Have the generator serviced
Oil, filters and the battery decide whether it starts in an outage.
Who: A job for a generator technician. The dealer services it; the routine between visits is yours.
How often: Yearly checks; oil and filter per the model’s schedule (Generac every 2 years or 200 hours; Kohler yearly or 100 hours). For: the standby generator.
Safety first
- Carbon monoxide: never run it indoors or in an attached garage.
- It starts by itself: keep hands off its panels unless utility power is disconnected.
- No external battery chargers.
The part, and finding the right one
- Oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs (standby generator). Changed on the maker’s schedule (yearly or by hours run); usually by the dealer. The owner’s manual lists the parts and the schedule for your model.
On a home’s record, each piece of equipment’s page links its manual and a search for its parts by brand and model. All filters and parts
Your part
- Leave it in AUTO with the exercise timer set: Generac’s exercise runs only in AUTO and only once the timer is set, and without Wi-Fi the clock must be reset after any battery disconnect. Exercise: weekly, every two weeks or monthly for about 5 minutes (Generac); weekly for 20 minutes (Kohler).
- Weekly look (Kohler): fuel level, exhaust leaks, vibration, noise, leaks, and nothing combustible near the exhaust. Before and during any run (Generac): louvers clear, no fuel or oil leaks, oil level; in a long outage, check the oil daily (it shuts down when low).
- Monthly: check that the battery charger is working.
- Keep shrubs and grass 3 feet from the louvers, and point sprinklers, downspouts and the sump discharge away from it. Yearly: look for water getting in.
- Book the dealer when the controller prompts or on the manual’s schedule.
What the visit covers
- Generac: the first oil change and valve clearance at 25 hours; Schedule A (oil, filter, battery check) every 2 years or 200 hours; Schedule B (adds the air cleaner, spark plugs and valves) every 4 years or 400 hours; a yearly water-intrusion check and fuel leak test; below 40°F, or running continuously above 85°F, oil yearly.
- Kohler: oil yearly or every 100 hours, filter yearly or 200 hours, spark plugs yearly or 300 hours; brushes, coupling and the insulation test are dealer-only.
Normal
- It runs for about 5 (Generac) or 20 (Kohler) minutes on its exercise day, and doesn’t power the house unless utility power is out.
Needs attention
- A missed exercise.
- A controller message: Low Battery, Battery Problem, Inspect Battery, Service Schedule A or B, CHARGER MISSING AC.
Call a generator technician if
- Any of those.
- A carbon monoxide alarm sounds: get out, then call 911.
Keep
- A maintenance log (Generac’s log pages; Kohler says owners must keep maintenance records), with the model and serial number.
Keep track of it
Add your home to My homes: each piece of equipment gets this on its own schedule, with “Mark done” and reminders you can turn on.
Sources
Your owner’s manual comes first: where it says something different for your model, follow it.
Still stuck?
Email us at hello@tradewrench.com. Tell us which page you were on and what you were trying to do.