Hurricane season, closely followed by winter, can promote frequent power outages in your area. Being without power under normal situations is difficult to deal with, but if you have a medical reason to need power, such as an oxygen tank, it’s scary not knowing if the electricity will cooperate during the storm. Plus, with winter coming faster than you think, you definitely don’t want to be without heat for any length of time. Going out to start your generator, only to discover it’s not turning on is also frustrating. Thankfully, there are a few common reasons why it might not start that can be fixed relatively easily. Regardless, before the colder weather, it’s always a good idea to give Automated Home Generators a call for routine maintenance. Here are a few reasons as to why your generator may not start:

• Dead Battery: Having a dead battery is the most common reason why your generator won’t start. If you’ve had your generator for a while, there’s a strong chance that the battery has stopped working. You can either jump start it or have it recharged.
• Low Oil Level: Check the oil! If it’s too low, then your generator cannot start. Check the crankcase to see where the oil level is at and add more if necessary. Make sure the generator is also level. When it’s unlevel, the oil sensor can get triggered even if the crankcase is full.
• Clogged Fuel Valve: After checking to make sure there’s enough oil, but it still won’t start, move onto the fuel valve, or the fuel line. Its job is to distribute the fuel through the generator. If the fuel valve or the fuel line is clogged with dirt or other impurities from the fuel, nothing is getting through. Check the line by removing the outlet hose from the intake to make sure everything is flowing properly. If your generator has a fuel filter, that might need to get changed out.