Generator - running while in storage

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ftiernay

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Joined
Oct 29, 2015
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14
We have our motorhome stored inside for the winter. I was told to running the generator every month is a good practice.
I was also told to run it under a load. Other than the A/C what load can I put on the generator when the temp inside is 40 degrees?

Thanks
Frank
 
An electric heater? Or the water heater (electric mode), if it has water in the tank?  Actually, your TS probably has a heat pump a/c, so you could use that to warm the place up. Or make a pot of coffer with an electric pot, or run a hair dryer, or ...?  Watts are watts - the generator doesn't care where they go.
 
Thank you?our landlord told us we could not run the generator indoors. I was thinking of buying an exhaust hose to vent outside. The run would be around 60'.
Someone told me that this could build a lot of exhaust pressure which is not good for the generator?
Any comments?

Thanks
 
It's stored indoors, I wouldn't worry about it.  If it runs on gasoline, I would drain the carb or run it dry.
 
install a fuel shut off valve before the carburator, Shut the fuel let the Gen run until empty and dies. this will drain all fuel from the carburator that is the cause of problems from not running it often.
 
And stored inside, moisture from rain and dew shouldn't be much of a problem for the generator end of it.

Bill
 
Neither myself or my friends run out generators monthly, my trailer is stored from mid October untill April and never do i run the genny in that time period, what we do is add fuel stabilizer in the fall, leave it till spring, in the spring i will run the genny for a good hour. I will then use it periodically during the summer, then usually in July or Aug i will pump all the fuel out the tank ( its A toy hauler 5th wheel) and put it in either wifes truck or the boat. Before i put the trailer away for the winter i will fill the tank with fresh gas and stabilizer and run the genny fir another 20 minutes min. Cheers
 
I do not run my Genset carburetor dry. You can not run all the fuel out of the float bowl, so by running it "dry", which only means the engine stops, a little fuel is left behind and can more easily vaporize and leave behind gum deposits. I do use Stabil, and run marine fuel,  but this has worked for me 10 years on a Honda Genset, always starts on the first or second pull even when sitting  6 months.

The only time I had to have the carb cleaned was early on, when I WAS running it dry.
 
OLDRACER said:
I do not run my Genset carburetor dry. You can not run all the fuel out of the float bowl, so by running it "dry", which only means the engine stops, a little fuel is left behind and can more easily vaporize and leave behind gum deposits. I do use Stabil, and run marine fuel,  but this has worked for me 10 years on a Honda Genset, always starts on the first or second pull even when sitting  6 months.

The only time I had to have the carb cleaned was early on, when I WAS running it dry.
Click to expand...

I'll second this opinion.
 
I run mine two or three times during the winter.  It's stored in the garage but I have a hole punched in the side of the garage for a four foot pipe to extend the exhaust to outside.  I run it for at least 30 minutes with the heat pump and compartment heaters on. With them both on the generators AC output voltage drops by 3 or 4 volts which is fine.  Running it in the summer to charge the batteries without much else on doesn't hurt it so running it in the winter with only a couple things on is no different.  Just don't ever run it for a long time with no load at all. 

What you don't want to do is run it for only a few minutes.  That will build up moisture, especially with ethanol gas. Let it run for at least 20-30 minutes so it gets good and warm. If you can't run it that long it would be better to not start it at all.
 
I always stored my boat with a wet carb on advice from old-timers. The Idea being that all the gaskets and o-rings dry out and leak, not this winter but maybe next. The other thing I would do was spray carb cleaner down the bowl vent before spring start up and during that first run. That would put a concentration of cleaner right in the bowl and through the internal drillings. E-10 was still relatively new then, it had only been around for a couple years. Never had any problems with the boat though. My Dunebuggy also had carbs. I found that it made no difference if I used Sta-Bil or not, stored with carbs wet, sprayed carb cleaner in the bowls, used a can of Techron in the tank and started putting fresh gas in it once down to a half tank. I had to run hi-test in that engine so I don't know if there was any ethanol in it. I do know that it ran like crap, till the old gas was use up, with a heavy foot it got about 8 MPG so it was easy to use up a 10 gallon tank pretty quick.

Bill
 
Most small engine carburetors have the main jet in the bottom of the bowl, so running them dry should not hurt them. Most of the carb damage is caused by moisture and rust, not the ethanol. Ethanol does absorb moisture though, so if the fuel you have in the coach is moisture laden, it will have a negative effect on the gen carb. I've torn down carbs that were ruined from moisture long before ethanol was introduced to our fuel. The only carbs I've ever seen gummed up had straight gas or gas and oil mixture. My old snowmobiles that used a mixed oil and gas were the worst, and when the manufactures came out with oil injection, that problem pretty much went away. Generators need run every so often to keep them operating correctly no mater what fuel is used.
 
Perhaps it's time to add that it's not just the engine side of the genset that needs the exercise. The generator side benefits from slip rings being used, heat build up in the coils and windings, contacts opening and closing, etc. With some of the newer designs it's not going to be as critical, but is still recommended in the last generator owners manual I read.

Ken
 
I agree, 99% of the benefit goes to the generator side of the unit. Most units don't fail because the engine quit, it's almost always the gen side. Put in some Stabil for storage but use it once a month or two whenever possible, don't drain the carb. Throw a large hose (3-4") over the exhaust if needed and pump the exhaust out the door to run it. Fridge on auto, heat on electric, raising the temp 2-3 degrees so the gas doesn't come on and using the microwave should do it. Or, just plug in a couple small electric heaters for a while until you are finished. Not a big deal, just work it for about 30-40 min and you will be fine.
 
If iy is inside a fully enclosed building there won't be much if any dew forming or moisture rising out of the ground or rain/snow melt running under the rig. Moisture is what is harmful to the generator end of it. Gas sitting in the carb can be a problem. It all depends on how long it sleeps. If it stays parked for two maybe three months, I'd probably leave it be, four to six months, I'd go start it every six to eight weeks. If it is on a dirt floor in a drafty shed stick to once a month. Someone mentioned that most times a genet quits is due to the generator side. There sure are a lot of topics in here about gummed up carburetors needing to be rebuilt and cleaned, usually unsuccessfully, and then replaced with new. Carbs gum up from sitting too long with gas in them. If you can figure a way to start it and run it with a space heater on full blast and brew a pot of coffee it would be time well spent. If not, make sure to put the proper amount of Sta-Bil in your tank and keep your fingers crossed.

Bill
 
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