WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR OLD DIESEL GENERATOR ?
There are, various factors, to be considered before deciding, whether you should continue to use or replace your old diesel generator. It is advised that you get your generator evaluated by a qualified service professional. For your own understanding, we are trying to simplify this technical subject.
Age of your Generator:
As a rule of thumb, approximately 10000 to 20000 run hours is considered to be the life of a diesel generator. Number of years to cover this much run hours strictly depends upon your daily usage, but generally, this means 20 to 25 years. So, if your generator is 20 years old or the run hour is nearing 10000 then get it evaluated.
Does the manufacturer support your Generator for maintenance:
You will only realise the importance of your backup generator when a power outage happens. If any replacement part is required will the manufacturer support? Do they still keep stock of parts of your old generator model and still provide service support and emergency support?
Operating conditions:
Consider the operating condition of your generator and also the repair history. If the operating conditions are very harsh or the generator has a history of frequent break downs it may have a much shorter useful life.
Generator sizing:
Proper sizing of the generator is very critical for the machine to run longer. An undersized or an oversized generator will not give optimum performance. If your genset is too big for the electrical load you have, it will build carbon deposits and create regular performance problems. If the genset is small, then the components will wear out faster and the machine will fail prematurely.
generator sizing should be done by a qualified technician before the purchase.
