Important: To avoid damage and injury, this equipment must be installed, operated, and serviced by qualified service personnel. If a task falls outside your comfort level, review the maintenance schedule in the Owner’s Manual and contact a Generac Independent Authorized Service Dealer for assistance. 

Do I still need to maintain my gen if it's low use?

Environment

Air-cooled home standby generators (HSB), 10–28 kW, operating primarily in exercise mode with little or no outage runtime.

Question

If my generator only exercises monthly or weekly and has never run during an outage, do I still need to complete the 25-hour break-in maintenance?

Answer

Yes. Complete the break-in oil and filter change at the first 25 hours of total engine runtime, regardless of how those hours were accumulated (exercise or outage). This protects the engine during its initial wear-in period and supports long-term reliability.

See: How do I perform the break-in maintenance for a home standby generator? and Home standby generator maintenance schedule.

IMPORTANT: After the 25-hour break-in change, continue with the published maintenance intervals (oil/filter, air filter, spark plugs, inspections). For oil guidance, see What type of oil should I use?.

Why the 25-hour break-in still matters for low-use units

• The break-in interval is based on engine hours, not calendar time or outage events.
• The regular service schedule continues after the 25-hour service. See: Maintenance schedule and Yearly maintenance.

How to reach the 25-hour mark when you are “close”

If you are near 25 hours and want to complete break-in at your scheduled service time, you may run the generator in MANUAL mode to accrue the remaining hours, then perform the break-in oil and filter change.

See: How do I run my generator in Manual Mode?

Safety prep: Open the generator main line circuit breaker (MLCB), let the unit cool, press OFF, and follow safe procedures. For transfer/MLCB handling, see How do I manually operate an automatic transfer switch?.

Narrative scenarios

Scenario 1: “Jen” is at 23 hours at her one-year service

Jen’s generator only exercised for a few minutes each month for a year and shows 23 total hours. She can run the unit in MANUAL for ~2 more hours to reach 25 hours, then perform:

• Break-in oil and filter change at 25 hours (Break-in maintenance).
• Any regular yearly tasks due at this time (Yearly maintenance).

Scenario 2: “Jim” hits an outage at 15 hours and runs continuously

Jim’s generator had been installed months ago, and showed 15 hours when a multi-day outage began. When total runtime reaches 25 hours, Jim should stop the unit and complete the break-in oil and filter change, then resume operation and follow other scheduled tasks as they come due.

During extended outages, follow continuous-use checks and daily oil inspections. See: Continuous use maintenance and Running your generator for extended periods during a major outage.

Tip: After maintenance, return the unit to AUTO mode. See: Put my generator into AUTO mode or My generator shows OFF—how to return to AUTO.

After the break-in: follow the service schedule

After the 25-hour service, continue with the published intervals (e.g., oil and filter by time or hours, air filter and spark plugs per schedule). This supports reliability and warranty compliance.

See: Maintenance schedule, Schedule A maintenance, and Schedule B maintenance.

How to do the break-in oil and filter change (overview)

1. Warm the engine, then press OFF and allow to cool.
2. Open the generator lid, set the MLCB to OFF, and follow safety prep steps.
3. Drain oil, replace the oil filter, and refill with the recommended oil.
4. Restart briefly, check for leaks, recheck the level, then return to AUTO.

Note: Some models may include additional checks (e.g., valve clearance) at break-in; see your model’s Owner’s Manual.

Get help and model-specific resources

• Product lookup page – download the exact owner’s manual and maintenance schedule for your model.
• Dealer locator – find an Independent Authorized Service Dealer (IASD) for service.

See also

• Break-in maintenance (25 hours)
• Run in Manual Mode
• Yearly maintenance
• Continuous use maintenance
• Extended outage tips
• Find the maintenance schedule