Portable Generator Battery

[RobWNY]

I have a Champion 3100W RV ready Portable Generator that I bought last Spring for extended dry camping excursions. I'm not sure how to store it for the brutal winters we have here in the North. I called Champion and was on hold for an hour. I emailed over a week ago and still haven't received an answer so hopefully someone here can help. I keep it in our unheated shed and now that winter is approaching, should I keep the supplied trickle charger that comes with it plugged in all winter or should I make sure the battery is fully charged and just remove the Pos or Neg cable from it's post and call it good? The shed does have electricity. Thanks.

[2oldman]

RobWNY wrote:
Leaded gas. None of this ethanol **** that ruins engines today.

As post above says, try to get no-ethanol premium, because leaded ain't comin' back, ever. Even with DJT in office.

My Hondas get drained even for a month's storage. Takes 10-15 pulls for first startup, but that's better than a trip to the shop.

[TurnThePage]

Maybe as mentioned, temp and humidity play a roll, I don't know. We live in a relatively dry area, that gets plenty cold in the winter. I've used plain old Sta-bil and non-ethanol premium octane in all of my smaller engines for over 20 years, with out ever draining the fuel. Most of them end up stored 5 or 6 months over the winter. Some don't get used for years (my chainsaw, or gas weed wacker) yet still start easily and work fine. I just sold a 12 year old Yamaha EF2800i generator that still ran like new.

[RobWNY]

I'm old enough to remember how engines started right up after several months of not running too. Leaded gas. None of this ethanol **** that ruins engines today. I don't know if either way of storing engines is right or wrong. It's probably all a bunch of hogwash.

[Tvov]

RobWNY wrote:

SaltiDawg wrote:
I've never before heard the suggestion that running an engine out of fuel can cause engine damage... unloaded generator, of course.

Before propane conversion, I used to add Fuel stabilizer AND run it out and drain bowl. Thought was that stabilizer in the tiny amount still in carb would help.

Here's one link to the theory about engine damage by running it dry for storage. https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/lawn-mower-storage-why-draining-fuel-tank-mistake/

Well... I sort of disagree with that link. Even in that link it says that some manufacturers recommend draining the fuel out of small engines.

It is also weird how in that link they talk about hard starting if there is no fuel in the carb... well, yea! You use the choke, or push the fuel bulb, to get the fuel running.

I am talking long term storage, months at least. If you think you might be starting up an engine within a month or so, fuel stabilizer will probably work fine.

I am only going by what has worked for me in New England. Equipment is routinely put away in November, and not brought until March, April or even May of the next year. Decades ago you could just park small engines with full fuel tanks in the fall and they would start right up in the spring. Not with this stuff they call fuel today - you have to do something for long term storage.

If just adding something like Stabil fuel stabilizer has worked for you, keep doing it! Whatever works.

Almost makes a person wonder if the "fuel stabilizer industry" made political contributions, lol!

[RobWNY]

SaltiDawg wrote:
I've never before heard the suggestion that running an engine out of fuel can cause engine damage... unloaded generator, of course.

Before propane conversion, I used to add Fuel stabilizer AND run it out and drain bowl. Thought was that stabilizer in the tiny amount still in carb would help.

Here's one link to the theory about engine damage by running it dry for storage. https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/lawn-mower-storage-why-draining-fuel-tank-mistake/

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The warmer and/or wetter the weather the faster gas decides to go sour.

So in the desert at -40F/C with 5% humidity stored gasoline lasts a lot longer than it would in Miami or Honolulu.

And alcohol just makes things worse IMHO. My son-in-law's 50-1 dosed gasoline lasts a lot longer than undosed gasoline. Not sure how that works...

[SaltiDawg]

I've never before heard the suggestion that running an engine out of fuel can cause engine damage... unloaded generator, of course.

Before propane conversion, I used to add Fuel stabilizer AND run it out and drain bowl. Thought was that stabilizer in the tiny amount still in carb would help.

[2oldman]

RobWNY wrote:
Oops, forgot to add fuel stabilizer to the generator. Ok, stabilizer added. Better start it up so the mixture gets through the lines and to the carb. Don't want that thing gumming up on me.

Now you can go back out there and drain the fuel you just added stabilizer to.

RobWNY wrote:
It all depends on whose reports you believe.

Or what the owner's manual suggests.

[Thunder_Mountai]

I've got a snow tractor, a camping trailer, generators, ATVs, classic car, a truck that sits all winter, tractor mower, etc. I just put Sta-bil in the gas tanks and a battery maintainer on them. No problem with any of them.

[RobWNY]

Tvov, there would have been no reason to add the stabilizer to it if I ran the generator out of fuel but there's two schools of thought on whether to drain the fuel out or add stabilizer and leave it. I've done it both ways. Neither caused me any issue. One theory is that if you leave fuel in the machine, it may gum up the carb anyway. The other is if you run it completely out of fuel it can cause damage to the engine. I don't know if either is true and wouldn't say either way was right or wrong. It all depends on whose reports you believe.

[Tvov]

After running the generator with fuel that you added "stabilizer" to, I would drain the fuel tank and the carb then run the generator until the carb runs out of fuel as much as possible. I never leave any fuel in engines anymore for long term storage.

[RobWNY]

MrWizard is correct. My battery posts are exactly like in the picture he provided. Regular Hex nuts won't fit inside those posts to accommodate the bolts. You have to grind down two sides.

MEXICOWANDERER, I have a BatteryMinder and it does have a temperature compensation feature as well as a desulfation feature.

All is good and now I can spend my Saturday getting the snowblower installed on my JD X570 Lawn tractor. Oh what fun times I'm having! 🙂

[MEXICOWANDERER]

OK. That's a motorcycle battery. Proper float current is tiny. If you go with a battery maintenance charger...

Make sure it automatically adjusts for temperature

Motorcycle battery size would be plenty. Try a Honda or Suzuki motorcycle forum for tips on "The Hot Setup"

[2112]

I punch a hole in the bag