Generator Safety

deuce

Hoping @CrabTab and @nhmike will respond.

I am planning to pull my 320 with my newly purchased generator bolstered inside the cabin.

I broke it in over the weekend by running it for a couple of hours and testing it against various appliance loads.  It is a Ryobi 2300i

Hitting the road today and I tried to drain it of gas but it still took a half an hour of run time to get the gas down to nothing.

The directions for the generator don’t instruct me to fully drain it when transporting it but I am spooked. Am I overreacting? Do people transport generators with some gas inside the tank?

It just seems like it’s going to be really grim to run the generator for half an hour after theoretically draining it each time I break camp

CrabTab

IMO gas in a generator is just as safe as gas in a can. I would NOT carry either in the passenger compartment of my tow vehicle (don't know what type of TV you have).

When I transport any fuel and/or engines while towing the T@B, I carry them in the bed of my pickup truck. When I am pulling a cargo/box/enclosed trailer the engines and extra fuel jugs can ride in the trailer with the roof vent(s) open. Consider lawn service box trailers. The mowers aren't drained of fuel before going to each new stop or even overnight. So yes, fuel can travel in a generator (IMO).

That being said, at the very least, air your T@B out thoroughly if you're carrying fuel in there. You are living in that space! 

Enjoy your trip @deuce!

Dalehelman

Our Honda 2000 has a vent shut off on the gas cap that works very well to eliminate unwanted fumes. I just shut off the fuel run the carburetor dry and close the vent. That being said I did convert to propane. The extra gas can was always a bigger problem. 

nhmike

Perhaps this is one reason I don’t like generators.  I pretty much agree with Crab Tab.  Shut off your fuel supply line and it should quit in a few minutes.  During transport I’d make sure fumes are not building up in the t@b.  I’d also take extra precaution against any possible spillage.  That gas smell never goes away.  Being spooked is a good thing when it promotes caution.  Enjoy your trip!

TNOutback

Could you not lash it to the cargo rack on either side of the propane box?  I would not carry one inside the trailer and risk a spill or “baked-in” fumes in the upholstery.

N7SHG_Ham

 Mine is propane only for many reasons: No smell, no gumming up carb, no gas going bad in tank, no extra fuel can and it runs cleaner too.

Denny16

If you must use gas in a small generator, consider using AvGas, or some of the Ethanol free small engine gas available from home centers and lawnmower shops,  This gas burns cleaner, less smell and does not foul the carburetor.
AvGas also stores better, and does not go bad whilst in storage containers, unlike the ethanol gas you get at a garage/gas stations.  That said, any gas, especially in hot weather, can be dangerous, and should be stored and used with due caution.

I agree with others here, I would not transport a generator or fuel cans in the living space of a vehicle or RV.  But if you need to transport gas in a SUV type vehicle, a vapor free safety cans (normally made of metal) can be used, and will not vent any fumes into the air space around them.  This is the only type of gas can I use, as it will not allow capers to escape and prevents flash back to the container, this is especially for AvGas, which can flash at temperatures greater than 80F.
cheers

deuce

Thanks all replies.  I am pulling my 320 with Subaru Outback.

In humble opinion of the experienced, what is the best propane gas generator to use?

DougH

@deuce There was a brief discussion in a different generator thread discussing the Ryobi (900W starting 700W running), the ALP (1000W starting 850W running), and the Baja (900W starting 700W running).  Ranging from $275 to $550, no smelly gas, nothing to gunk up, and less weight to carry just to top off batteries or running a few small accessories.  I don't think they came up with any conclusion on which was best.

Dalehelman

Champion makes 2000watt inverter generator for under $600. Which they claim is very quite.

cottonmouth

A couple things if you continue to drain the gas, which you should do when not in use for a period of time. There should be a small screw at the bottom of the carburetor to drain the fuel from the carb. Turn off the gas to the carb (I'm not familiar with ryobi and whether there is a gas shut-off valve), place something under the carb to catch the gas when you loosen the screw. Start the generator and run it until it dies. It shouldn't take as long as the 30 min you described. You can remove the gas line tube from the shut-off valve, open the valve and drain the gas from the generator into a gas tank.

If there's no gas shut-off valve, I'd recommend putting one in. Otherwise, you have to decant the gas from the tank. You should drain the oil before you tilt the generator to pour the gas from the tank.

DougH

@cottonmouth ; Hence the increasing interest on this forum for propane based inverter generators.

TNOutback

Unless I’ve missed it, there is a gap in the market for propane-only generators:  these few smaller <1000kW units mentioned here, and whole-house permanent backup generators.  Nothing in between? There are of course dual fuel units or gas conversion units, but nothing propane dedicated over 1000kW before you get to the whole house segment? A dedicated propane 3500kW could pull double duty as your home backup generator and your RV boondocking generator.

JCALD

We have a Champion 3500 dual fuel.  We only run it on propane and will never put gas in it.  Works really well and has electric start.  That would be 3500 Watts, not kw.

TNOutback

@JCALD I’m in the utility industry and used to speaking kW; you are right, Watts it should be.  Now a 3.5 megawatt generator would be amazing . . . . 

AirBoss

@TNOutback
To paraphrase Sheriff Brody in "Jaws", "You're gonna need a bigger trailer."