How to Maintain Your Generator

One of the best solutions when it comes to having power in an emergency is owning a portable generator. These handy machines are also great if you have an RV and want extra power on the road, or if you need some extra outdoor electricity at home to run equipment and other items. However, your generator is only going to keep functioning if you maintain it properly.

Independence RV in Winter Garden is your Central Florida generator dealer, serving Greater Orlando and The Villages. Read on to learn how you can maintain your generator to keep it running when you need it.

Change Oil & Filters

Generators have a standard engine, which means they require oil to lubricate all the parts of the engine and ensure it runs smoothly. Once you’ve used a brand-new generator for 30 hours, it’s time for the first oil and filter change. After that, you can change the oil every 100 hours of use, or at the start of each season, depending on which comes first. Stock up on filters and oil so that you have them in the event of an emergency and can’t get out to the store to pick them up.

Run the Generator Often

Your generator needs to be started up and run for a bit every few months to ensure that the oil is distributed evenly throughout the engine to lubricate its parts. Running your generator also ensures that you can keep tabs on maintenance issues and prevents build-up. Start your portable generator outside and let it run for about a half an hour. This way your generator should function properly when you really need it.

Store Fuel Responsibly

Storing the fuel for your generator is important to keep it from going bad while the generator is in storage. If you’re storing the generator, drain the fuel so that it doesn’t gum up the engine. When storing the generator, add a stabilizer to the fuel to prevent water separation, which can cause corrosion in the fuel tank. Then, run the generator to allow that stabilized fuel to circulate throughout the engine. After ten minutes, stop it and let the engine cool. Drain fuel and start up the generator to let it burn through whatever fuel is left.

Check Wattage

When purchasing a generator, you need to make sure that you get a model that supplies the amount of power you’re going to need for when you have a power outage. Generators will have two different capacity listings and the important one is the continuous or rated wattage, which tells you how much power the generator can produce on an extended basis. If you see a higher starting wattage, this is only for starting up the generator and does not indicate how many watts the generator can provide over time.

Looking to purchase a generator? Stop by our sales, parts and service dealership in Winter Garden, FL, or shop online for our current stock of portable generators in our parts department. Independence RV is a destination RV dealership for new and used vehicles, serving buyers who come from all over North America.