Champion Generator Maintenance?

[dthor68]

I bought a generator over the winter in case I lost power during a snowstorm. Never lost power. What should I do? Should I run it or drain fuel from tank and just store it until I need it. It is basically brand new. Even though there is fuel in it the tank it has never been opened. Other than that all I did was add the quart of oil.

Thanks for any help,
Derek

 

[theoldwizard1]

If there is a fuel shutoff valve, start the engine, let it run for a few minutes and then shut off the fuel valve and let the engine stall out. This makes sure there is nor gasoline left inside of the carburetor. Draining the tank is more difficult. Remove the hose from the tank outlet. it is probably held on by a clamp. Use twisting motion to remove hose. Attach a new hose that can go from tank to capture container. This is usually the biggest issue. Some how raise the generator up high enough that you can get a gas can under the new piece of hose. Turn on the fuel valve.

You need to "babysit" this setup until all of the fuel is gone so that you do not overflow the gas can. Spray some WD40 or other light oil into the tank, just enough to coat the inside to prevent rust.

 

[dthor68]

I never turned the shut off valve on. Fuel has not hit carb yet.

 

[JeepYJ]

Run it and make sure it works! Put an electrical load on the generator for an hour or so.

 

[Mandres]

I would use a siphon hose to get most of the old fuel out of the tank, then drain the rest through a fuel line. Even with stabilizer added to it you really don't want that gas sitting around for a whole year.

 

[MarkH]

We use a couple twice a year for a charity event. We do not fill them up with gas we only put in what we think we will need. So for the 5 years we have been doing this we just attach a load and start them and run them dry. Make sure the generator is on a flat surface to prevent fuel from remaining. Then turn the gas valve off. We keep track of operating hours and change oil as needed by small engine standards.

They always start on the second pull the next year.

We did use one last year for a multi-day power outage at a place the large generators did not cover and did the same thing when putting it away. We just changed oil since it had run for a couple of days.