Generator maintenance

What It Means

Generator maintenance is the care a home generator needs so it starts and runs when the power goes out. For a portable generator that means cleaning it, changing the oil on schedule and looking after the air filter and spark plug. A home standby generator, wired in and running on its own, also gets a yearly service and short automatic test runs, which Generac calls exercise.

How It Sounds at Home

• "The generator did its Tuesday test run."
• "Change the oil before storm season."
• "We ran it for three days straight last outage."

The Breakdown

How often, per Generac for its own generators

Other makers set their own intervals, so check your owner's manual. Buhata's own suggestion for a portable: start it and run it briefly once a month, outdoors, so you learn about a problem before an outage does.

Between services. Keep it dry, since Ready.gov warns that touching a wet generator or the devices plugged into it can shock you. Let it cool before refueling, because fuel spilled on a hot engine can catch fire, and use heavy-duty extension cords to reach appliances.

Good to Know

Run a generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages, per Ready.gov. CPSC adds that the exhaust should point away from the home, warns never to use one inside a home or garage, and says opening doors and windows won't clear the carbon monoxide. When buying, CPSC suggests a model that shuts itself off when carbon monoxide builds up. CPSC's safety alert also warns never to plug a generator into a wall outlet to power the house, called backfeeding, because it can electrocute utility workers and neighbors on the same transformer Buhata's own suggestion: plug appliances into the generator itself, and ask a licensed electrician if you want it to power house circuits. CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion as the most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. If anyone has them, get into fresh air and call 911.

Related Terms and Categories

• Hurricane prep

  Getting a home and household ready for a hurricane: knowing your evacuation zone, stocking supplies, protecting windows and acting on watches and warnings.

• Emergency kit

  A packed set of water, food, light, first aid and other basics that lets a household get through several days on its own after a disaster.

• Carbon monoxide detector

  An alarm that sounds when carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, builds up to a dangerous level in the air of a home.

• Sump pump

  A pump set in a pit in a basement floor that switches on as groundwater collects there and sends it through a pipe away from the house.

• Seasonal home maintenance

  Home upkeep sorted by time of year, so each job lands when the weather suits it and before the system it protects is needed most.

• Appliance lifespan

  How many years a home appliance usually lasts before it needs replacing, from about 6 years for a compactor to 15 for a gas range in Consumer Reports' 2009 figures.

Home maintenance and repairs