Generator Exercise

[bigb]

I know there are a lot of generator guys here so I have a question about exercise. Onan recommends 2 hours every month at 50% load for my QD 3200 diesel RV generator. I can see the importance of this in certain climates, but how important is it in a desert climate for a unit stored indoors away from moisture and temperature extremes?

[walker]

If you want it to start when you really need it, then you need to exercise it. Otherwise you will end up with a plugged injector, gummed up pump, dead battery, etc. just let it transfer and run the house, might consider adding a load to give it something to work it, a handle of water heater elements, or even flood lights that come on when it exercises would do the job.

[Louie1961]

I think it is a lubrication thing more than anything. Engines need to be run regularly or they breakdown more rapidly. Things like bearings, bushings and seals will dry out if you don't run the engine once in a while to circulate oil throughout the engine. For gas engines, you need to exercise the electronics as well to make sure there is no moisture ingress. Finally there are things like mice, spiders, etc that get in there and cause damage as well if you don't regularly run an engine

[Hobbytime]

I know there are a lot of generator guys here so I have a question about exercise. Onan recommends 2 hours every month at 50% load for my QD 3200 diesel RV generator. I can see the importance of this in certain climates, but how important is it in a desert climate for a unit stored indoors away from moisture and temperature extremes?

would you let a car sit idle for 6 months and expect it to start and run well??? generator is the same thing...

[N2 Welding]

The biggest concern I’d think would and could be an immediate problem with today’s ethanol gases is clogging the carburetors or injectors. I like to drain fuel tanks and run the fuel system dry till it peters out. Never had a problem starting any engine regardless of how many years it sat using this method. You mentioned it being diesel. Diesel does not break down like gas or not as fast anyway. Don’t run it out of fuel to store it.

Seals on cranks and cams etc will go bad over time anyway. They may go bad a little sooner if you don’t keep up on the maintenance “especially oil changes”. Prime the engine oil with out fuel by cranking it over for a little while before adding gas to a gas tank or installing the fuel fuses/relay for fuel pump etc when starting the engine after a period of rest. The engine should be good to go after you prime it.

Oil degrades just sitting in an engine regardless of hours running or not so if you let something sit for longer than a year then change the oil before normal operations again. Not familiar with that engine so not sure how to prime the engine with oil with out starting the engine. On some 100% mechanical diesels there is no electronics to cut off the fuel delivery. In those cases it might be best to run the engine every few months to cycle the oil.

If you are going to let it sit for a long time and you are close to the oil change interval because of time since last oil change or hours on the clock it might be a good idea to change the oil and run the engine for a minute or so then run it out of fuel. This will lubricate all the seals and bearings with fresh oil. Once again don’t run the diesel out of fuel

Last thing I’d consider is battery life. If you are not running it every month or two keeping the battery charged then you want to keep an automatic trickle charger on the battery to keep it topped off and ready to go next time you need to use it. Make sure the fluids in the battery are maintained as well so the battery charger does not burn up the battery.

That was a lot of rambling lol. Do what the manual says for best results

[bigb]

A few clarifications:
1. It is diesel so no worries about ethanol or varnish.
2. I wasn't planning on letting it sit for 6 months, just asking how important the monthly recommendation is considering it is stored in a dry, rodent free and somewhat temperature controlled environment. That has to matter, it certainly does with a vehicle.
3. The battery is the coach battery which is maintained all of the time.
So considering the storage environment I was wondering if skipping a month here and there would hurt anything. It does start and run great now, and it is 10 years old with 182 hours on it so doing the math it is apparent it has not been exercised 2 hours per month which would be 240 hours just for the exercise alone. I understand the lubrication aspect of the engine, what I don't understand it exactly how the generating section works and what benefit, if any, it gets from regular exercise.
Again, hoping to hear from some of our resident generator experts.

As a side note, I also have a Honda eu2000i that I put away for the winter. I first ran it to warm it up, then changed the oil, then ran it completely out of fuel and put it in a temperature controlled storage area. Is this a bad idea?

[mla2ofus]

Best thing I've found for small gas engines is non ethanol gas if you can buy it nearby. The ethanol absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and that's when fuel system problems arise. Since I've started buying it I don't have to run the fuel system dry.

[bigb]

Best thing I've found for small gas engines is non ethanol gas if you can buy it nearby. The ethanol absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and that's when fuel system problems arise. Since I've started buying it I don't have to run the fuel system dry.

It's impossible to find here especially in the winter. I did drain the fuel bowl as well and removed the spark plug and put a squirt of Sea foam in there, then I pulled the rope till both valves were closed (after a few spins to distribute the Seafoam).

[Ky farmer]

It may be a urban legend but i have heard of generators not charging if they had sit for a long time, loss of magnatisim or something.

[mla2ofus]

It may be a urban legend but i have heard of generators not charging if they had sit for a long time, loss of magnatisim or something.

With one I worked on it's a fact. I'd heard of applying 12vDC to the fields and it worked. I think some have capacitors to store voltage for field excitation instead of magnets and the capacitors must drain down over time with non use. Another trick I've heard of but haven't had occasion to try is to plug an electric drill in while the gennie is running and by hand turn the drill so the drill motor's magnets can excite the fields.

[ronsii]

With one I worked on it's a fact. I'd heard of applying 12vDC to the fields and it worked. I think some have capacitors to store voltage for field excitation instead of magnets and the capacitors must drain down over time with non use. Another trick I've heard of but haven't had occasion to try is to plug an electric drill in while the gennie is running and by hand turn the drill so the drill motor's magnets can excite the fields.

This would probably only work with an older brushed drill motor and then it would have to be a drill that would run on DC power too.

[12V71]

This would probably only work with an older brushed drill motor and then it would have to be a drill that would run on DC power too.

Somewhere in my "stuff", I have an old 1/4" single speed Souix drill that is AC/DC rated, bet that would work. Drive it with a cordless drill. Used to use it with the SA- 200's.

[farmshop]

Diesel can be prone to fuel problems as well. Especially if it has any amount of biodiesel in it. We have 2 large standby generators. 1 is a 150kw that is 26 years old that doesn’t get exercised very often. We also have a 800 kw that we have had for 10 years. The bigger one has gotten exercised the last year on a regular basis but previously did not. We change fuel out seasonally. The biggest problems we have had are batteries when the trickle charger goes to pot

[mcspeed]

For the small honda generator you will want to drain the bowl as you stated. Preferable to add fuel stabilizer to any stored fuel or better yet drain it for long term. Even if methanol free fuel it will varnish and plug the jets which will require some work to fix.


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[12V71]

For the small honda generator you will want to drain the bowl as you stated. Preferable to add fuel stabilizer to any stored fuel or better yet drain it for long term. Even if methanol free fuel it will varnish and plug the jets which will require some work to fix.


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Don't waste your money on "fuel stabilizers" with ethanol fuel. They don't work. And ethanol fuel doesn't "varnish" carburetor passages, it corrodes the zinc base alloys they use now a days and plugs them with zinc oxide flakes that aren't going to be dissolved by anything that wont dissolve the carburetor body. Draining the fuel system is the only solution for preventing that problem. I've had to replace 3 carbs on small engines already that were beyond repair from ethanol gas. Now it's all non ethanol gas in all the small engines. First pull starts are a good thing after they have been sitting for a few months.

[Ron_J]

Don't waste your money on "fuel stabilizers" with ethanol fuel. They don't work. And ethanol fuel doesn't "varnish" carburetor passages, it corrodes the zinc base alloys they use now a days and plugs them with zinc oxide flakes that aren't going to be dissolved by anything that wont dissolve the carburetor body. Draining the fuel system is the only solution for preventing that problem. I've had to replace 3 carbs on small engines already that were beyond repair from ethanol gas. Now it's all non ethanol gas in all the small engines. First pull starts are a good thing after they have been sitting for a few months.

I disagree (to an extent) with the comment about fuel stabilizers not working. They definitely do work (again, to an extent), but it isn't a cure all. It just slows down the process. And, it's been my experience that even draining the carb doesn't guarantee that you wont get corrosion, mainly in the needle valve/seat. IMHO, the only real way to make sure you won't have trouble is to pull the carb and thoroughly clean it and put it away dry.

I have mixed success with difference methods in our seasonal equipment. The snowblower is hit or miss. Sometimes it is just a matter of putting fresh gas and give it a couple tugs. This year, I had to pull the carb and clean everything. Our riding mower, doesn't seem to matter if I put stabilizer in, fresh or old gas, it will still fire on the first crank every spring, even after a 6 month nap.

Had a Yamaha 4 wheeler that you couldn't let sit for more than 2 weeks without running it...stabilizer or not. The needle valve and seat were 2 different types of metal and you could almost watch it corrode.

[Hobbytime]

A few clarifications:
1. It is diesel so no worries about ethanol or varnish.
2. I wasn't planning on letting it sit for 6 months, just asking how important the monthly recommendation is considering it is stored in a dry, rodent free and somewhat temperature controlled environment. That has to matter, it certainly does with a vehicle.
3. The battery is the coach battery which is maintained all of the time.
So considering the storage environment I was wondering if skipping a month here and there would hurt anything. It does start and run great now, and it is 10 years old with 182 hours on it so doing the math it is apparent it has not been exercised 2 hours per month which would be 240 hours just for the exercise alone. I understand the lubrication aspect of the engine, what I don't understand it exactly how the generating section works and what benefit, if any, it gets from regular exercise.
Again, hoping to hear from some of our resident generator experts.

As a side note, I also have a Honda eu2000i that I put away for the winter. I first ran it to warm it up, then changed the oil, then ran it completely out of fuel and put it in a temperature controlled storage area. Is this a bad idea?

I try and run anything I have with an engine on it( small equip, generators) every few months just to keep oils and fuel running through them, so skipping a month here or there should be fine.....I put marine stabilizer in the 5 gallon gas can before fueling anything and leave everything with fuel in them, I think draining and running dry causes more issues( seals drying out , aluminum carb parts get that white coating on them) than not if the fuel is treated..

[Willie B]

It may be a urban legend but i have heard of generators not charging if they had sit for a long time, loss of magnatisim or something.

That'd be a true generator, typically found in old tractors & cars. Production of electricity begins in permanent magnets moving, then as power is begun, it shunts to power electromagnetic field coils. "FLASHING THE FIELD" re magnetizes the permanent magnets.

Modern auto charging equipment & an RV generator are actually alternators, they make AC power. No permanent magnets to worry about.


As to not exercising a generator: I am a big believer that exercise is needed. It might be true it is less a concern in Arizona. I think a big thing is changes in temperature & humidity.

Nonetheless, Louie is right, bearings, seals, rings, valve stems, rocker arms, camshaft, lifters, will dry out if left too long.

[mcspeed]

Some things are hard to understand. I have a chain saw I bought new 35 years ago. Never drained the tank or added stabilizer. Has been stored without exercise for over a year and she fired after a few pulls. I’m thinking the two stroke oil in the gas helps tremendously. Maybe add two stroke oil to 4 stroke fuel before storing? Will likely help on the needle/seat issues as well as varnishing. Also on the corrosion from methanol.

I have a jet ski that sat for 6 mos in the summer and it ran rough from bad fuel. Changed it and ran good. Now using stabilizer so will see what happens.


Just sharing my experiences. No one size fits all but my experiences don’t align with what some folks claim to be true :-).


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[bigb]

Some things are hard to understand. I have a chain saw I bought new 35 years ago. Never drained the tank or added stabilizer. Has been stored without exercise for over a year and she fired after a few pulls. I’m thinking the two stroke oil in the gas helps tremendously. Maybe add two stroke oil to 4 stroke fuel before storing? Will likely help on the needle/seat issues as well as varnishing. Also on the corrosion from methanol.

I have a jet ski that sat for 6 mos in the summer and it ran rough from bad fuel. Changed it and ran good. Now using stabilizer so will see what happens.


Just sharing my experiences. No one size fits all but my experiences don’t align with what some folks claim to be true :-).


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I've heard a lot about the lubrication advantages of 2 stroke oil and a lot of people swear by it as a diesel fuel additive in pre-SCR engines. I believe there is probably some truth to it.

[Hobbytime]

Some things are hard to understand. I have a chain saw I bought new 35 years ago. Never drained the tank or added stabilizer. Has been stored without exercise for over a year and she fired after a few pulls. I’m thinking the two stroke oil in the gas helps tremendously. Maybe add two stroke oil to 4 stroke fuel before storing? Will likely help on the needle/seat issues as well as varnishing. Also on the corrosion from methanol.

I have a jet ski that sat for 6 mos in the summer and it ran rough from bad fuel. Changed it and ran good. Now using stabilizer so will see what happens.


Just sharing my experiences. No one size fits all but my experiences don’t align with what some folks claim to be true :-).


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the oil mixed in the fuel is acting like stabilizer....the ethanol fuel is even worse, it draws in water...I know alot of people that spend more for non ethanol gas for equipment and snow mobiles...I like the marine grade stabilizer( greenish color), it works better than the red stuff in ethanol gas..

[CAVEMANN]

Non ethanol gas is available in Arizona, by the quart in hardware stores and places that sell small engine equipped power tools. I found an article or write-up somewhere several years ago about gas, the author said you can remove the ethanol using water, and it does make sense, water and alcohol are soluble, add water to the gas and shake it up good and set it where you can siphon the gas off the top of the alcohol/water mix. I haven't personally tried it but it sounds logical. There are also additives that claim to remove or neutralize the ethanol. The links below talk about an "ethanator", I had no luck finding one online, but it's not needed.

https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Ethanol-from-Gas

https://sciencing.com/remove-ethanol...e-7830109.html

[Willie B]

I've heard a lot about the lubrication advantages of 2 stroke oil and a lot of people swear by it as a diesel fuel additive in pre-SCR engines. I believe there is probably some truth to it.

I do have a snowmobile that had been in the shed three years. I needed to move it. I thought about all I'd have to go through to get a loader in there to move it. My friend was there. He asked: "Have you even tried to start it?" I knew better, but gave it ten yanks on the starter cord. It started! It ran fine, and I ran it around a bit before parking it back in the shed, who'd a thunk?

I once had a VERY old couple as customers. They owned a fourth home nearby, they used a few weeks a year. They were wealthy. The 80 year old wife wanted a car of her own.
They bought a 1989 Cutlass Supreme as a second car. It got very few miles, but sat in a garage with a leaky roof. When it was 10 years old, had a couple rust holes near the trunk lid, and at base of the windshield, the wife had died. The husband offered to sell it to me. I explained I didn't need the car, and the only reason I'd buy it was to resell it. What did he want for it? He answered that he paid $9000. he hadn't hurt the car, he wanted $9000.

It sat several more years, until the husband died. Their daughter wanted to knock down the garage, and told me to take the car. "Get what you can for it, I don't care."

I was astounded, I put a battery in it, it started & ran. I drove it home.

I did spend maybe $2500 on brakes, tires, and countless other things. I sold it to my son's father in law at a loss. He gave it to his other daughter, a 29 year old college student. She wrecked it 3 months later.

Long story, it can be hard to explain, but I've rarely been this lucky storing anything. A betting man would exercise a generator.

[bigb]

Non ethanol gas is available in Arizona, by the quart in hardware stores and places that sell small engine equipped power tools. I found an article or write-up somewhere several years ago about gas, the author said you can remove the ethanol using water, and it does make sense, water and alcohol are soluble, add water to the gas and shake it up good and set it where you can siphon the gas off the top of the alcohol/water mix. I haven't personally tried it but it sounds logical. There are also additives that claim to remove or neutralize the ethanol. The links below talk about an "ethanator", I had no luck finding one online, but it's not needed.

https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Ethanol-from-Gas

https://sciencing.com/remove-ethanol...e-7830109.html

Interesting. We used to have ethanol free gas in the summer but I guess by now they figure most of the old cars that were prone to vapor lock are gone now and we now get it year round with ethanol. I did buy a quart of the stuff you described at Ace once for a gas blower but it was so expensive it would be cheaper to replace or rebuild the carb.

[farmshop]

Here in Minnesota non oxygenated gas is available as premium octane for off road and collector vehicles. If I was buying a small standby generator it would be a lp or natural gas to avoid fuel problems