I have a recurring quarterly reminder on a Saturday in MS Outlook to exercise my genset. I start it up, hook up a space heater to give it a little load, run it for about 15-20 minutes to make sure it’s fully up to temperature, then close the fuel petcock to empty the carburetor and kill it.
I have an annual reminder to change the oil after one of these sessions.
I have a plan to connect a Delco diesel 105 amp alternator to my snowblower to double as a 12 volt charger for my survival trailer, its an old 21’ Prowler I bought for $500.
It houses my emergency foods, kerosene heater, propane lanterns, water, cooking tools and cold weather gear.
Now I do have a 12kw Onana diesel genset, it was found a bit dented along the Alaska Highway, I repaired it and it works flawlessly, it uses a bit less than one gallon per hour.
Here is a good website about gensets.
http://www.smokstak.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=42287358738d91939fd66f595acaa711&f=6
Good plan. I have 2 generators, and usually give them the same routine sometime during the summer when I’m not prone to use them. Standard small engine stuff, check the oil, get it up to operating temps, put a small load on it, hit it with a touch of carb cleaner...
Same deal with my chain saws, whether I am using them or not.
A lot of folks thought I was nuts to retire in Hawaii with the cost of living, but I never need heat or cooling. Living without electricity is not so hard if the climate permits it. My gen can run the refridge and microwave same time until gas runs out, should be good enough.
I was cranking all of my gas powered stuff over the weekend and going through the paces on each for a short time and when my generator finally cranked and run and sputtered to a stop, I learned a lesson for future use, keep extra spark plugs on hand. It was no problem then, but after a hurricane with no store open, it would be major. Also, keeping plenty of the proper oil on hand is a good move too.