Continuous use maintenance
Home standby generators often run for extended periods during outages. Homeowners must regularly inspect the generator to ensure optimal operation.
Environment
This article applies to Generac air-cooled Guardian Series 10-26 kW generators (2017 to present) that are approaching or exceeding 24 hours of continuous use.
What is continuous use?
Continuous use is defined as anything approaching or exceeding 24 hours of continuous use. Much like driving a car a long distance, checking to ensure fluid levels are adequate during extended usage is required. Air-cooled Home Standby Generators need to be shut down for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow for continuous maintenance tasks to be performed.
How can I safely shut down my generator when it's been running during an outage?
Remove all loads to the generator by throwing the breaker, let the generator continue to run for 7-10 minutes, then power off the generator. Detailed steps can be found in this article: How Do I Shut Down My Generator When It’s Powering My House (During an Outage)?
Continuous use of maintenance tasks
Perform these tasks if the generator has been running for 24 hours.
Who can perform these tasks?
Generac recommends contacting your local Independent Authorized Service Dealer (IASD) for service. See How Can I Find a Generac Service Dealer in My Area? for more information.
Maintenance can also be performed by homeowners. Regardless of who performs the maintenance, it is important to keep records of all maintenance and services performed as indicated in the terms and conditions of the manufacturer's warranty statement. The Mobile Link for Generators application provides functionality for creating and tracking maintenance tasks. See Viewing, Adding, Deleting, & Exporting Maintenance Schedule Records in Mobile Link for more information.
Next steps
After maintenance procedures have been completed, it is important to follow the post-maintenance check procedure to ensure the home standby unit is "ready to run" as well as document/record the maintenance performed.
See also
