{"id":26103,"date":"2023-08-01T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/?p=26103"},"modified":"2025-02-28T11:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T11:10:16","slug":"maintenance-of-electric-generators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/maintenance-of-electric-generators\/","title":{"rendered":"How often (and how) to do maintenance of electrical generators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s important to know when to perform the tasks for a proper <strong>maintenance of electric generators<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>We recently explained the <a href=\"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/diesel-electric-generator-maintenance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">steps and tips to make your generator last as long as possible<\/a>. Now, we are going to complete that information by telling you how often you should perform inspections.<\/p>\n<h2>When to perform the maintenance of electric generators<\/h2>\n<p>The frequency will depend on the use of the electrical generator. This guide is intended for companies that use their generators on a constant basis, i.e., they are <strong>in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In these cases, it is recommended to perform quick inspections every two weeks, a more thorough inspection on a monthly basis and a regular inspection every 6 months.<\/p>\n<h3>Bi-weekly inspection for maintenance of electrical generators<\/h3>\n<p>Every two weeks, you should perform an inspection on the machine with the generator in pause mode. First, start the alternator and <strong>keep the machine running for 5 minutes<\/strong>. It is important to avoid using the diesel generator for a long time if the battery is low. Then, check for faults or irregularities in its operation.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-26106\" src=\"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bi-weekly-inspection-for-maintenance-of-electrical-generators.jpg\" alt=\"Bi-weekly inspection for maintenance of electrical generators\" width=\"498\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Bi-weekly-inspection-for-maintenance-of-electrical-generators.jpg 498w, https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Bi-weekly-inspection-for-maintenance-of-electrical-generators-300x293.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Monthly inspection for maintenance of electric generators<\/h3>\n<p>During the monthly inspection, you should make sure that the machine is with the generator in pause mode and make sure that it has never been used under load.<\/p>\n<p>Then, you should <strong>start the alternator and let the machine run for 1-2 hours with a battery charge of no more than 50%<\/strong>. During this process, check the machine for any faults or abnormal operations.<\/p>\n<h3>Six-monthly inspection for maintenance of electric generators<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to weekly and monthly inspections, a semi-annual inspection is ideal. The <strong>steps to follow for the semi-annual electrical generator maintenance<\/strong> inspection are as follows:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Verify the <strong>default protection device<\/strong> of the entire control system using an analog default method.<\/li>\n<li>Clean all battery exhaust outlets.<\/li>\n<li>Tighten all exhaust <strong>pipe connections<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Tighten all <strong>electrical connectors<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Start the machine<\/strong> to verify that all gauges on the control panel are working properly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21857\" src=\"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Como-elegir-un-generador-electrico.jpg\" alt=\"C\u00f3mo elegir un generador el\u00e9ctrico\" width=\"497\" height=\"332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Como-elegir-un-generador-electrico.jpg 794w, https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Como-elegir-un-generador-electrico-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Como-elegir-un-generador-electrico-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What steps to take before starting an electric generator<\/h2>\n<p>An essential part of the maintenance of electric generators is to properly check the equipment before starting it up. Therefore, before starting the machine you should perform the following steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Check the engine lubrication <strong>oil level<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure that all <strong>water drain valves<\/strong> are working properly.<\/li>\n<li>Check the <strong>cooling water level<\/strong>. The normal level should be 5 mm away from the water inlet (be sure to release the air to avoid blockages while filling the cooling water; after filling the water tank, check the level after 10 minutes).<\/li>\n<li>Check if the <strong>water tank and intercooler radiator<\/strong> are clogged. If necessary, clean them.<\/li>\n<li>Check the <strong>air filter resistance<\/strong> (when the red part is completely visible, change the air filter).<\/li>\n<li>Check <strong>fuel consumption<\/strong>. Drain the water from the precipitation separator and the oil-water separator.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure there are no <strong>water or oil leaks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on the <strong>main switch<\/strong> (safety switch on the electrical panel).<\/li>\n<li>Verify that the diesel generator with mechanical governor is in &#8220;idle&#8221; mode.<\/li>\n<li>Check if there is any <strong>fault in the alarm light<\/strong> (press the alarm button, the diesel engine alarm light will turn on).<\/li>\n<li>Change the output switch of the electrical panel to &#8220;OFF&#8221; and check if the <strong>battery cable<\/strong> is loose.<\/li>\n<li>Perform cold start <strong>preheating<\/strong> which will be available after 50 seconds.<\/li>\n<li>After starting the engine, <strong>let it run at idle<\/strong> (1300-1500) for two minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>American Petroleum is the diesel supplier for your electric generator!<\/h2>\n<p>Remember that it is of great importance to have the necessary volume of <a href=\"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/diesel-in-puerto-rico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fuel of the highest quality<\/a> for the efficient maintenance of electric generators.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t forget to contact American Petroleum at <a href=\"tel:+1%20787-794-1985\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">787-794-1985<\/a> or write us at <a href=\"mailto:info@americanpetroleumpr.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">info@americanpetroleumpr.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s important to know when to perform the tasks for a proper maintenance of electric generators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26104,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maintenance-generators"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26103"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26205,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26103\/revisions\/26205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanpetroleumpr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}