The fact that Florida experiences so many hurricanes and extreme storms can make having a standby generator for your home essential. If a storm knocks out the power, the generator will automatically kick on to ensure you have electricity to power your air conditioning and everything else you need. In this article, we’ll explain what steps to take to maintain your generator to ensure it’s ready should you ever lose power this storm season.
Make Sure To Run Your Generator’s Exercise Mode Regularly
Standby generators have an “exercise” mode where they turn on periodically and run for 15-30 minutes before shutting off. The purpose of this mode is to ensure that the generator never sits idle for a long time and that you can check to ensure it still works and doesn’t have any issues.
There are two different ways to exercise a standby generator: running it without and with a load. Running without a load means the generator turns on and idle without sending power to your home. Most manufacturers recommend exercising a standby generator without a load every one to two weeks, but some say you only need to do it monthly. Regularly exercising your generator without a load helps prevent moisture from building up in the unit and circulates oil through the motor to ensure everything stays appropriately lubricated. If you don’t exercise your generator regularly and it just sits without running, you may soon have issues where it doesn’t generate enough power or suddenly breaks down the next time it needs to run.
Exercising the generator with a load means activating the transfer switch to emergency power mode so that the unit supplies electricity to your house. Most manufacturers recommend exercising a generator with a load at least quarterly, and one of the best times to do this is right before storm season starts. That way, you can ensure everything works correctly, and the generator is ready to kick in and power your home if needed.
Most standby generators allow you to program the specific day and time the unit runs in exercise mode. The best time to run the exercise mode is when you know someone will be home. This is because you want to check for any issues when the unit runs to ensure it doesn’t need to be repaired.
Schedule an Oil Change and Maintenance Service
Most manufacturers recommend changing the oil in a standby generator after 100-200 hours of run time or at least once every two years. Maintenance tasks like checking the battery and spark plugs should be done at least every two or four years. If your generator generally never runs except when exercising, you’re usually okay with having it professionally maintained every two years. If your generator has had to power your home for any more extended period within the past year, we’d highly recommend having it maintained and getting an oil change before storm season hits. This way, there will be much less of a risk of your generator breaking down should a storm knock out your power for any significant amount of time. It also ensures that you hopefully won’t need any emergency repairs or maintenance following the storm.
Trim All Vegetation Near Your Generator
The National Fire Code states that you can’t have any type of vegetation taller than 12 inches within 3 feet of a standby generator. This rule is in place to lessen the chances of the vegetation catching fire when the generator runs and potentially setting your house on fire. Trimming nearby grass and vegetation is essential for fire safety and helps protect your generator. The reason is that vegetation can interfere with airflow.
The generator continually draws in air as it runs to help cool its motor and prevent overheating. If the airflow is partially obstructed, your generator may quickly overheat and shut down, leaving you without power. Even worse, overheating has the potential to do significant damage or even cause the unit’s motor to burn out. This is why you need to regularly trim around your generator and ensure no debris piled up around it that could prevent it from having proper airflow.
If you need electrical services in Port St. Lucie or the Treasure Coast area, Stott Brothers Electric has you covered. We specialize in home generator installation and can also handle generator maintenance and repair. Contact us today to schedule a maintenance appointment and ensure your generator is ready for storm season.
