An observation about choosing a generator

One thing you DO want to make absolutely certain of when you're running ANY generator for long enough periods where it just becomes 'background noise' is to be sure you're running one with a low-oil shutdown feature.

What this is, is a sensor in the crankcase (the part of the engine where the oil resides) that will shut down the engine if the oil level falls below a certain point.

ALL engines sip a little oil as they run. Think about it, if it's coating the cylinder walls to make the piston slide without eating the engine, that means there's a little bit of oil in there each time the spark fires, burning off a wee bit of oil each time. With an engine running at 3600 RPM, those little bitses add up before too long. Gotta make it up somehow, and that somehow is to add a few ounces ever so often, and to know when to do that you must check the oil level daily. I check this one every time I start it.

Speaking of oil, it's time to change it, too. Running it 4-6 hours a day for 7 days now, that's 28-42 hours, and 50 hours is about max on a small engine for an oil change interval. Simple choice if you do the math: 20 oz of oil a week, or new generator after a few months? Sounds like a no-brainer to me!