Power outages during winter months rise due to excessive weather conditions such as snow, ice, and wind storms. Properly preparing your backup power systems for these harsh conditions help prevent you from being left in the dark. We will discuss a few preventative maintenance tips for your backup generator system providing a safe and warm winter ahead.
Why won't my generator start?
One reason why your generator won't start may be due to your batteries. Battery charges don't hold up as well in cold weather conditions. Make sure your batteries aren't expired and a battery thermal wraps or commonly know as a "blanket" may be a benefit providing optimum performance. Second is the viscosity of your oil, the heavier engine oil viscosity the harder it is for the engine to turn over especially as temperatures drop. Third one is generator electronics. Electronics play a vital role with the generator controls. Depending on generator locations if control panel is exposed to the elements it may cause malfunctions to the generator system. Finally the overall generator location may prevent some or even all of these issues. As most generator systems are placed outside, be sure to take in all weather considerations for future use as we will discuss future in the next chapter.
Generator Winter Preparation
As we discussed a few common winter headaches to avoid earlier, we will discuss power solutions for winter months to come ahead with your backup power systems.
1) Battery Wrap "Blankets"
2) Install Block Heater
3) Exercise Genset Regularly
4) Protect Openings
5) Do you just need an upgrade?
Do you have any questions or concerns about your generator this winter or winter months that are ahead? KPS is happy to help you with further information and resources to keep you and your business operational no matter the weather conditions.
