Leave carb drain open on Honda gen in storage?

I currently own 2 EU2000s and had a different one several years ago. They all take ~10 pulls to fire once they have been ran out of fuel or the carb drained. It just takes that many for the fuel pump to fill the bowl. If it takes fewer pulls then the carb isn't dry.

crcr wrote:
It never takes 15 pulls to start it -- a couple of pulls, three max and mine fires right up after having stored it that way.

Lucky you. It's usually 6-8 easy pulls before I can even think about getting mine started.

2oldman wrote:

crcr wrote:
I just run my eu2000i until it runs out of fuel, then store it that way for months. So far, that method has worked well for me. Is there any downside to doing it that way?

Other than the 15 pulls to start it, nope. That's a foolproof way to ensure it really is dry.

If you want to wear a belt and suspenders, toss some Sta-bil in the tank too.

The official gas-drainage instructions are on page 52 of the manual.

Thanks. It never takes 15 pulls to start it -- a couple of pulls, three max and mine fires right up after having stored it that way.

profdant139 wrote:
I am hoping that other people, when searching the archives in the future, will come across this discussion and will find it to be helpful.

I keep it. :)

Niner, sorry for the dumb questions, but -- do you first drain the carb and then pull it four times while fully choked? And the purpose of that is to clear the lines, not the carb, right? (Because the draining clears the carb.)

And 2Oldman, you are right that the manual contains some guidance at pages 51 to 52 -- but not at the level of detail that you and Niner and others are providing.

If it seems like I am obsessive about all of this, you are right. Yes, I am tired of having the generator run rough, and having to pay for service all the time. But much more importantly, this generator is also intended for emergency home use. (So far, I have never had to use it for that.) So you can see why I really, really want to get this right, once and for all, so that I can depend on this generator.

Thanks again for your patience. I am hoping that other people, when searching the archives in the future, will come across this discussion and will find it to be helpful.

crcr wrote:
I just run my eu2000i until it runs out of fuel, then store it that way for months. So far, that method has worked well for me. Is there any downside to doing it that way?

You just have to plan the fuel that way, it's why I don't do it.

crcr wrote:
I just run my eu2000i until it runs out of fuel, then store it that way for months. So far, that method has worked well for me. Is there any downside to doing it that way?

Other than the 15 pulls to start it, nope. That's a foolproof way to ensure it really is dry.

If you want to wear a belt and suspenders, toss some Sta-bil in the tank too.

The official gas-drainage instructions are on page 52 of the manual.

I just run my eu2000i until it runs out of fuel, then store it that way for months. So far, that method has worked well for me. Is there any downside to doing it that way?

Did you pull the starter 3 or 4x with the engine switch off, and the carb fully choked, to suck all the fuel out of the jets while in storage, ALSO???? That is an important step. They need to be stored empty, with air in them, not residual fuel.

profdant139 wrote:
T, even though the carb was drained -- does that mean that there was still fuel in the lines?

Yes.