Generators are present in 80% of Nigerian Homes. This is because of the challenge we are having with power supply. We have phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets we need to charge and we also need to watch the television for movies and most importantly news update about happenings in the country
Cost of generators differ, from the small one popularly known as "I beta pass my neighbor" to the big ones used in hotels and big companies.
Irrespective of the cost, these generators are prone to getting spoilt fast due to a lot of reasons/ factors.
One of the reasons is poor maintanance. Yes, when not well taken care of, your generator no matter the cost or brand will spoil easily and requre repair.
Now, in other to prevent this repair from happening there are a lot of things you must do. And one on them is to maintain your generator properly. How is this done? Read on and learn
This article will teach you a very easy way to do that, I have a generator and I haven't repaired it in Over eight(8) years because I carry out this maintaintance practice.
If you just bought a new generator and you are reading this article, you are lucky. If your generator is old and you are reading this article, it's not too late, hop on the train and enjoy your generator free of repairs from now on.
The main maintanance tip is:
Servicing
Servicing in lay man's term is like cleaning your generator inside out and changing the oil. It is very easy to service your generator, you just bring out time and in an hour or two you are done.
What are the steps in servicing?
Prepare Your Requirements
1. Buy a good sealed engine oil. Bad engine oil clogs the generator, the same way bad ground nut oil clogs the human heart
Note: Ensure the oil is sealed and the brand name is well known and respected.
2. Buy petrol like one or two litres and put in a container that has spray
Note: You can get an empty bottled water container or any carbonated drink empty container and puncture the cover. This will enable you use the fuel without waste
3. Get a bucket, add little water and detergent and throw a foam or clean rag inside.
4. Set a dry clean rag aside
5. Buy generator plug(optional)
Carrying Out Your Servicing
1. Start by emptying the old engine oil in the oil tank. You do this by opening the tank and turning out the oil. As you empty, ensure the old oil comes out entirely, till every last drop
2. Get your can of fuel and spray on the engine part, then use the dry rag to clean
Note: Clean every nook and cranny and all the knots with the fuel
3. Remove the plug and clean too, or change if necessary
4. Get the bucket of soap water, squeeze the foam and use to clean the top of the generator, and every other Plastic side.
As you clean off the dirt, if too wet, dry with the clean dry rag immediately
Make sure you squeeze the washing foam dry so you won't wet the generator, water is not good for it
Note: ideally there are special cleaning agents but they can be very expensive so I use this method
Now that all the cleaning has been done and your old oil has been drained off, you enter the main part of the servicing:
Putting The Engine Oil
A lot of people get this part wrong and give the generator over oil or under oil, which is not good
The first thing you do is:
1. Observe your oil tank, you will see it has a guage, or mark. That marking point is where the oil should stop, It should not be below or above it.
Note: Some high generators have the gauge in the cover of the tank, you use this cover gauge by dipping it into the tank and bringing it out, then note the point where the oil stopped on the rod
2. Get your sealed oil, bend the generator and pour the oil into the oil tank.
Note: ideally you use a funnel to do it
Note: As you do this, check at intervals if the oil is enough. If too much, turn out the excess oil, return into the oil can and keep for later
3. Cover your oil tank.
Voila! You are done servicing. Easy as ABC right?
This is all it takes for you not to be repairing your generator constantly.
How Often Should You Service Your Generator?
It is not enough to just service, you have to make it a regular practice to get the best result.
Servicing (in terms of changing the oil) every 3-4 weeks is healthy for the generator, while cleaning should be done every 2-3 weeks. You can do it in less than the stipulated time but ensure you try to service at least once a month
Thanks for reading. Kindly like, share and comment or ask questions if any
Cheers
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