Blog

This winter is expected to be brutally frigid with a significant amount of snow, rain, sleet, and ice. Prepare for the harsh weather by ensuring your standby generator is primed to perform.

Proper standby generator maintenance guarantees your system will provide reliable backup power when you need it most. It’s not uncommon for the power to be out for hours—or even days—when a blizzard or snowstorm hits. Avoid being put in a precarious or high-risk situation by prioritizing your system’s health.

 

Keep your home or business safe and secure in an emergency this winter with these professional standby generator maintenance tips:

 

Keep the Vents Clear

To maintain a reliable and functional backup power unit, it’s crucial to keep your standby generator’s surroundings consistently clear.

Removing any material that could clog up the intake and exhaust vents also prevents your unit from overheating, which can lead to permanent standby generator damage and significant system failure.

When you shovel this winter, pay special attention to the area around your standby generator. Take extra precaution to ensure there is a path cleared for easy generator access and that the vents are completely clear of snow, ice, leaves, grass, and any other debris that could clog up the unit.

A clear path is essential for not only your generator’s functionally, but for necessary professional maintenance. Expert generator technicians require a clear area to access your unit when performing repairs and emergency service.

As winter transitions into sunnier weather, remember it’s important to keep your vents clear year-round so your generator can receive the air it needs to optimally perform.

 

Conduct a Maintenance Check and Tests

Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of an emergency to give your standby generator a thorough assessment.

Conduct regular maintenance checks and necessary system tests, like fuel testing and load bank testing, to ensure your unit is well-lubricated and operating at its rated capacity.

Maintaining your unit’s health is especially important during the winter. Ensuring consistent, reliable backup power is key when keeping your home or business heated and fully functional during inclement weather emergencies.

Prioritize your unit’s health—and your safety—by scheduling a maintenance check as early as possible this winter. Proactive maintenance and repairs allow you to avoid any problems that would be much more difficult to correct later in the season.

 

Stabilize Your Fuel

Winterize your standby generator by stabilizing your fuel supply.

A fuel stabilizer prevents your supply from becoming stale and debased. Stabilizer is a liquid solution that keeps fuel fresh for up to a year. Old, low-quality fuel will render your unit useless and can seriously damage your system, causing failure.

To ensure efficient fuel levels for winter and a fresh supply, it’s crucial to have your fuel polished or replenished. Fuel polishing removes harmful contaminants from your supply to guarantee high-quality fuel and optimal generator performance.

Don’t wait until your fuel levels are nearing empty to take action. For dependable backup power this winter, have your local standby generator professional assess your fuel levels and quality.

Change Your Oil

Don’t fall into the dangerous routine of only changing your standby generator’s oil when it’s an urgent situation. If you wait until the dead of winter to change your oil, you run the risk of being caught in a blizzard or storm while performing an oil change.

It’s also vital to closely monitor your standby generator’s oil levels to make sure it has a sufficient amount of oil to operate in an emergency.

Need help changing your standby generator’s oil? One of our factory-trained technicians will meet you on-site to assess the situation—at no cost.

 

 

Exercise Your Generator

If your generator remains stagnant for too long, it runs the risk of not turning on or operating correctly in freezing temperatures.

Avoid being stuck in an emergency without backup power by running your generator once a week for roughly ten minutes to lubricate the system’s moving parts.

 

Trust the Experts

Ensure your standby generator will be able to combat the freezing cold and provide consistent, reliable backup power in an emergency. Regular maintenance and preventative services are the key to keeping your generator primed to perform no matter what.

Prioritize the health of your system year-round with National Standby’s annual service contract. Our service contractor offers several benefits that save money, time, and frustration for residential, commercial, and municipal emergency backup power systems.

 

 

 

Kristopher Schwind is the proud owner of National Standby Repair.