Last year our 3000W Yamaha generator was struggling to power our RV’s A/C unit. It would run the A/C for a while, then overload. Then we got all hot and steamy, and not in an enjoyable way.
So we’re now using “Sea Foam” (http://goo.gl/Q1gO9Y) with the generator. The goal is to clean out whatever carbon & ethanol gunk might have been clogging the carburetor. So far, the Sea Foam seems to be working.
This begs the question: what the hell is Sea Foam?
Sea Foam has been been around since 1942. Many people swear by it. It’s a 100% pure petroleum product for use in all gasoline and diesel engines, including 2 and 4-cycle jobs like lawnmowers and generators and motorcycles. Like many fuel additives, it’s easy to use. It’s like wine: you just pour it in.
Click the pic for more info on SEA FOAM.
Sea Foam claims to clean dirty engine parts internally by removing harmful gums and carbon build-up.
It also removes moisture from oil crankcases and fuel tanks, stabilizing and conditioning fuel to prevent it becoming stale.
Many people use Sea Foam for engine storage.
Sound familiar? Yes, these benefits are similar to those offered by Sta-bil, which we add to our equipment before putting it in storage. However, these products are similar but different. The focus of Sea Foam is upon the cleaning benefits, whereas Sta-bil is more about stabilizing the fuel. I think it makes sense to use both.
I’m particularly interested in cleaning our generator, which may be subject to bits of ethanol residue from its time in storage, not to mention carbon in the carb. Our test results have been very positive.
Our generator loves Sea Foam. (Click the pic for more info.)
Now permanently affixed atop “Franklin,” our generator upon which we have decided to bestow a human name after several years of anonymous labor.
We added two ounces of Sea Foam into our generator fuel tank and turned on our Airstream’s A/C.
At first, the generator had the same trouble running the A/C as it had previously. It would work for a while and then veer into overload. Curiously, some black smoke was being kicked out the exhaust pipe.
However, about half an hour after the Sea Foam treatment, the generator began running noticeably better! As the Sea Foam dispersed throughout the fuel, it seemed to take effect.
In fact, after a while our generator was able to power our A/C without overloading. Color me impressed.
I have also put Sea Foam in our diesel truck SEEMORE (a 2007 Ford F250). Here the results were less noticeable. But to be fair, our truck is having a few problems with sticky injectors. I think we will need to replace the injectors before we can give Sea Foam a proper analysis with regard to our truck.
Overall, I am impressed with Sea Foam and will continue to keep a can of it handy — especially for our small engines.