A standby generator is bought entirely for the day it is needed, and the most common failure is a unit that will not start or will not carry load. Running it under load is the only test that proves anything — an unloaded start proves the battery works and very little else.
The steps ChatterFix schedules for this PM. Every step is a checkable item on the work order — a technician can speak their way through it without touching a keyboard.
A standby generator is bought entirely for the day it is needed, and the most common failure is a unit that will not start or will not carry load. Running it under load is the only test that proves anything — an unloaded start proves the battery works and very little else.
Wet stacking from repeated no-load running, a starting battery that dies unnoticed, or a transfer switch that never actually transfers. All of them present as a total failure at the exact moment power is lost.
Monthly exercise is the widely-followed baseline, with an annual full-load test. Where NFPA 110 applies the duration and load requirements are prescribed — follow the standard, not this page, and keep the records.
This procedure — and every other PM for your industry — is already built into ChatterFix. Pick your industry and it lands on the right equipment, on the right interval, in about three minutes.