How to Safely Shut Down a Generac Standby Generator

There is a right order to this. Most people go straight for the off switch, which works but is hard on the engine — shutting down a hot engine that is still under load means it stops without ever cooling, and doing that repeatedly shortens its life.

Four steps, in this order.

Step 1 — Drop the load

Turn off the circuit breaker on the generator, located just above the LCD display panel.

This disconnects the house from the generator so the engine is no longer doing work.

Step 2 — Let it cool, running

Let the generator keep running with no load for two to three minutes.

This is the step people skip and it is the one that matters. It lets the engine shed heat evenly and lets internal temperatures stabilize before it stops. Two minutes now is worth years later.

Step 3 — Switch it off

1. Go to the control panel.
2. Press the red OFF button.
3. Wait for the engine to come to a complete stop before touching anything else.

Step 4 — Do whatever you stopped it for

Usually that is checking the oil, especially if it has been running for more than a day.

Step 5 — Put it back in service

This is the step that gets forgotten, and forgetting it means the generator does not start next time.

1. Close the oil cap and refit the front panel if you removed it.
2. Turn the circuit breaker back ON.
3. Press AUTO on the control panel.

AUTO is what arms it. Left in OFF, the generator will sit there through the next outage doing nothing. Check the display reads AUTO before you walk away — it is worth the extra ten seconds.

When to call instead

• The generator will not shut down
• Any fault code or warning on the display
• Fuel smell, visible leak, or smoke
• Unfamiliar noise while it runs

Do not troubleshoot a running generator that is behaving oddly. Call us.