Start up your generators!

[Aquawind]

Make sure to actually start the thing and do it regularly. If you leave it sitting for months chances are it will not start! Change oil and do the maintenece now if you haven't already. I am sure there is a full proceedure and routine for keeping these things in good working order. Check your manuals or ask as I am sure members here can help.

[HollynLA]

My husband has ours in Colorado. It's a Miller trailblazer 302 welding machine that also is a 10,000 watt generator.

[O Town]

Our motor blew up on ours. We are hunting to find a new/used one, or a new motor.

[andrewsmith1]

I run mine for about an hour once a month. I changed the oil in it last month and ran it yesterday. In addition to running the engine, you should put a load on it to make sure it is still providing electricity. It won't do you any good if the engine runs but the brushes are worn out. I plug in a shop vac and turn it on when I fire up the generator.

[LSU2001]

it is also a good idea to check/change the air filter and make sure you have spare spark plugs and brushes. I ran into trouble with my camp genny because of a broken brush. It took 5 minutes to change but 2 weeks to get the parts. LOL.
TIm

[Jagno]

Thanks for the reminders everyone. I pulled mine out of the back of the storage container (still rebuilding garage) and amazingly it started right up. I ran the motor home on it for about an hour. Where would I get extra brushes for a Honda generator?

[Aquawind]

I would go to the nearest Honda generator dealer or try the website for brushes.

Reminder if anyone didn't drain your gas tank for the winter it would be a good idea to drain it or refill it with fresh gas. That goes for your gas cans as well. Gas prices are down..lol Old gas can be a problem.

[Agua]

I remember a few weeks after Georges, I carried my mower up to be repaired and the small engine shop must have had 200+ small generators in for a fix. Guess what happened?

[Aquawind]

Water in the gas..?

[andrewsmith1]

Water in the gas..?

That is possible as well as gas that had been sitting in the tank for a couple of years or more. Other possibilities are that they ran them for days without bothering to check or change the oil (I change mine every 24 hours), or that they overloaded the generator and the only problem was that they didn't think to reset the breakers/GFCI when they tripped.

[ocala]

FWIW
Our power went out the other night so I fired mine up. No problems but what I didn't notice in the daytime was that the muffler gets red hot. Over the winter I built a wooden cover to keep it dry while its in use. I had to extend the legs on the cover because the top of it was very close to the muffler. All set to go now.
Of course since I bought it nothing has come close at all.

[naked swirl]

Hi all, I need some generator advice. I am living with an elderly mom in New Orleans. If another Katrina heads this way, I know we need to beat it out of here, but even a smaller storm will no doubt knock out the power for awhile. I really need to get a portable generator, but I don't know much about them.

So can anyone recommend a decent machine that a small female person could handle: easy to start, easy to maintain, relatively lightweight and on wheels, etc? I'd need to be able to roll it out of a back shed and up the alley to the side door, and run outlets into the side door. I'd need it to run one medium sized AC window unit, the fridge, and some oxygen equipment. Any suggestions as to models and brands would be appreciated. I'm pretty much limited to Home Depot and Lowes and perhaps Sears for purchasing.

Thanks

[Aquawind]

There are a few other threads related to Generators in here for more info. I have a Coleman Powermate 6250 HP I got from Home Depot and it runs my window AC, Direct TV, Internet, PC, lights. etc.. Plus I give the neighbor a chord for his freezer, TV, lights,, etc.. It rolls easy and starts easy..

[DanKellFla]

Here is one helpful thread:
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=82415

Do you know the BTU rating of the A/C unit. That can make a big difference on what you need. Just make sure you buy something with the wheels included. You will need to install them yourself, or have a friend do it for you. I bought a 5600 watt Craftsman (really Briggs & Stratton) generator with a surge capacity of 8600 watts. I also bought a small window unit to that will keep one room cool. Something around 5500 watts should be fine if you don't mind "roughing it" for awhile.

[naked swirl]

Thanks. I just posted in that other thread. My real concern is my mom's O2 machine and an extended outage.....

[DanKellFla]

naked, you need to call the manufacturer to see if the O2 machine is compatable a regular protable generator. Otherwise, you may need to buy a Honda or some other inverter type of generator. Those are great, but expensive. You could also use a power inverter with a bank of batteries.

[cat]

I fire mine up every time I cut the lawn. Keeps the battery charged and if there are any problems I want to know about it now, not when I need it.

One addtional and important note: After Wilma, thieves came through our neighborhood and made off with several generators. We didn't have one at the time, but when I bought mine, I also bought a couple of good quality locks and enough thick wire cables to make sure I can lock the thing securely to either our garage door frame or something isn't going anywhere easily.

Like others, I also got wheels for mine. I damn sure don't want to be lugging a generator around - especially if I decide to move it the backyard after a storm for better security.

We got a Honda 3000is after looking at a number of different brands and seeking advice from people who owned various types and how well they liked 'em.

I've also done a complete "dry run" so to speak - running the various things I will want to run after a storm. Maybe this obvious, but it was good to know I had the right number of extension cords, surge protectors, etc. and that things would work as planned.

[naked swirl]

naked, you need to call the manufacturer to see if the O2 machine is compatable a regular protable generator. Otherwise, you may need to buy a Honda or some other inverter type of generator. Those are great, but expensive. You could also use a power inverter with a bank of batteries.

Yes, I'm looking into that option. The AC window unit is 24000 btu, and buying an inverter type gen. to run that plus her equipment would be enormously expensive, so I'm thinking of getting a 2000 watt inverter gen just for essential medical equipment and sweating it out without Ac....Honda EU 2000i looks good.

[DanKellFla]

swirl, I was in my Target last night and they had 5000 btu window units on clearance for $68.00. I bet the 2000i could power that along with the medical equipment as long as don't try everything at the same time. Talk to a Honda dealer.