I always reply to these threads with my winterization plan which involves carefully watching the coach as it sits in Key West - but that is not very useful information is it?
Richard did mention my name so I thought I should add something. He remembers correctly my huge concern when I would run my monthly generator exercise and pollute the roof of the coach and my toad with black carbon and have the neighbors come by to see if the coach was on fire. Apparently the previous owner ran the generator long hours under light load and in his application I can see that happening. I stupidly continued the tradition with the aforementioned results.
When I posted for help I got a lot of suggestion to load that baby up after checking all the things first ( turbo, filters, etc. ). So I turned on the airs, the dryer, the cook top and pushed her to the limit. In about two hours the exhaust was so clear I could no longer tell the generator was running.
Now I am in Richard's camp on running the engine, although I am around enough coaches to know that his advice is not followed by many. I suppose it may be one of those things that the negative results take so long to build up we might never see any bad effects. On the other hand, I hate just turning it off in November and hoping it will start in June ( I use a biocide by the way ). So, I take a little middle ground between the guys that crank her up every few weeks and the ones like Richard. My thinking is that I really don't want to find out the day I am leaving that a battery has bit the dust, a cable connection has corroded, a belt has let go, etc. So, I monthly just crank it up and shut it down. I hope with the short run I don't generate significant moisture. I just sleep better knowing it started easily and quickly and recently.
Russ
|