A generator can be a serious investment, especially if you have purchased one with a higher wattage. Therefore, maintaining your generator is vital to save your money from wasting your money. Regularly, weekly, monthly, and annually portable generator repair services can help you keep your generator efficient. You can do most of the maintenance work yourself. But you might need to hire experts for more complex maintenance.
Here we have mentioned a portable generator maintenance checklist that will help you know what steps you need to take to keep your generator in better condition.
Table of Contents
Maintenance Checklist with Each Use
Portable generator maintenance is essential to ensure the longevity of your generator. Maintaining your portable generator every time you use it reduces the risk of causing deadly incidents like a fire. Well, it’s pretty simple. You need to thoroughly inspect your generator to ensure it’s good to go before using it.
Here is the checklist for the weekly generator service.
- Test batteries
- Inspect intake and exhaust
- Exercise the generator
- Start manually
- Make adjustments
To exercise the generator, you must check the fuel level and start your generator. Leave your motor running for around 30 minutes or until your generator starts working properly. By doing this, your generator will not turn off itself while running, which is common. Besides that, you also need to do a general inspection. For instance, check the gas input is firmly attached to the generator. Also, ensure you have kept your generator on a flat and clean surface. Check if there is anything near the generator that can affect its efficiency.
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Regular Necessary Maintenance Checklist
Often, people make this mistake. They avoid doing portable generator repair or replacements their generator until it stops working or causes great damage. It’s important to maintain your generator immediately when you notice any necessary damages and problems in your generator. This can prolong the life of your generator.
Here is some crucial maintenance that you need to perform from time to time.
- Replace filters
- Fuel system servicing
- Cooling system servicing
- Repairs
- Cleaning
- Lubrication
Weekly Maintenance Checklist
Weekly generator care is also something that you need to keep in mind. During an annual, monthly, or weekly inspection, always look for oil leaks and signs of wear and damage. Besides that, keeping your generator clean also needs to be your priority. You need to remove debris and dirt and make sure to keep birds, insects, and rodents away from the generator, especially its enclosed unit and filter.
While doing weekly maintenance, you need to:
- Run the generator
- Do a visual inspection
- Check for leaks
- Check fluids level
- Check auto mode
During weekly portable generator maintenance, you also need to exercise the generator, as we have discussed. This way, your generator will not develop any issues due to not being used. Also, when you start your generator, examine its exhaust system. Check the manifold, muffler, and pipes for leaks, and ensure pipes are not heating any nearby elements. Lastly, make sure the motor is purring, listen, and look for signs of a misfire such as smoke, vibrations, or power fluctuations.
Monthly Maintenance Checklist
A monthly maintenance checklist is more important if you haven’t used your portable generator for a long time. Generators like all other electronic devices or appliances, develop problems when not in use. This can also lead to costly repairs and replacements. Monthly maintenance is not a bad idea to save yourself from spending additional money on your generator.
A few things that you need to do are:
- Inspect electrolyte levels and battery cables
- Clean dirt and corrosion- use baking soda and a toothbrush for this purpose
- Remove the plastic tops from the cell ports
- Check oil levels and engine coolant
While checking the oil levels, fill the oil tank but ensure it doesn’t overflow; it can damage the generator. Leaks are another bigger problem that can cause by coolant or oil lines. So, look for signs of leaks while inspecting. Using a load test is also a great idea to ensure everything is running in order- conduct the test for 1 hour every month. You also need to perform an electrical conductance test electrolyte specific gravity test at this time.
Wondering how you can tick all the points in the monthly generator maintenance checklist? Simply follow the below-mentioned steps and perform one step in one day. This way, you don’t get tired and will successfully maintain your generator.
- Clean generator
- Clean engine coolant levels
- Check engine oil levels
- Clean surrounding area
- Look for repairs
Annual Maintenance Checklist
If you’ve been using a generator for a year, it’s time for its annual maintenance. At this point, you need to focus on the portable generator’s electrical system. Well, it’s a challenging task- an individual with no knowledge about the generator may struggle during maintenance. Hire experts in the field for annual maintenance. You can find a cheap portable generator service that can repair and replace different elements of your generator.
When hiring professionals, they will inspect AC wring and alternator and clean debris and dirt. Experts will also replace the air filter and inspect the air intake system if necessary. They will check the air induction piping and crankcase breather.
Some other things that experts will do during annual maintenance are:
- Flush cooling system
- Change spark plugs
- Change oil
- Replace the air filter and fuel filter
- Test transfer switch
Bottom Line
Regardless of your generator’s brand, features, durability, and efficiency level, you need to keep up with the maintenance. Diesel, solar, or solar generator repair saves you from getting another portable generator just in a few months. With the right maintenance, you can use a generator for several years without throwing your money on expensive repairs. So, if you want to continue enjoying the benefits of having a generator, follow the checklists we have mentioned above.
