How to prepare your home generator for a hurricane

This article was authored by Jared Godwin, Cummins dealer at Lawson & Lawson Electrical Services

If you live in one of the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico or in another coastal area, you know that hurricane season begins June 1. What you may not know is how to make sure your whole-home home standby generator is ready for any of those storms that may come your way. Here are five hurricane preparedness tips to ensure your generator — especially a Cummins QuietConnect™ standby generator — will be ready in the event a hurricane makes landfall near you.

• Stay up to date on your maintenance — Preventative maintenance is the lifeblood of your standby generator, whether it is liquid or air-cooled. Make sure to perform oil and filter changes on time, swap out the spark plugs if needed, test the transfer switch relays, vacuum out any debris inside the generator and clean the exterior of the unit. The amount of maintenance your generator needs really depends on how many hours it’s been used.
  
  For many of our customers around Tallahassee and Panama City, we do their maintenance as part of a service contract. If the hours are high, we will perform the maintenance more frequently. If the hours are low, we service the generators every other year to make sure it is running properly. Ask your Cummins installer if they offer a service contract. It’s worth it.
• Switch your battery every three years — Dead batteries are one of the top reasons standby generators fail to start. By switching your generator’s battery every three years — when most batteries begin to fail — you can significantly increase your system’s reliability. Or, even better, sign up for your dealer’s service plan. Your dealer will test it for you each time your generator is serviced.
• Add online monitoring — Cummins QuietConnect standby generators are smart. They can send homeowners digital alerts when they need to be serviced. Or, if they prefer, we can remotely monitor them to make sure everything is running properly. Setting up online monitoring is a great way to identify issues before you need to use the generator and to make sure you stay up to date on your generator’s maintenance.
• Keep the gas lines clear of debris — If your standby generator is fed by an underground gas line, this is less of a concern. But in Florida, many residents have above-ground propane tanks that provide fuel for their generators. In these cases, the gas lines are also above ground. Make sure they are clear of tree branches and other objects that could choke off fuel to the generator. It’s often a good idea after every big storm to visually inspect the gas lines so there are no surprises later.
• Schedule installation early — It never fails. When a hurricane forms in the Gulf, I always get phone calls from concerned homeowners asking if we can install a standby generator in a matter of days. Unfortunately, I can’t.
  
  In Tallahassee, it takes six weeks just to get the city permits to install the generators. In some of the surrounding counties, we can get the permits a little faster. But my point is that by the time a hurricane is headed toward Florida, it’s too late to install. If you want the peace of mind of a home standby generator during a hurricane, schedule installation long before you think you need it.

Hurricanes are scary, and they cause a lot of destruction. Making sure your home standby generator is well maintained and ready for them is one way to put your family at ease. To learn more about them, visit the home generators section of this site or find a Cummins dealer near you and schedule an appointment. Of course, if you live in the Tallahassee or Panama City areas, you can reach out directly to me at jared@llelectrical.com or (850) 562-4111.