Just bought a power generator? Your generator can save you for years to come, but it can also break in no time. The difference comes with good maintenance habits.
Most of the maintenance of your power generator will take place within a six month period. The easiest tasks involve inspection – is there enough oil, coolant, fuel, etc. Some routine tasks, like cleaning the air filter, can be done monthly or weekly depending on the size and workload of the generator. Oil filter replacement and such need to happen every few months. You should not just install the power generator and forget about it. It’s a hard-working machine and if badly treated, it can fail catastrophically.
Never use generators indoors. Generators create fumes, the type that will likely incapacitate you before you know you’ve been poisoned. A generator should always be in a well-ventilated place. Generators are specially designed to make sure that air circulation is at its best. A generator can be seriously damaged if it starts to run out of air; make sure your machine can breathe.
Generators can run through oil and oil filters rather quickly, much like a cartridge you buy with a printer, so you shouldn’t expect the filters that come with the generator to last long. Change your filters for every 50+ hours of operation. It’s crucial to consult your generator manual and supplier on the intervals, as this can be a maintenance drain if you choose poorly.
Also avoid running out of fuel. Generator create power by rotating magnetic coils along each other. By all means, avoid those coils becoming demagnetized. This will happen if a generator runs out of fuel: it stops generating electricity, but the devices taking power from it will suck the magnetism right out of those coils. This will result in a very big repair or even a new generator.