Yearly maintenance for home standby generators
Home standby generators require regularly scheduled yearly maintenance to ensure proper operation and longevity.
Environment
This article applies to Generac air-cooled Guardian Series 10-26 kW generators (2017 to present) during their regularly scheduled yearly maintenance interval.
How do I know when to perform yearly maintenance?
A yellow maintenance light, indicating it is time to "inspect the battery" will appear at a yearly interval from the installation of the unit. A yellow maintenance light will not prevent the unit from running during an outage but is a reminder that the unit should be inspected. For more information about status indicator lights on Guardian series generators, see the What Do the Green, Yellow, and Red Status Indicator Lights Mean on Home Standby Generators? article.
Who can perform maintenance?
Homeowners can perform regular maintenance tasks as outlined in their generator's user manual. Alternatively, homeowners can contact a local certified service dealer. See Where Can I Find a Company to Perform Standard Maintenance On My Generator? for more information.
Regardless of who performs the maintenance, maintenance records must be kept for future reference. The Mobile Link for Generators app offers the ability to record and track maintenance tasks. See the Viewing, Adding, Deleting, & Exporting Maintenance Schedule Records in Mobile Link article for more information.
Consult your owner's manual for additional maintenance information. See How Do I Find a Copy of My Home Standby Generator Owner's Manual, Spec Sheets, or Installation Manual? for instructions to locate your generator's user manual.
What are the yearly maintenance tasks?
How do I determine if I need to change my oil?
Yearly maintenance may include changing the oil and oil filter and is dependent on multiple factors - run hours, time intervals, and environment. Generac recommends the following guidelines for oil and oil filter changes:
Run Hours
Environmental factors
- Every year in climates that experience ambient temperatures below 40 F (4.4 C) or if the unit is operated continuously in hot weather conditions ambient above 85 F (29.4 C)
Time Interval
- At a minimum every 2 years - regardless of run hours
What type of oil do I need?
For more information on determining the right type of oil and when to change the oil see the following articles:
Next steps
After maintenance procedures have been completed, it is important to follow the post-maintenance check procedure to ensure any maintenance alarms are cleared and the home standby unit is in a Ready to Run status.
