Welcome to another Todd’s Two Minute Tech Tip Tuesday. Brought to you by the National RV Training Academy. The largest hands-on RV training academy in America.
This week I’ve got a question from Gee about his on-board generator. He’s got a toy hauler and he says, “Can I use the same recreational fuel that I’m using for my toys for my generator?”.
Alright, you’ve got a toy hauler and most have 2 different tanks. You’ve got one for the on-board generator (if you have one) and the other tank is for your toys. First and foremost we need to understand what recreational fuel is, so let’s go ahead and look over what we need in order for that generator to run properly. First thing we want to do is look at octane. Do I just get regular, unleaded, super, premium, 85, 87, or 93? Onan doesn’t have anything in there but we look at other generators generally accepted, it’s gonna be about the 87 octane. The higher the octane the cleaner it is and less additives. Here’s the problem, the generator will run off the 87 or 93.
The problem that we have is that generator doesn’t run every single day so the fuel we put in there is a lot older. The main thing is to go with a higher octane whether it be the 87 or 93. Now if you go with the 93 you need to put a stabilizer in the fuel. If you’ve got fuel sitting down in the lines, the worst place is going to be in that little bitty carburetor pocket and the fuel will denigrate sitting in there. This is why you’re supposed to run your generator for at least 15 to 20 minutes every 30 days. You want to cycle that fuel through there and keep from that fuel from degrading inside the carburetor. When it comes to the level or type of fuel, I’m going to recommend first and foremost, if you can get the non-ethanol gasoline, that’s what you really want to put in there to preserve the length and lifespan of your generator, but if have no other choice, use the 10%. What you want to do is make sure you treat the fuel with something like stable or sea foam. There’s other stabilizer additives that can actually help the condition of the gasoline and keep it from degrading. Main thing is to go ahead and cycle it.
Now the one thing you don’t want to do if that gasoline has had been sitting there for months is don’t run it, properly dispose of it and cycle it. What does that mean for you? Well that means don’t fill it up if you’re not going to use all the time, so only fill up a portion of what you’re going to use and then keep that flowing. That’s really the best thing to do. It’s not about the recreational fuel, it’s about the gasoline you’re putting into your tanks fresh and keep it from breaking down. Of course from season to season, cycle that fuel out, don’t run it through.
And there’s your tech tip.
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