How Often Should You Service Your Home Generator?

Most home generators need professional service once a year or every 100 hours of runtime, whichever comes first. If your generator ran heavily during a storm season, it can hit that 100-hour mark faster than you'd expect, and that means service is due sooner than your calendar suggests.

Does Service Frequency Depend on the Type of Generator I Have?

Yes, standby and portable generators are maintained on different schedules because they're used differently.

Standby (whole-home) generators run a short self-test weekly, which keeps the engine lubricated but does not replace a hands-on inspection. These units still need one full professional service per year at minimum, regardless of how much they've actually run during outages.

Portable generators only run when you turn them on, usually during an outage or for job-site power. Their maintenance is tied more directly to actual runtime hours, so if you've had several long outages in a year, you may need service more than once.

What Actually Happens During a Generator Service Visit?

A standard maintenance visit checks the parts most likely to fail without warning — not just the ones that are easy to see.

• Oil and filter change — oil degrades over time even if the generator hasn't run much, since it absorbs moisture and can develop sludge.
• Air filter and spark plug inspection — a clogged air filter forces the engine to work harder and wears it out faster.
• Battery test — a weak battery is one of the most common reasons a standby generator fails to start during an outage.
  Coolant and fuel system check (for liquid-cooled or larger units).
• Load test — confirms the generator can actually carry your home's electrical load, not just start up.
• Transfer switch check — verifies the automatic transfer switch is communicating properly with the generator, since this is what switches your home from utility power to generator power.

This is the same scope of work included in Got Electric's generator maintenance contracts, so a homeowner on a contract isn't getting a lighter version of this; it's the full check, on a set schedule, without having to remember to book it.

Do Different Generator Brands Have Different Service Intervals?

Generally, yes, and the differences matter enough that you shouldn't assume one brand's schedule applies to another.

For Generac units specifically, the commonly published intervals are:

• A break-in service after the first 25 hours of operation
• Routine service annually or every 100 hours of runtime
• A more comprehensive "Schedule A" service every 200 hours or two years

(Note: these Generac figures are consistent across several service providers, but they should still be checked against the specific model's owner's manual before being published as a firm claim; some models vary.)

Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, and Honeywell units may follow similar hour-based logic, but their exact intervals aren't confirmed here and shouldn't be stated as fact without pulling them from each manufacturer's documentation. If you want brand-by-brand specifics for all four, that's worth a follow-up pass before this goes live it would make the post more useful and more likely to get pulled into AI search results, since specific, sourced numbers are what those tools tend to extract.

What Happens If You Skip Generator Maintenance?

Skipping maintenance doesn't save money; it usually just moves the live cost to the worst possible moment.

• Failure on demand. The most common outcome of a skipped service isn't a dramatic breakdown; it's simply a generator that won't start when the power actually goes out, which is the one moment it has one job to do.
• Voided warranty. Many manufacturer warranties require documented, regular maintenance. Skipping service can leave you paying out of pocket for a repair that would otherwise have been covered.
• Safety risk. A poorly maintained or improperly installed generator raises real risks, including backfeeding into the utility grid, which can injure utility workers, and carbon monoxide buildup from insufficient exhaust ventilation. These aren't rare, theoretical risks; they're the reason generator installation and service should be handled by a licensed electrician, not attempted as a DIY project.

Keep Your Generator Ready Before You Need It

A generator that hasn't been serviced is a generator you can't fully rely on. Got Electric offers generator maintenance contracts across Maryland, Virginia, and the DC metro area, covering the full inspection, oil, battery, load testing, and transfer switch checks on a schedule so you don't have to track it yourself.

Contact our Maryland team or our Virginia team to schedule a maintenance visit or ask about a service contract.