Generator Maintenance Tips: Exercising Your Whole Home Generator

If you have a home generator, then you may have heard the term “exercising”.  If you’re not quite sure what that means, then you have come to the right place. Here you can find out what exercising means, why it’s important and how to do it yourself.

Why do you Need to Exercise your Generator?

The main reason why exercising your generator is important is because it helps to make sure that it’s always working. If you’re a homeowner, then you probably chose to have a backup generator installed because if you ever experience an emergency, you know you’ll always have power. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a natural disaster, or home emergency, and finding that your generator is completely fried. Exercising helps to stop situations like this from happening. When you exercise your generator, you run it now and again to make sure that moisture build-up is prevented. Exercising your generator also stops wet-stacking. It helps you to make sure that all of the parts remain oiled, and it also stops your fuel from degrading as well. It’s a very important step when it comes to helping detect issues that may be present, while also preventing other problems that might have occurred in the future. If you exercise your generator on a regular basis, then this will help it to function properly when you really need it, and it will also go a long way when it comes to the general lifespan of your generator too.

The Process for Exercising your Generator

Most generators will come with a feature where they turn on automatically at a set time or day. You can usually set the frequency, depending on your personal preferences. Ideally, you should exercise your generator once a week. If this isn’t practical, once a month should suffice. Depending on where you live, you may have to run a specific exercise cycle. It’s a good idea for you to choose a day when you’re home, to exercise your generator. If you do this, then you will be able to watch for any issues that may indicate a problem. You can listen out for any strange noises, whirring, or clunking, and this will help you to get any repairs made before the problem compounds.

What should you Look for when Exercising your Generator?

When you exercise your generator, you should look out for engine sounds, vibrations, and even temperature. You should make sure that there are no alarms and that the oil pressure is normal.  When you’re running your generator, it’s beneficial to make sure that the fuel is being transferred properly and that the voltage is stable. If you notice that there are any leaks, whether it is engine oil, coolant, or fuel, then it’s imperative that you get this sorted out as soon as possible. If you don’t then you may find that you end up seeing corrosion, and bigger holes later on. This will make it much harder for you to get your generator repaired and it will also add to the price. This is all of course, avoidable if you are proactive when it comes to dealing with the issue at hand.

What if There’s an issue with your Generator?

Notice an issue with your generator? Maybe you’ve noticed that there is leaking fuel, some strange clicking sounds or maybe it’s simply just not really powering up as it should. Either way, we are here to help. We understand that making sure that your generator is in full working order can be a mundane task and you may even forget to do it sometimes if your generator does not come with an automatic function. That is why we offer a generator maintenance service so that you can take full advantage of our experienced and dedicated team. For a very simple, low monthly fee, you can enjoy all of the convenience that our system has to offer. When you come to our team, we will switch on your generator and we will perform routine maintenance as well. We will also help you with any remote diagnostics while monitoring it 24 hours a day for any potential issues that may arise. Of course, if there is an issue then we will respond very quickly ensuring that you get the problem dealt with in the shortest time for the lowest price. It’s this standard of service that you can expect from our Genmonitor maintenance program. Want to find out more? Then call (615) 879-1952 today. We can’t wait to help.