As we enter hurricane season here in SW Florida, I am going to present a hypothetical situation that I must find the answer to.

I have an 11 hp gasoline generator (5200watt) that I have used before during power failures. I also have a boat that holds 52 gallons of fuel. However, the boat's fuel is actually a 1:50 ratio of 2 stroke oil to fuel, commonly called "premix".

IF push came to shove, can I use premix in the generator? Specifically:
1) Would the gen run properly?
2) Would there be long term damage as a result of running premix?
3) What would the damage in #2 be (if applicable)?

Thanks all!

 

running 2 % mix ( 50 to 1 ratio ) on the 4 stroke gen engine would probably be ok for a short period of time, most likely it will cause engine to smoke a lot, will maybe foul the spark plug and likely will cause some carbon build up on carb and piston.

 

Yes, in a pinch you can run your pre-mix. I doubt that you would notice any difference in performance although you may get a little more carbon deposits in the combustion chamber of your generator engine, of course that depends upon the type of oil you are using for your pre-mix.

I have several commercial customers that run 50:1 in all their engines to prevent a mix up, and have never had any problems to speak of in their 4 cycle engines. I would recommend a synthetic or vegetable/mineral based 2 cycle oil as they tend to run a lot cleaner then traditional fossil oils.

 

I agree with 30Year, inthat in a PINCH it would be OK. It seems to me, though, that you are an otherwise well prepared individual and that you will and should have ten gallons of year-round-stabilized fuel (common 87 octane pump fuel) at the ready (not including the full tank of stabilized fuel in the generator) where you should not have to rely on the premix fuel. But by all means, if needed, go ahead. Be sure to cycle your gasoline stockpile no more than 12 months at a run. In other words, if the stabilized fuel you have as emergency fuel is getting near a year old you need to use this fuel in your automobile(s) and get a fresh batch and stabilize accordingly for another year of stand-by. And, to be sure your generator will perform well in time of need, you need to run the engine once monthly for 15 minutes at half throttle.

 

OK thank you gentlemen. I see now that I can use premix it if need be.

The way this whole thing works here at my home in SW FL is that when a hurricane looks like it is going to come near, I fill 8 fuel tanks amounting to 39 gallons and keep it on hand. If power goes out and goes out long enough, I would expect 39 gallons to last (at roughly .5gph) about 78 hours (just over 3 days). If I couldn't fill up again by the time I run out of the 39g, then I know I can start tapping into the boat's premix.