What to keep on the spare-parts wall

The failure owners report over and over is the carburetor. Ethanol gasoline left in the float bowl turns to varnish and blocks the main jet, which is why Honda's own storage instructions say to drain the fuel system before putting the generator away. Drain the bowl with the drain screw before storage, run the carb dry, and keep a spare carburetor (16100-ZDJ-D01) on the shelf so the fix is a swap, not a rebuild.

NGK CR5HSB, gapped to 0.024 to 0.028 inches. Honda's schedule is check and adjust every 100 hours, replace every 200 hours or once a year.

About 14 ounces of 10W-30. There is no drain plug; you tip the unit to drain it. Change after the first 20 hours, then every 100 hours or six months.

Torch F6RTC from the factory, with NGK BPR6ES as the usual replacement, gapped 0.028 to 0.031 inches. Champion's service bulletin suggests a colder BPR7ES or BPR8ES if you run hard in hot weather.

Champion's manuals say replace the LPG hose and regulator every three years and check it for leaks with soapy water every time you run on propane.

Not that I can find. Their kits (100372, 100373, 100817) are for home-standby units. For a portable, keep two plugs, two foam elements, a quart or two of 10W-30, a fuel filter, and a spare LPG hose.

A 3/8 inch mini (low-profile) pitch, .050 inch gauge chain with 56 drive links. Husqvarna's part is X-Cut S93G-56 (585 42 21-56); Oregon 91PX056G is the same spec.

NGK BPMR7A, gapped to 0.5 mm (0.020 inch). Husqvarna's part number is 503 23 51-11.

Two minimum. Swap a dull chain in the woods and file the spares at the bench. Add a spare bar, because a pinched or burned bar will stop you just as cold.

Chainsaws and most 2-cycle engines use #4 (1/8 inch, 3 mm). Most 4-cycle push mowers and portable generators use #4.5 (9/64 inch). Larger 4-cycle engines use #5. Check your engine before cutting; a rope that is too fat will not fit the pulley.

Yes, for anything that sits. Ethanol absorbs water and goes stale in about a month; canned ethanol-free fuel keeps for years and starts first pull. Use pure-gas.org to find a pump near you, and keep a few cans of TruFuel for emergencies.

Victron's manual calls for a minimum 55 A and maximum 70 A fuse in the battery supply lead. A 60 A MRBF terminal fuse (Blue Sea 5178 on a 5191 block) is the usual choice and is rated for 12, 24, and 48 V banks.

With a single series string, no; the fuse protects the cable and there is nothing to back-feed. With three or more parallel strings, fuse each string at the panel's maximum series fuse rating, typically 15 A.

Renogy's rule is parallel short-circuit current times 1.25, never above the panel's maximum series fuse rating of 15 A. Two 100 W panels in parallel (about 10 A) get a 15 A fuse. A single series string needs no string fuse.

Not as the main fuse. ANL fuses have a low interrupt rating and may not clear a LiFePO4 dead short. Use a Class T fuse within 7 inches of the bank; ANL is fine downstream on 12 V inverter and load feeds.

A Class T fuse on the main positive conductor within 7 inches of the bank, sized at about 1.25 times the inverter's continuous input current. Class T (Littelfuse JLLN or Blue Sea 5119 to 5121) has the interrupt rating to clear a lithium dead short; ANL does not.

The BMS blocks charging below about 25 °F to protect the cells. It is not broken. Warm the battery, or use a heated model, and the charge current will be accepted again.

SEAFLO's SF-APS-45 adjustable switch is listed for the 33-series and most of the 21, 22, 41, and 43 series. It is a ten-dollar part and it is the piece that fails first.

Yes. The 94-800-04 pump head kit replaces everything but the motor, and the switch (94-800-05), valve assembly (94-800-01), and drive (94-800-02) are sold separately. Do not order the 94-231 or 94-232 kits; those are for the older 2088.

Each element is rated for 3,000 gallons, so a pair handles about 6,000 gallons. Scrub the outside with a Scotch-Brite pad when flow slows; replace when scrubbing no longer restores it or the gallon count is reached. PF-2 fluoride elements are separate and go at 1,000 gallons or one year.

Yes, and you cannot see it. Water inside the hollow fibers expands and cracks the membrane, and the filter still passes water. Sleep with it in winter and keep a spare if the first one has ever frozen.

Measure the inside of the flue and match it exactly; a 6-inch flue takes a 6-inch brush (Rutland 16406). Use wire for masonry and a poly brush for a stainless liner, and match the shape: round brushes for round flues, square for square.

When the dollar-bill test fails: close the door on a bill and if it slides out without resistance the rope is done. For a stove that heats a home all winter that is usually every one to three seasons.

Manufacturers rate a two-stage regulator for about 25 years; a conservative replacement budget is 15 to 20, or sooner if burner flames go yellow and weak, the regulator frosts, or the vent gets water in it. Keep a spare two-stage regulator and two pigtails on the shelf; together they cover nearly every supply-side failure.

Twelve years from the manufacture date stamped on the collar, then every five years after a visual requalification (the requalifier stamps a new date with an E). Exchange cages will not take an expired cylinder.

Check three things in order: the fan (is it spinning, is the fuse good), the base-to-bowl seal, and the liquids bottle seal. A stopped fan is the usual answer; the high-CFM replacement fan assembly is the current factory part.

A 12 V fuse between 2 and 5 amps in an inline holder on the fan lead. Nature's Head sells both (NH-Fuse and NH-FusHous). No fuse is needed if you run it on the wall transformer.