# Monthly maintenance



## moondoggy (Jun 16, 2016)

I have read that if you buy a generator you really need to run it monthly to keep it ready for action if needed. My question is whether there is more to this than just cranking up the generator and letting it run for a while?

I was in a dealership this week and the salesperson I spoke with was trying to tell me that each month when I need to perform maintenance, I not only had to start the unit but I actually had go to the breaker box, flip all of the breakers off, power up the generator, flip the bypass switch and then turn on the breakers on for the appliances that I would be using during a disaster and run the appliances to generate a load on the generator. He was saying that most people assume that you can successfully perform your monthly maintenance by plugging in an electric drill but he insisted that you need to put a full load on the unit.

Is this true or is this this just and old wives tale?


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## exmar (Jun 29, 2015)

Last I heard you were going with a Honda? Go with their recco's. Assume they're the ones who you're buying from and who will service it, so don't make problems for yourself. IMHO, don't mix "apples and oranges" e.g. get advice from a Generac Dealer about a Honda machine.


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## moondoggy (Jun 16, 2016)

exmar said:


> Last I heard you were going with a Honda? Go with their recco's. Assume they're the ones who you're buying from and who will service it, so don't make problems for yourself.


Good advice but....

My concern is that the Honda dealer is the one that is telling me that I have to pretend each month that I'm experiencing a disaster just so I can put a load on the unit for maintenance purposes. What concerns me is that I suspect that this dealer may be providing misinformation just to get me to buy a whole house system so he can make more money. If these suspicions are true then I don't really want to do business with this individual and his company and I'd rather take my business elsewhere. Fortunately there's another Honda dealer here in Pensacola but I have not had the time to go down and talk to them yet and was just trying to check things out a bit ahead of time.


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## Dan N. (Jul 23, 2015)

Portable generators should be started monthly or every other week and you plug in an item like a fridge with and extension cord and let it run for 10 to 15 minutes to put some load on the generator and motor to keep it running and ready. I think that is a good idea. With the whole house back up generators they run weekly but I believe only Cummins actually puts some load on it every week as well, most just have the engine run to keep the oil and seals from drying out. I run mine with load every 2-3 months outside the weekly exercise run, especially in the summer to keep the milky substance from building in the oil.


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