Exercising the generator

Most subscribe to exercising once a month, at least 1/2 load, for 1-2 hours. In the summer we meet that requirement easily with our MH as we run the coach A/C and hot water heater while traveling with the genny running. In the winter I use a couple of 1500W electric heaters to exercise for an hour each month when parked.

Rbrand,

Without knowing anything about the generator, my first response would be don't.

Some say you need to run it at load to heat and dry the windings. That has not been true since the end of WWII.

Is it fueled with:
Gasoline ?
Diesel ?
Propane (LPG)?

That is in order of PITA....
If it is gasoline fueled, figure out how to shut the fuel off and run the carburetor dry, that or some way to drain the float bowl. This will stop the "bad/old gas in the carburetor" problem. The little bit that remains will cause no issue.

LPG fuel has no issue this way. Nor does diesel, but diesel can get old in a few years and it will be smoky at start-up.

If you know you are going to be leaving it idle for an extended period, learn how to "fog" the engine. This amounts to putting an oil fog into the engine to protect the internal parts from corrosion. It is simple and on an engine as small as a generator, you can do it actually without starting the engine. You can do an adequate job one the starter motor. The engine does not have to be hot.

So, fog it, drain the fuel (if gas) and leave it alone until you need it again.

I have been doing this for my own and client's engines for many years. They are invited to call me if they have trouble restarting, and the only trouble ever is that they didn't get the fuel supply restarted.

Matt

Here's more input from a discussion on April 27: Click here.

Use some judgment in starting the generator in the winter since you live in Canada, though you do live in a warmer area. You could do more harm to the generator trying to start it when it's cold out than it's worth. When my MH was in Fairbanks, AK for the winter, there was no way it was worth trying to start in the middle of winter to exercise it.

When using the MH if you don't have need for the generator occasionally, then as stated above, when traveling start it up and power the A/C and water heater for a while.

Bill

Matt_Colie wrote:

Without knowing anything about the generator, my first response would be don't.

Some say you need to run it at load to heat and dry the windings. That has not been true since the end of WWII.

Sorry but I think that is unnecessarily complicated and overall bad advice.

Running it once a month for half an hour certainly will NOT HURT anything. 30 minutes is plenty in the summer time to heat up the oil and drive out moisture and get some fresh fuel into it......no matter what the fuel.

It probably is more important to stabilize a stagnant fuel supply and exchange it, or use it up, at least once a year.

Exercising the motor means heating the engine oil to 180 degrees F long enough to boil off moisture and hydrocarbon light ends. Putting a load on the generator heats the motor faster.

With EPA rules and scumbag manufacturer ethics these days I am not at all convinced today's winding varnish is the same as it was 20 years go.

I purchased my Mil-Spec KATO in 1987 and OEM stridently insists the windings be periodically dried out.

I would lean toward OEM recommendations with winding maintenance. But unless the engine is dedicated LPG the rule about cooking the engine oil remains the same.

Trackrig wrote:
Use some judgment in starting the generator in the winter since you live in Canada,

Good point.
Probably best just left alone when it is REAL cold.

But if the temps fluctuate a lot spring and fall, then condensation can be a problem......in the engine, pipes and fuel supply.

I would check the generator manual out, as that is the truly official word. Last time I read it, it said to run it every few weeks with a load on it for 2-3 hours.

Of course, Onan's manual also has the option of fogging the generator as well.

Onan recommends you exercise under load for 2 hours each month.

Matt_Colie wrote:
Rbrand,

Without knowing anything about the generator, my first response would be don't.

Some say you need to run it at load to heat and dry the windings. That has not been true since the end of WWII.

Is it fueled with:
Gasoline ?
Diesel ?
Propane (LPG)?

That is in order of PITA....
If it is gasoline fueled, figure out how to shut the fuel off and run the carburetor dry, that or some way to drain the float bowl. This will stop the "bad/old gas in the carburetor" problem. The little bit that remains will cause no issue.

LPG fuel has no issue this way. Nor does diesel, but diesel can get old in a few years and it will be smoky at start-up.

If you know you are going to be leaving it idle for an extended period, learn how to "fog" the engine. This amounts to putting an oil fog into the engine to protect the internal parts from corrosion. It is simple and on an engine as small as a generator, you can do it actually without starting the engine. You can do an adequate job one the starter motor. The engine does not have to be hot.

So, fog it, drain the fuel (if gas) and leave it alone until you need it again.

I have been doing this for my own and client's engines for many years. They are invited to call me if they have trouble restarting, and the only trouble ever is that they didn't get the fuel supply restarted.

Matt

Interesting. Onan specifically recommends otherwise. My money is on the people who designed and built the generator!