What a yearly Generac service covers
A good annual visit on a Generac home standby generator covers the engine, the battery, the controller and the transfer switch, not just an oil change:
- Engine: oil and oil filter change, air filter, spark plugs inspected or replaced, and valve clearance checked where the manual calls for it.
- Battery: load-tested, terminals cleaned, replaced if it's weak.
- Controller: alarm history reviewed, exercise schedule confirmed, software updated where the manufacturer offers updates.
- Transfer switch: a simulated outage to confirm the unit starts, takes the load and hands the house back to the grid.
The technician also looks for fuel leaks, loose or chewed wiring, corrosion, and nests inside the enclosure. Liquid-cooled units add coolant and belt checks.
Generator maintenance schedule and run hours
Your unit exercises itself on a schedule, starting up briefly to keep the engine lubricated and the battery charged. Those short runs add hours slowly. A multi-day outage adds them fast. The manual sets service by run hours or by calendar, whichever comes first, so after a long ice storm outage, book an oil change even if the yearly service was recent.
Upstate winters matter here too. The oil weight should match what the manual specifies for cold starts, and a battery that limped through fall often fails on the first frigid exercise.
Signs your generator is overdue for maintenance
Book a visit now, rather than at the usual time, if any of these show up:
- The controller displays a maintenance reminder or any alarm, even one that cleared itself.
- The scheduled exercise run sounds different: rougher, louder, or it struggles to start.
- It carried the house through a long outage since the last oil change.
- Nobody can remember the last service, or the battery has never been replaced.
A unit that hasn't been touched since the installer left is the one most likely to quit halfway through an outage. Owners who move into a house with a generator already on the pad should treat the first visit as a full checkup, since there's often no record of what was done before.
Before-storm generator checks
When a nor'easter or ice storm is in the forecast, take ten minutes:
- Confirm the controller shows Auto and ready, with no alarms. Check the app if your unit is connected to one.
- Check the propane tank level and order a fill before the storm, not during it.
- Clear snow, leaves and mulch from around the enclosure and its vents.
- Make sure shrubs and stacked firewood aren't crowding the clearances the installer set.
If anything looks off, call for service while the roads are still clear.
Generator maintenance you can do vs a technician's job
Owners can keep the unit clear, watch the controller, listen to the exercise run, and keep fuel on hand. Wooded lots in places like Wilton need the leaf and needle cleanup more than most.
Leave the inside of the enclosure to a technician. A standby generator in Auto can start at any moment, and the transfer switch holds live utility power even when the generator is off. Battery load tests, valve adjustments and outage simulations take tools and training. Some handy owners change their own oil, which is fine if you match the manual's oil and filter and keep a log.
If your unit is already throwing alarms or failing to start, that's a generator repair call, not routine maintenance.
Kohler and other brands: generator maintenance basics
Kohler home standby units, and other brands, need the same work: oil, filters, plugs, battery and a test under load. The intervals and parts come from each brand's manual, and controller software differs, so tell us what you own. Our Generac vs Kohler guide covers how the two compare.
If the unit is still under warranty, ask whether the technician is authorized by your brand, since that can affect who handles covered repairs. Out of warranty, an experienced generator technician can maintain any of them. We cover homes across Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties.