Forecast estimated that this year winter is going to be bitterly cold, with plenty of snow, rain, sleet, and ice. Prepare for inclement weather through generator maintenance services to ensure your standby generator is ready to go.
Proper standby generator maintenance ensures that your system will deliver dependable backup power when you need it most. When a blizzard or snowfall comes, it is common for electricity to remain out for hours, if not days. By putting your system’s health first, you can avoid various dangerous or high-risk circumstances.
Follow our maintenance tips for your diesel generators to keep your units functioning 24 by 7.
How to Keep Commercial Generators In 100% Working Order?
Backup generators lie idle the majority of the time. While some machines operate much less frequently, they require regular maintenance or may have difficulties starting and staying on at inconvenient times. Making a regular maintenance schedule — and sticking to it — is one of the greatest ideas of standby generator maintenance.
1. Daily Support
Every day, maintenance of diesel generators is required. These include a thorough visual assessment for damage as well as a check of the generator fluid levels for oil, coolant, and fuel.
You should test your coolant heater to ensure that it is useable in winter. Also, make sure that your charge air pipe and related connections are in good working order.
2. Weekly Support
Diesel generators, too, require weekly maintenance. Drain the fuel filter and any water from the tank during weekly standby generator maintenance. Examine your battery charger and connections, and replace the air filter if necessary.
3. Monthly Support
Take a sample of your coolant tank and test the concentration once a month. If yours is not working, you should drain the reservoir and replenish it with fluid that meets the specifications of your device. Check the voltage of your starting battery, the tightness of your drive belt, and any emissions condensate.
4. Service On A Semi-Annual Basis
Maintenance may become time-consuming after six months, but the value is well worth the commitment. Replace your generator oil, oil filter, coolant filter, air filter, and fuel filter during your semi-annual service. We also recommend cleaning the crankcase breather to reduce engine pressure and prevent premature component damage.
5. Service Period
Clean your complete generator cooling system as part of your annual generator maintenance services, along with the other services on this list. This involves evaluating all components for damage, leaks, humidity, and loose connections.
101 Standby Generator Maintenance Tips
- When starting the generator, make sure the AC load breaker or switch is off, and then warm it up for a minute before connecting the load. It might save money by preventing costly failures of the automated voltage regulator or generator diodes.
- If you begin at the dock, turn off the shore power breaker before starting your generator. If the shore power switch fails, the generator may connect to shore power for a brief or permanent period, resulting in disastrous consequences.
- Before the start of the sailing season, change the seawater pump. If the old one is in good condition, throw it away or keep it as a spare. Silicone dielectric grease on new and old impellers will make them considerably easier to remove and install.
- If you do not use your generator frequently, check the oil and filter twice a year (spring and fall).
- You can avoid nasty emissions! At all times, try to keep the generator at 40 – 50 per cent of its rated KW load or higher.
- Visually inspect the exhaust-wet elbow once a year to avoid saltwater breakdowns of your generator’s electrical parts.
- If your generator has zinced, examine it every 90 days until you know how frequently it has to be replaced.
- Always have extra generator parts on hand. Carry two spare fuel filters, one spare belt, one spare oil filter, spare oil, and spare coolant at the very least.
- Every two years, service the heat exchanger and refill the coolant.
- Do not crank the starter for more than 60 seconds at a time, or you’ll accidentally fill the muffler and flood the engine with seawater.
Make the Correct Decision the First Time
Installing a standby generator is a difficult undertaking, and poor installation can result in a slew of problems down the road. That is why you should hire the best electrical contractor for the job. Look for a contractor who has past expertise installing generators and a record of accomplishment of working on large-scale projects.
A properly placed with 100% standby generator maintenance may save lives and last a lifetime, so it is worth taking the additional effort to select the perfect contractor for your company.
