Reply To: reluctance of generator to charge upon spring startup

[Robert Coates]

It may be worth spraying it with a bit of electronic contact cleaner before you start it in the Spring. Before you put it away in the fall, you may want to do the same thing, and then cover the access or cooling slots in the generator with a plastic bag or something that will keep the dust away from the commutator and brushes. That would help keep the dust out of the generator during its winter hibernation…

I worked in a TV repair shop in the 70’s, and we spent a LOT of time and contact cleaner spray cleaning the contacts on the rotary tuners in TV’s of the era. Commutators are no different, they just collect more grease and dust.