So, you’ve bought your generator – now what? Setting up your generator and maintaining your investment doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. By following a yearly generator maintenance schedule and knowing exactly what needs to be done, you can rely on your generator for years to come.
Why is Yearly Generator Maintenance Important?
It is essential to perform routine maintenance on your home standby generator every year so that your system operates efficiently when you need it. By keeping up with yearly generator maintenance, you can extend the life of your unit and guarantee that it runs safely.
Major costly repairs can be avoided by servicing your generator annually rather than only when absolutely necessary. Routine inspections can also help find small issues before they grow into bigger problems.
How do You Know When to Service Your Generator?
By familiarizing yourself with your generator’s indicator lights, you can know when and what type of home standby generator maintenance needs to be performed on your system. A yellow indicator light should shine each year, showing that it is time for your annual generator service check.
This light is a helpful reminder to maintain and check all the necessary parts of your generator, not just the battery. Once you have serviced your generator, the yellow LED light should turn off. You should also keep an eye on your generator’s run time since you might need to complete certain tasks more often if usage hours are high. It is also important to log all your home standby generator maintenance tasks so you can keep track of what needs to be done and when.
Understanding Your Home Standby Generator’s Maintenance Schedule
Each Generac generator model has its own maintenance schedule that details the services that need to be done at different intervals. This home standby generator maintenance schedule includes a yearly generator maintenance routine that should be followed.
To find your generator’s yearly maintenance schedule, look in your owner’s manual. Check that the home standby generator maintenance tasks in the “Every year” column are thoroughly completed annually or every 100 hours of use, whichever comes first.
Can You Perform Your Own Home Standby Generator Maintenance?
While servicing your generator may seem daunting, you can perform most maintenance tasks on your own. Make sure to gather the necessary tools and equipment, like safety gear and replacement parts, to ensure a smooth maintenance process.
While it is recommended that some intricate maintenance, like fuel system leak tests, be done by a professional, you can perform all other yearly generator maintenance independently. Reach out to a local certified service dealer if you are unsure or apprehensive about servicing your generator.
Home Standby Generator Maintenance Safety Tips
It is essential that you follow the proper safety tips while performing home standby generator maintenance. Before servicing your generator, consult your Generac owner’s manual and familiarize yourself with the steps necessary for the tasks at hand. Follow these safety tips:
- Completely power off your generator by turning the system and the main line circuit breaker off, letting it cool down before touching it
- Take off any jewelry or watches
- Wear safety glasses
- Wear gloves when interacting with oils or other harmful chemicals
- Do not touch an air filter with dirty hands
- Clear snow, plants, and other obstructions away from the generator
- Keep children, pets, and animals away from the generator when performing maintenance
- Cool off the generator completely before refilling any fuel or oil
- Clean any oil or fuel drips as soon as possible
What are the Yearly Generator Maintenance Tasks?
- Change your generator oil and oil filter
- Inspect your generator’s battery
- Inspect for water intrusion
- Inspect for and prevent corrosion
- Check your generator’s air filter
- Conduct a fuel system leak test
Changing Your Generator Oil and Oil Filter
The oil in your generator is responsible for lubricating the engine parts and making sure everything runs smoothly. It prevents costly breakdowns and reduces the heat that the engine generates. The oil filter services your generator, keeping its engine oil clean and preventing particles or debris from entering the engine and getting caught in its parts.
Because the oil and filter are so vital to your generator’s health, it is important to follow these steps to change them every year as part of your yearly generator maintenance:
How to Change Your Generator’s Oil and Filter:
- Warm up the oil – run the generator engine with the manual button on the control panel for three to five minutes, then turn it off and let the system cool for a couple of minutes
- Drain the oil – remove the drain hose from its clip and unscrew the cap, draining the oil into a container before replacing the hose
- Remove the oil filter – locate the oil filter and gently unscrew it by hand
- Replace the oil filter – lightly coat the gasket of the new generator oil filter with a layer of fresh engine oil, then screw it in by hand until it contacts the oil filter adapter, turning it an extra three quarters
- Refill the engine oil – pour fresh engine oil into the oil filler cap using a funnel
- Run to test – run the engine for one minute, inspecting for leaks, then turn it off and let it cool
- Inspect oil level – insert the oil dipstick and ensure that it is at the correct level
- Get rid of the old oil and oil filter – follow your local or state regulations for disposing of oil
What Type of Oil Should You Put in Your Generator?
While Generac home standby generators come with oil, it is important to know what type to purchase so that you can top it off and change it when it is time for your home standby generator maintenance. You may also be required to use different oils before and after the break-in period of your generator.
Most standby generators require you to change the oil after 20-25 hours of run time. It is recommended that you use the oil that comes with your system or 5W-30 conventional oil. After this break-in period, depending on your generator model, you may be required to switch the oil to 5W-20 GEO synthetic oil.
Regardless, make sure to check your user manual for specific oil recommendations based on the generator model. You may want to get a generator maintenance kit to make your yearly generator service easier.
How to Inspect Your Generator’s Battery
Your generator’s battery is responsible for kickstarting your unit and giving it the energy to operate. It is important to service your generator’s battery every year so that it can continue to help your generator run. You can remove the 7.5A fuse from your standby generator along with the intake side panel before inspecting.
Disconnect the white battery charge from your battery and look at the battery post and cables, checking for corrosion or damage. If anything has come loose, tighten it, and wipe any ports down with a clean cloth.
If you have an unsealed battery, as a part of yearly generator maintenance, completely disconnect it and check and top up the fluid levels.
How to Inspect Your Generator for Water Intrusion
If water gets into your generator system, it could damage the parts and cause it to break down. Inspecting your generator for water intrusion should be done annually or after a big storm and is a simple yet necessary home standby generator maintenance task.
Your generator service should include ensuring that water runoff or sprinkler sources are pointed away from the generator’s enclosure and checking for any pooling water. You should also inspect for any yellowing, cracking, or moldy surroundings or spots on the enclosure that may alert you to future or less obvious water damage when you perform yearly generator maintenance.
How to Prevent Your Generator from Corroding
Corrosion can damage and rust your generator and its parts and cause premature wear. This is especially true if you live close to a coast with air that contains saltwater. Wiping down and cleaning your generator enclosure and parts is an easy yearly generator maintenance task you can do to prevent corrosion and wear.
Never service your generator by spraying or hosing down its enclosure. Wipe it down with warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. You can also spray linkages with WD40 or another similar light oil.
Inspect all the metal parts of your generator for signs of corrosion, rust, or wear regularly – at least once a year. If there are any corroded parts in your system, find the appropriate parts and replace them.
How to Check and Change Your Generator’s Air Filter
Your generator’s air filter is a crucial part of your system. All the air that enters and cools down your engine gets pushed through the filter, so it can catch particles and debris. It is important to frequently service your generator’s air filter because it can get clogged with dirt and dust and not properly ventilate your system, resulting in overheating.
Follow these steps when completing yearly generator maintenance to replace the air filter:
- Locate the generator air filter – using your user manual, find the air filter and remove the cover clips, followed by the cover
- Remove the old air filter – carefully take off the used air filter and dispose of it
- Clean the air filter enclosure – using a clean rag, wipe down the enclosure that held the filter and clean out any dust or debris
- Install the new air filter – gently place the new filter in the holding, then secure the cover and its clips
How to Conduct a Fuel System Leak Test
Leaking fuel can be a dangerous hazard. While your generator system is checked for fuel leaks before it is shipped, it is a good idea to have a certified service dealer inspect for fuel leaks as you complete other annual generator service tasks.
The inspection needs to be done from every point that the generator connects to the supply source, and a gas leak detection fluid is sprayed on any possible leakage areas. The fuel inspection and test, along with other home standby generator maintenance, need to be conducted thoroughly to prevent any damage or spills.
What Should You Do After You Perform Yearly Generator Maintenance?
After you conduct all the necessary home standby generator maintenance, you will need to get your system back into working order. Your system should have been turned off when you serviced your generator, so you need to turn it back on and reinstall the 7.5A fuse.
Make sure to turn your system back to AUTO. This way, your generator will automatically start when there is a power outage. If you are turning your generator back on during a utility outage, allow the generator to run for a minute without a load before turning on the generator disconnect.
How to Clear Your Generator’s Maintenance Alarms
Your system should have flashed a yellow maintenance alarm to alert you to the fact that it is due for yearly generator maintenance. If the warning light has not cleared after you have completed all the necessary home standby generator maintenance, find your generator’s control board and press the OFF button twice.
If two alarm or maintenance warnings are showing at the same time, press the OFF button three times to clear it. You can then press the enter button and then return it to AUTO. Make sure that you have completed all required generator services before clearing any warnings or reminders. If the maintenance alarm is still on after troubleshooting, consider reviewing your Generac diagnostic manual or contacting customer support.
While yearly generator maintenance may seem like a task you can put off, it is extremely important. By following a regular home standby generator maintenance schedule, you can ensure that your system is ready to perform when you need it most. From changing the oil to inspecting the battery, these simple generator service steps can extend the life of your unit, improve its efficiency, and ensure that your house will stay powered, no matter what.