Generac and comparable air-cooled units
Standby Home Generator Maintenance
A standby generator is an engine that sits outside for two years at a time and then gets asked to run for a week straight. The engine needs the same things a truck engine needs: clean oil, a clean filter, good plugs and a battery that will actually crank it.
Bayou Boyz do that service at your house. We are a maintenance service, not an installer, which means we will service a unit that somebody else put in and we do not require an annual contract to come out.
Most people find out their generator needs service the week a storm is in the Gulf. That is the worst possible week to find out, because every installer in the parish is booked solid putting new units in.
What we do and do not touch
Bayou Boyz service the engine on your standby generator: oil, filters, spark plugs, battery and a visual inspection. We do not perform electrical work, transfer switch work, gas line work, installation or warranty repairs. Those need a licensed electrician or the unit’s dealer.
Pricing
This service is quoted per job, because the parts and the time change with the machine. Call or text with what you have and we will give you the number before we come out.
Why people call us for this
We service units we did not install
Almost every generator company in Lafourche and Terrebonne is an electrical contractor whose business is selling and installing new units. If your generator came with the house, or the company that installed it has moved on, maintenance gets hard to buy. That is the exact situation we are set up for.
No annual contract required
You do not have to sign up for a plan to get one service. Call when you want it done. If you would rather we simply come out on a regular cadence, we can set that up, but it is not a condition of getting served.
After a storm, we are not tied up installing
When a named storm comes through, installers get buried in new installations and wait times stretch out for weeks. We only do maintenance, so a unit that will not start after a storm is a call we can actually respond to.
The service record is the point
Manufacturers expect maintenance to be performed on schedule and documented. We email you a dated record of what was done at what hour reading, so if a warranty question ever comes up you are holding the paperwork instead of trying to remember.
What an annual generator service includes
Everything below happens on every visit. Nothing on this list is an upgrade or an add-on waiting at the end.
Book this service- Engine oil drained and refilled to specification
- New oil filter
- New air filter and foam pre-cleaner
- New pre-gapped spark plugs
- Battery checked and terminals cleaned
- Visual inspection of the enclosure, belts and hoses
- Exercise cycle observed to confirm the unit starts and runs
- Service record emailed with the date and hour reading
How it works
- 01
Tell us the unit
Call or text with the brand and size if you know it, or just send us a photo of the data label on the side of the enclosure. A 22kW air-cooled unit is the most common one around here.
- 02
We quote it
Generator service is quoted per unit because parts vary by model. We give you the number before we come out.
- 03
We service it at the house
Oil, oil filter, air filter, pre-cleaner and plugs, then a battery check and an exercise cycle so you see it start before we leave.
- 04
Record and next interval
You get the emailed record with the hour reading on it, and we tell you roughly when the next service is due based on how the unit is running.
Common questions
How often does a standby generator need an oil change?
Most air-cooled home standby generators are on a 200 run-hour or two-year interval, whichever comes first, and the interval shortens to around 100 hours in sustained extreme heat. Coastal Louisiana summers put units on the shorter end of that range. Check your owner manual for your specific model, and we will note the hour reading on every service so the next one is easy to time.
Will you service a generator you did not install?
Yes, and that is most of the work we do on generators. We are a maintenance service rather than an installer, so it makes no difference to us who put the unit in or how long ago.
Do I need a maintenance contract?
No. You can call for a single service any time you want one. If you would rather be on a regular cadence we can arrange that, but there is no plan to sign and no membership to buy before we will come out.
What does a generator service include?
Engine oil and filter, air filter and foam pre-cleaner, new pre-gapped spark plugs, a battery check with the terminals cleaned, a visual inspection and an observed exercise cycle so you know it starts. You get a dated service record with the hour reading emailed to you.
Do you do electrical work or install generators?
No. We service the engine only. Installation, transfer switch work, wiring, panel work and gas line work all require a licensed electrician or gas fitter in Louisiana, and we do not perform any of it. If your unit has an electrical fault we will tell you what we see and you will want a licensed electrician for it.
My generator will not start. Can you help?
Sometimes. If it is an engine problem such as old oil, a fouled plug or a dead battery, that is squarely what we do. If it is an electrical fault, a transfer switch issue or a gas supply problem, you need a licensed electrician and we will say so rather than take your money.
When is the best time to have it serviced?
Before hurricane season rather than during it. Service in the spring means the unit is ready in June, and it means you are not calling around in the week a storm is forming when every generator company in the parish is buried. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30.
Bayou Boyz is an independent maintenance service and is not an authorized Generac dealer. Generac is a trademark of Generac Power Systems, Inc.
Get it scheduled
Call or text either owner directly. Tell us what you have and where it sits, and we will confirm the price before anybody drives out.