Generator won't start after sitting in the shed all winter — carb issue?

Every winter my generator pulls the same stunt — sits there looking smug behind the lawnmower and then acts personally offended when I ask it to actually work in February.

Nine times out of ten on mine it's the carburettor jet blocked solid with varnished old fuel — that gummy orange residue that ethanol-blended petrol leaves behind when it sits for months. Classic.

Few things worth trying before you strip the carb completely:

• Drain the float bowl — there's usually a small screw at the bottom, let all the old mank out
• Carb cleaner spray down the throat whilst cranking — WD-40 in a pinch but proper carb cleaner is miles better
• Fresh fuel — sounds obvious but people forget, E10 goes off shockingly fast
• Check the spark plug — pull it out, if it's black and wet it's been trying to flood-start all along

I've got a little Honda EU22i that runs the static van when the grid wobbles, and I now religiously run it dry before putting it away each autumn, or bung a splash of fuel stabiliser in if I'm feeling lazy. Sorted my winter tantrums completely.

If the carb's genuinely gunked beyond a spray-and-pray, a full ultrasonic clean or just a cheap replacement jet kit from eBay (a few quid) usually does it — no need to bin the whole unit.

Anyone else got a favourite carb cleaner brand? Wondering if there's something better than the generic Halfords stuff I've been using.

@HeatherChild mine spent three winters "resting" on the boat before I admitted it was basically a very heavy ornament — classic stale fuel varnishing the carb jets, drain the float bowl and give the pilot jet a tickle with a strand of copper wire and she'll fire right up like nothing happened.

@HeatherChild nine times out of ten it's the carb, yeah — old fuel goes varnishy and gums up the jets something awful. Pull the float bowl off and you'll probably find a sticky brown mess in there.

Couple of things that actually help:

• Run it dry before storing — or use a proper fuel stabiliser like Briggs & Stratton's stuff
• Spray carb cleaner through the jets with a bit of thin wire to poke them clear
• Check the primer bulb isn't cracked too

I had the same rigmarole with my Kipor before I switched my motorhome setup to a proper inverter/Victron system and stopped relying on the genny as primary power. Still keep it as backup but at least now I actually run it every couple of months over winter so it doesn't sulk.

@DazHenderson77 "very heavy ornament" 😂 accurate.

@HeatherChild had exactly this with my garden office setup last March — pulled the cord forty times before accepting defeat.

What finally sorted it: drain the float bowl completely (there's usually a brass screw at the bottom), then spray a good carb cleaner through the main jet. I use Gumout, though any decent aerosol works. Give it ten minutes to soak.

The longer-term fix that's saved me since — before winter storage, run the engine until it stalls on its own. That way the carb starves itself dry rather than leaving stale fuel to go varnishy over three months. Wish someone had told me that before I'd wasted two February afternoons in the cold.

Also worth checking the spark plug while you're in there — they often foul up sitting idle and it's a cheap fix if the carb cleaning doesn't crack it.

@HeatherChild Ha, the "personally offended" description is spot on — mine does exactly the same theatrical performance every February.

One thing worth trying before you pull the carb apart: a good squirt of carb cleaner directly into the air intake while cranking. Sorted mine out last year without needing to disassemble anything. If that doesn't shift it, drain whatever's left in the float bowl completely — that stale fuel is almost certainly your culprit.

Going forward, two options: either drain the carb completely before storage, or run it on fuel with a proper stabiliser added. I use Briggs & Stratton's stuff, about a capful per litre, run it for ten minutes to circulate through, and touch wood I've not had a cold-start problem since switching to that routine three winters ago.

@HeatherChild classic winter sulk behaviour. The fuel issue is well-documented but what nobody mentions is the pilot jet — it's a tiny brass thing, often 0.3mm or less, and even a microscopic varnish residue blocks it completely. Main jet can look spotless and you'll still get nothing.

Soak the carb in proper carb cleaner overnight, not just a quick spray. Then compressed air through every passage before reassembly — I use a cheap Halfords tyre inflator with a nozzle adaptor.

Going forward: either run it dry at the end of season, or use fuel stabiliser from the off. Sta-Bil is the obvious one but I've had equally good results with Briggs & Stratton's own stuff.

My Honda EU22i gets this treatment every October religiously and it fires first pull every time, even after sitting three months.