Help CO Method - Does generator need oxygen to operate?

[Thanatos123]

I'll be using a generator to ctb in my car and I was wondering if the generator will shut down if I cover all the vents and gaps?
Will the generator shut down if there's little to no oxygen?
If let some air come in from gaps/vents, will I be able to ctb? How much is too much?

 

[Worndown]

It will shut down after you do.

 

[summers]

@Thanatos123 short answer - yes, any internal combustion engine needs oxygen to operate. You need 3 things - fuel, air (oxygen), and spark.

At the same time, I think it's possible the CO may reach lethal levels, even with enough oxygen for the generator to run. Maybe do a test run. Run the generator in your car (not with you in the car), and use a CO meter to measure the concentration of CO in the air. These are about $100 on amazon:

 

[Thanatos123]

@Thanatos123 short answer - yes, any internal combustion engine needs oxygen to operate. You need 3 things - fuel, air (oxygen), and spark.

At the same time, I think it's possible the CO may reach lethal levels, even with enough oxygen for the generator to run. Maybe do a test run. Run the generator in your car (not with you in the car), and use a CO meter to measure the concentration of CO in the air. These are about $100 on amazon:
View attachment 62531

Thank you for the info!
I already have a professional meter(TPI-707) that measures up to 10,000PPM.

So in this case I won't bother covering gaps and vents in my car to allow some oxygen to come in.
The generator will be placed in trunk.
For the gas, should I go for the highest quality at the gas station?
I want to reduce fumes and smoke as much as possible.
Would a high octane gas make much of a difference for my purpose?

 

[summers]

Thank you for the info!
I already have a professional meter(TPI-707) that measures up to 10,000PPM.

So in this case I won't bother covering gaps and vents in my car to allow some oxygen to come in.
The generator will be placed in trunk.
For the gas, should I go for the highest quality at the gas station?
I want to reduce fumes and smoke as much as possible.
Would a high octane gas make much of a difference for my purpose?

No, don't use an octane higher than what the manufacturer specifies. The point of higher octane is to avoid detonation under load. Since the generator would really just be idling, it would run the smoothest at what the manufacturer specifies.

 

[Thanatos123]

No, don't use an octane higher than what the manufacturer specifies. The point of higher octane is to avoid detonation under load. Since the generator would really just be idling, it would run the smoothest at what the manufacturer specifies.

Thank you!
I'm glad I asked this before I attempted.
I was about to use gas with the highest octane levels to avoid smoke and fumes.
The manufacturer suggests "minimum octane rating of 85 and an ethanol content of
less than 10% by volume".

So I'm assuming Octane 85 would do in this case.
as threesummers said: higher octane may be a good idea for higher load. Since my generator will be idling, I'll probably not need higher octane gas.