Why it is important to routinely maintain your home’s backup generator

If you haven’t touched your home’s backup generator in months, you should probably know that winter is coming and now is the time to make sure it’s in good working order

Your home’s backup generator needs some basic maintenance and fall is a great time to see that it is done. After all, if there is an emergency, you want it to work, right?

A home generator requires some basic maintenance if you want it to last 10-15 years. Just like anything with a motor, your home’s backup generator needs maintenance to keep working as it should.

By not performing routine maintenance, you can cut the lifespan of your generator – which can cost you! Your backup generator was probably a significant investment, so protect it.

Keeping your generator properly maintained is also a matter of safety. If your generator isn’t working properly, or its dirty, or it hasn’t had regular maintenance, it can break down or even cause a fire.

So, what should you do to make sure your home’s backup generator works when you need it most? Here are some things to do weekly, monthly and annually.

Weekly maintenance

Make sure you run it about once a week for a half hour and make sure the fuel and fluid levels are maintained. Check it for leaks, smoke and overheating.

Monthly maintenance

Each month, you should make sure your generator is clean and make sure it’s able to run for 60 minutes. If you’ve used it, or it’s been more than 100 hours, change the oil. And if you’ve used it for more than 200 hours, make sure you replace any plugs and filters.

If you haven’t used it, be sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh fuel.

Annual maintenance

Each year, you should take time to check all your generator’s systems – or hire an expert to do so.

This check is more detailed and you’ll need to replace spark plugs, clean the generator (including the electrical system), change the oil, replace filters, make sure all switches are functioning properly and run the generator for an hour or more to make sure it’s in good working order.

Quality Power Systems

At Quality Power Systems, we can help you choose the right home generator system. Call us today!