Tips to Maintain Your Portable Generator
Portable generators are affordable and easy to use and store. That’s why we often recommend them to our customers looking for a reliable backup power source. Whether you use your unit for camping in your backyard, powering up your mobile office, or running tools at your work site, you’ll need to maintain it regularly to keep it functioning smoothly. Don’t worry if you are unsure where to begin—our guide has you covered.
Crownstone Equipment is your local power equipment dealer in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Our experts have created this guide to help you familiarize yourself with a few maintenance checks to perform on your generators. Read on to learn more, and for more information, visit our dealership for a friendly chat with our team.
Run Your Generator Regularly
Even if you don’t use your portable generator regularly, you’ll still want to start it up once every couple of months. This will help distribute oil and lubricants and keep the internal parts in good working condition.
Ideally, you should run your machine for around 30 minutes. This will give it the time to charge the battery for the electric starter and ensure your unit is ready to turn over and start without any glitches.
Oil and Filter Change
Next, you’ll need to examine the oil and filter in your generator and replace them from time to time. Typically, new models need to have their first oil change after 30 hours of use, and after that, after every 100 hours of operation.
Many owners prefer to change their oil and filter at the beginning of each season to keep their generators ready to tackle frequent outages during inclement weather conditions.
Fuel Storage
Finally, you’ll also want to take all possible measures to store your fuel correctly. This small but essential maintenance step can go a long way in keeping your generator in tip-top shape and free of problems. This will also make sure that your fuel is ready for use.
If you don’t intend on using your generator for a few weeks or months, remember to drain the fuel completely. This will help prevent gum deposits from developing and keep your fuel reliable for longer. As you may know, ethanol in the gasoline can separate and sink to the bottom of your tank, rendering the fuel unusable. To prevent this, add a gas stabilizer to your fuel tank and run the generator for some time. Once the engine has cooled down, remove the gas from the tank and start your generator again. Let it run until it stops from lack of fuel.
We hope these tips help you maintain your portable generator like an expert. If you need more advice or are still in the market for a new machine, visit Crownstone Equipment. We have dealerships throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland.