Do you exercise your generator in the winter?

[AndyW]

How many of you exercise your generator monthly during the winter? Obviously this only applies to those who have to winterize and store your unit...

I bought my first RV right at the end of the season last year, and figured I'd winterize the engine and generator the same way I've done every other gasoline engine I've owned (including, ironically, generators). Fill the fuel tank, add fuel stabilizer, run for 30 minutes, park it, then pull the batteries to store indoors. In spring, charge and re-install the batteries, start, and run until warm. Never had a problem leaving something sit unused for up to 6 months with this approach.

Now every time I read that generators are supposed to be run every month I feel that I'm not taking proper care of my stuff. Unnecessary cold starts in the dead of winter can't be the best for engine longevity either. What does everyone else do?

[Jopops]

I just find I have to keep an eye on the ambient temps outside. I have straight 30W Penzoil in mine; per the manual its good to 32 degrees. Sometimes that's hard to come by in the NE in Jan/Feb. But its better than having to change the oil twice a year due to temperature/grade requirements.

[DaHose]

I try to exercise the genny monthly. I also like to run engine at the same time in the winter. I create load with a heater in the winter and my A/C in the summer.

Jose

[dennislanier]

As you have seen from the various posts, some do and some don't. However, I figure the manufacturer knows more about the generator than I do, so I am faithful to exercise it once a month, ESPECIALLY in the winter when it would otherwise not be used at the campsite. I could also just let it sit during the winter with probably no ill effects, but why take the chance. Just like some people who won't change their oil according to schedule or check their tire pressures or coolant level etc and "never had a problem". I prefer to go by the book whenever possible if only for peace of mind.

[The_Logans]

Yup, every month for about 20 minutes, under 50% load.

[Bobbo]

Yes, 2 hours once a month, every month just like the recommendation in my ONAN manual. However it is easy for me as the RV is parked in my back yard.

[mgirardo]

Yes, every month. Some times 30 minutes a month, some times an hour a month. In the winter, we usually dry camp about once a month and usually run the generator overnight to run the furnace so those months I don't exercise.

-Michael

[KristinU]

RoadAbode wrote:
Yup. More for me than the Genny. Go up to visit RoadAbode, bring the Laptop, turn on the hotspot run the heater and figure might as well run the genny. Relax, do some reading listen to some music in my mobile ManCave. 🙂

Yep, this. Except we take turns so I guess our cave is gender neutral 😉 We each get a shot at some run-away time sans dogs, child, and spouse. We go every 4-6 weeks during winter storage and don't go too nuts over a set schedule.

[rehoppe]

Nope, I just stabilze the gasoline in the fall... run the Genny to get the treated gas into the carb, put the cover on and walk away.

It'll probably come back and bite me on the butt, but it's what I 'normally' do. I don't normally like the idea of 'dry starts', and I figure once a month pretty much qualifies as 'dry'.

[Ductape_Dave]

I try to run mine every month for about a half hour under load, keeps the fuel moving through the carb and the heat helps remove moisture and condensation build-up.

[RoadAbode]

Yup. More for me than the Genny. Go up to visit RoadAbode, bring the Laptop, turn on the hotspot run the heater and figure might as well run the genny. Relax, do some reading listen to some music in my mobile ManCave. 🙂

[JaxDad]

ScottG wrote:
I don't even exercise myself n the winter.
The genny's on its own. 😉

A friend has a summer place on an island in the Great Lakes. It's powered by an Onan 4kw KY series out of a salvaged m/h.

It sits dormant from Canadian Thanksgiving (the second Monday in October) until the "May Two Four Weekend" (the Monday preceding May 25th) every year and has for 15 years.

He runs the carb dry, then drains the bowl, then walks away.

In the spring he refills it with gas and hits the starter and it goes.

Oil changes, air filters, spark plugs and batteries are the only things that have required attention.

[PghBob]

The manual that came with our's says to run it two hours every month. So, either I run it two hours once per month, or twice for an hour, under load. I turn on a portable heater, radio, and most of the lights. In the summer, I will run the AC. I log all of the details in the back of the genset owner's manual.

[Robocop]

Yep. And the 3500W and 9000W as well. It is a long and loud 6 hours every month but they always work well when needed.

[Sandia_Man]

We give our Onan lots of use during the camping season and do try to exercise it a couple of times during the winter but I don't lose any sleep if I forget to do it one month. In fact it's due as November was last time it was exercised. Maybe this weekend as there is a storm coming through our neck of the woods at present. We use Stabil and an occasional bottle of Seafoam and have had no issues over the last 7 years using whatever ethanol-laden gas available.

[Oldme]

Yes.