It's that time of year again to get prepared for the hurricane season. With that, comes maintaining your generator.
Keep your generator running smoothly! You DON'T want to discover problems after the power goes out.
If you are uncomfortable performing annual maintenance or need generator repairs, we recommend you visit a local repair shop. (we can hook you up with local names if you need it)
Here are some tips to make sure your generator stays healthy
With each use:
- If possible, run ethanol-free gas to keep your engine clean. If ethanol-free isn't available you can use a fuel stabilizer (such as STA-BIL) to keep the engine as clean as possible.
- Check your oil level to make sure it's filled.
- Check your air filter to make sure it's clean.
- When preparing your generator for storage, 1) turn the generator on 2) close the fuel shutoff valve and 3) keep it running until the engine runs out of gas and turns off. This will clear your engine and fuel lines of any gas to prevent gunk buildup while stored.
- Drain excess gas from the fuel tank to prevent it from going bad. OR, if intentionally storing with gas in the tank, add fuel stabilizer to make sure the gas doesn't go bad as quickly.
Annual Storage Checklist - perform these tasks annually while your generator is in storage to make sure it runs properly when needed.
- Inspect all wires for pest damage.
- Check for any fluid leaks.
- Change oil and oil filter.
- Replace air filter.
- Replace fuel filter.
- Put some gas in the fuel tank if necessary (preferably ethanol-free, if none is available you can add a fuel stabilizer to prevent gunk buildup) and run it for several minutes.
- Test the outlets to make sure they're operating correctly.
- While running the generator, close the fuel shutoff valve and allow the engine to run out of gas to prevent gunk buildup while in storage.
