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.

Post-outage home standby generator maintenance

Extended outages may require a home standby generator to run continuously for long stretches. This constant usage means the generator will quickly reach maintenance intervals, which are usually based on engine run hours. The processes in this article will guide generator owners through steps to identify and perform required maintenance following an outage. For steps to maintain a home standby generator system during an outage, see: Running your generator for extended periods during a major outage.

Is your generator enrolled in dealer monitoring?

If your generator is already monitored by a generator servicer, they will be able to confirm if any maintenance steps are required. For more information about dealer monitoring, see: How do I upgrade to a Dealer-Managed plan in Mobile Link?

Environment

This article is intended for owners of Generac home standby generators who have just regained utility power after running their home standby generator for an extended period. For steps to maintain a home standby generator system during an outage, see: Running your generator for extended periods during a major outage.

I. Verify run hours since last maintenance was performed

1. Use Mobile Link to check the last time maintenance was performed on the generator (see the “Using maintenance schedule features in the Mobile Link app” section): Viewing, Adding, Deleting, & Exporting Maintenance Schedule Records in Mobile Link
   • If Mobile Link is not set up, owners will need to determine the last maintenance through other means. If a dealer has been performing maintenance, they may be able to provide this information. Evo 2 controllers, which are common on current and recent Guardian series units, can provide some information in the maintenance menu: Viewing maintenance history using the generator control panel

   Note: Next Gen units equipped with the Power Zone 200 controller do not have a control panel display. Use the Mobile Link app to view maintenance history and related information.

   • Mobile Link can be installed and used for free on compatible controllers (Mobile Link will not retroactively display past maintenance records): How do I activate free Wi-Fi monitoring for my generator?
2. Make note of the run hours that were logged when the maintenance was performed.
3. Compare this against the total run hours currently on the generator. Run hours can be verified from the controller or from within the Mobile Link app: How do I find out how many run hours are on my home standby generator?

   Note: For Next Gen units with the Power Zone 200 controller (no control panel), use the Mobile Link app to view current run hours.

II. Identify required maintenance

Using the elapsed run hours identified in the previous section, reference the following maintenance schedule article (or the generator user manual: Where can I find a user manual or other documentation for my home standby generator?) to verify the maintenance steps that should be performed:

• Where Can I Find the Maintenance Schedule for My Generac Home Standby Generator?

III. Perform required maintenance

Use the information from the prior sections to perform required maintenance. If in doubt, it is best to perform an oil and oil filter change if the generator has been running for an extended period. Make sure to log maintenance records and be aware of future maintenance items.

Commonly required maintenance tasks

After extended runtime during an outage, the following maintenance procedures are most frequently needed:

• Change the oil and oil filter
• Check the engine oil level
• Check and change the air filter
• Service or replace the spark plugs
• Inspect the generator battery
• Reset the maintenance reminder/timer
• Clear an error or alarm after maintenance
• Choose the correct oil for your generator