Dear Dave,
I have a Champion dual-fuel inverter generator (200961) that we carry in our travel trailer. Since our power demands while off-grid are only occasional and not that great, it only gets used about a dozen hours or so a season for when we need A/C, to run the microwave, or just need to top off the batteries. As I exclusively run it off our trailer’s propane supply, it has never seen gasoline. The big advantage is that I never have to carry extra gasoline or worry about it going stale.
My question is: Since we only use it occasionally, live in a low-humidity environment, only run it on propane and store it indoors during the off-season, is it necessary to change the oil seasonally as I have been, or otherwise as recommended by the manufacturer? —John, 2020 Jay Flight SLX 245RLSW
Dear John,
According to the Champion owner’s manual, they recommend changing the oil after every 50 hours of operation when using the unit in a heavy application, or high temperatures, or annually. If it is normal operation, it is recommended after every 100 hours or annually. If this recommendation is not followed, you will void the manufacturer’s warranty. According to the owner’s manual, the warranty on your generator is 3 years.
HOWEVER, I am probably the last person to give advice on changing oil or other maintenance recommendations. I had a Craftsmen lawnmower that I did not change the oil on for six years. I gave it to my nephew when we moved into a twin home that had full lawn care and snow removal. He has had it four years, and I bet the oil is the same. If you think that is bad, I’m even worse at my own maintenance as I don’t think I’ve done a sit-up or push-up since Jimmy Carter was elected!
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t recommend letting your oil change or body go to that extreme. So, let’s look at what happens when you don’t change the oil at least annually.
A good friend of mine, Doug Rosendahl, owns PetroBlend. It supplies oil, filters, DEF, and other lubricants to commercial fleets. He stated that oil has additives, and moisture in the oil can cause those to break down.
If you are not running your engine very much, it doesn’t get hot enough to burn off the condensation or moisture. Plus, oil degrades, and the longer it sits, the less viscous it will be. He recommends changing oil at least once a year, if not more. However, he does sell oil. 😉
How can you tell if your oil is still good?
I came across a great article by Popular Mechanics, How Often Should You Really Change Your Car’s Oil?, here.
The author went to my school of maintenance and ran his lawnmower more than 10 years without changing the oil. He then sent it in to have it analyzed. Blackstone Laboratories in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, will analyze oil samples for viscosity, moisture, additives, metal fragments and more. They analyzed the author’s oil and found that although the oil was dirty, it had held up with viscosity and additives, and had just a slight amount of moisture, but was still protecting the engine. WOW.
While I would not recommend pushing your generator to this extreme, you can visually inspect the oil on the dipstick to see if it looks burned or thicker than normal, or has signs of moisture. Or you can send in a sample of the oil to Blackstone Laboratories here.
The test costs $30, which is more expensive than the quart of oil and filter to change the oil.
Bottom line… I would recommend changing it once a year in the spring, as it very easy to do, takes little oil, and it’s better safe than sorry.
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Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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Safe, than sorry is the answer. You don’t want that genset to seize up when you really need it. Oil and filters are cheaper than a new genset.
I think that I’ll change the oil when I get home.
Every generator should have at least an hour a month just in the recommended exercise period. Never had a generator, either stand alone or mounted in a motorhome, that did not have a recommended monthly exercise at half load or more.
IMO, fluid and filter changes are cheap insurance. The alternatives are not so cheap.
Dave: My 7 year old Craftsman lawnmower, by design and instruction, never has oil changes. It doesn’t even have a drain plug if one wanted to change oil! Gives me the willies being OCD when it comes to maintenance, but it’s what the owners manual says!
My husband & I (I did my own auto maintenance for a couple years before I met him) both believe oil changes are cheap insurance. Better the $ for an oil change than dealing with the possible consequences of going too long without.
I would change the oil at the end of the season. Run the generator until it is hot and drain the oil, fill it with new oil and then run for a few minutes to circulate the new oil. That way you have fresh oil without any moisture or contamination while it sits there during the winter.
Thank you for the question and discussion, Dave. We use our generator quite a bit more than this and, to be safe, have it serviced annually when the engine and chassis are serviced. Have a great day and safe travels!