Do newer generators need to exercise regularly?

Bought a used Ariens gas lawnmower 14 years ago. Cuts grass all season and then gets pushed straight into the shed for the winter. Comes out in the spring and starts on the first pull every time. No draining of the gas. Cleaned the plug maybe twice in 14 years and besides checking the oil, that's the extent of maintenance it gets.

Are generators in discussion built differently?? Do I need to start draining the gas from our mower and do more annual maintenance on it (sighs loudly)?

Now, my dad had his own approach. He was an engine mechanic in the navy in WWII. Every season, he drained the gas out of his Seagull outboard motor, the big 'ol McCullough chainsaw and the mower at home. He took the plugs out and had them cleaned in a spark plug blaster (too cheap for new ones). Oiled down anything on the outside that could rust and did all sorts of other routine stuff to them that I cannot remember what it was before they got stored for the winter. On this, I did not follow in my father's footsteps. :R

RayJayco wrote:
How long would you allow your car to sit without being ran? Engines need to run, tires need to roll.

As long as it needs to, with proper preparation. And the prep is partly sound maint practices and partly a placebo effect to make me sleep better knowing.
Generators in particular used to need to be loaded periodically to keep the windings up to snuff and putting out max power.
Engine wise, yeah totally make sure it runs good before you leave on a trip, but 100% not necessary to excercise monthly or regularly, IF you store them properly. Mainly fuel concerns.
I have somewhere around 20 engines around the house in various machines. From weed wackers to 500hp V8s and everything in between. I've not had a starting problem, and certainly not a fuel problem in a lot of years by simply "putting the, up for the winter" properly. Got a 6kw generator for power outages that never got used last winter, so last time it saw duty was winter '16-17. Just started it recently for a check. Gas is 2 years old probably, stabilized and run carb dry. It fired right up. If I use it, I'll dump a can of fresh gas in and she'll keep the lights on for as long as I pour gas in it.
By way of comparison, I probably clean 2 or 3 carbs on friends or relatives small engines every year. The old "ran fine last year, don't know this pos won't start now" scenarios.
If you leave it with a little non ethanol fuel, I prefer premium, AvGas or Race gas, depending on the engine and length of time stored, stabilize the fuel and if possible, run the carb dry, there is 0 reason it shouldn't start and run fine with no issue.
Leve it with a tank of Arco 87 for a year in the carb it's a 50/50 proposition.

I am a couple of kinds of engineer and the most applicable here is marine (licensed ship's officer). The regular running of generators is probably left over from the coil lacquers used prior to WWII. Modern windings are not so affected. So, running at load will have little effect on the electric end.

This leaves the engine side. The biggest problem there and by far is the old fuel in the carburetor. If it is diesel, it doesn't have one of these. Old fuel can gum up the carburetor in fine style. Most manufactures know this and so provide a means to drain the float bowl and thereby eliminate the issue. So, if you do not believe that you will fire a generator/genny/genset/APU for some time, drain the fuel from the carburetor and save yourself a lot of grief.

It is my belief that the "monthly exercise the machine" is really perpetuated by the people that sell the parts that are damaged and worn by the regular running.

Matt

I've never exercised mine. Left it set for 3 years once. Took it out, gave it a shot of ether and off it went. Never had a problem in 30 years of owning them.

I've been known to let a car sit 8 months while I'm gone. No ill effects.

RayJayco wrote:
How long would you allow your car to sit without being ran? Engines need to run, tires need to roll.

Mine sat for 8 months because it needed some work and I didn't have the funds to fix it, turns out it was a rear wheel bearing and not the rear differential like I thought it was (made the same noises as the diff had about 5 years previously, that was a $1200 fix so I was saving to do it while the wife drove the truck and I drove her minivan). Absolutely no negative effect. My uncle has a minivan that he drive once or twice a year when he comes back to visit from Japan, never once had an issue with it. Plenty of folks have motorhomes that sit for 6-8 months at a time and then fire up and use them for their trips. Why some folks think that engineers fail to design engines to self lubricate in the first few seconds I have zero clue.

How long would you allow your car to sit without being ran? Engines need to run, tires need to roll.

hotpepperkid wrote:

Hondavalk wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
I'd much rather find out the generator won't start when I go to "exercise" it at home than to let it just sit then not start at the 1st campground on a long trip.....

Says it all ;)

:B

Well there's a difference between "exercise" and just hanging it out in the wind hoping it works when you get where you're going. Even if you don't exercise the genny, a smart person would do a pre-flight check.

Hondavalk wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
I'd much rather find out the generator won't start when I go to "exercise" it at home than to let it just sit then not start at the 1st campground on a long trip.....

Says it all ;)

:B

wildtoad X2