Read the owner's manual thoroughly to 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. 

 

Shutting the generator down during an outage

When a generator is running during a long-term outage, it is vital to shut it down after every 24 hours of consecutive run time. This allows the generator to cool down, and provides owners an opportunity to do a brief visual inspection of the unit, perform required maintenance, and add oil if necessary.

Environment

• Generac home standby generators: This article applies generally to Generac home standby generators, although the video shows the Guardian-series with Evolution controllers. To see this procedure for portable generators, see How should I safely shutdown and power up my portable generator?
• Outage scenario: This article applies to situations where the home has switched over to home standby power during a utility outage.
   

Shut down procedure

IMPORTANT – To avoid equipment damage, carefully follow these steps in order during utility outages. Immediate shutdown while a generator is running under load can cause damage to engine components.
 

Video Instructions

 

Written Instructions

IMPORTANT – To avoid equipment damage, carefully follow these steps in order for generators that are running during utility outages. Immediate shutdown while a generator is running under load can cause damage to engine components.

 

I. Turn off utility service disconnect and shut down the generator

1. Set the utility main line circuit breaker (or service disconnect) to off.

Note: the location and appearance of the utility service disconnect will depend on the home's electrical system:

1. If the home has a service entrance rated automatic transfer switch, the utility service disconnect will be found there. (see fig. 1 below)

2. If the home has a non-service entrance rated automatic transfer switch, the utility service disconnect will be found on the home's electrical panel (fig 2) or a stand-alone box (see fig. 3 below- image may not be an exact representation of your home's standalone box).

 

Figure 1: Service entrance rated automatic transfer switch

           

Figure 2: A home's electrical panel

         

Figure 3: Standalone box

2. Open the generator's lid and set the main line circuit breaker to OFF.

 

 

3. Allow the generator to run and cool down for five minutes with no load applied.

4. Press the OFF button on the controller to turn off the generator.

Off button location on Evolution controllers

Off button location on Power Zone 200 controllers

5. Allow the generator to cool for another five minutes before working on it.

 

6. Remove the 7.5-amp fuse to prevent the battery from draining.

7.5-amp fuse location on Evolution controllers

7.5-amp fuse on Power Zone 200 controllers

7. Your generator is now completely off. Any required maintenance can be done at this time (continue below).
 

II. Perform continuous maintenance checks

III. Turn the Generator Back On

1. When you are ready to restart your generator, you will need to first reinstall the 7.5-amp fuse.

2. Then, verify the generator's main line circuit breaker is still off and press the AUTO button.

3. Allow the generator to crank, start, and run to warm up for one to two minutes.

4. Then, turn the generator's main line circuit breaker to the ON position.

5. Finally, turn the utility main line circuit breaker (or service disconnect) to the ON position.

6. The generator is now fully operational and powering the load.

 

IV. Final steps (Evolution controllers only)

After turning the generator back on, the Evolution control panel may go through the initial setup menus shown on the display: 

• All of the previously configured settings should be saved.
• Simply press Enter (or make any adjustments needed) to get to the main screen.
• Hours of protection or system may be flashing on the display. This is normal, expected behavior.