How to Change the Date/Time of My Generator?

To update the Date/Time on a generator controller that is not yet connected, use the controller arrow keys to access Sub Menus > Edit > Current Date/Time.

  • Aug 28, 2025
  • Knowledge

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How to Change the Date/Time of My Generator?
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Date and Time on home standby generators

  • If your generator is internet or cellular-connected, the date and time updates automatically.
  • For Evolution controllers that have not been connected to Wi-Fi or Cellular, the generator control panel allows the user to manually set the hour, minute, day, month, and year of the generator's internal clock.
     

Environment

This article applies to generators with an Evolution I or Evolution II controller. See the What is the Evolution Control Panel for Home Standby Generators? article for more information. If you have a Power Zone 200 controller, then your date and time information is automatically synchronized from your phone when using the Field Pro application.

Important: The procedure in this article applies to Generac home standby generators that are not currently connected via Wi-Fi or Cellular. If the generator is already connected to the internet, then the time zone is automatically pulled from a server. If the time zone is incorrect on an internet-connect generator, see the troubleshooting at the end of this article.
 

To Update or Change the Date/Time that is set on a Generator:

Video instructions

If you do not see the controller or options mentioned in the video on your home standby unit, see the Environment section above.


Written instructions

If you do not see the controller or options mentioned in these instructions on your home standby unit, see the Environment section above.

Note: It is recommended to use a mobile phone or another internet-connected device to help verify the current time in the area of the installed generator. 

1. Access the generator control panel by opening the top lid, then press the OFF button once.

2. Press the ESCAPE key to access the top-level menu.

3. Press the "up" button until SUB MENUS is flashing.

4. Press ENTER to access the sub-menus.

5. Press the "up" button until EDIT begins flashing.

6. Press ENTER. Then press the "up" button until Current Date/Time appears.

7. Press ENTER.
 
Note: From this point forward, pressing ENTER will advance through the Date and Time settings. Pressing "up" or "down" will change the currently selected setting. Time is displayed in a 24-hour clock format as opposed to a 12-hour format. The generators use the A.M./P.M. time format. For Example, 1:00 PM would be 1300. 5:30 PM would be 1730.
 
8. Use "up" and "down" to ensure the hour matches the current time in the area of the installed generator.

9. Press ENTER to display SELECT MIN, then use "up" and "down" to ensure the minute matches the current time in the area of the installed generator.

10. Press ENTER to display SELECT MONTH, then use "up" and "down" to ensure the month matches the current date.

11. Press ENTER to display SELECT DATE, then use "up" and "down" to ensure the day matches the current date.

12. Press ENTER to display SELECT YEAR, then use "up" and "down" to ensure the year matches the current date.

13. Press ENTER to save any changes that have been made to the date and time settings and return to the EDIT options.

14. Press ESCAPE to return to the top-level menu.

15. Press AUTO to ensure the generator is returned to the ready-to-run state.
 

Internet-connected generators

The manual procedure listed above applies to Generac home standby generators that are not connected to Wi-Fi or Cellular. If a generator is connected via either of these methods, then the Time Zone and subsequent time values are set automatically by an internet-connected server and cannot be modified by the end user. If the time set by the server is incorrect, then reference the troubleshooting scenarios below.

If you have a Power Zone 200 controller, then your date and time information is automatically synchronized from your phone when using the Field Pro application. It cannot be set manually.
 

Troubleshooting

"Got time from server" message

If a generator is connected to Wi-Fi and displays an incorrect time set by the time server with the "got time from server" message, owners can disable Wi-Fi in the menus which will allow them to configure the time manually as shown in the above instructions.


"Time zone not set, time set by server" error

If the time zone is not correct and displays a "Time Zone not set, Time set by server" error, then resetting the controller may be necessary. See How Do I Perform a Hard Reset on a Home Standby System? for more information.
 

See also

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