Charlie: John in Addicks, he’s a good guy. He went out and got himself a generator. 20K generator installed at his home.
Tom: Cool.
Charlie: A year ago, so he’s needed about … he says he’s used it for about 4 minutes in the last year.
Tom: It should be turning on every 15 minutes once a week.
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Charlie: Right.
Tom: To test itself.
Charlie: For 15 minutes every-
Tom: Yeah.
Charlie: Every 15 minutes?
Tom: Every 15 minutes, yeah.
Charlie: It’s got a mind of it’s own.
Tom: No, I’m sorry. Sorry. But, It should be turning on testing itself. It has oil. Some of them have water cooled systems. It’s like anything, the perfect time to have it checked and maintained and the oil changed, you have a battery in them too that have to be maintained, right before hurricane season. I would say around somewhere in May would be a good time.
Charlie: That’s his question. He’s saying, “Should I get an annual maintenance plan and monitoring on my generator?”
Tom: Whether you do a plan or just have someone come out and look at it once a year would be great. Right before hurricane season.
Charlie: Sure. We both have a generator.
Tom: Yeah, I was even thinking mine’s coming up for servicing.
Charlie: That’s the reason you have a plan is because they’ll hound you to come do it. You’ll forget. I guarantee you you’ll forget. There’s nothing worse.
Tom: I never forget, but I’m Tom.
Charlie: An elephant faithful, I know. When the lights go out and your generator doesn’t start, there’s nothing worse.
Tom: You hear a lot of that happening too. People just think it just maintains itself.
Charlie: Friend of mine in the generator industry told me that 30 percent, about 30 percent of the generators sitting next to a house will not work when they’re needed because of this. Because they’re not maintained.
Tom: That’s right. When you know it’s coming on for testing, I always go out at that time on Sunday afternoon just to make sure it comes on.
Charlie: You go out there, it’s like the ceremonial flag raising-
Tom: I just put my big ear out there and I hear it. I say, “Yeah, I’m good.”