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Almost Hurricane season again. If not the Hurricanes then Blizzards and sometimes just for your regular power failures like when some speeding jackass takes out a power pole and I use mine when camping too. So, here again for everyone is what to do with a gasoline powered generator from the time you take it out of the box until the time you need it.
1. First, read the manual. Understand it or get someone to explain it to you who does.
2. Most do not come with oil or they come with "break-in oil". Before you do anything else put in oil, usually 30 weight or the break-in oil. Check your manual.
3. The generator should be test-run and broken-in before you need it. To do this, put in about a half gallon of 87 octane gas with a fuel stabilizer added (or just enough to run the generator for an hour)and run the generator for about half an hour without a load (nothing plugged in) then another half hour with just a lamp to make sure there is actually power being produced. Move the lamp to each outlet on the generator to make sure each outlet is being powered. Let the generator run until it shuts down from running out of gas (but, it does need to run about an hour). By letting it run out of gas you are coating the fuel system with the stabilizer which protects it from corrosion.
4. After the break-in, drain any remaining gas and change the oil. Do this whether you used "break-in oil" or regular oil because the break-in will leave the oil in the generator very dirty.
5. Do not store the generator with gas in it.
6. Always use a fuel stabilizer in the gas you use in the generator.
7. Always use extension cords that have enough capacity for the load you are drawing. Remember, every extension cord you add degrades the voltage between the generator and whatever appliance you are running and is a trip and fall hazard as well as a fire hazard.
8. Never run the generator inside. Several families have died after the hurricanes and blizzards because of carbon monoxide poisoning due to running generators inside.
9. When you are done using the generator, if possible, let the generator shut itself off by running out of gas so that you don't leave fuel in the line because that will degrade the fuel line. You might still have to detach one end of the fuel line to let some fuel run into a gas can so as to completely drain the tank and line then drop the little bowl under the tank (and before the fuel line) and make sure that is empty, dry and clean since old gas leaves a residue (dries like varnish) that could break up and clog your carburetor the next time you try to run the generator.
10. Check the oil and change if necessary, add more if necessary.
11. For storage, you can remove the sparkplug(s) wipe them off then spray a straight silicone lubricant into the sparkplug hole and replace the spark plug, spray silicone into the plug end of the spark plug wire too as this prevents corrosion in the spark chamber, and promotes good conductivity. Silicone sprayed through the spark plug hole will coat the cylinder (to make sure of a good coating, without fuel and without actually starting the generator you'll want to pull the starter cord to fully cycle the cylinder at least once) and prevent the cylinder from rusting solid during long term storage. I have found that it will then take a couple of pulls to start the generator the first time out of storage since it has to blow out or burn off the silicone but this is better than having a rusty or frozen cylinder. After that, my generator goes back to starting on the first pull. Additionally, prior to storage, if your generator has a mobility kit, (wheels) make sure they have air if they are that type and you may want to add some “Slime” or other brand name of the puncture sealing goo that is widely available. It sucks having to move a 200 pound generator with a flat tire! If you have spilled gas on the generator's plastic fuel tank when filling it, clean that off as it will eventually make the area where it spilled brittle. If your generator has one of those little plastic fuel filters on the fuel line you might want to change that for an automotive type replaceable glass filter just because they are better and buy an extra spark plug and if your generator uses an oil filter or air filter buy a couple of them extra as well. Your generator will now be ready for storage and will be ready for the next time you need it.
Finally, when I’m using the generator I keep the gas cans away from the generator and will make sure there is a fire extinguisher close by that can put out both electrical and gasoline fires (heavy duty B and C rated at least). Thanks moderators for making this a sticky. One more thing that will save either your generator or your house after the storm is make sure that your generator is properly grounded. Wired directly to the house ground is best but that was too far away from where I have to place my generator when I'm running it, so, I drove a length of rebar about 5 feet into the ground with only a few inches sticking out and I attached a length of AWG10 ground wire between the grounding nut on the generator cradle and, when in use, the other end wrapped around the rebar. The rebar is next to a wall where no one will trip over it. Regards... Alan K.
1. First, read the manual. Understand it or get someone to explain it to you who does.
2. Most do not come with oil or they come with "break-in oil". Before you do anything else put in oil, usually 30 weight or the break-in oil. Check your manual.
3. The generator should be test-run and broken-in before you need it. To do this, put in about a half gallon of 87 octane gas with a fuel stabilizer added (or just enough to run the generator for an hour)and run the generator for about half an hour without a load (nothing plugged in) then another half hour with just a lamp to make sure there is actually power being produced. Move the lamp to each outlet on the generator to make sure each outlet is being powered. Let the generator run until it shuts down from running out of gas (but, it does need to run about an hour). By letting it run out of gas you are coating the fuel system with the stabilizer which protects it from corrosion.
4. After the break-in, drain any remaining gas and change the oil. Do this whether you used "break-in oil" or regular oil because the break-in will leave the oil in the generator very dirty.
5. Do not store the generator with gas in it.
6. Always use a fuel stabilizer in the gas you use in the generator.
7. Always use extension cords that have enough capacity for the load you are drawing. Remember, every extension cord you add degrades the voltage between the generator and whatever appliance you are running and is a trip and fall hazard as well as a fire hazard.
8. Never run the generator inside. Several families have died after the hurricanes and blizzards because of carbon monoxide poisoning due to running generators inside.
9. When you are done using the generator, if possible, let the generator shut itself off by running out of gas so that you don't leave fuel in the line because that will degrade the fuel line. You might still have to detach one end of the fuel line to let some fuel run into a gas can so as to completely drain the tank and line then drop the little bowl under the tank (and before the fuel line) and make sure that is empty, dry and clean since old gas leaves a residue (dries like varnish) that could break up and clog your carburetor the next time you try to run the generator.
10. Check the oil and change if necessary, add more if necessary.
11. For storage, you can remove the sparkplug(s) wipe them off then spray a straight silicone lubricant into the sparkplug hole and replace the spark plug, spray silicone into the plug end of the spark plug wire too as this prevents corrosion in the spark chamber, and promotes good conductivity. Silicone sprayed through the spark plug hole will coat the cylinder (to make sure of a good coating, without fuel and without actually starting the generator you'll want to pull the starter cord to fully cycle the cylinder at least once) and prevent the cylinder from rusting solid during long term storage. I have found that it will then take a couple of pulls to start the generator the first time out of storage since it has to blow out or burn off the silicone but this is better than having a rusty or frozen cylinder. After that, my generator goes back to starting on the first pull. Additionally, prior to storage, if your generator has a mobility kit, (wheels) make sure they have air if they are that type and you may want to add some “Slime” or other brand name of the puncture sealing goo that is widely available. It sucks having to move a 200 pound generator with a flat tire! If you have spilled gas on the generator's plastic fuel tank when filling it, clean that off as it will eventually make the area where it spilled brittle. If your generator has one of those little plastic fuel filters on the fuel line you might want to change that for an automotive type replaceable glass filter just because they are better and buy an extra spark plug and if your generator uses an oil filter or air filter buy a couple of them extra as well. Your generator will now be ready for storage and will be ready for the next time you need it.
Finally, when I’m using the generator I keep the gas cans away from the generator and will make sure there is a fire extinguisher close by that can put out both electrical and gasoline fires (heavy duty B and C rated at least). Thanks moderators for making this a sticky. One more thing that will save either your generator or your house after the storm is make sure that your generator is properly grounded. Wired directly to the house ground is best but that was too far away from where I have to place my generator when I'm running it, so, I drove a length of rebar about 5 feet into the ground with only a few inches sticking out and I attached a length of AWG10 ground wire between the grounding nut on the generator cradle and, when in use, the other end wrapped around the rebar. The rebar is next to a wall where no one will trip over it. Regards... Alan K.
you can stay without electricity for a week easily, one time 12 years in winter magistral gas was down :mad, robbery :tisk:, thanks god that we don`t have earthquakes. I don`t know how you biuld your own houses, but when I biuld my, half undegrounded floor I made of half meter good concrete walls, all the rooms and technical areas and finish sauna :grin: was thought and isolated. My generator situated in the far corner, have fire proof door with door eye, big! automatic powder fire extinguisher, outside main switch, shock absorbers in slipway, generator mounted on it 40 sm above the floor for good service, all wires in metal tubes, and stainless dish under generator to prevent oil or fuel leaking. I don`t use magistral gas for it it`s cheap (and I have it) but extreamly dangerous, I made also separate boiler room with 40 kwt gas boiler, 100 l electric boiler and water treatment system, all water and heating pipes are copper made :thumbsup:. Outside I have artesian well and automatic septic with two 5 meters deep wells. Just in case on the first floor in kitchen I mounted old chech but with good ceramic furnace solid fuel stove also connected to heating mainline. My not so big (about 370 square meters) but we (with my father) biuld it for 15 years 
