As y'all might know I'm in the Ida affected area and will be without electricity for an estimated 11 more days. Last spring I bought the generator in the title and wired my house to safely hook it into the panel. With significant structural damage that I'm thinking caused the significant electrical damage to over half of the house I am just running on 12 Guage extension cords for a window unit AC, my fridge and some lights and fans.

The issue I'm running into is that the generator will run for several hours and then shut off as if it's out of feul. But when I feul it up it takes less than a 5 gallon can when it has an 8.3 gallon tank.

Any idea why this is happening and what to do about it?

How’s the oil level?

Beyond that, I’d call them at 1-844-387-6629.

Crap floating in gas tank periodically blocking fuel line?

Thanks for the replies y'all.

Oil level is good and in fact I just changed it.

I would think that a blockage in the feul system would mean that it wouldn't start until the blockage was cleared, but it'll start right back up. Of course, I could be wrong so I'll check it out.

quote:

wouldn't start until the blockage was cleared

If it floats it can get sucked against the inlet and then float off after the engine dies.

Hmmm... I'll have to have a look. If it persist or gets worse I'll flush the tank.

Looking at the manual, there’s a filter cup thing on the bottom of the shutoff valve. Wouldn’t hurt to take a look at it.

The wiring diagram shows a fuel solenoid, which I’m not sure what it does. I didn’t see a temperature sensor in the wiring diagram or anything else besides the oil level sensor that looked to me like it would shut the engine down to protect it.

How is the tank vented? As the fuel level drops, I believe there has to be some mechanism to allow air into the tank or a vacuum could be created such that the gas will stop flowing. Some tank caps have vents built in. Maybe leave the cap loose and see if it runs longer.

I assume your generator is runny no from outside and not in a closed area? Don’t know about this model but I thought some have a carbon monoxide shutoff if the levels get to high.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
How is the tank vented? As the fuel level drops, I believe there has to be some mechanism to allow air into the tank or a vacuum could be created such that the gas will stop flowing. Some tank caps have vents built in. Maybe leave the cap loose and see if it runs longer.

This is the first thing that comes to mind. Loosen that gas cap. EPA regs have really screwed up small power equipment gas caps/fuel tanks.

Is the gravity fed fuel tank pickup staged so it is sitting slightly downhill ? does it restart without adding gas? If no than does it start with starting fluid?

Thanks y'all for the replies. THIS is why I turn to the good folks of SIGForum before any other.

So... after it got dark last night this thing wouldn't run for more than a few minutes before sputtering like it's out of feul and shutting down. I broke out the manual and cleaned the filter bowl as has been mentioned. No joy. I couldn't see anything floating in the feul tank but it was pretty clear that it was starving for feul because I noticed it cut out whenever a new startup load was put on it. So I drained the tank and put only the feul that I had sourced into it. It ran all night and when it cut out at dawn the tank was empty. It did seem to have a problem with the cap as it had so much suction that the tank was collapsed a bit. I'm guessing until I get a new cap I should loosen it when I can.

Anyway, thank you all so much.

Change the oil every 4 days running. They need an oil change every 100 hours. SAE30, SAE40, 15W40 are ideal (for non stop running in the south in the summer). Synthetic 10W30 can be ideal if its rated ACEA A3 on the back (most are not). Do not use conventional 5W30 or conventional 10W30.

Most of these have a low oil shutoff switch, which can be unplugged to see if that's the culprit. Just make sure the oil is topped off before trying to unplug these sensors. I have owned many engines that these sensors have gone bad on. I just unplug them and make sure to maintain the oil level.

Bad fuel with water in the fuel could be a culprit. With the hurricane and rain, and shortage, many gas stations are selling bottom of the tank swill, which is much more likely to be contaminated than in normal times when the in ground gas tanks are full and operating normally.

And honestly, with a 12 gauge extension cord you are only using 1500-1800 watts, which means you are using MASSIVE amounts of fuel and way under-utilizing the capacity of that generator. I believe I saw that FEMA will buy you or reimburse you for a generator up to $850. If that is the case, try to source a 2000-3000 watt inverter generator for your use. It will literally pay for itself while sipping fuel compared to the gas hog you now have.

Edit- if the tank is getting sucked in, then you have a venting issue for sure. See if you can unplug the fuel cap.

Thanks bubba.

quote:

Originally posted by parallel:
Thanks y'all for the replies. THIS is why I turn to the good folks of SIGForum before any other.

So... after it got dark last night this thing wouldn't run for more than a few minutes before sputtering like it's out of feul and shutting down. I broke out the manual and cleaned the filter bowl as has been mentioned. No joy. I couldn't see anything floating in the feul tank but it was pretty clear that it was starving for feul because I noticed it cut out whenever a new startup load was put on it. So I drained the tank and put only the feul that I had sourced into it. It ran all night and when it cut out at dawn the tank was empty. It did seem to have a problem with the cap as it had so much suction that the tank was collapsed a bit. I'm guessing until I get a new cap I should loosen it when I can.

Anyway, thank you all so much.

Yes, leave the cap a bit loose, or just drill a tiny hole in the cap.....1/8" would work. Obviously make sure the cap is far away from any gasoline when you drill it.

So the generator cut out again in the night and when I went out to check it the tank was collapsed a bit again and there was still fuel in the tank. I did as suggested and ran it with the cap loose all day and it was bone dry when it cut out this evening. I guess that will be the default operating procedure until I can get a new cap. Thanks y'all so much for the help.

There is (probably) a vent in your fuel cap that is now not working for some reason. Look at the cap, figure out the venting system... maybe drill the smallest hole possible in the vent system.

Also, the top of the tank probably has a hose coming out of it that goes to an emissions charcoal canister type thing for the EPA. Maybe THAT is the venting portion of the fuel system, and maybe that is the clogged portion. See about disconnecting the canister while its running (fuel cap tight) and see if its still runs. Id probably just disconnect that part of the system if thats the venting portion of the tank and fixes the problem....

Im sure DuroMax has seen this problem before. A quick call to them might tell you how to fix the issue.

Bubba, you are correct. Looking at the pictures for his generator on its manufacturer’s website, it definitely has that setup. Here’s a link to a video from a different manufacturer that explains how it works: Link

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:

I believe I saw that FEMA will buy you or reimburse you for a generator up to $850

I’ve yet to hear of anyone figuring out how to get this. Steve Scalise made mention of it publicly but FEMA has absolutely no idea about it

As soon as it was mentioned there was a buying frenzy every where that had generators and chainsaws (up to $250) in stock

So I've been running the generator with the fuel cap loose and it runs beautifully and doesn't shut off until it runs out of gas.

My power was restored just in time to lose it again during the outer band squalls from Hurricane Nicholas. I'm very impressed with the job these lineman have done. In fact as I was typing this I was thinking I was going to need to go drag the generator out of the garage when the power came back on.

Man... my hat's off to these folks working in these conditions to exhaustion. A lineman in the next Parish over took a nasty fall just today. I don't know the extent of his injuries but it seemed pretty serious. It chaps my ass when I hear folks bitching about how long it's taking for them to get power back. Knowing only the partial scope of what those linemen faced and are still facing I'm so very impressed with how quickly they've gotten power up for so many. When I heard the initial estimate of the end of September before we would have power it sounded pretty reasonable to me. The fact that we got power already speaks volumes to the hard work and perseverance of these professionals. Bravo Zulu!

I hope repairs and cleanup are moving forward for you. Nobody wants to be messing with their generator on top off everything else, but running with the cap loose was a diagnostic step and not a permanent solution.

In the pictures for your generator on the manufacturer’s website, there is a vent valve on top of the tank. There is a hose running from the valve that should go to a canister. There should be another hose going from that canister to the carburetor. Checking the hoses for obstructions would be easy enough, but I suspect the vent valve on the top of the tank is your issue. It’s supposed to let pressurized vapors out while keeping liquid fuel in. It should also allow air into the tank as the gas gets used when the generator is running.

Assuming it’s under warranty, I’d call the manufacturer and see what they are going to do. I would think they would send you a new valve.