Generator operation

Submitted: Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 08:36
ThreadID: 58790 Views:2864 Replies:9 FollowUps:21
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Question for the guru's out there: is it good practice to let your generator run out of fuel? i.e set it going at night and let it run out of fuel to stop.
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Reply By: RosscoH - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 09:46

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 09:46
If you set it going anywhere near my camp at night it would stop long before it ran out of fuel.
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Follow Up By: Ray - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:30

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:30
The best way to have privacy when camping is to run your genset. Works wonders
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Follow Up By: didiaust - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 14:12

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 14:12
Did you fail comprehension at school RosscoH?

Please correct me if i'm wrong but I can't see anywhere in the question where he asked to camp anywhere near you.

Why you you want to be within miles of someone so rude.

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Follow Up By: Grungle - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 14:34

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 14:34
RosscoH,

Are you trying to be funny or are you just a tool?

Legitimate question so there's no need for sarcastic replies.

I am starting to get jack of people on this forum who do nothing more than bring people down or mouth off.

My 2c.

David
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Follow Up By: RosscoH - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 17:21

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 17:21
Well what can I say, there biting well today.
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Follow Up By: Grungle - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 18:55

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 18:55
If your posting to get bites then go elsewhere as there is no room for that kind of attitude on this forum as far as I am concerned.

I don't pay money to be a member to put up with rot like that.

David
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Follow Up By: Ozboc - Monday, Jun 16, 2008 at 11:07

Monday, Jun 16, 2008 at 11:07
RosscoH - is your aim to be #1 Troll in here ? - well on your way BTW


Boc

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Reply By: bruce - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 10:03

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 10:03
I far as I know , no harm would be done to the genny by running out of fuel....does it harm your car , mower, chainsaw, etc...like the other reply , I believe the only harm may be from an irate nearby camper if their happens to be any in the vicinity.....gennys are very good , but you must respect other peoples rights to a bit of peace and quiet especially at night...there are a lot out there that do not....cheers
AnswerID: 310050

Reply By: guzzi - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 10:53

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 10:53
I can understand the requirement to run a genny for a few hours during the day to recharge batteries.
Why would you want to run one at night?
To see the "other" side of the temperment of the people you've camped next to?
You're particularly clueless about the word "ignorant" and want an abrupt education?
12V, battery and flouros are also an unknown to you?
You've always wondered what a pork chop in a mosque feels like?

Oh and to answer the question,running it out of fuel wont harm it.
AnswerID: 310060

Follow Up By: Shane (QLD) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:29

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:29
Why is that everyone jumps on the bandwagon when someone mentions a genset. How do you know the bloke is not up North somewhere by himself Barra fishing & needs to run a large freezer. In 1966 in the Funny Country our only source of power for 12 mths was 5Kva Briggs & Stratton genset which ran all our tents & it was left running at night & none of us winged. In fact it was comforting to listen to. Maybe the odd angry shot over some of your heads might be better to your sensitive ears. Have my hard hat on waiting for the flack !
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 17:47

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 17:47
Hear Hear Shane, there there guzzi, you answered the question, your preamble is questionable, but a pork chop in a mosque.... I nearly giggled out loud when I read that.
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Reply By: Best Off Road - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:15

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:15
GT,

I've taken the time to have a look at your profile and have noted three things.

1. You seem to camp in extremely remote places on your own.
2. You own a caravan with aircon.
3. You are from the NT where it is very hot and humid at night and may like to run your aircon so that you can get a good nights sleep.

I think it is Motherhen who has previoulsy reported running her gennie at night till it runs out of juice to run her aircon, with no ill effects.

Regards,

Jim.

AnswerID: 310066

Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:16

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:16
Forgot to add point 4, I note you have sugnificant solar power.

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Follow Up By: Member - Mark G (NSW) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:53

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 11:53
bet he's sorry he posted that question!
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Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:01

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:01
No, I thought it was a very reasonable question.

His profle suggests to me he poses no threat and the Generator Nazis have been a bit savage on him.

Jim.




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Follow Up By: Member - Tony B (QLD) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:37

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:37
I also thought it was a reasonable question. As long as the Gen runs out of juice before sleep time. Sometimes when you are in the tropics camping you wished you could have an aircon in the tent with you. I think I will now be very careful about a question I may submit for an Answer. Geetee they hooked you on that one! Regards Tony.
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 17:49

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 17:49
Dead right Jimbo, sugnuficant indeed.

It was a great qn and the Nazi's as you put it did just hard and fast, gee some ppl eh?

You goin to the 40th?
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Reply By: Member - GeeTee (NT) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:44

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:44
Boy did that question cop some flack ! !

I'm glad a couple of you took time to look at my profile.....

We do not camp near other people ... run the gennie only when necessary ...

I only asked a simple question .. not to stir up another " hate session " against generators.
AnswerID: 310080

Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 13:18

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 13:18
The cheap two stroke generators will "hunt" badly during their dying moment when running out of fuel, this hunting/surging may well produce wild fluctuations in voltage output which could cause issues to equipment connected to it. I do not know if the more expensive Hondas et al also suffer from this problem but I would hope not? Assuming they do not I can see no issue with allowing them to run out of fuel - maybe an e-mail to Honda would resolve the question?

Mike Harding

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Follow Up By: Member - Pedro the One (QLD) - Monday, Jun 16, 2008 at 01:05

Monday, Jun 16, 2008 at 01:05
AaHHahh!!!

Thanks, Mike ........... yet another question answered ! My generator has recently started "hunting" and I couldn't understand why. You have solved my quandary for me..........

I run it during the day, start about 0800 and usually finish mid to late-evening when the solar panel is insufficient, because of cloud cover. Runs all that time on LESS than a tankful [4 litres!].

Noise level is not much different to the 'upper echelon' units .... and it is a GMC 850, which has run for around three years of trips FAULTLESSLY. I now allow it to run dry of fuel, so no gumming up the carbie, etc....

My trips are solo gold prospecting junkets so no campers or wildlife are damaged or harmed by the use of it .... and it [the noise] helps protect my camp from unwanted animal attention, while I'm in the field !!

In fact, I would rather self-inject sulphuric acid to my testicles than camp with others ................
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 17:55

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 17:55
Don't let the boos get you down GeeTee, even if you did camp next to me, these days the Honda EU10's and 20's are so quiet and if I did really want it shut off I may venture in with a gidday and ask if you'd mind knocking it on the head early.

One thing you'll find is that goat friendly people like Mike will actually give u more than you asked for and thats what makes this a great forum.

And Pedro, you will find that H2SO4 will react unfavourably with the contents of said testicles and produce irritating skin rashes in the general area, BUT it will also affect your hearing, actually making the generator seem quieter.
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Reply By: Dave Thomson - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:56

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 12:56
bloody hell, I was about to buy a genny but know nothing of them so me thought I could find out all I need to know here, begging to wonder now, do I get my nuts chewed for asking ?........
AnswerID: 310085

Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 13:19

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 13:19
It's the internet - you need a think skin.
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Follow Up By: Member - Tony B (QLD) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 15:24

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 15:24
Thick Skin is right. I will be in the market for a new generator after my next trip. I have an old two stroke, need the new inverter Genset, so quite and cheap to run. Ever had your dual battery system pack it in and then get rained in and cant get out? Glad the camper next door who had a heart condition needed his gen set running for his needs or I would have had no Fridge and lost all that Barra I had Caught. Regards Tony.
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Reply By: Member - Craig M (QLD) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 13:43

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 13:43
I have camped in and around fellow travellers with generators for years. The newer technology is VERY quiet and have had no problems falling alseep in reasonable proximity to portable power.

I would much prefer a quiet buzz of a genset to:

1. drunken humans who insist on communicating with each other at full volume at 3 in the morning
2. Aforementioned persons trying to chop wood in the dark at 3am.
3. Any human who insists on 'entertaining' the entire campsite all night with his doof doof music.
4. Someone who allows his/her screaming brats to get loose at 5 am and ride their bikes around the campsite screaming at each other.

At least you can slip quietly over and switch ia genset off if it is too annoying or put a long lead on it an take it further bush where it won't annoy anyone.

Try doing that to drunken humans or feral kids!

Craig
AnswerID: 310091

Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 15:22

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 15:22
Agree Craig,

I find the gentle hun of a gennie quite soothing.

And I don't use one.

Jim.

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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 15:45

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 15:45
Some years ago I was in the Middle East installing large diesel generators and high voltage power supply systems. I arrived at the site of one job (barren desert) with my mobile home on the back of a flatbed truck, found out where the generator house was planned to be and arranged for a crane to lift my home off the back of the truck, I decided to put it about 50m from the gen house as that would be my main workplace for the next few months - no point in walking further than I had to in 45C+

All was fine for some months - then the gens were installed and commissioned and I fired them up - all five them - big buggers - all five with their front ends 50m away from my mobile home - running 24 hours a day! Didn't think of the noise from them when I pulled into that piece of barren desert some months before :(

It only took me a couple of nights before I stopped noticing them and sleeping as well as I always had - however it was a good incentive to finish the job ASAP :)

Mike Harding
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Reply By: Trekkie (Member - WA) - Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 19:06

Sunday, Jun 15, 2008 at 19:06
Reading some of these posts, I could be convinced that all the agro and dull boring people dont own Gen sets (or cannot afford one)

In my travels I find that MANY camping grounds have dedicated areas for gen sets - thats where I go and I have met some great people there - actually the majority of people are VERY considerate and turn their generators off early - but if i am in a Generator area - I dont get upset - maybe its just GENERATOR ENVY
AnswerID: 310159

Reply By: Ozboc - Monday, Jun 16, 2008 at 11:17

Monday, Jun 16, 2008 at 11:17
If its A 4 STROKE generator - there will be no problem -

If its a 2 stroke generator ( this is for everyone benefit ) Its NOT a good idea to let them run dry - Reason -- 2 stroke motors use premixed fuel - and that oil in the premix is what lubricates the piston and cylinder wall ---

Now when you stop the fuel and let it run dry - there is a much smaller amount of lubrication left from the previous stroke whilst fueled up - so as the engine is turning off from running at about 4000 RPM there is a good chance that there is very little to No lubrication at all. This will not seize your engine - but it does add to premature wear and tear....

Example which is kind of related -- Used to work for Mc culloch MANY years ago - and we used to have the Display model chainsaws / brushcutters returned to us( from big w - kmart and so forth) to be checked and reboxed ( refurbished) - NOW these things had never had fuel in them never run -- and motor was only lubricated from assembly / test run - and because every time someone would walk past one of these display models , they could not help but pull the starter cord ( to maybe feel compression ) after a few months of this -- the wall of the cylinders and the pistons were so badly scored , it actually looked like it had been run dry ( without 2 stroke fuel) yet these things have never run for more than 1 min after production...

something to think about

Boc
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 18:39

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 18:39
A _very_ good point and something I hadn't considered - thank you.

Mike Harding
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