It’s a known fact that how long your generator (or any other machine generally) will last largely depends on how often and well it is being serviced.
In other words, it is crucial that your generator is serviced at an appropriate amount of time and by qualified service personnel, or, preferably, by personnel from the authorized service station of your generation brand.
How often should you service your generator if you are living in Nigeria?
As a general rule, you should service your generator every 100 hours of use. This could be a month or two months, depending on how often you run it.
The more often you run your generator, the more often it should be serviced. Generators that are housed in a dusty environment without a cover may also need to be serviced more frequently.
Bigger generators (3.5KW output and above) may need to be serviced more frequently too.
The following tasks should be carried out during each servicing operation:
- The spark plug should be cleaned or replaced.
- The air-cleaner element (air filter) should be cleaned or washed (with fuel or kerosene). Or replaced. The serviceperson will determine the best course of action to take.
- The cylinder head, valves and piston should be decarbonized.
- Carbon brushes should be checked. Your experienced service person will determine if they need to be replaced or not.
- The oil should be changed.
More information about changing your generator’s oil
Oil change is super important for generators as it could directly affect the engine.
How often should generator oil be changed?
Most modern models of generators come with an oil gauge device or sensor you can use to check oil level and colour. Note that “gauging or topping oil” (simply adding more oil to the engine) is different from changing oil.
A simple rule is that the generator engine oil should be changed every 100 hours of use. You can also change engine oil whenever the generator is being serviced.
However, some generator models come with their own specifications for engine oil change. You can check the manual of your device for this information.
NB: For a new engine, you should change engine oil after the first 25 hours of use.
During an oil change, old oil must be completely drained and disposed of properly.
Best type of oil to use for generators in Nigeria
It is advised that you use high-quality engine oil for your generator. The general rule is to find a good oil brand and then stick to it.
Also, under no circumstance should you use “second-hand” oil in your generator.
Good Nigerian engine oil brands for your generator include:
- Mobil
- Total
- Shell
- Castrol
- Oando
- Forte
Thanks, This is a vital information