I have a new Troy-bilt generator that holds 5 gallons (according to web site) or 4.5 gallons (manual). Anyway, I put in one can (2 1/2 gallons ) and part of another can, same size. The fuel gauge shows about 1/4 full. I am not experienced at filling gas cans and probably did not get them full when I bought gas because I was afraid I would overfill the containers and have a mess. But there still should be more than 1/4 tank of gas in there. Anybody else have one of these things? How accurate are the gauges usually? Just looking "down" into the tank it looks like it's almost full.
Maybe a bad gauge, look inside the tank. But if you are not going to use it why are you filling it, gas goes bad, and I hope you have a fuel shutoff valve and run it dry.
I have STABIL .... which everyone assures me will keep the gas good for a year. I was going to fill the tank now because I know the price of gas is going up. I have a new siphon so I can move it to the lawn mower if we get lucky and don't have a power outage. I probably didn't get as much gas in there as I thought ... one of my neighbors has experience with using generators so when he gets home maybe he can figure out what is going on. Thanks though.
I keep my generator full, use Stabil and after 2 years, use gas in lawn mowers. Oxidation is what causes gas to go bad so you are better off not to have much air in the tank. Besides when power goes out, weather is usually bad and you don't want to deal with potentially spilling gas.
Also every 2-3 months I crank up generator and run for a few minutes.
How much did you pay for the gas? That should tell you how much gas you had in the gas cans. Sounds like you bought around 5 gal of gas at about $4/gal so you should have spent $20 or so. If you only bought 1/4 of a tank you would have spent around $5. I'd bet the fuel gauge is no good.
Stabil, dream on, if gas gets to the carb and it dries out it gums up the carb, the day you need it it might not start. Plus gas gets weak over time noticably at 1 yr, some of the volitile vapors evaporate directly through plastic. Best is keep it empty and keep gas in a can and cycle it into the car at 6 mo. Syphon it, run it dry.
Everyone is wrong. I use it also. I start my generator every month. It gets harder each month to start, and after six months I empty it out and fill with fresh. It probably would start eventually after a year, but it is just too hard.
Gas goes bad for a lot of reasons. Sta-Bil is an antibacterial agent that keeps goo from growing in condensate. The ubiquitous E10 gasoline they sell nowadays separates into ethanol and gasoline, and has a tendency not to run. It also is worse about growing goo than straight gasoline. Volatile fractions will evaporate out of the gasoline over time, resulting in very hard starting in cold weather. Gasoline sold in the winter has more volatile fractions than gasoline sold in the summer.
Save your money on Sta-Bil, and just pour left over gasoline into your car every six months.
Never store engines with gasoline in the tank. Small engine carburetors are open to the air. Gasoline will evaporate out of the carburetor, leaving gum deposits that will prevent the carburetor from operating. Run the generator empty, then drain the last few drops out of the carburetor bowl. Remove the spark plug, squirt a couple tablespoons of light oil (3-in-1, not WD-40) into the cylinder, rotate the cylinder several times to distribute the oil, and replace the spark plug. Bag the exhaust and air cleaner with plastic and rubber bands to keep bugs out of the engine. If it has run enough to build up acid in the oil, change the oil. If you have a dry location, store it in the same shipping container it came in. If you have damp or humid conditions, bag the generator in plastic with 5 lbs of activated silica gel desiccant.
Everybody is wrong, not true, you only need to start a gen every 6 months and hook up a load to keep the field magnatized. Why waste time emptying it or risking varnishing the carb up, best is leave it empty, and only test with enough gas for the test.
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