Let fuel sit in a carb bowl for five days -- very hard start

[ctilsie242]

Is it just me, or is gas cruddy these days? I normally turn off the fuel petcock and let the generator run out of gas before I shut it down. However, I decided to just shut it down by turning the petcock, then the generator switch without waiting until it dies. Came back five days later... the generator was extremely hard to start, but I managed to get it going.

Lesson learned... let the genset run the bowl dry.

My question is... once I get a motorhome with an Onan generator, will this be as big an issue? Should I install a fuel petcock on the generator's fuel line, so when it is time to shut it off for a while, I can turn it off at the petcock, let the carb bowl run dry?

[gbopp]

I have a 1996 Southwind with the original Onan 5500 generator.
It does not have a peacock to shut off the fuel.

I run the generator every 4-6 weeks under a load. It always starts without a problem. I don't think it is necessary to install a shut of on the fuel line.

[Harvard]

If this were my unit (an Onan 4000) I know from experience it would be because the choke was stuck in full open.