How to Start and Set Up Your Petrol Generator

On this page, we will give a comprehensive guide on how to prepare, start, operate and then stop your generator.
This is a great guide for all people with different levels of experience, whether you're a seasoned generator owner of many years looking to brush up on your skills with our great tips, or whether this is your first generator and you're a bit nervous of what to do.

Preparing your generator
The first step to the successful running of your generator for a hassle free experience is preparation.
These steps are easy for all levels of experience, and enables you as a user of a generator to get into a good routine of operating generators, for years to come.

Inserting Oil

In order for your generator to run well, it needs to take oil inside the engine.This ensures the moving parts inside can move, and in turn generate power for you to use. Following will be some handy photos of how to put oil in your generator.

Remember to only use four stroke clean, unmixed engine oil!

Don't fill your generator engine up with oil whilst laid on its side. It won't like it. Fill the generator in an upright position.

On the underside of your generator engine, there is an oil plug. Carefully unscrew this. After you have unscrewed the plug, grab yourself a suitable funnel to put oil into your engine.

Gently fill your generator engine with four stroke 10w30 engine oil. Make sure the oil is clean. Your generator should take about 600ml in four stroke engine 10w/30 oil. If you've made a mess with the oil, don't worry, get an old rag and mop it up.

Once your generator engine is all topped up with oil, screw back in the oil plug. That now completes the filling of your generator engine with oil. The next step is filling with fuel.

Inserting Fuel

The lifeblood of your generator is its fuel. Here is a very easy guide on how to put fuel in correctly and safely, and also with the correct fuel.

Never use 'mixed' fuel. Mixed fuel can damage your generator and anything that's plugged into it. Your generator only likes clean, unmixed, unleaded petrol fuel. Don't use old fuel.

Never smoke and/or have naked flames whilst handling/near fuels. Fuel vapor/liquid is flammable.

Carefully unscrew the fuel tank cap. The fuel tank is located on top of your generator. Using a different funnel, place it in the fuel tank hole, and gently pour in fuel till about 3/4 full.

Carefully replace the fuel tank cap, on top of the fuel tank, and hand tighten. A handy window can be located on top of the fuel tank itself. You can use this to check fuel levels.

Starting the generator

This next step may seem a little daunting to the complete beginner of petrol generators, but fear not, it's actually quite easy, and once you have used this part of the guide, it should be second nature.

Always switch on tools/appliances first that you think will draw the biggest load first.

Always ensure the correct voltage is selected on the voltage selector.

Turn the circuit breaker to the ‘off’ position. This is located next to your outlets, and is marked.

Turn the fuel tap downwards, this means the fuel supply is ‘on’. The fuel tap is marked.

Turn the choke to the ‘left’ position. Your engine on the generator will warm up OK.

Switch the engine switch to the ‘on’ position. This allows your generator to come to life.

Feeling strong? Grab the pull start toggle in your hand, and pull!

Once your generator engine starts, move choke lever to half choke, then to the middle position.

If you have an electric start generator, repeat previous steps and turn key to 'start'

Once your generator engine starts, move choke lever to half choke, then to the middle position.

Stopping your generator

After you have used your generator, and are probably settling down for bedtime, it's important to do a correct process of shutting down your generator. Here are some handy steps to do just that.