Smith's Repair
  • Home
  • Pick Up & Delivery
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Contact Us! >
      • Speak With a Representative Now!
      • Mailing List
      • Feedback
    • Directions
    • FAQ's >
      • Is Repair Cost Effective?
      • Cost
  • Cart

Maintaining Portable Generators

7/17/2014

Comments

 
Generators
A generator is probably one of the easier pieces of equipment to keep in good running condition. Let's be clear here.  This post is about portable generators such as the one shown above.  There are a few different configurations but most will be similar to the above picture.  In this I will discuss some of the features and maintenance of generators.
For those of us on the East Coast or in the Midwest we had a pretty interesting winter to say the least.  Which to many means we can expect the other seasons to be just as interesting, and possibly different than what we usually expect from our 3 or four season.  I can't speak for everyone, but here in Maryland we have 4 distinct seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall).  Generators don't get much use in the winter and so, therefore they sit all winter long.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with letting your generator sit for the winter.  For the winter you should treat your generator just as you would your other outdoor power equipment.  Winterizing most equipment, including your portable generator, consists of usually the same basic steps.  Either stabilize the fuel using a fuel treatment such as Star Tron by Starbrite or another available fuel treatment or completely run the machine until there is absolutely no more fuel in the system.  Many people chose to stabilize their fuel but I, personally, prefer to run the machine until it stops, and is out of fuel.  I do this because I feel more comfortable knowing there is no fuel to eat at my fuel lines, gaskets, rings, and carburetor parts.  For more on this you'll want to read the post about Lawn Mower Killers.  As I said, preparing for winter storage isn't too bad.  To go even further many small engine shops do offer to winterize your equipment for you which consists of a bit more than what you would do at home.  Now comes the fun part! Spring Summer and Fall; the times of the  year when you'll probably find your generator the most useful.  You hear there's a huge tropical storm on the move, so you go outside like all your neighbors and try to start your generator only to find that it no longer starts even though it did the first day of spring.  Much of this is caused by ethanol and the other is just due to the fact that, like pressure washer, generators don't like to sit.  The pure boredom of being alone in the garage is enough to kill them.  It is recommended that you start your generator once a week.  The chances of that happening are usually very slim.  I usually tell people to start their machine and let it run a few minute at least once or twice a month.  Preferably twice a month.  You don't have to go plugging things in. Just start it let it run a few minutes and you're done.  Believe it or not that little task is the number one way to keep your generator running.  You will find that some generators have an electric start on them.  This is an awesome feature as long as you keep the battery charged.  So by starting your equipment once or twice a month will also help you realize when the battery needs to be charged again.  Follow the steps we went through in this post and all you'll need is a tune up every once in a while and you and your machine will be happy together for years to come! 
Comments
comments powered by Disqus
    New Blog Design BETA

    Categories

    All
    Generators
    Lawn Mowers
    Pressure Washers
    Small Engines
    Snow Blowers

    Stay in the loop, subscribe to our Blog.
    Smith's Repair

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Smith's Small Engine Repair
    Callaway, Maryland 20620
    301-994-1566

    Archives

    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014

Serving California, Callaway, Chaptico, Charlotte Hall, Clements, Dameron, Drayden, Great Mills, Hollywood, Huntingtown, Leonardtown, Lexington Park, Loveille, Lusby, Mechanicsville, Park Hall, Patuxent River, Prince Frederick, Ridge, Scotland, Solomons, St. Inigoes, St. Mary's County,  Tall Timbers, Valley Lee and many more in Southern Maryland, USA
Tecumseh Parts | Kohler Parts | Briggs & Stratton Parts | AYP Parts (American Yard Products) | MTD Parts | Husqvarna Parts | Electrolux Parts | Murray Parts
20606 Abell, 20609 Avenue, 20618 Bushwood, 20619 California, 20620 Callaway, 20621 Chaptico, 20622 Charlotte Hall, 20624 Clements, 20626 Coltons Point, 20628 Dameron, 20630 Drayden, 20634 Great Mills, 20636 Hollywood, 20650 Leonardtown, 20653 Lexington Park, 20656 Loveville ,20659 Mechanicsville, 20667 Park Hall
20670 Patuxent River' 20674 Piney Point, 20680 Ridge, 20684 Saint Inigoes, 20680 Ridge,,,20684 Saint Inigoes, 20687 Scotland, 20690 Tall Timbers, 20692 Valley Lee, 20627 Compton, 20635 Helen, 20660 Morganza,20686 Saint Marys City
Discover Callaway

Tecumseh Parts | Kohler Parts | Briggs & Stratton Parts | AYP Parts (American Yard Products) | MTD Parts | Husqvarna Parts | Electrolux Parts | Murray Parts
Smith & Son's Small Engine Repair 
Copyright 2022©

20172 Piney Point Rd
Callaway, MD 20620
​
Mon - Fri 8:00AM (EST)-5:00PM (EST)
Saturday
8:00AM - 1:00PM ( EST)
Presented by
www.Royal1Studios,com
www.Royal1Studios.com
Generator Repair, Lawn Mower Repair, Lawn Tractor Repair, Tiller Repair,  Chain Saw Repair , Weed Eater Repair, Kerosene Heater Repair, Leaf Blower Repair, Blade Sharpening, Chain Sharpening, Small Engine Repair,  Snow Blower repair, Air Compressors, Commercial Mowers, Zero Turns, Go Kart Repair, Go Cart Repair, Trimmers and Outdoor Power Equipment Repair, Reddy Heater
Small Engine Blog
   About Us | Contact Us
Small Engine Repair
Lawn Mower Repair
Snow Blower Repair  
Smith's Small Engine Repair
Privacy Policy
Generator Parts, Lawn Mower Parts, Lawn Tractor Parts, Tiller Parts,  Chain Saw Parts , Weed Eater Parts, Kerosene Heater Parts, Leaf Blower Parts, Blade Sharpening, Chain Sharpening, Small Engine Parts,  Snow Blower Parts, Air Compressors Parts, Commercial Mower Parts , Zero Turns Parts, Go Kart Parts, Go Cart Parts, Trimmer Parts  and Outdoor Power Equipment  Parts, Reddy Heater Parts
PayPal Logo
Smith & Son's Small Engine Repair 
Copyright 2022©
Photo used under Creative Commons from gvgoebel
  • Home
  • Pick Up & Delivery
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Contact Us! >
      • Speak With a Representative Now!
      • Mailing List
      • Feedback
    • Directions
    • FAQ's >
      • Is Repair Cost Effective?
      • Cost
  • Cart