It's Time for Home Generator Maintenance

After a chilly winter season filled with snow, sleet, ice, and rain, it's finally starting to warm up! But even with our coldest days behind us, something dark still lurks – power outages. Throughout the year, we often experience power outages from bad weather and rely on our home generators to keep the lights on. If you own a whole-house generator, it probably got plenty of use this past winter and is due for a check-up.

Spring is the perfect time to schedule a home generator maintenance session from the pros at Bradley Mechanical. Performing proper maintenance on your generator helps keep it running efficiently and extends its life overall. It also gives you the opportunity to spot repair issues before they become bigger, more serious, and more expensive problems.

Home Generator Maintenance

During our home generator tune-up and maintenance checks, we inspect all working parts of a whole house generator for a variety of issues that can occur over time. Some of these issues can be easy to overlook or simply forget, as a generator isn't an appliance always in use.

To ensure your generator is in tip-top shape, we'll keep an eye out for

• Signs of corrosion. After a long winter season, we always inspect our customer's generators for corrosion. Fluids that are not changed regularly can lead to corrosion of the radiator, resulting in early replacement and added costs. Additionally, fuel filters that are not regularly checked can also become corroded or clogged.
• Oil changes and issues. Most new house generators need to have their first oil changed after 25 hours of use. Afterward, all subsequent oil changes should happen every six months or after 100 hours of use. Always consult your owner's manual for specific oil brands, oil amount, and maintenance schedules. And if you aren't sure, you can rely on the professionals at Bradley Mechanical to know how often you should schedule home generator maintenance. Regular oil changes will keep your generator running smoothly.
• Outdated fuel. If your home generator runs on oil or if you have a portable generator that uses diesel, we'll inspect the fluids to make sure it isn't outdated and in need of replacement. Likewise, it's always important to make sure your fuel tank is full, so your generator is never close to running on empty. After all, you don't want to find yourself in need of fuel when the next power outage hits. If any old fuel was left in the generator from the last use, be sure to remove it and reload it with fresh gas before the next time you run the generator.
• Air filter replacement. We'll look closely at the condition of the air filter. Regardless of how dirty it is, it's a good idea to get into the habit of cleaning the filter every 100 hours and/or changing it monthly.
• Load bank testing. A load bank test is an examination and assessment of a genset. It helps verify that all primary components of the generator are in good working order under loaded conditions. Essentially, it ensures the generator will run properly when needed in an emergency situation. To perform this test, we'll place an artificial load on the generator and gradually increase it in a timed test. If it passes, your generator is in good working condition and can be relied upon during an outage.

Common Repairs

During our springtime generator tune-up appointments, we often find minor issues that are, fortunately, simple fixes. However, when these issues are not caught in time, they can spread and become much bigger headaches down the road. That's why we always recommend scheduling bi-annual tune-up appointments to avoid generator problems altogether.

If you find any of the following problems with your generator, don't hesitate to give us a call.

• Leaks in the coolant or fuel system
• Faulty or damaged wiring
• Battery issues or battery failure
• Worn and cracked belts
• Burnt components

Bradley Mechanical's highly qualified and trained generator technicians are your go-to solution for all of your home generator tune-up services. With a generator maintenance plan, our technicians will inspect critical generator components, including the engine and transfer switches. We'll ensure all mechanical issues are addressed so your generator will be ready when you need it.

Head into a rainy spring and summer with a generator that will back you up when you need it most. Our team at Bradley Mechanical has been keeping the lights on in our community since 1969. Give us a call today.