Why maintenance is the whole point down here
A standby generator earns its keep on the handful of days a year the power is out. The rest of the time it sits in the yard, idle, exposed to the salt air, humidity, and heat that define South Louisiana. That idle time is exactly what wears a unit down: batteries drain, oil breaks down, fuel lines gum up, and wasps build nests in the enclosure. When a storm like Francine in 2024 or Ida in 2021 finally knocks out the grid for days, the unit either starts or it does not, and the difference usually comes down to whether it was serviced.
This page covers the hands-on service work itself. If you want a recurring agreement that bundles that work with priority scheduling, see generator service plans. If your unit is already throwing a fault or will not start, that is generator repair territory. And for a plain-language homeowner walkthrough of self-tests and battery care, the standby generator maintenance guide breaks it down.
The installer we connect you with handles all of it: annual tune-ups, pre-season checks, and one-off service calls, not just new installs.
What an annual tune-up actually includes
A standby generator is a small engine, and like any engine it runs on a service interval. A typical yearly visit by the installer we connect you with covers:
- Oil and oil filter change. Old oil loses its ability to protect the engine. A long outage burns through run hours fast, so a unit that ran hard during a storm may need service sooner than the calendar says.
- Air filter and fuel filter. Replaced on the manufacturer’s schedule to keep clean air and fuel moving. Our dusty, pollen-heavy spring is hard on air filters.
- Spark plugs. Inspected every year, cleaned or replaced as needed so the engine fires on the first crank.
- Battery test. More on this below, because it is the single biggest failure point.
- Load test. The technician runs the generator under a realistic electrical load to confirm it can actually carry your home’s circuits, not just idle. A unit that starts fine at no load can still stumble when the AC compressor kicks on.
- Transfer switch check. The automatic transfer switch is what senses the outage and swaps your home over to generator power. It gets tested and its connections inspected.
- Coolant service on liquid-cooled units, plus a full visual inspection of wiring, mounts, and the enclosure.
The battery: the number one reason units fail to start
When a standby generator clicks but will not turn over during an outage, the culprit is almost always a dead battery. Like a car battery, it wears out, usually every 2 to 3 years, and South Louisiana heat shortens that life. Every tune-up should include a battery load test, and the battery should be replaced on schedule rather than run until it fails. This one item prevents the most common and most frustrating outcome: a perfectly healthy generator that will not start because a $150 battery gave out.
The pre-hurricane-season tune-up
The local hook here is simple: hurricane season runs June through November, and you want the unit serviced before it, not during a storm warning when every contractor’s phone is ringing off the hook. A pre-season visit typically layers a few extra checks on top of the annual service:
- Confirm recent weekly self-tests all completed cleanly
- Test or replace the battery so it will hold through a multi-day outage
- Clear leaves, nests, and debris from around and inside the enclosure
- Propane owners: verify tank level and fuel-line integrity so you have runtime for a long outage
- Confirm the unit still sits above your flood elevation and the pad has not shifted or settled
For a fuller storm-readiness walkthrough, see the hurricane prep guide.
What service typically costs
A single annual tune-up in this region typically runs a few hundred dollars, with liquid-cooled and high-hour units on the higher end. Batteries, filters, and any parts are usually separate. These are typical figures for South Louisiana, set by the local installer, and are not a quote. If you enroll in a recurring agreement, that per-visit work is usually bundled at a better rate, which is the main reason homeowners move from one-off calls to a plan.
How the salt air and humidity change things
Homes near the coast in Houma, Lake Charles, and the lower bayou parishes deal with salt air that corrodes terminals and hardware faster than inland. Coastal and high-use units often benefit from twice-a-year service rather than once. Inland cities like Baton Rouge and Hammond still get our brutal humidity, so no unit down here is truly low-maintenance. The installer will recommend a cadence based on where you are and how hard the unit has worked.
Getting your unit serviced
If your generator is overdue, throwing a warning light, or you simply want it checked before the next storm, we can connect you with a licensed local installer who services existing units of any brand. Find your city on the home page to get started, whether you are in New Orleans, Lafayette, or Slidell. If you would rather set it and forget it, look at generator service plans for recurring coverage.