Monday, July 21, 2014

4 Troubleshooting Tips for your Standby Generator

One of the biggest advantages of doing a regular maintenance routine on your standby generator that includes running the engine with a demand load is that you can address potential issues before you really need backup power. Here are 4 of these potential problems, as well as some troubleshooting ideas that can shed some more light on the issue and define the repair process to get the generator back to peak performance levels as quickly as possible.
·         The generator doesn’t start – This is a fairly common issue when the generator has been sitting idle for an extended period so, if that’s the case, start your troubleshooting process with the issues that are most often associated with months of inactivity. The most likely culprits are the spark plug, a dead battery, and unstabilized gas in the tank that has thickened to the constancy of varnish. If these suspects aren’t the problem, it could be carburetor, which may require professional expertise for a repair.
·         The engine wavers while running – A generator engine that is running rough probably isn’t getting a steady flow of fuel, which points first to the fuel filter. If the engine continues to waver while running after cleaning this filter, the issue may again be related to the carburetor.
·         An engine that starts but then shuts down – If this problem occurs with a relatively light demand load on the generator during a maintenance run, the problem may be a clogged air filter, so check that first. If the problem persists after cleaning the air filter, check to see if the fuel filter needs cleaning.
·         The engine runs and appliances power up briefly, but then shut down – The likely cause of the issue is the circuit breaker on the electrical panel. Flip the breaker back to the “On” position and see if that solves the issue. If the breaker shuts down again, there may be an issue with the demand load being too much for the breaker to handle. The easy solution would be connecting the appliance that consumes the most electricity (the refrigerator for example) to another outlet on a different circuit. If that circuit trips, it may be time to upgrade the panel or install a second one that is dedicated to the most energy-intensive appliances including the air conditioner and the refrigerator.
Regular maintenance is a great way to keep your generator operating at peak efficiency. The second benefit of a regular routine is that troubleshooting and fixing these issues after a maintenance run on your standby generator is far more preferable than trying to figure things out in the minutes following a blackout that has put your home in the dark.