How often should I exercise my generator?

A general rule of thumb is exercising a generator without a power load (aka. with no capacity) between once a week or once a month. The recommended amount of time to exercise your generator is around 30 minutes. This keeps your generator fresh and ready to use, and helps ensure that in the case of an outage the generator will run as expected.

Likewise, a generator should be exercised with a load (aka. at full capacity) on a quarterly basis for 15 to 20 minutes. This allows the lubricant to heat up to operating temperature and circulate throughout the engine.

Other environmental factors, such as excessive dust or moisture, may affect the required frequency that you exercise your generator.

Outside of regular exercise, there are other recommended preventative maintenance measures you can take to keep your generator reliable and operating in optimum condition.