1. Drain tank and run dry.

2. Remove carb bowl, wipe inside of bowl clean. Spray float and valve with wd40. Replace bowl.

3. Remove air filter and spray a little wd40 down carb. Replace filter.

4. Remove spark plug and put a spoon of 2 cycle oil into cylinder. Replace plug with new one, crank a couple times to splash 2 cycle around.

5. Change oil and store somewhere dry.

No guarantee but mine started right up, after maybe 9 years stored like this.

YMMV

 

 

 

 

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Good stuff. Thnx.

6. check long range forecast, keep generator handy!

Another alternative - I don't mothball mine. I take it out and run it for about 10 minutes the first weekend of every month. (Same with my boat if I haven't had it out). (By doing it and a few other things, like car fluids, A/C maintenance, etc, the first weekend of the month, I never forget.) I run the carbs dry each time to avoid any "varnishing" in the jets.

How bout mothballing the generators straight into the dumpster.   The minor inconvenience of no electricity or water (we all knew this was coming - so prepare) pales in comparison to the annoyance, nuisance, and inconvenience of loud generators running 24 hrs a day in residential neighborhoods - mostly so "precious" food is not lost.  The most precious assets after a hurricane include water, some non-perishable food, maybe a cooler with some ice, shelter, ability to sleep with windows open, and peace and quiet in residential neighborhoods.  

The pussyfication of America in action.       

Preach 426.  My neighborhood was quiet for two blissful nights.  I even saw the milky way and then.........

What?  No generator, or just unmarried?

Kidding! Only Kidding!!!

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That milky way was awesome!

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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

Agreed. I actually slept half that night on a chair in my swimming pool. Black sky and twinkly skies. Earplugs in so I didn't hear the generators.

But I disagree about getting rid of them. Power could go out much longer. Some people need to power medical equipment, communicate w/ the outside world (via internet, ham radios, etc), and in some cases (God forbid) telecommute for work.

A solar backup option would be a nice quiet alternative. Does anyone know if LungRx lost all their new panels, or just took them down before the storm?

Yeah, was nice to see the night sky

Yeah, seeing the stars the first night or two was awesome!

 

Not a big fan of the generators either.  Never felt the need for one until I had children, then that changed.

The Honda generators are so quiet my neighbors certainly can't hear it.  A car idling is louder than a honda generator.  The job site generators are the ones that are the worst.

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If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC - KV

And fwiw,

The smallest Honda, eu2000i, will start and run a 6K btu window shaker.

Expensive but a nice product. Knock offs are half what the Honda sells for.

edit:  Forgot to add that while quieter than a Briggs and Stratton worksite gen,

the Honda still makes a good bit of noise under load.  If you have one around, 

turn the "eco throttle" off so it runs at normal RPM and you'll get an idea of sound level when running under load.

For stuff that requires a pretty good surge load to start up, like an AC,

the eco throttle needs to be off.

 

 

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Edited: 09/19/2017 at 05:26 AM by tom

....

Edited: 09/19/2017 at 05:40 AM by miker

Yes I'm glad that generators are available to people in need of electricity for medicine and medical needs.  So many in FL.   Just being a petty hater...

Thanks for the info on them.  Probably should have one since climate change is real and all that...

 

 

 

 

No generator for me = no water for the house or dogs. I have a well. We slept out on the patio - it was nice enough, and we didn't run the generator at night - just during the day to power the well pump and fridge - kept the food from rotting till we could throw it out. I'm glad we have them.

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[Feminism is] a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. ~Pat Robertson

Tom, you are right.  I have a honda and really like it.  Stores well and starts with no drama.  Power output is solid and well regulated.  Runs our fridge, aquarium, small computer or TV, and a couple fans with no stress.  Makes things easier on the family to have refrigeration and some fans.

Compared to a job site generator it is whisper quiet, and yes it does get louder under a load or when the eco mode is off.   But, not to the annoying level.  Still quieter than  my ride at idle...a hemi with active exhausts.   

 

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If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC - KV

Couple more notes on the Honda:

Changed oil, had metal but new so no suprise.

While oil was out, flipped unit and got a quarter cup of gas out of the tank fill. This was after run dry. Hmmmm. 

Carb bowl has a drain screw, use it, gas there too after run dry.

 

Bamboo, I think we're gonna need pics

 

 

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No problem, Tom.  Here is a pic of the Honda generator.   

I've noticed that there is a few ounces of fuel left in the tank when it runs dry, also.  Not sure if that is suppose to be a water or sediment trap or ???  A buddy has his generator hooked up to 6 gallon boat gas tank and says it works good.  Might consider that if I come upon a used boat gas tank for cheap.

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If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC - KV

not sure how this happened... but my 1999 generator last used in 2004..  had 1/2" of dried yellow junk in the inlet tube going into the carb.  I drilled it out with cordless drill &  bit with very light pressure.  then wire through the other side.  fuel was shut off and all this junk in fuel tank.  got a clear fuel filter from autozone and it kept it running, but not great.   I think the real trick is to find a $20 new replacement carb on ebay/amaz. and keep it sealed in a ziplock bag with a new 3/8 clear fuel filter and some gaskets.  Thats failsafe.  wish I had.  the carbs go obsolete every few years now.    

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it's never too late to have a happy childhood...

You can't expect anything to run when it has been sitting for 13 years. Would you expect to be able to run a race if you had been sitting on your butt for that long? Take a look at your tubes and you will see the same thing - waxy crap just waiting to go into your carb (ie, heart). No use is abuse. Run it every month, do the maintenance and it should last forever.