Do you store your generator full or empty?

[ggsteve]

The fuel in my portable gas generator (Husqvarna 5510 GN) is getting old, so the next time I have an empty gas can I plan on draining the gas out of the generator. Do you think I should refill it with gas to be ready for use or leave the tank empty? Full would mean it is ready but then the gas can go stale again. Empty would mean that I would have a maximum of 10 gallons (two 5 gal cans)of gas handy in emergency to run the generator, snowblowers, etc. What are your thoughts?

EDIT: I always treat every can of gas with Stabil and a dash of Seafoam.

[DJ in WV]

Opinions will vary widely, but I store mine full after treating the fuel with Stabil. Mine holds eight gallons. That will run anywhere between eight and twelve hours, depending on load, so I like to have a tank full and a couple of full cans in reserve, just in case.

That strategy really paid off after the Derecho of June 29, BTW. My power was off for 13 days and fuel was scattered, to say the least.

[Mike X485]

I agree with DJ on this. Just use your favorite additive for storing gas.

[rscurtis]

Tank full is OK as long as the carburetor is empty and drained.

[UrbanTractor]

Steve, I agree with these guys. Maximizing your fuel reserves is key for a long outage.

I don't know how much a hassle it is to drain, but if you could improvise a quick-drain system it should be easy to rotate the fuel out and into a tractor, every 2-3 months or so.

[Mike Milburn]

I keep mine full with treated gas. Every 6 months I drain the gas, put it in my truck and refill with new treated fuel and run it for 15 minutes or so under load.
I put a 'T' in the fuel line so it's easy to drain, before that I had to keep removing the fuel line from the tank, no big deal but I was afaid I'd eventually bust the fitting.
I'm opposite of most people as far as draining the carb, I keep it full with the tank valve closed. I have the theory, maybe unfounded, that the constant drying/wetting of the gaskets etc will eventually cause a leak, it's worked for me so far....Mike

[D-Dogg]

I keep mine full of treated gas, and run it quarterly (with a load on the generator). Seems to be working for me. Also keep 10-20 gallons of gas in reserve.

[BobP]

Shelf life of gas up here is 3 months . I would use stabilzers and run it once in a while ,date the fuel and change it out every 3 months . I also think the same way about keep fuel in the carb as long as it was run with treated gas first .

[ggsteve]

Originally Posted by Mike Milburn

I'm opposite of most people as far as draining the carb, I keep it full with the tank valve closed. I have the theory, maybe unfounded, that the constant drying/wetting of the gaskets etc will eventually cause a leak, it's worked for me so far....Mike

Your reasoning seems in tune with the folks at Husqvarna. I used to shut the fuel valve and let the engine run out of gas and stall to shut it off. I read the manual (I know, what a novel concept) and it states to shut the engine off and then close the fuel valve.

Interesting comments so far. I knew there would be varying opinions. I like the idea of a "tee" off the fuel line. Seems like that would be a good standard feature on a product of this nature.

[Mark / Ohio]

I keep mine full all the time and run it about once a month. I've had worse luck in the past draining carbs and tanks then I have by keeping fresh gas flowing into them every month or two.

[glenn27]

I there any place in your area you can get non-ethanol gas?

I have been useing it in my lawn stuff for the last couple mnths, and have noticed a difference..............however--have not used over long shut-down period yet...

glenn

[APinNY]

I keep a minimum of treated gas in the tank, but always have 4 or 5 gallons on hand. It doesn't get much use so I start it up every couple of months and let it run under load for about 20 minutes. Then I add about a half gallon of fresh treated gas so most of the gas in the tank is refreshed. I also use the shutoff valve to stop the engine, rather than the switch. It starts on the first pull every time.

[Mike Milburn]

I there any place in your area you can get non-ethanol gas?

We don't have ethenol gas here in NS, yet, but I don't doubt it's coming unfortunately.
I have heard that higher octane fuel doen't have ethenol added, true or not I don't know. If it is the case when it does arrive here it'll be high test always for everything....Mike

[Hugh-SS/16]

I keep mine full (~4 gals) with the fuel shut off in the OFF position. That way its ready to go, plus if I run out of jerry can gas, theres a good chance I can get some out of the genny

[Diesel Powered]

Empty and it's never been filled since it was new.

Seriously, I was losing power quite often in the winter due to old lines/poles breaking down the road; for a long time I just put up with it as they seemed to have pretty fast repair service. Finally, after how many years, I broke down and bought a decent generator along with everything to hook up the switch; the following spring the power company came through (unannounced to the power customers) and put in all new lines and poles for several miles clear back to the sub station. What are the odds of that? I haven't been without power since then that I can remember and that was 3 years ago.