A first-time owner experienced a startup problem with their gas generator, which would turn on with the pull cord, but not with the start button or key fob.
They turned to Reddit for help with troubleshooting.
Here's what to know
The r/Generator post showed the owner trying to start the machine for the first time. They said a back injury had limited what they could do physically, making a generator that only starts by hand a poor outcome for someone relying on an electric-start model for convenience. In follow-up comments, they clarified that it was connected to natural gas and that it would run once they got it going with the pull cord.
(If the video does not appear, click here.)
Early replies focused on whether fuel was reaching the engine yet.
One user said, "When you hook up the gas line it's full of air. Air no go boom inside cylinder. When gas eventually makes it into cylinder, it go boom. If you let the air out of the gas line first, better chance it go boom in cylinder first try."
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Another user said this can happen on natural gas or propane because the unit may need a few failed starts while the line clears.
The discussion shifted once the owner made it clear the generator wasn't failing to run altogether. After a user asked whether the fuel selector was set correctly, the OP replied, "It is. I am able to run it using the pull cord. Just not the start button."
That led another user to suggest the battery could be the issue.
They said, "Battery must be fully strong to spin fast and make go boom."
More background
The thread's tone shifted when the owner reported that the generator kept running after a manual start.
"Yeah, I was able to start it with the pull cord and ran it 15 min," the owner told another user, pushing the conversation away from whether the engine itself was the problem and toward the electric-start system or setup.
Some users dug into factors that matter more with a natural-gas hookup than they would with gasoline.
One asked, "How long of a hose and what diameter? Did your meter/regulator need upgrading? NG works off really low pressure so needs a larger hose typically."
What can be done?
Before buying parts or giving up on the unit, users laid out a basic checklist: verify that the natural-gas valve was open at the source, confirm the fuel-selection knob was set to NG, and make sure gas was actually getting to the generator.
One user suggested, "Also prime it by pushing pin at the end of the hose to make sure it's there."
Other replies recommended simple tests to separate a fuel issue from an electrical one. After the owner said the generator would run with the pull cord, one user replied: "For giggles start it with pull cord, then shut off with the fob, see if it shuts down with the fob. If it does try starting using fob."
Where can I learn more?
Similar generator problems can show up right out of the box.
• A buyer said a dead battery arrived with a new generator.
• An owner found jump-start leads worth adding after a dead battery.
• In Hawaiʻi, a generator owner learned propane mode won't work once the battery died.
• During a homeowner test run, a generator made a "gunshot" bang from the battery.
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