Everything You Need to Know About Your Home Generator’s Automatic Exercise Schedule

If you own a home standby generator, you know that it’s good insurance against power outages, bringing you peace of mind and easing your anxieties. 

You also know that until there’s a utility power outage, your home generator mostly sits idle. Every now and then, though, this piece of equipment will start up on its own. 

To ensure that when you need it the most, your generator functions properly, providing you and your family with power even in the worst power outages, standby generators are able to start up automatically, which is referred to as an exercise. 

This self-diagnostic technology allows your generator to detect potential problems like issues related to fuel, starting or any other component failures. With the automatic exercise, you’re able to resolve these issues before your generator needs to start during an outage situation. 

Typically, a standby generator will run this self-diagnostic test weekly. Depending on the brand and whether it’s a Briggs & Stratton, Cummins or Generac, the amount of time the generator runs during the weekly exercise varies. 

Hearing your generator automatically start up and shut down is normal, and if you notice anything wrong with your generator during its weekly exercise, it’s important to have it serviced by a certified technician before the next outage.

If you notice your generator not running its weekly test, it could be because of a multitude of reasons. 

A simple reason why it might not run its weekly self-diagnostic test is because its exercise timer memory got erased somehow. 

If this is the case, your owner’s manual should explain in detail how to reset this. Because each generator and manufacturer is different, you want to make sure you have the correct instructions for your specific generator. 

The solution could be as simple as resetting your generator, which you can find more information on here.

However, checking your owner’s manual or calling a certified generator technician to service your generator are your best options. Having a regular maintenance plan for your generator will also ensure your generator’s functionality and longevity.

If you need to schedule a service or regular maintenance for your home generator, give us a call at 501-315-7213.