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I have worked with my uncle for more than seven years and one thing people complain about the most is that their generator runs out of gas and in the end after putting in another gas, it won’t start.
Then, I mostly advise people never to run their generator gas out except when traveling, and even if they’re traveling they should only remove the gas from the carburetor, and also turn the gas from the tank to a gallon.
Turning the gas from the tank to a gallon would prevent the tank from rusting or stalling. Another thing you can do is put a fuel stabilizer in the tank to prevent it from rusting or stalling.
But normally when you use a generator and it runs out of gas it’s really bad because it can damage the carburetor, making it not work properly again, and even might cost your generator to take in more gas than before.
But you don’t have to worry much about that because in this article I’m going to show you the ways you can get your generator to start working back even after you run out of gas and I won’t even stop there, I will also show you why is it important never to let your generator run out of gas.
What Happens When a Generator Runs Out Of Gas?
First of all, you shouldn’t let your generator run out of gas, and if eventually, it runs out of gas, a lot of things are going to happen.
Firstly if you’re using a gasoline generator that is using a carburetor, the carburetor will draw in dirt from the tank into its floating chamber, causing blockage and not allowing the gas to move in properly which as a result makes the generator not start.
But for diesel generators, that’s a whole different case because they aren’t using carburetors but injectors, which require a constant supply of gas with no interruption.
And if you’d let your gas finish in your diesel generator, I would prefer you call in a professional instead of doing it yourself. But for gasoline generators with a carburetor, that’s an easy thing to do yourself. In short at times, even if you add more gas to the generator, it will start.
What to Do When Your Generator Won’t Start After Running Out of Gas?
In my last paragraph, I said even at times if you did add more gas to your generator it is going to start but not in all cases that is why you’re here you’re reading this article because I know you must have had more gas to your generator which in return is not starting.
However, here are some things you can do to make your generator start.
Already I told you that I won’t recommend you work on your diesel generator yourself because you might end up with another problem with the generator.
Instead, you can call a professional to help you. But for gasoline generators with a carburetor, I’m going to share some ideas and things you can do to make your generator run.
Firstly, I believe your generator gas is finished then you might need to buy another gas and fill the tank. After you fill the tank, you turn on the fuel gauge and remove the pipe from the gauge to make sure that the gas is coming out normally.
If the gas is not coming out I’m supposed to not worry it’s blocked, you need to lose it and clean it up. You can do so by using some wench tools.
However, when it is coming out fully I supposed you fixed back the pipe and loose under the calculator. You will find a nut underneath the calculator.
If you lose it, check if there’s dirt between the carburetor gauge, which is the cover you lose underneath the carburetor. If there’s nothing like dirt you clean it with the gas you bought and cover it back.
After that, remove the air filter, and dust it out. You can also wash it with the gas you bought. After it’s dried, cover it back to where you removed it.
Furthermore, you also check your spark plug if it’s sparking out. If it isn’t anymore, you change the spark plug and fix a new one. But if the new one is still not working, then there must be an issue with the starting coil. And for that, you have to call a professional.
After you have done all I’ve said in this part of the article, you tighten all things you lose and replace them. Turn on your generator ignition switch and try to start the generator again.
If it fails to start, wait for some seconds, maybe the gas is still propagating, but if it does, run it for a while and off it back, before you intend to use it to power any appliances.
Next Time Don’t Let Your Generator Gas Runs Out
Maybe it’s a mistake you allowed your generator to run out of gas, but next time you shouldn’t allow it to run out because constantly running out of gas will cost the carburetor an everlasting issue which means you have to change it and buy a new one.
And at times new carburetors usually have issues and are not like the ones that came with the generator.
So I will advise you not to continue allowing your generator to run out of fuel but what can you do to stop such an issue?
Here are some of my tips:
- Always check if there’s gas in your generator before running it. if there isn’t you can add more.
- Know the amount of gas you need before running the generator.
- Don’t guess that a little gas in your generator will be enough.
I hope you enjoyed my tips and guides on how to start a generator after running out of gas.
However, if you still intend to read more articles like this about generators, check out some of our top articles below.
