Generator Question

[cabinetman]

I've got a generator at home for times like power outages, and it hasn't run since the last hurricane, about 2 plus years. When I stored it, I used "Stabil", the fuel stabilizer in a full tank, and let it run 5 minutes and shut it off.

The question now is, the next time I use it, should all the gas be drained and refilled with fresh before using? How long is that tank of gas good for? During the protected period (however long that is), when starting to use the generator is the intention of the product to let you use the treated gas, or is it supposed to be drained, and refilled?
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[Daryl]

For what it's worth, I never use Stabil or any other such product in the lawn mower and it always starts the next spring. You have a generator for emergency power and I really don't think you want to be futzing around with it to get it started. I suggest you use an untreated gasoline and just start the thing up every month and let it run a while and warm up and make sure every thing is in working order.

[Uncle Cracker]

Stabil is not forever, but I have successfully used treated gas after two years without problems. Given the choice, however, I replace the fuel with fresh at the beginning of every hurricane season, and then treat the fuel if I'm going to to keep it during the off season. After all, you want your generators to be reliable in an emergency, and fresh fuel is the best. I also run my generators twice a year to keep them in shape. One important tip is to turn off the fuel valve and let the engine run itself out of gas when testing, so that fuel does not remain in the carb and fuel system during long periods of disuse. This keeps varnish from building up, keeps floats from saturating, and keeps fuel from going stale in the system.

[jackellis]

The utilities and big data centers that rely on standby generators (most of them bigger than any we would buy) run them once a month to make sure they work properly and to keep them lubricated.

I own a very expensive (aircraft) piston engine. The conventional wisdom in aviation is to fly often and change the oil every six months because when the airplane sits, acids and water in the oil that are combustion by-products or produced by condensation have an opportunity to attack the steel parts that are eventually unprotected as oil slides off. When you run the engine, you boil off the water and you recoat the engine parts with oil. You also relubricate all of the internal parts.

I would run that generator for between five and 30 minutes, under load, every month or two. Change the oil once or twice a year.

[L. D. Jeffries]

Or, baring all the good advise on fuel problems, do what I did, Convert to a propane carb. on the generator. No fuel problems, no draining anything, easy, fast starts, smoother running, and CHEAPER fuel. Always felt leery about having 7 gals. of gas sitting in the tank in my shop, where its mounted. Like having a case of dynamite waiting-waiting-kaboom! Never looked back on the $200 it cost then. Link to the site is: "www.propane-generator.com" if anyone is interested.

[stormdog74]

Or, baring all the good advise on fuel problems, do what I did, Convert to a propane carb. on the generator. No fuel problems, no draining anything, easy, fast starts, smoother running, and CHEAPER fuel. Always felt leery about having 7 gals. of gas sitting in the tank in my shop, where its mounted. Like having a case of dynamite waiting-waiting-kaboom! Never looked back on the $200 it cost then. Link to the site is: "www.propane-generator.com" if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the tip, but did you mean this site:

http://www.propane-generators.com/

Note the plural on generator.

[cabinetman]

Or, baring all the good advise on fuel problems, do what I did, Convert to a propane carb. on the generator. No fuel problems, no draining anything, easy, fast starts, smoother running, and CHEAPER fuel. Always felt leery about having 7 gals. of gas sitting in the tank in my shop, where its mounted. Like having a case of dynamite waiting-waiting-kaboom! Never looked back on the $200 it cost then. Link to the site is: "www.propane-generator.com" if anyone is interested.

That's an idea I just might consider. Is the run time improved? We figured out ours costs about $1.00/HR on gasoline.
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[Carlos]

Propane is the best answer.

For fuel, Stabil has a 1-year mix ratio and a 2-year mix ratio. But beyond that you're going to see a lot of degradation. Even at two years the gas is going to be going off. In warm weather, three months without stabilization and gas is definitely bad--this is well documented.

If it was my generator, I would dump all the fuel right now, then put a small amount of stabilized fuel in it and run it. Then leave it as empty as possible. Keep stabilized fuel in a container, not in the generator, and cycle it through the car every few months.

I've worked on lots of carbs that had crappy gas in them. It can get messy and expensive.

[JimD]

I only sometimes put stablilizer in my boat gas and it still starts. On the other hand, I had to rebuild my carberators because junk built up in the bottom of the float bowls and clogged the low speed circuit. My boat motor is 2 cycle and the oil is mixed in before the carberator. I think it is more important to run the gas out of my motor before storage than put stabilizer in the gas. I put fresh in on top of the old gas (because I need more anyway). That probably helps.

I never put stabilizer in my mowers. They get stored in the garage which is a little more mild than the boat which sets under the screen porch. I have never had an issue with my mowers tracable to not stabilizing the gas.

Jim

[chopnhack]

Jack hit on the important part of running the generator under load.