Standby & home generator maintenance
Whole-house backup generators run on calendar schedules, not job-site hour meters. Miss Schedule A and the unit may not start when the grid drops. These checklists cover weekly exercise, six-month owner service, and annual professional inspection — for Generac, Kohler, Cummins, and Briggs & Stratton.
Looking for portable jobsite generators tracked by engine hours? See portable generator schedules.
Popular standby models
Generac 22 kW Guardian (7043 / 70432)
Natural gas or LP
Air-cooled home standby generator — Schedule A every six months, weekly exercise, annual dealer check.
Generac 24 kW Guardian (7209)
Natural gas or LP
Popular whole-house air-cooled standby — same Schedule A/B rhythm as other Guardian units.
Kohler 20 kW Residential (20RESCL)
Natural gas or LP
Kohler residential standby — oil every 200 hours or two years, annual inspection, weekly exercise.
Cummins QuietConnect 20 kW (RS20)
Natural gas or LP
Cummins Onan residential standby — calendar and hour-based service per operator manual.
Briggs & Stratton Fortress 18 kW (40484)
Natural gas or LP
Fortress air-cooled standby — six-month owner service plus annual professional review.
Why calendar maintenance matters
Standby generators sit idle most of the year. Fuel degrades, batteries sulfate, rodents chew wiring, and exercise cycles get skipped because nothing looks wrong — until a storm hits and the transfer switch calls for power that never comes.
EquipHours lets you log Schedule A and Schedule B the same way you log oil changes on a skid steer: date, tasks completed, photos, and notes. The free plan covers two machines — enough for your standby generator and a push mower or portable unit.
Read the full walkthrough: Generac Schedule A maintenance guide.
Log Schedule A before the next outage
Track weekly exercise, six-month oil service, and annual dealer visits for your standby generator. Free for two machines — add your whole-house unit and keep a maintenance history the service tech can read.