Hurricane Irma not only brought physical devastation to the state of Florida, but it also brought many surprises including one of the largest evacuations in state history. With that, we saw one of the largest gasoline shortages in decades, due to the uncertainty and the elevated use of generators.
Chances are that if you lost power during Hurricane Irma and you own a generator, you probably ran that generator for several hours. There is a also a good chance that you will not use that generator again for a very long time. So, what is the best way to store your generator and keep up with the maintenance?
Below are four simple steps to follow to keep your generator running at its best.
1) After hurricane season, get your generator serviced. This a fairly easy process, and you can do it yourself. It involves changing the oil, air filter and spark plug. Youtube has several easy-to-follow tutorials on how to do this. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, a small engine repair company can perform this easily.
2) Try not to store your generator with fuel in it, but if you do, add a fuel stabilizer. The stabilizer helps break down chemicals in ethanol-based gasoline that can be harmful to engine components when it sits over time. Using non-ethanol fuel is best for small engines such as generators that sit for several months at a time.
3) Make sure you clear the fuel line. Do this by running your generator and then turning off the fuel valve instead of just using shutting the engine off normally. This burns all the fuel in the lines and engine, causing the engine to shut off after the fuel is burned.
4) Finally, crank your generator about every three months, letting it run for about 20-30 minutes. The best thing to keep an engine running is to run it.
Taking these easy steps now will keep your generator running at peak performance for years to come, especially when you need it the most.