Filling a HOT gas genertor

[Byron Trantham]

I had to use my generator last night - we lost power. Ran into a situation for the first time - had to refill the tank and the sucker was hot! What I ended up doing was putting a wet towel over the engine until I refilled the tank. Everything is back to normal. I got out the owners manual and read all the safety stuff and there was no mention of filling the tank after the engine was hot. Seems like the gas fumes would ignite. Maybe not. Anyone had experience with this?

[Mike Archambeau]

No "living" person has experience with this. They all saw a flash of light then :eek: everything went black.

[Dave Johnson29]

Seems like the gas fumes would ignite.

The gas fumes are heavier than air so it could be a possibility however the ignition point of gasoline is around 500F. Providing you covered the exhaust pipe and head close to it there should be no problem. Other than the exhaust pipe and muffler, the rest of engine would not be that hot.

I use a welder's leather apron.

harborfreight.com
item number=94128

They used to sell just the aprons for around 9-bucks, you could call and see if they still have them.

[Rob Hough]

hehehe, or a REALLY long hose. ;)

[Byron Trantham]

The gas fumes are heavier than air so it could be a possibility however the ignition point of gasoline is around 500F. Providing you covered the exhaust pipe and head close to it there should be no problem. Other than the exhaust pipe and muffler, the rest of engine would not be that hot.

I use a welder's leather apron.

harborfreight.com
item number=94128

They used to sell just the aprons for around 9-bucks, you could call and see if they still have them.

Sounds like I did the right thing. Thanks for the input.

[Dave Johnson29]

Sounds like I did the right thing. Thanks for the input.

Yup, the leather apron just saves some work of wetting a towel. :) I am lazy!

If you are using a wet towel try and keep it away from the engine parts though. rapid cooling of hot aluminum and cast iron parts can crack.

[David G Baker]

Byron,
You were lucky this time. I can't imagine an emergency that would require you to fill the fuel tank on a generator while it is hot. Well maybe to operate the jaws of life in the process of saving someone's life.
Bad idea. The flash of light and the fade to black as Mike A wrote is too much of a possibility.

[Lee Schierer]

I agree with David, unless it was a life or death situation, waiting 10-20 minutes would allow the engine to cool enough that it wouldn't be dangerous to refuel it. If you want continuous operation, then you need to install two remote tanks and have a valve to switch from one to the other. You can then fill the empty remote tank safely since it is away from the hot motor. The plug in fuel connections for outboard boat motors are great for this quick fuel tank change.

[Jason Roehl]

I don't think I've ever waited to fill a hot, small engine. Lawnmowers, pressure washers, roto-tillers, chainsaws, etc. That is, unless I needed an excuse to take a break. I'm not saying you SHOULD fill a hot engine, but I think the dangers are a little over-blown. Careful pouring in an open space goes a long ways for precautions. A small amount of gas hitting a hot surface (like an engine) will tend to evaporate almost instantly without igniting. The slightest breeze will dilute the fumes below the LEL--again, provided the amount of spilled, splashed or sloshed gas is fairly small.

Running engines is a whole 'nother story, as there you have spark...

[Scott T Smith]

I don't think I've ever waited to fill a hot, small engine. Lawnmowers, pressure washers, roto-tillers, chainsaws, etc. That is, unless I needed an excuse to take a break. I'm not saying you SHOULD fill a hot engine, but I think the dangers are a little over-blown. Careful pouring in an open space goes a long ways for precautions. A small amount of gas hitting a hot surface (like an engine) will tend to evaporate almost instantly without igniting. The slightest breeze will dilute the fumes below the LEL--again, provided the amount of spilled, splashed or sloshed gas is fairly small.

Running engines is a whole 'nother story, as there you have spark...

+1. Generators are refilled hot all of the time on construction job sites; ie it is a daily occurance. The wet towel or leather apron is not a bad idea though.

[tyler mckee]

I've refilled small engines hundreds of times immediately after shutting down and i'm still here. I think as long as you keep from trying to fill the muffler you should be safe.

[Joe Pelonio]

My generator has a 5 gallon tank and during a long outage may need refilling
while hot. I am very careful though I have spilled on a hot mower without any
problem, I think the generator problem is more with spilling into the electric part. I have a long spout on the 5 gallon can and still use a large funnel.

[Larry Frank]

I think that a lot of people have been very lucky. On a warm day with little wind, doing something like that could get you nominated for a Darwin Award.

I am often tempted but have a relative who did it and has skin grafts to show for it.

It is one of those things that you might get away with hundreds of times but the downside risk is very great. Do you feel lucky today?

[AL Ursich]

I think a Y Hose Fitting and 2 Valves to attach a 2nd tank to extend the life of the fuel supply would be my first choice....

AL

[curtis rosche]

you could always do what we did. we got a permanent generator that is hooked to a 1000lbs propane tanks,,, supposedly will last for 3-4 days of constant run time.

[Brian Elfert]

Most people I know (myself included) fill their small engines without waiting 10 or 20 minutes. They want to keep on working without taking a fairly long break.

Do you think commercial mowing companies wait 10 to 20 minutes before refilling gas tanks?

I worked with a guy years ago that smoked all the time while gassing up lawn mowers. I've been told over the years that cigarettes don't burn hot enough to ignite gas, but it is still a really stupid thing to do.

[Matt Meiser]

My generator has a removable tank--shut off a valve, pop a quick-connect fitting, take out 2 mounting studs and loosen 2 others and you can carry it a bit away for refilling.

[Bill Cunningham]

Reminds me of the old joke.
How do you make a Cat go Woof!:D