I searched storing generators and didn't come up with anything, so I'll ask here. First question, we had a need for a generator a couple times recently and the Ryobi I bought did the job. But now I'm trying to run the gas out of it to avoid a carb problem. Just how much fuel is still there when the bottom of the tank shows no fuel? It seems to run on "empty" forever. Second question, is it okay to run it dry with no load on it? Thanks.

cekkk wrote:Second question, is it okay to run it dry with no load on it? Thanks.Yes....sort of.Unless you will be storing it inside a climate controlled building, and assuming you will be using it again in a year or less.....the recommendation really IS to fill the tank with gas and stabilizer, not empty it.If you leave the tank empty, with the heating and cooling in an "out building" the tank will tend to collect moisture and rust.Then if there is a shut off on the gas line, you can close that and then run the carb dry.

Use a gas stabilizer when storing.However, I have two Honda 2000i generators that I use once every two to three years. I store them under patio roof to keep them out of the rain. Even after 3 years stored they will start and run with just a few pulls on the cord. Just recently I ran one for nearly 24 hours straight with no problem even though it had been sitting for 2 years.We live in an area with low humidity, so moisture isn't usually an issue.

South Central Florida is like here, humidity city. Colorado on he other hand is dry air. I've stored bone-dry oil drums in Nevada for years and did not accumulate one tiny dropper's worth of water condensation. Down here it's like opposite. On the humid west coast "Northwet" loggers dry out their chainsaws and fill with a tiny bit of white gas. They wouldn't change to Sta-Bil if it was free. They start the engine for a second or two then shut it off. I stored a Stihl from 1983 until 2005 using the white gas trick. It started on the first pull in Las Penas in 2005. I'm convinced. But white gas needs to be treated with respect.

Gasoline contaminated with alcohol sucks up water vapor like a sponge. The IDIOTIC EPA tested alcohol laced gasoline without allow it to load the alcohol with water from vapor. That garbage gums so bad many border crossing Mexicans refuse to save thirty-cents a gallon buying poisoned gasoline. Stabil with genuine gasoline is one thing. Gasoline contaminated with alcohol is quite another. Storing untreated pseudo gasoline is a recipe for disaster. Corn hustler speculators cannot decide whether to vacation in Mallorca or Brunei this winter on your money.

A portable generator and an onboard genset are two different things. Also, time stored is also an issue.For six months or so of storage time on a portable generator, I'd toss in SeaFoam/StarTron/Sta-Bil, run the genset, have it shut off by the fuel valve (as opposed to by the electric switch), and call it done. Killing it by the pet**** means the carb is run almost completely dry.For longer, I'd use a fogging oil on the portable generator, or read how the manufacturer recommends storage.Similar with an onboard Onan. Long periods get the OnaGard treatment, shorter times get the fuel tank filled with a fuel stabilizer.Caveat: Tossing SeaFoam into a shared fuel tank may work too well, dislodging stuff and fouling the injectors on older engines. Do at one's own risk.

Preparing Generators for Storage | Good Sam Community

kmbelt
Explorer
Aug 24, 2015
Seafoam works for me great as a carb cleaner, but i have had bad luck with it as a stabilizer. I use stabil for storage.
Vulcan_Rider
Explorer
Aug 24, 2015
mitch5252 wrote:
I have a Honda eu1000i generator. I use non-ethanol gas. For winter storage, should I still add Stabil or SeaFoam?

The carburetor on my 4-wheeler was really screwed up and the Honda repair shop said to never add SeaFoam to the non-ethanol gas, especially free-pouring it like I did.

Yes and yes.
Read the directions.
I personally don't like SeaFoam....but you need stabilizer regardless of what gas is in there.
I use Stabil.....per the directions.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Aug 24, 2015
Hi Mitch,

Yes you should.

mitch5252 wrote:
I have a Honda eu1000i generator. I use non-ethanol gas. For winter storage, should I still add Stabil or SeaFoam?

The carburetor on my 4-wheeler was really screwed up and the Honda repair shop said to never add SeaFoam to the non-ethanol gas, especially free-pouring it like I did.

Always the conflicting stories! :(
Widderhood ain't for sissies! :)
xzyHollyxyz
Explorer
Aug 24, 2015
I have a Honda eu1000i generator. I use non-ethanol gas. For winter storage, should I still add Stabil or SeaFoam?

The carburetor on my 4-wheeler was really screwed up and the Honda repair shop said to never add SeaFoam to the non-ethanol gas, especially free-pouring it like I did.

Always the conflicting stories! :(
Widderhood ain't for sissies! :)
time2roll
Nomad
Aug 22, 2015
I am doomed. I just put the cover on my Kipor about four years ago and it has just sat there.
Vulcan_Rider
Explorer
Aug 22, 2015
Harvey51 wrote:
Are all fuel stabilizers the same quality?
The local small engine experts here say I must use Briggs&Stratton gasoline stabilizer (which they sell) rather than Stabil.

Who knows for sure which marketing claims (lies) to believe.

The Briggs&Stratton stuff probably IS Stabil with a different label......and a higher price.
Harvey51
Explorer
Aug 22, 2015
Are all fuel stabilizers the same quality?
The local small engine experts here say I must use Briggs&Stratton gasoline stabilizer (which they sell) rather than Stabil.
cekkk
Explorer
Aug 21, 2015
I'm going to flip flop and go with the empty tank and the run-til-dry carb.

And I still think we're getting screwed with the 85 octane thing. :B
kmbelt
Explorer
Aug 21, 2015
What model generator is it. I'm sure there are owners manuals that recommend storage procedures for it. I always drain my tank and run the carb dry, but then again i only use mine once a year or so for power outages at my house.
Vulcan_Rider
Explorer
Aug 21, 2015
cekkk wrote:

True, but my point is, we're getting a cheaper product at a premium price.

The end price depends on a lot of things:
Distance from a refinery.
Distance from a pipeline terminal
And if you believe what the oil companies say, the amount of a given product that is made.
This if your "grade" of gas is made in MUCH smaller quantities, then the price will be higher.

NOW.....this is the part I don't understand:
If that is true, why don't they just sell the same "regular" as every body else uses.....which should work fine and theoretically would be a few cents cheaper ??

Same thing applies to all the different "EPA" formulations that the oil companies say costs extra to formulate. Why don't they just take the most stringent formula and sell that EVERY PLACE that requires the "cleaner" option ????