Protecting Your Generator Against Fuel Varnishing
What Happens
If you
store your RV over the winter or don't operate it often
enough to refuel the gas tank every month, you could develop
a fuel varnishing problem in your generator engine. Fuel
varnishing is a gummy residue that clogs the generator
carburetor and fuel pump. It's caused by the deterioration
of fuel that sits in the engine too long. Fuel varnishing
affects many engines but it's more noticeable in generators
because the engines are smaller and sensitive to fuel
issues. Even the slightest decrease in efficiency has a big
impact on performance. A generator with varnish buildup may
start but run like it needs a tune-up.
Preventing It
The only ways to prevent fuel
varnishing is to treat the contents of the tank supplying
fuel to the generator with a fuel preservative and to
exercise the set. We recommend using a fuel stabilizer,
especially on infrequently used RVs. Emptying the tank won't
prevent fuel varnishing because a small amount of fuel
always remains in the generator carburetor. If you plan to
leave the tank empty, we recommend that you add a special
mixture of fuel and a preservative before you run the tank
dry so the residual fuel contains the preservative. Fuel
stabilizer may be purchased at any auto parts store.
What if it's too late?
Once
varnishing has occurred, adding a preservative won't correct
the problem. You need to add a fuel cleaner and manually
scrub the varnish from the fuel system parts. Worst case (we
need to do this a lot!), you may need to replace the
carburetor.
In Conclusion
By
understanding how to properly care for your RV generator and
protect against fuel varnishing, you'll enjoy better
performance and longer, service-free operation. It may seem
strange that NOT using a product causes it to fail faster.
With generators, that's exactly the case. Run your generator
at LEAST once per month for an hour or so to keep it
healthy.