Is my generator big enough?

jungleexplorer wrote:

westend wrote:
You can overcome your ethanol issues by using a fuel additive/stabilizer. Yes, stored gasoline can be problematic but glazed cylinders or glazed rings are not a part of that. Gasoline with ethanol added doesn't destroy power equipment engines, it usually clogs the main jet so that they don't start. Higher horse power outboard engines are a different story. The modified ignition temperatures have been tested and documented to cause engine problems. I have a certification plaque for power equipment that says I'm qualified to work on small engines, not necessarily to comment on them, though, lol.

Or better, we can buy non-ethanol gasoline (if you can find it) or we could just stop turning food into fuel, use it to feed the starving millions.

Every small engine mechanic I have talked to confirms that ethanol is destructive to most small engine for one reason or another. I had brand new trash pump that I had only used once and let it sit for one month. When I tried to start it, it ran for a few minutes a quite and would not start again. It was under warranty (or so I thought) so I took it in for repair. The mechanic said that the ethanol gas had separated in the tank and had caused glazing on the cylinders. He had to replace the carburetor and the rings. The cost was $175, but the warranty (I found out) specially stated that the it did not cover engine damages as a result of using "ETHANOL LADEN GASOLINE". The mechanic told me that even fuel stabilizers ethanol gasoline will separate in as little as 2 months and that the only way to prevent damage to the motor was to run it completely dry every time I used it with ethanol gas. I followed his advice ran it dry each time I used it and the motor ran find for three years and I moved over a 20 million gallons of water with it, and then gave it to a friend who drills water wells and he is still using it today. My point here is this; yes, you hold your tongue just right and take all kinds of special precautions and you can prevent ethanol gas from destroying your engine, but the majority of people do not (nor should they have to) and it is causing huge amount of unneeded waste. That, and it is just plain stupidity to turn food into fuel in a world where there are millions of people that are starving for lack of food. But that is another subject.

Yes, the bottom line is to drain it. One of my last jobs was at a JD dealer. When we had a storm 40 gen would come in. 98 % were bad fuel. It's not a generator issue, it is as you are saying a fuel issue.

People would be totally ticked off because many of them would buy the gen and take it home, never read the directions, never pay attention to the paper we gave them and gas it up and try it out then wheel it into the garage and forget about it.

Sometimes when helping them load it up after repair I would say "would you like to not come back here"? often times it got their attention and I would say then listen closely to what I telling you.
1. Don't store fuel in the tank. EMPTY
2. At minimum run it out of fuel and put the choke on and wiggle the genny as it dies out so as to suck as much fuel out of the bowl as possible.
3. Better yet run it until it stops. Open this little screw on the carb bowl (if equipped) or loosen this center nut for the bowl and let the fuel drain out.
4. There could still be a problem of hard needle rubber or stuck float in 2 years but this is the most you can do.
5. Do all of the above and now put seafoam in the tank and flush the carb by doing the drain thing.

I do the seafoam thing and store my gas in a red plastic 6 gallon jug. I then rotate the fuel by dumping it in the car and have gone 6 months

We hung a notice paper on every piece of equipment repaired that said. DO NOT USE FUEL THAT IS OVER 45 DAYS OLD
Having fuel in a sealed fuel can isn't so bad. The problem comes in when the fuel sits in the carb bowl. The bowl is vented to the atmosphere. As the fuel evaporates it gums and chemically eats the aluminum. Fuel system destruction is not new, it's just worse.

I was repairing small engines 45 years ago that you would swear someone urinated and vomited in the gas tank and carb. The fuel was stale.
This isn't new it's just different and of course, worse now.