & it takes a little longer to start until the stabil clears but then it fires right up.My thinking is leave Stabil in the carb because I heard the carb shouldn’t be left dry.The seals can dry out is what I have been told.
Excellent suggestions!
A few things if I may add to your list - Be sure not to turn off the generator under load, dont think most people mention that or know about it? I use an oz or two of seafoam with 5 gallons of ethanol free gas instead of sta-bil. Then put it in the car/truck every 3-4 months to use and refill the can with fresh gas. Running propane/NG in a dual fuel model is cleaner on your oil and exhaust than gas which might extend your oil change and spark arrester maintenance intervals or incase of power outage you arent forced to turn everything off and do an emergency oil change. Keep spare parts - spark plug, air filter, etc as the stores might be closed or out of parts. In a power outage cover the freezer/fridge in blankets while not running off backup power to hold their temps longer. Put boiling water in a 2 liter bottle in the covers or sleeping bag to warm it up before bed. A tent inside full of people is easier to warm than a whole house, use heat tape on pipes to keep from freezing and you dont have to heat the whole room if no one is staying in that part. Also suggest a backup plan to your backup, two generators is better than one so you can combine the power with a parallel kit or if one stops working suddenly, electrician installed input plug and breaker lockout on the house keeps the extension cords down to a minimum and the wife much happier (on my to-do list), solar generators are wonderful backups to run the gas furnace fan, charge devices for communications, run electronics to entertain the whole family - after the teens have contributed or learned a skill to be helpful when you're not there, then recharge on the inverter generator or solar. Show your spouse how to connect and run everything, then show them again every fews months when you pull out the generator to warm up and test.
For my 1998 Generac XL 5500, the manual has a long term storage procedure. After the emergency, you run the generator out of fuel, Change the oil and filter, then pull the plug, clean it and put a squirt of oil in the cylinder, pull the cord a few revolutions, replace the plug then pull the cord until both valves are closed. The your generator is ready to store for years. Every few years if you did not use it, pull it out of the shed, add gas and run it for 30-45 minutes under load then run the engine dry again. This process has allowed the generator to start on the first pull when starting up. Gas for my generator is Ethanol Free and stabilized before use. I also keep 27 gal of stabilized ethanol free Super gas in storage, and every 6 months(March and September) the gas is put though a car and replaced. Yes also follow the maintenance schedule in the manual.
Amen to the run dry technique. Been doing it for years. I “exercise” my generators by using one or the other to power an electric edger. Sure, it is easier to just plug the edger into the house power, but this way some actual work can be obtained from the exercise. In my location the lawn needs to be mowed year round, so many of you who live in the frozen tundra of the north may not like this method.
One other tip. Do not use a generator larger than needed. I have a larger one (6500 cont) and a smaller one (1800 cont). The smaller one is WAY quieter, AND more importantly is WAY easier on fuel. When the last tropical cyclone went through and left me without power for 6 1/2 days, I found the smaller unit could power the refrigerators and a small window A/C unit. No worries about gas, and quiet enough to run any time. It is NOT necessary to run the generator non-stop. If one is careful to open the fridge only when absolutely necessary one can run an on-off cycle. I use 3 hours on 3 hours off.
Great Points..
I have had a Honda 1000i for 20 years. I have needed it maybe half dozen times for power outages. It always starts. I use non- ethanol gas.
Honda make very reliable generators. Non- ethanol gas is always a good plan..
I've had a Troy-Bilt 7,500 watt generator for 18 years and it always starts as well. I use pump gas with ethanol in it. Makes no difference as long as you run the carb dry after each use.
If your exhaust spark arrestor plugs up bad burning the cage clean with a mini torch works great
I've got some Stihl equipment and I use a torch to clear the spark arrestors. Never thought about my generator. The torch burns the coke off in just a few seconds. Got the tip from another person in the Great White North.
I have a 25 year old 3500 running watt troybilt with briggs and stratton engine...use full synthetic oil, mix ethanol fuel which is common here, with stabil and techron fuel system cleaner..run tank dry...still starts and runs great..
What about diesel generator ? Do same thing as gas ?
One thing I strongly recommend is using a synthetic oil in the engine for better lubrication , Especially on startup because the engine is immediately running at 3600 RPM and you definitely need good lubrication for an engine that's running at 3600 RPM
Which is much faster than a car engine at highway speed , Check the owners manual because your generator may call for synthetic oil
Mine doesn't but thats a good point. Just make sure you're buying oil designed for small engines.
@BackyardMaine Even though your generator doesn't call for synthetic oil ,
It would be wise to switch to synthetic but once you switch to synthetic , You have to stay with synthetic , Synthetic oil gives you better lubrication on startup because 90%. of engine wear is starting wear
Thanks for the valuable tips my friend appreciate it
You bet
One thing that has kept my old McCullough generator going is using only ethanol free fuel. Its not cheap, but I use it on all my two and 4 stroke power tools and dont have any problems.
Marvel mystery oil mixed in the fuel will do much To protect your carburetor and internal engine components and cylinder / valve train.
Fogging oil into the carb intake will also help
I do this as well. At the end of hurricane season, I’ll drain the tank completely and run that in my truck. Disconnect the fuel line and feed MMO to the carb until it smokes/stalls. Carb, valves, cylinders are fogged and the tank is dry. Fresh fuel goes in when needed next time or for a periodic run.
Great video. Thanks.
I run 5w-40 diesel full synthetic oil in all of my small engines + Lucas oil additive. Never had one problem. And I have many small engines and two generators.
I stick with the manufacturers recommendations.
i buy ethanol free gas for all of my small engines and use stabilizer in gas and run them out of gas if they will not be used for a while.
have you tried the engine cylinder foaming oil for keeping cylinders from rusting?
I have a brand-new generator i have never used not sure if I should put gas in it and run it or just leave it as it comes from factory.
They aren't usually shipped with engine oil. I would check and or add oil, fuel it up and run it so you know it's ready when needed. I find it better to keep the gas tank full for two reason. It limits condensation and rust but also give you a head start of fuel depending on how many gas cans you have on hand. We lost power for 3 days in March and 10 days later we lost it for another 3 days.. Finding gas when 3/4 of the state is out of power is not always easy. Just my two cents..
GREAT and informative video...Personally, I would test my generator once a month
Thats an even better plan if you can stick to it.
Great tips. Thank you. 🇨🇦
You are so welcome!
On some generators even after running it dry there is a drain plug on the bowl on bottom or side on carburetor to get rest of gas out of unit
I don't use gasoline with ethanol in any of my small engines. If you don't have any gas stations with ethanol free fuels there are many TH-cam videos that show you how to take the ethanol out of your gasoline. P.S. great video
I used to use Stabil but Ethanol Shield is better. A multi fuel generator is best. I use my propane exclusively because it does not go bad and no ethanol to worry about.
For Sta-Bil use you need to make sure the Sta-Bil itself is fresh. It has a "use by" date and can go bad. Unless it has changed it is five years unopened and two years opened. I have accidently used old Sta-Bil and it did render the fuel unusable. I no longer use any stabilizer and buy non-ethanol and rotate that every six months. And yes, I drain my generator on a six month cycle. I keep it fully fueled year around to prevent rust in the tank.
Start mine every month.A pain but not as much as changing my carb again
With my generator I store it in the box it came in I just cut the bottom of the box away and I put the top over it. I run it twice a year on a test tank I run the carburetor dry and I drain it. I drain all the fuel from the gas tank years ago when I was finished with it so it's ready to go.😊
I bought a 5500-watt generator during the 2004 Florida hurricanes, two of which passed directly over me. I've had to use it only about three times since, for a few days to a few hours, But I use only non-ethanol gas with StaBil and a bit of Marvel Mystery oil added. I pull it out prior to each hurricane season for a test run with a half-gallon of gas or so, make sure it's producing power, and then let the tank and carb run dry. After twenty years it still starts on 1-2 pulls. The only real problem is the tubed tires always seem to be nearly flat. It is stored in the garage with a cover and is in like-new condition--except for the low tires. One day I'll put sold wheels on it.
I live in Pinellas County Florida. When Helene hit many homes went underwater. When Milton hit the power outage map showed over 400,000 without power. That led to a new problem, with a low estimate of about 20,000 generators running using about 12 gallons of gas a day that meant that upwards to 180 extra loads of gasoline at 8000 gallons load would be needed in the county just to run generators. People were driving 100 miles to get gas for the generators. I may be off with my numbers I don’t know.
Glad you got through the storms safely...
Another reason why I like your videos.. you did mention residual magnetism... But when talking about occasional running you could have mentioned it again explaining that putting it under load helps to excite the field keeping that residual magnetism that is so essential rather than to have to flash the windings... I'm from away but my family came from Ft Kent to Brunswick. You have that Yankee ingenuity and are smarter as a Mainah !
Thank you.. It's a beautiful state. I've lived here for about 30 years now. I have had to flash a few generators and have had success every time except one.
I'm in the habit of changing the oil on my Honda EU 2200 every 24 hours of use. It's less than a half a quart. I also run only non-ethanol fuel. It's been running seamlessly since 2017 and I haven't even needed to change the spark plug
You never change your oil too often especially when it takes a half a quart.
I wasn't home during the flood and my BIL was running my generator and he managed to soft seize the engine. I asked my wife if it was FULL of oil? She told me there was oil in it. I will guarantee you it wasn't full to the bottom of the threads of the oil fill the way I left it. They ran it about 5 days before the oil got low enough it wasn't lubricating properly.
Good job
Tip # 8, use only recreational or marine fuel in all small engine equipment, these fuels have no ethanol, if I had no choice but to run an ethanol based fuel, after use i suck out as much fuel as I can , I tilt the machine in a way that all the fuel goes to the lowest part of your gas tank and I run the tank dry , leaving the machine in the same tilted position add a cup or so of rec fuel and run that dry and repeat with an additional cup and run dry , this ensures you flush the remaining ethanol based fuel out of not only the tank but the carburetor , ethanol based fuel has a finite amount of moisture, leaving ethanol based fuel in your carburetor will produce rust particles and plug it up , I learned that the hard way when it wouldn’t start when I needed it .
I've got any unexpected one for ya. My Wgen11500TFc won't start without a battery while using the pull cord. It uses 12v to open the fuel solenoid on the carburetor. A side effect of being multi fuel. So keep a charged battery jump pack or jumper cables is part of the preparation.
A jump pack probably won't work. The circuitry in them checks that they are connected to a battery and the polarity is correct. If the generator's battery is totally dead, zero volts then jumper pack won't provide voltage. Use jumper cables from your car instead.
Not true, I repair generators and always use a jump starter with a stone dead sulfated battery or no battery at all. I have never had an issue using them.
@@elviraraff6809 My neighbors dual fuel Champion 11,000 watt generator had a dead battery (zero volts) and using my fully charged jumper pack would start her generator or even connect to her battery because it could not see the generator's battery. Pull start wasn't an option as fuel solenoid would not open. Perhaps some jumper packs might work but not one that needs to see at least minimal voltage on the battery being jumped.
I didn't know that but it does make sense.. Thanks.
Some jump starters require battery voltage to function. The one I have has a button to bypass it so you can jump a vehicle with a stone dead battery.
Best of the best is to treat all fuel and when storing your generator, completely remove all the fuel from the whole system, tank and carburetor.
First tip: Always use alkylate petrol. Nothing else. That is a very clean petrol, more expensive yes but way way better for you, the environment and the engine. It has excellent storage properties - can be stored for at least ten years in a clean sealed container.
Second tip: Always change the oil every year. Even though you only did some test runs.
I run mine once a month to run my air compresser that i use to air up tires and turn off the gas to shut down summer and winter sal-bil dont work will with todays gas unless its straight gas
One thing I learned a Millennia ago, Never shut down an Engine running at full throttle.
Especially Air cooled Engines...
On My Gennies (7) after removing the Load, I will reach under and pull the Governor to idle and hold it there.
till it runs out of Fuel. With all the Plastic Crap on the New ones it may be hard to do that.
But it lets the Engine cool down and dissipate heat.
One more tip, I drain the tank also.
That's a bad idea if it's a steel tank. Keeping it full of stabilized fuel keeps oxygen out. An empty steel tank = rust. Besides it's better to keep it full so it's ready to go. Most people only have one or two gas cans so keeping it full means double the fuel available without getting more. Just my opinion of course.
@@nodak81 Guess it might depend where you live. My tank is plastic, but steel tanks are emptied at the factory and shipped across the ocean and stored in warehouses. Watched Taryl’s 2 year test of stabilizers and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. If you live where you can get non ethanol gas, that would be best. Here in commie Ca. I can only get ethanol crap.
I don't see a need. If the generator is regularly "excersized", and occasionally used during power outs, you will add enough fuel, to keep it reasonably "fresh".
The way our Power supply is going to be unrealible i my self would strongly recommend that you have a generator the way to have fore the Future
Won't the carb bowl still be full of gas or does "running it dry" empty the bowl?
Running it dry gets most of the gas out of the bowl but there will be a small amount left. I find this shutting off the fuel work very great at preventing the tiny jets for clogging. I had to buy some tiny drill bits to clean them out. They were plugged solid. Never had an issue since.
@@BackyardMaine A set of welding tip cleaners works great for cleaning out the jets. Less likely to break or damage the jet than the drill bits
The thing to do, is wait a few minutes after it stops, then, apply full choke, then, try to start. Most likely, the generator will start! Very often, it will come up to almost full speed. the advantage of that is, the extra vacuum created by the choke valve will clear the last bit of liquid fuel from the emulsion tube, as well as the idle circuit. What little fuel is left in the float bowl after that, won't reach up in to the jets of the carburetor, which helps guarentee, that there will be no restriction to fuel flow in the main circuit,, or the idle circuit. I do that every use, and have never had a problem, even though I use the cheapest gasoline I can find.
Most generators have a float bowl drain. Running the engine until it quits does not get it all out.
Engineered fuel in the carb before storage will keep ethanol and old fuel from damaging the carb diaphragms and condition them. You'll never need to rebuild it because the fuel is pure parafins. Works excellent.
I started using oil specifically blended for small engines that run hotter than cars.
I do that as well.
Hey John, if you use ethanol free gas should you still us fuel stabilize? Thank you and great video.
Yes, Fuel with no ethanol will begin to degrade at about 6 months so unless you're cycling through it stabilizer is a good safeguard. The STA-BIL says it will extend the life out to two years.
One more tip, pull the cord and leave the piston on the compression stroke.
That’s why I bought a dual fuel generator, it has never had gas in it I think only run it on LP Gas
Use Ethanol Shield additive, but also, yes, turn off the fuel flow until it stops.
I run some fuel stabilizer . for storage.and shut the fuel off until it has stopped .then there is a 10mm bolt and the carburetor by the carb housing drain it until there's no more gas . coming out screw it back .and there should be no gas in the carburetor
Home Title lock - Canada?
Sta-nil doesn’t stop the gas from evaporating after a year or two in a hot garage. Remove all the gas.
I had some gas that sat for over three years but worked fine in my chainsaw without any stabilizer.
It's very important to remember: Never use any ethanol containing fuel in ANY small device engine.
BTW, "Ethanol Shield" works far better than "Stabil".
Should you dip
Your air filter in oil after cleaning it? I don’t live in a dusty area
If you don't live in a dusty area I don't think it's necessary. I have heard of this practice but unless you have a lot of dust when you run your generator I wouldn't bother.
The owners manual will usually state if it's recommended or not. Unless the manual specifically recommends dipping the filter in oil, and then squeezing out the excess, I wouldn't bother.
Definitely use Stabil or get a dual fuel 👍👍
What about just using ethanol free gasoline?
I don't recommend ever using ethanol pump gas, I have seen it damage small engine carburetors in as little as a few weeks. I use enthanol free gas with Sta-Bil and 1 ounce of Marvel Mystery Oil per gallon. I have tested this mix out to 5 year with no fuel degradation.
I use 0W-40 synthetic motor oil, which is especially good at handling the temperature extremes air cooled engines encounter anywhere in the US.
For long term generator storage, I drain the carb and fuel tank, pull the spark plug and shoot some motor oil in the cylinder. When finished, I place a large plastic bag over the generator for storage.
Non ethanol fuel ,fuel stabilizer, run the carb dry,restart the generator every month.
I ran my 35 year old 5hp Briggs wood splitter out of fuel 5 years ago after all my seasonal firewood was split, I wont do that again. It took the next two years and carb rebuild kit to get the engine run right again......
After that I used Sta-bil fuel treatment, the following year two years ago the engine started right up after sitting til Oct, last year I used the same Sta-bil fuel treatment and it took two dozen pulls and then I had to put gas in cylinder, then it fired up. That tells me we need fuel stabilizer for Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer because after one year it goes bad...
This year I put in PRI-G in my wood splitter and in my 25 year old 14 hp Generac, I'll let you know in 50 years if it works......
The only question I have is who makes engines for Generac?
For some reason always I thought it was Briggs, but I just looked at the manual and it says Gaudian, who the heck is Guardian.........
Generac designs, engineers, and manufactures the Guardian Series of engines and generators in the United States.
Sta-bil is one of the worst actually and has been tested. My GEN carb got totally corroded in the bowl and jet while using it, and cleaning did not help. Bought a new one on Ama for $17. Just keep a spare on hand. Star-Tron or Ethanol Shield seem to be better
I do all these things with my generator and over many years, including three or four times when an extended power outage had the generator running for several days continuously, and have never experienced any issues with it starting on the first pull, or not running smoothly. I consider the #1 thing to do is 'running it dry' at the end of each use.
However, I do NOT use a fuel stabilizer. My preferred alternative is to just keep the fuel fresh. I use a 5 gallon fuel 'can' to fuel the generator, and always have two more such cans in the garage and fully fueled, for a total of 15 gallons of fuel at the ready. Twice a year (Spring and Fall), I use a battery powered fuel transfer pump (by TeraPump) to suck the old fuel out of all my gas powered equipment, including the generator, putting the 'old' fuel into a spare 5 gallon can, then I use the same pump to move that old fuel into my two vehicles, where it mixes with fuel that is no more than a week or two old, and I just burn it up that way. Then, again twice a year, I refresh the generator tank and the two standby 5 gallon cans with fresh fuel. This is about a 20 minute chore done twice a year.
Rec fuel will eliminate the need for stabil, I use it exclusively in small engines
Or you can just run non ethanol gas and never have to worry about bad gas.. I had had the same fuel in my generator for 5 years. It's starts up and then I switch to propane. Same 1 gallon of gas always starts right up. Nonethanol is the key.
Non-ethanol gas will last longer and cause less problems than gas with ethanol but it still starts to degrade after six months. Fuel stabilizer can extend that out to about 2 years. I'm not saying old gas won't run your engine but 5 year old gas will have significant degradation. I find rotating my fuel and running my generator often keeps everything ready to go. Propane is great but you loose a little bit of capacity.
Great points number one you forgot was make sure your generator is anywhere from 25 to 30 feet away from the house because of carbon monoxide……… and make sure your CO2 detectors are working in the area to close proximity of your generator!!!!!!!!!!!!! people could be come poison because the generators are too close to the house>…………… also I don’t use stable and I don’t use ethanol gas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I’m a big advocate of the VP fuel or the Trufuel that sold in either quarts,,,,1 gallons or 5 gallon containers in a peace of equipment it’s good for year and a half in the equipment two year on the shelf,,,,,,,it’s good for two that’s the way I’ve been gone with my stuff for the last five years Sam bacon
I made another video covering generator safety and mistake people often make. th-cam.com/video/jNuVsFeL7vY/w-d-xo.html
CO2 is what we breathe out. The invisible killer is CO without the 2.
I prefer rebuilding my carb. outside in a blizzard.
Ethanol Sheild is far superior to Sta-Bil. Be careful. PRI-G is probably the best and its what I use.
Always use ethanol free gasoline in generators. Little more expensive, but we'll worththe price
This applies to any 4 cycle gasoline engine.