Your Ultimate Guide For Servicing Your Generator

Do you Have a Generator for your Business or Property?

Generators can be useful because if there is a power outage, they will keep a building warm and well lit. However, they do need to be maintained regularly. Think about your generator like you would a vehicle. A vehicle needs regular oil changes and so too does your generator. An oil change though is just one aspect of a servicing for a car and the same is true for your generator. Indeed, there are many aspects of the system that need to be serviced for it to continue to work as effectively as it should. But how often, do you need to service your generator? The best way to think about it is by viewing the individual parts of the generator and looking at when they need a replacement. This includes:

• The oil – changing oil regularly increases the reliability of the system.
• Oil filter – this ensures that the oil is filtered at the right level.
• Spark plugs – sparks need to be checked to make sure they have not burned out over extended use.
• Air filters – Air filters need to be checked to make sure they can continue to remove the right air levels.
• Battery – corrosion is a common issue that most generator batteries will develop eventually.
• Generator – the generator needs to be cleaned regularly to keep the machine working effectively.

Where can you look to find information about services? The best option would be to take a look at the manual for your generator. While there are general rules for levels of service, specific times, durations and schedules can often be found here. Using it, you can make sure that the system continues to operate effectively. Ultimately though, the level of service required will depend on a number of factors:

• The operations of your generator – read about this in the manual
• How often you use the generator – more regular use will mean an increased level of servicing more frequently.
• Who handles the service – servicing by a professional company can ensure that your system operates far longer without needing more maintenance work.

Now that you know how to keep your level of servicing as low as possible or the factors that could cause it to need further attention, let’s look at the individual servicing requirements and the timescales you must consider.

 

Air Filter

This is perhaps the easiest part of the maintenance. You need to make sure that you are replacing an air filter at least once a year. This will ensure that they are working effectively. You might have replaced the air filter in your car. If you have, you’ll know about all the muck and guck that can clog them up. Without a change, your generator will not be prepared for a power outage.

 

Spark Plugs

Similar to your air filter, spark plugs should be changed at least once a year. By doing this, you can make sure that they do not get burned out. All you need to do to see this is take out the old spark plug and put it up against a brand new one. The old one will be rusted and look like it has been used for decades, even after one year of use.

 

Oil

Oil needs to be changed at least every sixty hours and potentially after every fifty hours of use. This will ensure that the system continues to operate effectively. You can do this by emptying the old oil and replace it with the new solution. Remember when doing this to make sure that you are replacing the filter as well. It’s a good idea to do this whenever you change the oil to make sure that the system does work at the maximum levels that you want.

Changing the oil is particularly important if you are running it for a long period without breaks. For instance, you might be pushing the generator to perform adequately for over 48 hours. If that’s the case, then you need to make sure that you do allow it to cool down afterward and check the generator.

A lot of business owners are confused about the type of oil that their system needs. It’s possible to use regular or synthetic depending on the generator you own. However, synthetic oil is useful for low temperatures as it will perform better when the engine needs a cold start.

We hope this helps you understand how often you need to service your generator and the factors that can mean it will need to be serviced more often. But if you still have some questions or you want us to assist you with your generator, please contact us. Our team is always ready to help you.