Home Standby Generators run for days without stopping but do require periodic maintenance specific to the model. In general, change the oil and filter every 200 hours. Plugs and air filters every 400.
Maintenance schedules vary by make and model. Homeowners should ensure their generator has the proper maintenance on time or the manufacturer may void the warranty. The generator controller keeps track of maintenance and alerts the owner when the generator requires maintenance. Some will even send a text or email to your service dealer so you don’t even have to worry about it. If you prefer, you can do the oil and filter changes, spark plugs and air filter changes yourself.
During extended operation, 200 hours between oil changes provides a little more than 8 days of run time on an air-cooled standby generator. If the weather is very hot, it may require an oil change sooner. Extreme cases following a natural disaster where the power is out for weeks will make multiple oil and plug changes necessary.