How to Maintain Your RV Generator

Just like with every part of your car, every part of your RV serves a purpose. The purpose can be the driving force that allows your car to run (the engine), or the purpose can be simply to provide you with something to entertain while you are stuck in the rush hour traffic (the radio). Because there are no vestigial parts to your RV, every single item is going to require a certain amount of maintenance, care and attention. Some of these parts will only require such care on the off chance that they break, and even then it’s far from the end of the world (I’m talking to you backseat cup holder). The electric generator for your RV is not one of these parts. The RV generator is one of the most important facets of an RV, as every owner should know. It provides your RV with the electricity it needs with the simple push of a button. Thankfully, as vital as it is to operating your vehicle, the amount of maintenance it demands is actually fairly minimal proportionally. One thing RV owners need to keep in mind is that these generators do need to be used, even when the RV is not. Every spring, a plethora of RV owners come flooding the service departments of dealerships complaining about generators not starting or running a surging sound. The answer to these complaints is very simple: Run your generator. Generators are not built to sit idle for long periods of time. In a gasoline generator, the fuel will break down and gum up, which will inevitably cause hard starting problems and issues with surging. This is due to the buildup of moisture in your generator. To prevent this, it’s best for owner to turn on the generator once a month. Apply a 50% load to your generator during this exercise process. If your generator runs at, say 4,000 watts, find something of yours that runs at 2,000 watts and place it on top of the generator. Generators were designed to have loads placed on top of them. This is not meant to be time consuming fortunately. You only need to run your generator for approximately two hours. There’s no need to watch it in action either, it does not require your supervision. Finish your other house chores while it’s running. Or maybe while your generator is exercising, you can get in a little exercise as well. This is the standard process for exercising an RV generator, but some models may vary slightly. Always refer to your owner’s manual. Always be safe in handling your generator as well. Keep in mind that these generators do emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. Do not operate a generator if you believe your exhaust system is in any way damaged. All in all, the generator on your RV does not need constant care and attention in order to stay healthy. Two hours of your time every month is roughly all the exercise it needs. If only that applied to us humans as well. Here is a useful resource for more information about travel and RV dealers.