Electricity is the backbone of an industrialized society and economy.
The recent power outages in the country not only demonstrated our dependency on uninterrupted power supply for production and daily life but also posed serious problems to homes and businesses islandwide resulting in significant economic losses for many.
Many people take precautions to avoid such situations by investing in standby Power Generators.
The purpose of a generator is to ensure a reliable source of electricity.
Generators are extremely durable; however, like all complex machines, they require a reasonable level of upkeep.
Regular preventative maintenance will help extend the physical and economic life of the generator. Preventive measures also ensure the unit is performing optimally.
Moreover, operating and maintaining a generator properly is essential to ensure maximum reliability.
Maintenance should be carried out for generators used in residences and businesses.
“It is important to have a generator maintenance schedule to ensure routine maintenance of the generator is performed methodically.” said Manjula Vithanage, General Manager, Power Systems – United Tractor & Equipment (Pvt) Ltd.
Ideally “We suggest a daily routine, a general walk around inspection where the primary task of the assigned maintenance technician should be to look into engine oil volume, the coolant level, diesel level, and battery voltage,” he added.
Similarly this should be followed up by a weekly maintenance checklist where maintenance personnel should run the generator in Auto mode, for automatic startup and check adequate fuel levels.
The engine should be run for at least ten minutes and the battery water level and condition of the water checked.
However, depending on the situation, more customized solutions may be possible for convenience without compromising reliability.
Routine Maintenance conducted by technicians
A complete routine inspection needs to be continued monthly with the generator’s coolant and engine oil levels verified.
Engine belts and any noise emanating from the machine requires further investigation.
Thus a good visual inspection on a monthly basis is recommended.
Critical points to note is that the coolant used should be manufacturer specific and filters should be changed based on manufacturer’s recommendations.
“The cost of replacing the filters & fluids is just 3% of the generator owning & operation cost.
Therefore it is far more economical to carry out scheduled preventive maintenance rather than taking the risk of a breakdown.
Apart from the actual cost of repair being much higher, the down time, inconvenience and frustration of not having power when you need it far outweighs the saving on preventive maintenance cost,” Vithanange said.
Another important aspect, in addition to establishing and following a thorough maintenance plan, is the presence of a service plan.
While service and maintenance plans differ among dealers and brands, customers who have signed and follow through with the service schedules suggested by generator manufacturers optimise the generators ’ lifespan.
“Our service agreement is generally in operation 365 days 24/7.
It promises our customers rapid turnaround time.
However, this too can be customized according to the user’s application and needs.
We also visit our customer periodically and schedule a certain number of inspections during a year depending on the requirements.
That is our “Added Value” which we give our clients, said Iroshan Dhanapala, Assistant Manager, Customer Support – United Tractor & Equipment (Pvt) Ltd.
Individual and businesses purchase generators to ensure they have a reliable source of standby power and to ensure the longest most reliable service life possible for their respective equipment.
“However, they need to be vigilant, to be ready, to take care of their investment in valuable equipment,” Dhanapala said.
“Every 500 hours, or every six months oil has to be checked and changed if required,” added Vithanage.
Customers should be mindful of instances when power is stable and the generator is not utilized, the time taken to clock the required hours would be longer than recommended by the manufacturer.
“A notable problem with the standby generator is it will take a long time to clock the hours as power is stable.
Oil then tends to lose it viscosity and quality with sludge occurring.
Thus it is imperative the generator should be checked and serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations,” Vithanage said.
Oil testing is an important item in the generator maintenance checklist.
It cannot be done based on a visual deduction, but scientifically at a laboratory.
“A sample of oil must be taken from the engine which has been running and tested in a lab.
At UTE for Caterpillar we send it to a lab in Singapore or India.
It is called Scheduled Oil Sampling (SOS) Testing.
Based on the results, it is possible to assess the quality of the oil to determine if it requires changing but more importantly the diagnosis can identify any unusual wear of engine components.
This will help avoid catastrophic failures by taking appropriate preventive measures to avoid costly repairs and downtime.,” he said.
Also experts advise the use of correct oils too.
“Using the correct oil is important. Ideally use manufacturer recommended oil.” Vithanage added.
When using generators, customers should pay attention to the quality of fuel used.
“Ultra-low-sulfur diesel is the accepted cleaner diesel as advised by most generator manufacturers.
Unfortunately as yet Sri Lanka is a developing nation this form of high quality fuel is not available in the market,” Dhanapala said.
In this situation customers should store fuel in a way impurities cannot contaminate it.
“Make sure fuel is kept in a place without a possibility of impurities getting in and also purchase fuel from a reliable distributor,” he noted.
Experts also note that though there is no substitute for the expertise of a trained technician to upkeep and conduct routine maintenance, customers should ensure a proficient and trained source for this vital task.
“We conduct basic one-day training programmes at our training center to educate customers on optimizing their generators through proper maintenance routines,” Dhanapala said.
Generators are a capital investment and despite proper upkeep the generator engine eventually needs to be overhauled after about 10,000 hours.
“There is a life span of an engine, usually recommended by the manufacturer but depending on the generator condition we can change repair levels.
There are two types of repairs – before failure and after failure,” he said.
“The cost of doing an overhaul is about 60% of the cost of buying a new unit.
Thus customers who completely overhaul their gensets according to the manufacturer’s recommendations will receive the same level of warranty and performance on the newly replaced components,” Vithanage said.
Reinforcing the importance of maintaining generators, experts advise that investing in high value capital equipment should be from only ‘a reputed supplier who has invested adequately in training technicians and modern tooling in order to provide the required product support and after sales service capabilities’.
“Any investment in high value equipment should be nurtured by ensuring high re-sale value through efficient and effective maintenance.
Buyers should take references from the market, look at strong global brands and after sales service capabilities.
Ensure that the equipment can meet even future load expansion through professional load survey analysis and buy a product that can fulfil these requirements,” Dhanapala said.
With technology advances required to work parallel with the growth of business needs, the presence of remote management system for generators is an additional boon.
Real-time remote monitoring of generators 24/7 to monitor the vital parameters enables businesses to save time, energy and resources.
“Our system enables the remote start and stop of generators from anywhere in the world.
These newly introduced remote monitors are especially beneficial for the fleet owners,” Dhanapala noted.
