What to Remember When It Comes to Home Generator Maintenance

Having a Home Generator Is More Common Than You May Think

Lots of people may think it odd that we are even writing this article. How many people actually have the need for a home generator, right? Wrong! Home generators are great pieces of equipment that more and more people are investing in.

With the increase in natural disasters, particularly nasty hurricanes, floods and earthquakes in recent memory, many people are seeing the benefits of investing in their own home generator. For some, the only trouble with the power they may ever get is the occasional midnight outage, that quickly turns into a fun-filled night of old-school gaming, minus all of our tech gadgets. But as soon as disaster strikes and you understand what it is like to be without power for a serious length of time, then your next purchase is likely to be a home generator.

Maintenance Is as Important a Purchase

Most families will find that a 4000-watt home generator suffices well as a back-up option. Anything more than that and you only need more power for somewhere where you need the heating on all night. Unsurprisingly, home generators can start off about $5000, but can run into well over $15,000 depending on how big of a unit you need. Either way, if you think ahead and pre-plan by investing in some kind of backup generator, then you will have peace of mind that your family will stay safe and warm no matter what happens to your electricity supply.

Once you’ve made the sensible decision and purchased a home generator, the next thing to do is to ensure you fully understand how to maintain it well. Firstly, it is really important to buy oil and filters when you buy your generator, as you may be surprised to know that a new generator could need its first change of oil in just over 24 hours. It is always best to store enough oil for a few days, as even once a generator is up and running it will still need its oil changing every 50 hours or so. But do make sure all of your oil and gas is stored safely. When you are adding new oil, make sure that the engine is cool before you pour it in. Failing to do this step has resulted in many accidents because of spillages, which you really do not want. Another way of creating an awful accident is by backfeeding. This is illegal and is something you should never do as it is really hazardous. To play it safe, have a professional take care of your maintenance annually.

Some of Our Top Tips on How Best to Maintain Your Home Generator

Make sure that you keep your new generator locked down to the ground in some way. You really don’t want someone to steal your expensive generator and you don’t want it to be moved in a storm because of high winds; so, make sure it is securely fastened to the ground. Finally, as well as undertaking all of your normal maintenance checks on an ongoing basis, remember to schedule a yearly service for your generator with a qualified professional.