January’s catastrophic ice storm left some southern communities without power for a week, and utilities across the country spent late January rebuilding damaged infrastructure. With winter far from over, mid-February is the right moment for a maintenance checkup, whether your generator ran for days last month or has not started since fall.

Generators Need Care After Hard Work

A standby generator that carried a home through a multi-day outage has earned an oil change, filter inspection, and battery check. One that has been sitting idle needs exercise to keep seals, fuel systems, and starters healthy. Either way, the worst time to discover a problem is at 2 a.m. in the next storm.

Your Mid-Winter Checklist

• Change or check oil and filters, especially after extended run time.
• Run a full test cycle under load and watch the transfer switch operate.
• Inspect the battery, block heater, and enclosure, and keep snow and ice clear of intakes and exhaust.
• If your home is still without backup power, Generac and Kohler whole-home systems can be installed before spring storm season arrives.

Stay Informed

Forecasters are watching the pattern for additional late-winter storms. A serviced generator in February is peace of mind through April.