We all know that Minnesota is cold. If the cold got the best of a standby generator, then it wouldn’t do individuals much good to have them for power outages that occur year round.
Standby generators can have difficulty starting in the cold, just as a car can. However, they can be winterized so that they run during the cold winter months. A cold weather kit is a great way to make sure the generator starts. These kits include battery warmers that are controlled by a thermostat. The battery simply sits on top of the warmer, which will automatically turn on when the thermostat detects that the temperature has dropped below 40 degrees.
The cold weather kits also include a crank case heater that makes sure the oil doesn’t turn into gel. When the generators are filled with oil at the factory, they tend to have standard oils, such as 10W-30 put inside of them. This is the same type of oil used by many cars. It is recommended that the oil be changed to 5W-30 synthetic oil when the cold weather kit is added.
You can exercise the generator to move gasoline out of the carburetor so that it is replaced with fresh gasoline. This prevents residue blockage so that the parts do not end up gummed up.
You also want to schedule your generator maintenance for the fall. This means having your standby generator maintenance professionals add new oil, spark plugs, and ensure everything is running the way that it is supposed to.
All of these activities help ensure your generator is going to start when it needs to, even in cold weather. Besides, it is usually during the worst weather during the winter that a standby generator needs to run.
Some things that you can do on your own:
- Monitor your generator monitoring program to make sure everything looks good
- Keep the area around the generator clear of leaves and debris. Make sure that the air vents are not blocked in any way. If it snows, you want to make sure the air vents are not covered by snow. In fact, it is best to clear snow away from the generator and do so periodically to keep it from accumulating against the cabinet.
- If you hear any strange noises or your generator seems to be behaving oddly, call your Twin Cities generator maintenance professionals as soon as possible so that the problem can be found.
When you perform these activities, you are also taking steps toward making sure your generator is as reliable as possible.