A portable generator is one of the most universally useful bits of gear you can have on hand. Whether it’s to use when you’re camping, keeping your AGM batteries topped up and your camping fridge running nice and cold, or you use your 2kva generator on the jobsite, or even if you use it to get the power back on at home when there’s a blackout, there are so many ways that a portable generator makes life better and easier. However, just like any good tool, you need to give your 2kva generator or your 3kva generator a bit of love to ensure that it works when you need it to. At its core, the four-stroke motor inside the Adventure Kings Generators is a typical motor – it needs good quality fuel, spark and servicing to run. Here’s how to do some easy, regular maintenance to your portable generator so it’ll easily fire to life anytime you need it to.

1. RUN YOUR PORTABLE GENERATOR OFTEN – AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH!

First things first, let’s start with the absolute EASIEST thing you can do to keep your camping generator running well – and that’s to start it up and run it nice and hard, at least once a month! If you aren’t using your generator regularly, then pull it out every 4 weeks, dust it off and get it started. Plug in something that’ll draw at least half of the generator’s rated continuous power supply for at least 15 minutes – a small oil column heater is a perfect example. That will cause the generator ensure it runs at full RPMs, gets everything warm and lubed up, and most importantly keeps the fuel running through it and the ignition system fresh. After 15 minutes of run-time, turn the portable generator off and give it time to cool down – that’s the first step in the servicing and maintenance process.

2. SERVICE THE AIR FILTER AT THE SAME TIME

Once your 2kva generator has cooled down, now let’s do a little bit more servicing. Remove the cover off the air filter housing, typically by removing a number of 10mm-headed bolts off the side of the motor, or undoing a couple of plastic clips (depending on your model of 240v generator), and remove the air filter. As its name suggests its job is to filter the air that the generator breathes in during operation, removing dust, debris, insects and the like from entering the air intake. Be gentle with the air filter element – remove it carefully, ensuring that you don’t tear the element or drop dirt down the air intake. Give it a clean with a clean cloth or a soft bristled hand broom and ensure that it has no large debris blocking it, then give it a tap with your hand to remove any dust. If it’s really dirt then you can clean it with specific air filter cleaning fluid available at any motorbike or lawn mower shop, wait for it to completely dry and refit back into your generator. Unlike a motorbike, do not oil the air filter element with filter oil – unless you expect it to be working in an extremely dust environment like out on a farm.

3. CLEAN & INSPECT THE SPARK PLUG

The next step is to remove the spark plug boot from the top of your Kings 2000w generator or Kings 3000w generator, and using a spark plug tool remove the spark plug out of the cylinder head. A dirty or incorrectly gapped spark plug is one of the most common reasons behind a poor running portable camping generator, so inspect the head of the spark plug. If it is dirty and carboned up, then take some 1200 grit or lighter sand paper and give the electrodes a light sanding until they are nice and shiny again. Finish with a spray of carby cleaner or similar to remove any physical particles or reside from the spark plug and refit it back into the camping generator.

4. USE FUEL STABILISER WHEN YOU AREN’T USING YOUR PORTABLE GENERATOR REGULARLY

The other leading cause of a poor running portable generator is stale fuel, which is a result of modern fuel going off really quickly. In fact if you leave fuel to sit for even just a couple of months it is likely to go stale – and will look and smell like varnish in your fuel tank. Even worse, it’s almost guaranteed to gum up your fuel system in your generator, leading to a portable generator that’s hard to start, sluggish, lacking in power and prone to stalling. The solution here is to use a fuel stabiliser additive anytime you’re not going to use your generator regularly and expect the fuel to sit in the tank for a while. They’re simple to use – just buy a bottle from the service station or the car parts store and add it to the fuel tank at the prescribed dosage. And remember never ever to use ethanol-blend unleaded fuels in your Kings Portable Camping Generator – they’re not rated to use this fuel, which is prone to going stale even quicker than regular fuel.

5. KEEP YOUR PORTABLE GENERATOR PHYSICALLY CLEAN & STORED IN A GENERATOR COVER

Finally, the simplest way to keep your generator in top condition is to always keep it stored in a proper generator cover. This will physically protect your generator from getting dirty or wet, and also helps guard against mice, rats etc getting into your generator and causing havoc. Give your generator a good clean all over with a fine-bristled hand broom and then store it back in your generator cover before you put it away, and you’ll know it’s in good condition for next time you need it!