Read the manual thoroughly and understand all of the instructions, cautions, and warnings before using this equipment. If any section of the manual is not understood, contact your nearest authorized dealer, or contact Generac Customer Service at 1-888-436-3722 (1-888-GENERAC), or www.generac.com with any questions or concerns.  

Home standby exercise timers

All Generac home standby generator systems are equipped with an automatic exercise timer.

• The exercise timer schedule (when the exercise occurs) can be set using the control panel on some models: See the How Do I Set the Scheduled Generator Exercise Date and Time? article to configure the exercise time.
• Next Generation Air-Cooled Standby generators with a Power Zone 200 control panel have adjustable exercise duration: Can I Change the Exercise Cycle Duration?
  

Exercise facts

Generator model and control panel style determine exercise control and functionality:

• Guardian Series generators with Evolution control panels can exercise weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly for either 5 minutes or 12 minutes (depending on the model). The exercise date and time can be set at the control panel: How Do I Set the Scheduled Generator Exercise Date and Time?
• Guardian Series generators with Nexus control panels exercise weekly for 12 minutes.
• PowerPact generators exercise weekly for 12 minutes.
• Next Generation Air-Cooled Standby generators with a Power Zone 200 control panel have an adjustable exercise duration between 5 - 20 minutes, with the default setting being 5 minutes: Can I Change the Exercise Cycle Duration?

Additional facts:

• In most cases, power is not transferred to the house during exercise. If you have a Next Generation Air-Cooled Standby generator with a Power Zone 200 control panel, there is a way to configure a transfer of power during exercise: Using the "Exercise Now" and "Exercise now and transfer power" commands in Mobile Link.
• There is no way to disable the exercise as it is necessary to ensure proper lubrication of vital engine parts.
• If the owner sets the control panel to the OFF position to disable exercise, they risk compromising the warranty unless they manually exercise the unit.
• The control panel records if and when the unit has exercised: How to view generator status history in Mobile Link.

Quiet test mode

Some air-cooled units can run at lower RPMs during the weekly exercise cycle (Quiet Test Mode.) This helps with sound output and fuel consumption. Since the engine is not running at full speed it can sputter or run rough during exercise. This is not something to be concerned about; owners can always switch back to full-speed exercise to avoid sputtering. For more information, see the How do I set Quiet Test Mode (low speed exercise) on my generator? article.

Gas odors

Sometimes a faint gas smell may be noticeable while the unit exercises. Since the generator is not producing power during the exercise cycle some of the gas goes unburned and may be more noticeable. If the owner smells gas while the unit is shut off, or while it’s powering the home they should contact a dealer or gas company immediately.