Generator Gas Requirements - Weird?

[deagle]

Original Poster:

It says "Use Regular Unleaded Fuel. DO NOT use premium fuel."

DO NOT is capitalized in the instructions. That is my question. I can get pure gas in 90 octane only and would prefer to use that. But will 90 octane hurt the generator?

I thought you could always go up in fuel octane without hurting anything except your wallet.

 

[timk]

OP states that the generator has never been started....why not just drain the tank and run the carb dry...mine is seldom used and I don't have to sweat bad gas...

I'v had my gen since Y2K and i drain mine then run it out too.

 

[Nanahanman]

Original Poster:It says "Use Regular Unleaded Fuel. DO NOT use premium fuel."

DO NOT is capitalized in the instructions. That is my question. I can get pure gas in 90 octane only and would prefer to use that. But will 90 octane hurt the generator?

I thought you could always go up in fuel octane without hurting anything except your wallet.

Contact the manufacturer for clarification.

 

[Fred W]

Better yet, contact the small engine manufacturer as they know more about their engines than the generator manufacturer will.

If it is a Briggs and Stratton engine then this web page says the owners manual warning is wrong.

 

[yamafitter]

If it is a Chinese generator then something got lost in the translation. Our club bought some Chinese walkie-talkies and their manuals were like reading a 1963 Yamaha DT manual, very entertaining but hardly useful.

 

[dcarver]

Actually, that is what I do as well. When I'm done using it, after the power comes back on, I turn the gas petcock off and run it until it stalls. Then I drain the tank back into a gas can to be used in lawnmowers, snowblowers, whatever. That way the gas in the Jerry can is fairly fresh all the time

I go one step further.. when the engine begins to stutter, I open the choke to clear that circuit of fuel too.

 

[deagle]

Great Link. I'll have to check to see if it is a Briggs or not. I know it's an old Craftsman. Wife bought it 10 years ago. Stayed in a box until a couple of years ago when I decided to have the house wired to operate off of a generator in case of a power outage. So far any power loss has been under 10 minutes. I've never filled it with gas as I didn't want the carbs to go bad and I didn't want to mess with another thing that needs draining and maintenance. If I can use Ethanol free gas I may fire it up finally.

And yes, I know I'm taking the chance of it not running right or at all.

 

[Fred W]

Interesting side note:

I did a google search on Craftsman Generators and get a lot of hits on Sears Generators, but none of them seem to be labeled "Craftsman" anymore.

 

[blassoff]

I had a Generac before going to a full time stand-by LP generator. My procedure was to change gas every 90 days, and add seafoam to my gerry cans. After 90 days, I'd drain the gas outta my generator, refill it with fresh gas (with seafoam added), and throw all of the old gas into my car which never complained about it. Three years, never a hiccup or hard start.

 

[deagle]

I know that is the safe way to do it Blassoff, but sounds like a pain in the arse. that's why I haven't filled the generator for the first time yet.

I keep fresh gas on hand and every 3 months throw it in the car and refill the gas can. Storms seem to be more violent these days......

 

[Fred W]

I think the idea of keeping gasoline in a generator that is in storage most of the time is "old school" advice. It is based on what used to happen to seals and o-rings when they were made from lesser materials than are used today. Rubber and cork are no longer used on these things, so the idea to keep them whetted with fuel is not really necessary. With that said, dry storage of a modern generator is probably the best advice.

However yours is an older one that has never been used. I guess I'd want to see how leaky it is now, rather than waiting for when it is really needed.. Plus I'd be awfully curious of how well it runs in general.