Investing in a whole-home generator is the best way to ensure that you’re fully prepared for future power outages. The generator will automatically turn on almost immediately if your power goes out and continue supplying electricity to some or all of your house until your power is restored. While having a whole-home generator can be extremely beneficial, you need to make sure to keep it properly maintained and test it regularly. If not, it may fail to work during an outage and still leave you stuck without power.
Recommended Maintenance Schedule for a Whole-Home Generator
Every manufacturer has their own specific maintenance recommendations, which you can find in your owner’s manual. Most manufacturers actually have two different maintenance schedules. The tasks in the first schedule should generally be performed at least every two years or after every 200 hours of run time. This includes changing the engine oil and oil filter and checking the condition of the battery and the state of the battery charge.
Extreme heat and cold put additional strain on the generator’s engine, resulting in the oil getting dirty more quickly. As such, it’s recommended to replace the oil every year or after every 100 hours of run time. That applies if your generator frequently operates in temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit or below 40 degrees.
The tasks in the second schedule should be done at least every four years or after every 400 hours of run time. In addition to changing the oil and oil filter, the other tasks in this schedule are replacing the air filter and cleaning and inspecting the spark plugs. When inspecting the spark plugs, you should check for issues like cracks in the porcelain, burned electrodes and major carbon buildup. If any of these issues are present, you should replace the spark plugs. Hard starting and engine misfires are also typically a sign that the spark plugs need to be replaced.
Why Generator Maintenance Is Important
Regular maintenance is just as important for a whole-home generator as it is for a vehicle. Making sure to change the oil and oil filter often enough is especially crucial. Engine oil always gets dirty over time, resulting in it becoming thicker and more viscous. The oil will eventually get so thick that it can no longer keep the engine sufficiently lubricated, resulting in the engine seizing up and burning out.
If the engine fails, it’s possible for a professional to swap it out with a new one. However, replacing the engine can be quite expensive. Then, it usually only makes sense if the generator is less than 15 years old and has quite a bit of life left.
Making sure to always follow the manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations helps to prevent costly repairs and premature failure. Most whole-home generators have a life expectancy of 1,500 to 3,000 hours. Under normal conditions, this typically means a generator will last for 20 to 30 years. If you don’t keep up with all of the necessary maintenance requirements, your generator could fail in under 10 years. This is obviously a major concern due to how expensive whole-home generators are.
A poorly maintained generator can also develop issues like worn-out spark plugs that prevent it from running during an outage or cause it to suddenly stop working. This is yet another reason why regular inspections and maintenance are very important. They lessen the chances of the generator not working when you need it to and leaving you without power.
Can You Service a Generator Yourself?
The basic maintenance tasks generally aren’t all that difficult, meaning you may be able to handle them yourself with no problems. That said, it’s still a good idea to have a professional inspect your generator every year or two to ensure it works properly. While inspecting the generator, they can also easily take care of all of the necessary maintenance to save you the time and hassle of doing it yourself.
How Often Do You Need to Test a Whole-Home Generator?
All manufacturers recommend regularly “exercising” a whole-home generator by turning it on and letting it run for around 30 minutes. How often you should do this depends on the manufacturer’s recommendation. Some say you only need to do it once or twice a month, while others say you should do it weekly.
Exercising a whole-home generator serves several purposes. One is that oil gets circulated through the engine as the generator runs to ensure everything remains properly lubricated. It also prevents moisture from building up within the engine, which is crucial for avoiding issues with rust that could greatly shorten the unit’s life.
The last reason is that it allows you to monitor the generator’s performance and watch for signs of any problem, such as hard starting, error codes, oil leaks, excessive exhaust or smoking, overly loud operation and unusual noises. If you notice any of these things, you should immediately turn off the generator and call for a professional inspection.
Most newer generators have a feature in the settings menu that allows you to program the exercise time and interval. On some units, you can use an app to do this. The app will also send a notification to your phone anytime a power outage causes the generator to run, if the generator fails to start, or if it has any issues while running.
Even with an app, you should also program the exercise cycle to run at a time when you’ll be home to check for any potential issues. The other reason you should only exercise the generator when you’re home is that you should always check the oil level before running the unit. If the level is low, you should top it off before the generator runs to ensure the engine has sufficient lubrication.
When you’re exercising the generator, it isn’t under load, meaning it’s running but not sending power to your electrical system. Most manufacturers recommend testing the generator under load, where it’s actually powering the house, at least once or twice a year. To do this, you just need to manually activate the transfer switch when the generator is running so that your house is temporarily disconnected from the grid. This test allows you to make sure that the generator is properly distributing power to all of your circuits and that the transfer switch works properly.
Expert Electrical Services
At Potts Electric, our local, family-owned and -operated company has over a decade of experience providing safe, dependable electrical services in Fenton and throughout the St. Louis area. We offer expert whole-home generator installation, and our team can also assist with your maintenance and repair needs. We pride ourselves on performing quality work at a fair price and on the level of customer service and support we provide. We offer financing for new generators on approved credit as well as no-cost installation estimates. For the best electrical services in Fenton, contact Potts Electric today.
