Preparing for the storm of the century
February 5, 2010 2:38 PM Subscribe
Snowing like crazy in Virginia and I just filled our emergency generator so it is ready in case we lose power. I overfilled it and the overflow of gas went through the paper air filter and soaked it. I washed the filter out and it is drying, but if I need to run the generator if power goes out can I run it a) without the air filter and foam thing installed or b) while the filter is still stinking of gas?
Don't run it without the filter.
I can't specifically speak to generators or the specific model you have, but I know if I get the air filter on my car wet, the engine stalls. The engine won't start until the filter has, at least partially, dried out.
If worse comes to worse, I would run it with the filter in. I would also plan on replacing my airfilter when I got a chance.
On preview: I agree that the gas won't matter. But once a filter has been washed who knows what has happened to it as they usually have a light coating of oil on them to aid in filtering the air.
posted by 517 at 2:48 PM on February 5, 2010
I can't specifically speak to generators or the specific model you have, but I know if I get the air filter on my car wet, the engine stalls. The engine won't start until the filter has, at least partially, dried out.
If worse comes to worse, I would run it with the filter in. I would also plan on replacing my airfilter when I got a chance.
On preview: I agree that the gas won't matter. But once a filter has been washed who knows what has happened to it as they usually have a light coating of oil on them to aid in filtering the air.
posted by 517 at 2:48 PM on February 5, 2010
My recommendation would be to temporarily replace it with something similar, maybe two layers of paper coffee filter.
posted by nestor_makhno at 2:48 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by nestor_makhno at 2:48 PM on February 5, 2010
I'd run it as is. It will dry out pretty quickly. It would be a good idea to fire it up for ten minutes now - then you'll you know that will run (or not?), and in case it's going to be a little balky until the filter dries, you'll have had that out of the way before you have to depend on the generator.
posted by TruncatedTiller at 2:52 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by TruncatedTiller at 2:52 PM on February 5, 2010
Best answer: Wetting your paper filter once with gas won't hurt it significantly and might even make your generator easier to start; I've sprayed gas into the filter of many a recalcitrant carb engine to get them start. Washing it with water might have damaged the filter (IE: Next time just shake it a bit to get the excess gas out and sit it out for a bit; gas will evaporate off the element way faster than water) but the worst that happens is the filter element tears when the generator is running and lets unfiltered air in exactly as if you hadn't put the filter there in the first place.
So to sum up: Install the filter when it's dry (hanging it over a heat register will help things along or use a hair dryer) and replace it as soon as you can. In fact buy two and a spare sparkplug so when the power goes out Xmas eve you are prepared.
PS: The only filters I'm aware of that have coatings of oil are reusable types like K&N. Your regular garden variety disposable paper filter doesn't.
posted by Mitheral at 3:00 PM on February 5, 2010
So to sum up: Install the filter when it's dry (hanging it over a heat register will help things along or use a hair dryer) and replace it as soon as you can. In fact buy two and a spare sparkplug so when the power goes out Xmas eve you are prepared.
PS: The only filters I'm aware of that have coatings of oil are reusable types like K&N. Your regular garden variety disposable paper filter doesn't.
posted by Mitheral at 3:00 PM on February 5, 2010
Response by poster: OK, well we're going to try and dry it as best we can with a hairdryer now. The thing did fire up and run without the filter when I tested starting it so I know it is working OK. Too late to go get a new one now, so fingers crossed we don't lose power!
posted by 543DoublePlay at 3:09 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by 543DoublePlay at 3:09 PM on February 5, 2010
Air filters are intended to filter dirt and dust. It is unlikely, with a foot or so of snow on the ground, there is going to be a lot of dirt/dust in the air.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about it too much, let it dry, put it in...replace it when you can.
posted by HuronBob at 3:28 PM on February 5, 2010
Personally, I wouldn't worry about it too much, let it dry, put it in...replace it when you can.
posted by HuronBob at 3:28 PM on February 5, 2010
Air filters are intended to filter dirt and dust.
And the reason you want to do that is because dust can contain powdered silica. If it gets into the cylinder, it can make the rings wear, and cause the engine to start burning oil.
I've seen the extreme case of that peril, in Portland Oregon in the summer of 1980 when the wind carried one of the smaller eruptions of Mt. St. Helens towards us and laid about a quarter of an inch of volcanic ash all over everything. I didn't use my car for a full month, and the police cars that were driving around had mondo air filters the size of small garbage cans mounted on their front bumpers.
As mentioned above, it's unlikely that there's going to be much dust in your air right after a snow storm, and your dust isn't going to contain anything like as much silica as ours did that month. I think you could probably run your generator over night without an air filter without any long term noticeable effect if it came to that.
It's better than freezing in the dark, even if it does damage the generator.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:16 PM on February 5, 2010
And the reason you want to do that is because dust can contain powdered silica. If it gets into the cylinder, it can make the rings wear, and cause the engine to start burning oil.
I've seen the extreme case of that peril, in Portland Oregon in the summer of 1980 when the wind carried one of the smaller eruptions of Mt. St. Helens towards us and laid about a quarter of an inch of volcanic ash all over everything. I didn't use my car for a full month, and the police cars that were driving around had mondo air filters the size of small garbage cans mounted on their front bumpers.
As mentioned above, it's unlikely that there's going to be much dust in your air right after a snow storm, and your dust isn't going to contain anything like as much silica as ours did that month. I think you could probably run your generator over night without an air filter without any long term noticeable effect if it came to that.
It's better than freezing in the dark, even if it does damage the generator.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:16 PM on February 5, 2010
And run it outdoors, not indoors, not on an enclosed porch (here enclosed = glass aka four seasons room) not in the garage. Please. PLEASE!
posted by tilde at 4:25 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by tilde at 4:25 PM on February 5, 2010
Don't even run it right outside the open garage door....
I have a house where the power goes out A LOT... my generator is always located around the corner from the open garage door.... be careful about this...
hope the power stays on for ya!
posted by HuronBob at 5:23 PM on February 5, 2010
I have a house where the power goes out A LOT... my generator is always located around the corner from the open garage door.... be careful about this...
hope the power stays on for ya!
posted by HuronBob at 5:23 PM on February 5, 2010
A lot of older snow blowers don't have air filters at all, just to reiterate the point made above that in a snow storm you probably won't hurt the generator by running without the air filter.
posted by rfs at 9:17 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by rfs at 9:17 PM on February 5, 2010
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posted by damn dirty ape at 2:46 PM on February 5, 2010