If your standby generator was already installed when you bought your home, you’re in a common but genuinely uncertain position: you have a piece of equipment you’re relying on for backup power, and little to no information about how well it’s been maintained, how old it actually is, or whether the person who owned it before you kept up with service at all.
This is one of the most common starting points for our residential maintenance customers — you’re not behind, you’re just missing information. Here’s how to fill in the gaps.
Service history – Some sellers hand over maintenance records; many don’t, either because they didn’t keep them or didn’t maintain the unit consistently. If you don’t have records, the safest assumption is that the generator hasn’t been serviced recently, until an inspection proves otherwise.
True age – A generator’s installation date isn’t always obvious from a visual inspection, and a home’s paperwork doesn’t always include it. A technician can typically determine the unit’s age from its model and serial number.
Brand and model quirks – Generac, Carrier, Honeywell, and Centurion units all have brand-specific maintenance considerations and known wear points. Not knowing your unit’s brand-specific history isn’t a problem — a technician familiar with all major brands can assess it regardless.
Most standard home inspections check whether a generator turns on — not whether it would reliably carry a full electrical load during an actual outage, whether its battery would hold up under real starting demand, or whether its transfer switch is functioning correctly. A “generator present and operational” note on an inspection report is not the same as a real readiness assessment, and it’s one of the most common misunderstandings new homeowners have about a generator they inherited with the house.
Not on its own. “Works fine” usually means it starts, not that it’s been tested under a real load, that its battery would hold up during an actual outage, or that its transfer switch is functioning correctly. An inspection confirms all of that; a verbal assurance from a previous owner doesn’t.
In most cases, yes — a technician can determine a unit’s approximate age and expected remaining service life from its model and serial number during an inspection.
That’s the norm, not the exception. We service many brands of air-cooled units regardless of who installed them or when.
Request a free estimate or schedule your service now with our licensed and trusted Technicians.
