How Do I Service My Generator?

A standby generator is a quiet promise in the corner of your yard. It sits there https://ewingelectricco.com/generac-generator-services/ for months, then one thunderstorm knocks out power along Providence Road or a blown transformer off South Tryon, and that small machine carries your home. Lights stay on. The fridge hums. The sump pump runs. In Charlotte, outages can last a few minutes or stretch through a long summer afternoon. The difference between a smooth handoff and a bad day usually comes down to maintenance.

If you’ve searched for Generac generator maintenance near me, you’re already on the right track. The question is how to handle service the right way, on time, and in a way that protects your warranty and keeps your home safe. As a Charlotte-based electrical contractor, Ewing Electric Co. services generators from Ballantyne to Huntersville, from Plaza Midwood to Steele Creek. We see what goes wrong, what holds up, and what actually makes a difference. Here’s a practical, local guide to servicing your standby generator.

What “service” actually means for a home generator

Servicing a generator is more than changing oil. A proper maintenance visit checks the engine, alternator, fuel system, battery, controls, and the automatic transfer switch. We verify safe operation under load and look for small issues before they turn into major problems. For most Generac home standby units, routine service includes an oil and filter change, a fresh air filter, a new spark plug or two, a valve clearance check at the right interval, and a full diagnostic on the control board. We also inspect the generator pad, housing, exhaust clearance, and wiring from the unit to the ATS.

Think of it like a combination of a car service, a safety check, and a mini electrical inspection. The entire visit often takes 60 to 90 minutes, sometimes longer if we run an extended load test or find a repair.

Maintenance intervals you can trust

Manufacturers publish clear schedules, and following them matters for both uptime and warranty. For most residential Generac air-cooled units in Charlotte’s climate:

• Oil and oil filter change: typically every 100 to 150 run hours or once per year, whichever comes first. If your unit ran heavily during summer storms or ice events, do it sooner.
• Air filter: check yearly; replace every one to two years, sooner in dusty conditions or near construction.
• Spark plugs: replace every two years or at the interval in your manual; inspect annually.
• Battery: replace every three to four years; test at each visit.
• Valve clearance: commonly checked at 200 to 300 hours or every two to three years on many models. This affects starting, smooth running, and longevity.
• Load test: at least annually. We prefer a live load transfer when practical, so we can watch the unit carry your house circuits.

If you can’t remember your last service date, look at the hours on the control panel. Many Charlotte homeowners are surprised to see 60 to 120 hours logged after a busy storm season. Standby units often run a weekly exercise cycle as well. That adds up.

Gas, electric, and Charlotte-specific conditions

Most Generac units here run on natural gas. Some in outlying areas like Mint Hill or Lake Wylie run on propane. Gas quality and supply pressure matter. We often find borderline gas regulators at the meter or an undersized gas line to the generator. The unit may start, but voltage dips under load. During a service visit, we verify fuel pressure at startup and under load, and we look at the line size and run length. If you’ve upgraded appliances since the generator installation, the gas line may need a change. This is a common fix that prevents nuisance shutdowns.

Humidity is another Charlotte factor. Moisture inside the enclosure can corrode terminals and battery posts. Leaves from fall oak trees clog intakes and block cooling airflow. Mulch, weeds, and grass clippings can press against the housing and reduce ventilation. A quick trim around the unit and keeping the pad clear makes a real difference. During service, we clean out debris, check the enclosure seals, and look for rodent activity. A chewed sensor wire costs pennies to fix if caught early; it’s expensive when discovered during an outage.

What you can safely do yourself

There are a few owner tasks that help between professional visits. Keep it simple and stick to what the manual allows. Anything tied to fuel, high voltage, or the transfer switch belongs to a licensed tech.

Here’s a short homeowner checklist that fits most Generac air-cooled units in Charlotte:

• Keep 3 feet of clear space around the enclosure. Trim shrubs and remove leaves monthly.
• Check the display weekly. Make sure status shows “Ready” and the next exercise is scheduled.
• Listen during the weekly exercise run. It should start cleanly and run smoothly without surging.
• Inspect for obvious issues: leaks under the unit, loose panels, chewed insulation, or strong fuel odors.
• Keep records. Note run hours after storms and write down any errors you see on the screen.

If you’re comfortable, you can top off engine oil between services using the exact oil type listed in your manual. Do not overfill. Do not open gas fittings. Do not bypass error codes. If you smell gas, shut the unit down and call a professional.

What a professional service visit includes

At Ewing Electric Co., a standard maintenance appointment for a residential Generac unit in Charlotte follows a tight process. We start with the basics: verify the model and serial, check warranty status, and pull stored fault codes. We confirm software revisions on the controller and update settings if needed, including exercise time, quiet test mode, and network connectivity if your unit has Wi‑Fi or cellular monitoring.

We warm up the engine, drain oil, replace the oil filter and crush washer, and refill with manufacturer-approved oil. We replace the air filter if loaded or at the scheduled interval. We check plug condition and gap. We test the battery with a meter that reads cold cranking amps, not just voltage, because batteries can show 12.7 V and still fail under load.

Next, we inspect the ignition coil leads, the stepper motor and throttle linkage, and the governor response. We verify that cooling fans and louvers move freely. We inspect the exhaust for leaks and check clearance to the siding. We open the control compartment and check every terminal for tightness. We look at the wiring harness where it passes through the housing for any rub marks. We test utility voltage and generator output, measuring line-to-line and line-to-neutral. We check the neutral bond and the grounding electrode conductor.

When possible, we perform a live transfer. This means we switch your home to generator power for a short period while we watch voltage, frequency, and total load. We walk the house, turn on a few heavy loads like the oven or a heat pump, and confirm the generator holds steady. If your home has medical equipment, a server, or other sensitive loads, we coordinate to protect them during the test. If we find a capacity issue, we talk through options: load shedding modules, a different transfer switch configuration, or, in some cases, an upgrade to a larger kW rating.

We finish with a clean enclosure, fresh service labels, a written report with readings, and recommendations tailored to your usage.

Signs your generator is asking for help

Generators are good at telling you something is off if you know the signals. A few common clues:

• Slow starts, repeated cranking, or a rough idle during the weekly exercise cycle.
• A sulfur smell near the unit on propane systems, or a faint gas odor on natural gas. This needs immediate attention.
• Alarms on the display like “Under-speed,” “Low Oil Pressure,” “Over-crank,” or “Undervoltage.”
• Darkened air filter, oil streaks on the base, or pooled water inside the housing.
• Battery date older than four years, or frequent low-battery warnings during cold snaps.

If you see any of these, don’t wait for a storm to test your luck. A quick visit now avoids a long outage later.

Generac-specific notes worth knowing

Generac air-cooled home standby units are reliable when maintained. A few brand-specific points we see across Charlotte installations:

• Exercise mode: Newer controllers allow “Quiet Test,” which runs at a lower RPM for the weekly exercise. It’s good for noise and light fuel savings, but do a full-speed run under load during annual service so you know the unit performs.
• Wi‑Fi monitoring: If your model supports it, keep it connected. We can often diagnose alerts remotely and arrive with the right parts. If your router changed or you upgraded internet service, reconnect the generator app.
• Oil selection: Use the oil grade specified for our climate. In Charlotte, a synthetic 5W‑30 that meets the Generac spec is common. Mixing oil types or grades can cause consumption or carbon buildup.
• Load management: Many homes have two HVAC systems or a heat pump plus strip heat. If your generator trips when both units start, adding load-shed modules is cheaper than upsizing the whole generator.
• Valve adjustments: This gets missed. Valves that are out of spec cause hard starting, smoking, or a drop in power. Keep this line item on your schedule at the hour mark listed in your manual.

What servicing costs in the Charlotte area

Prices vary by model and the scope of service. For a standard air-cooled Generac 10 to 24 kW unit, a routine annual maintenance visit in the Charlotte region generally ranges from the low $200s to the mid $300s, including oil, filters, and a full diagnostic. A valve adjustment adds labor and may push the visit into the $400s. Batteries run $150 to $250 depending on spec. Load-shed modules, new gas regulators, or wiring repairs are extras. Transparent pricing matters, so we itemize parts and labor on every work order.

Homeowners often ask whether a maintenance plan makes sense. If your generator protects a sump pump, medical gear, a home office, or a full-size fridge and freezer, the answer is usually yes. Plans lock in service dates, keep warranty requirements intact, and often include priority scheduling after storms. We schedule plans by neighborhood so we can move faster during heavy outage weeks across Charlotte and the nearby towns.

Safety first: where DIY stops

A standby generator integrates with your home’s electrical service and gas system. There’s no margin for improvisation. We’ve been called after a well-meaning neighbor cleared a code by disconnecting the battery, only to hide a real problem with oil pressure or fuel supply. We’ve also seen owners replace a spark plug with the wrong heat range, which led to fouling and a shutdown in the middle of a storm.

If the task involves the automatic transfer switch, live electrical panels, gas piping, or controller programming you don’t understand, stop and call a licensed technician. Charlotte-Mecklenburg and surrounding jurisdictions enforce permits for gas line changes and electrical upgrades. Cutting corners can void your warranty and risk your home.

Preventing the most common failures we see

Most generator failures we fix in Charlotte trace back to five root causes: a weak battery, overdue oil, clogged air intake, a fuel supply mismatch, or a missed valve adjustment. Each one is preventable with simple habits: change oil on schedule, test the battery yearly, keep the area clear, verify gas line sizing at installation, and book a valve check at the proper hour mark.

We also see corrosion on battery terminals and ground points from humidity and fall leaves. A light cleaning and a dab of dielectric grease during service keeps connections stable. Another frequent issue is a generator sited too close to a fence or shrubs, which chokes airflow and traps heat. Code requires clearances for a reason. If you inherited a poor placement from a previous owner, we can evaluate options to move the unit or improve airflow safely.

A quick look at whole-home vs. essential-circuit setups

Your maintenance approach should match your configuration. A whole-home transfer switch feeds your entire panel, while an essential-circuit switch feeds a subpanel with the must-have loads. Whole-home setups need careful load management during testing to avoid tripping the generator with simultaneous heavy starts, especially heat pumps and electric ranges. Essential-circuit setups are simpler to manage, but we still verify that the selected circuits are realistic for your generator size.

If you’re not sure what you have, we’ll trace it during the service visit and label it clearly. You should know which circuits will be live during an outage before the next storm hits.

How long a generator should last with proper service

With routine service, most air-cooled Generac standby units run 10 to 15 years. The range depends on how often it runs, how hot it gets where it’s installed, and how well the fuel supply and electrical connections were done on day one. We have clients in Myers Park and Dilworth whose units have crossed 1,000 to 1,500 hours and still pass load tests. The key is upkeep and prompt fixes. A small oil leak ignored for a season becomes a major repair. A battery that limps through exercises often fails on a cold night.

If your unit is older than a decade, we can evaluate whether it makes sense to continue service or plan a replacement. Newer models may run quieter, manage loads better, and integrate with your home network more reliably. We’ll lay out costs both ways.

What to expect during a visit with Ewing Electric Co.

We schedule service across Charlotte neighborhoods every week. On the day of your appointment, our technician arrives with the right filters, oil, and diagnostic tools for your exact model. We ask you to provide access to the transfer switch and the main panel. If we plan a live transfer test, we’ll discuss any sensitive devices beforehand.

We work cleanly, lay down pads if needed, and keep noise to a minimum. At the end, we walk you through what we found, show you any parts we replaced, and review the next steps. If we recommend a part replacement in the future, we’ll explain why and what it costs. You get a digital report with photos and readings for your records, which helps with warranty claims and resale value.

Why act now instead of waiting for the next storm

Charlotte’s storm pattern is predictable in one way: it’s unpredictable. You can go six months with no outage, then get three in a week. The busiest weeks for our team hit right after a weather event. That’s when scheduling gets tight and small issues become urgent calls. A pre-season service in spring or early fall gives you the best shot at zero drama when the line goes down on your street.

If you’ve been searching for Generac generator maintenance near me and you live in or around Charlotte, call us before your unit asks for help. We book maintenance by ZIP code across areas like SouthPark, University City, Matthews, Pineville, and Concord. We carry common Generac parts on our trucks to keep visits efficient.

Straight answers to common questions

How long does a maintenance visit take? Most routine visits take about 60 to 90 minutes. If we perform a valve adjustment or find a repair, plan for two hours.

Do I need to be home? It helps, especially if we perform a live transfer. If you can’t be home, we can still complete most checks and return for the load test when you’re available.

What about warranty? Keeping records of annual maintenance protects your manufacturer’s warranty. We store your service history and can provide documentation anytime.

Will servicing void anything if my unit was installed by someone else? No. We service generators regardless of who installed them. If we find an installation issue, we’ll explain it and give you options.

Should I shut the unit off before a hurricane or ice storm? No. Leave it in auto. If you expect deep flooding around the pad, call us to discuss safe options. Proper siting should keep the unit above ordinary flood levels.

Ready to schedule service in Charlotte?

A standby generator is a promise you make to your home and your family. Keeping that promise doesn’t take much: once-a-year maintenance, quick checks after storms, and attention to small signs. The payoff is simple. The next time the grid drops along Park Road or Beatties Ford, your house stays steady.

If you typed Generac generator maintenance near me and landed here, you’re close to done. Contact Ewing Electric Co. to book a maintenance visit, set up a service plan, or request a diagnostic if your unit is throwing codes. We cover Charlotte and nearby communities, and we schedule with real life in mind. Tell us your neighborhood, your model, and any symptoms you’ve seen. We’ll handle the rest.

Call, email, or request service online, and we’ll get your generator ready for whatever the Carolina sky sends next.