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Old 08-22-2006, 09:29 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom
If I want to run my Honda for 45 minutes I pour one pint of gasoline into the tank. When it runs out it turns itself off.
One of the worst things you can do for a generator is have it run out of fuel when it's under a load - (i.e. charging a battery, running the air conditioner.) It doesn't hurt the engine, it just dies, but it can hurt the electrical generator part. It's not a good practice if you want your generator to last a long time.
Well it looks like I need to change my practice then. Too bad the instruction manual did say that. Or maybe I just didn't read that part.

Thanks for the tip.
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Old 08-23-2006, 07:20 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom
One of the worst things you can do for a generator is have it run out of fuel when it's under a load - (i.e. charging a battery, running the air conditioner.) It doesn't hurt the engine, it just dies, but it can hurt the electrical generator part. It's not a good practice if you want your generator to last a long time.
Jim -

How does this differ from turning off the generator using the motor's ON-OFF switch? I realize that on many generators, the ON-OFF switch kills the ignition, not the fuel supply, but I'm unclear on how one would be OK, and the other would be a problem.

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Old 08-23-2006, 10:30 AM   #23
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I think you need to unplug the generator b4 shutting it down. I know with the emergency generator at home I make sure the panel breaker is in the off position and then turn off the gas to the generator and let it run out. I also make sure the generator is up and running good b4 switching the breaker on. I don't want to crank up the generator under load.
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Old 08-23-2006, 11:41 AM   #24
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Before I retired, I worked for the Air National Guard - full time. On deployments the guys from our shop (truck mechanics) would help the guys from the Power Production section and we were taught to remove the load from a generator before shutting it down. The reason that we were given was "that is what the regulation says!" I just called the technician in that section and he said that the reason is to let the coils in the alternator (the part that makes the electricity) cool off because they get pretty hot making all that electricity. He said if you don't remove the load, and let it run free, the coils can burn the insulation and short out. If you do that in the military it's considered abuse and you may end up paying for repairs out of your own pocket. I guess it's your choice what you do with your generator - I was just passing along information I was taught. Now we both know "the rest of the story!"
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Old 08-23-2006, 11:50 AM   #25
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Thanks for the details. I always feel better when I understand why.

DW has a small sign hanging on the wall in the kitchen. The picture is a mother hen, with wings on her hips, staring down at the chicks.

The caption reads "Because I am the Mommy, that's why".

I have never been inclined to settle for that type of an answer.
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Old 08-23-2006, 04:37 PM   #26
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Letting the generator run out of gas under load "may" also damage whatever it's driving due to under voltage/frequency conditions as the generator stops running. Letting it run out of gas under "no load" conditions will have it shut down when it's operating at a lower temperature. .. my 2¢
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Old 08-23-2006, 05:42 PM   #27
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I was only referring to letting it run out of gas UNDER A LOAD. It's common practice to let small engines run out of gas for storage purposes. I do that with the snow blower and lawnmower. They're not under load and they haven't been producing electricity just before they run out of gas. It won't hurt the engine - it's the alternator in the generator that causes the concern. I'm sorry for the dust storm I caused!
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Old 08-23-2006, 07:24 PM   #28
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Freedom wrote
Quote:
I'm sorry for the dust storm I caused!
Hey, don't be sorry, Jim. We're all learning here, and I didn't understand.

What I take from the discussion is that the problem isn't RUNNING OUT OF GAS while the generator is under load. The problem is SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE while the generator is under load, whether it shuts down by running out of gas, or shuts down because someone flipped the "RUN" switch off. Either one would cause overheated windings, or electrical transients to the load, or whatever.

Does that sound right?

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Old 08-23-2006, 10:12 PM   #29
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The problem is SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE while the generator is under load, whether it shuts down by running out of gas, or shuts down because someone flipped the "RUN" switch off. Either one would cause overheated windings, or electrical transients to the load, or whatever.
If I had said it that well to begin with, everybody probably would have understood it better!
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