Lately our 3000 Watt generator “Franklin” has been having trouble powering our Airstream air-conditioning unit. It runs the A/C for a while, then overloads. Then it takes a smoke break. Then we get all hot and steamy, and not in an enjoyable way.
So we’re now using “Sea Foam” with the generator. The goal is to clean out whatever carbon & ethanol gunk might be clogging the carburetor. It 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.
Nothing but the best for our blue baby. (Click the pic for more info.)
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 own 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. Early test results have been very positive.
Now permanently affixed atop “Franklin,” our generator upon which we have decided to bestow a human name after several years of anonymous labor. (Click the pic for more info.)
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, our generator was able to power our A/C without overloading. Color me impressed.
The first test was conducted at night. The next test will be during daytime to see how our generator fares when the outside temperatures are hotter. But so far, so good. I am impressed by the performance of Sea Foam and eventually intend to test it on our Ford F250 diesel truck SEEMORE.