Generator FAQ

It comes from what has to run, not from square footage. A typical Santa Barbara home with gas heat and one air conditioner is comfortable on 18kW to 22kW. Add a second air conditioner, a pool, an EV charger, all-electric cooking or a well pump and you are into 26kW and above. The figure that usually sets the minimum is the starting current of the largest motor, since that is the moment a generator either holds or drops the load. We size on site and it takes about half an hour.

A portable unit is rolled out, started by hand, refuelled from cans and connected through a manual transfer switch or interlock. A standby unit is bolted to a pad, connected to natural gas or propane, and started automatically by a transfer switch seconds after the utility fails, whether or not anyone is home. Portables suit an occasional short outage. Standby units are the answer where outages are long, frequent or expensive, which describes most of this county.

Natural gas wherever the main reaches, because there is no tank, no deliveries and effectively unlimited runtime. Propane on rural parcels without a main, since it stores for years and a 500 gallon tank covers a week of running comfortably. Diesel above roughly 100kW, where its output per gallon and stamina under sustained load make it the standard for industrial and rental equipment. Propane derates an engine slightly compared with natural gas, which we allow for when sizing.

We are factory trained on Generac, Kohler, Cummins and Champion and carry out warranty work on all four. Generac has the widest parts network in the country and leads the residential market. Kohler generators tend to have quieter enclosures at the same rating. Cummins builds the engines behind much of the commercial and industrial market. Champion sits at the accessible end of the price range. We also service Onan and older equipment we did not install.

Between $5,000 and $15,000 for a complete installation in Santa Barbara County, covering the unit, the pad, the transfer switch, the gas work, the permit and commissioning. A critical-circuit system on a straightforward site is at the bottom of that band; a 26kW unit with a service-rated switch and a long gas run is at the top. We quote one flat number after a site visit rather than a headline price with additions.

Yes, through the manufacturer programs and through our own lender, with terms that generally run from three to ten years depending on the amount. Most residential installations work out to a monthly payment in the same range as a phone bill, which is usually a more useful way to look at it than the total. We can put the numbers in front of you at the estimate rather than sending you away to work it out.

Agents and appraisers on the South Coast generally put a properly installed, permitted standby system at somewhere around 3 to 5 percent of home value, and it is a genuine selling point in areas that see public safety power shutoffs. Two conditions matter: the installation has to have been permitted and inspected, and there has to be a maintenance record. An unpermitted unit is a negotiating problem during escrow rather than an asset.

On natural gas, as long as the outage lasts, since the fuel keeps arriving. On propane, a 250 gallon tank runs a mid-size home roughly two to three days at typical load and a 500 gallon tank comfortably covers a week. On diesel, runtime follows tank size, and a 100kW set with a 200 gallon base tank runs somewhere around a day and a half at half load before it wants refuelling.

Annually for a residential standby unit, or every 100 to 200 running hours if that comes first, with an early first service after commissioning. Commercial emergency systems are exercised monthly and given a documented annual test at rated load. Skipping the annual visit is the usual reason a warranty claim gets refused, and stale fuel and dead batteries are the two failures it exists to catch.

Most complete installations in Santa Barbara County run between $5,000 and $15,000 including the unit, the pad, the transfer switch, the gas work, the permit and commissioning. A modest critical-circuit system on a straightforward site is at the low end; a 26kW unit with a service-rated switch and a long gas run is at the top. We quote one flat number after a site visit rather than a base price plus extras.

The work on site is typically one to two days, plus a day for the pad to cure if we are pouring one. The whole project from signed quote to commissioned system usually runs three to six weeks, and almost all of that is permit processing and equipment lead time rather than labor. We give you the real lead time for your chosen unit before you order it.

Yes. Every jurisdiction on the South Coast requires an electrical permit for the transfer switch and a mechanical or plumbing permit for the gas connection, and the work is inspected before it is signed off. We pull the permits, meet the inspector and handle the corrections if there are any. On hillside lots and in Montecito there can also be fire district clearance and design review to satisfy, which we will flag at the site visit.

It is the device that connects your house to either the utility or the generator, never both. It watches the incoming power, starts the generator when the utility fails, moves your circuits across, then moves them back and shuts the engine down when the grid returns. You need one for any permanent installation: it is what makes the system automatic, and it is what stops your generator from back-feeding the lines and injuring a utility crew.

On level ground outside, typically at least five feet from windows, doors and vents and eighteen inches from the wall, with clear service access on all sides and the exhaust directed away from the house. Local setbacks, fire district rules and HOA or design review conditions can tighten that further. We work the placement out on the site visit, because it drives the length of the gas and electrical runs and therefore the price.

Modern units run about 60 to 70 decibels measured at 23 feet, which is in the range of a window air conditioner or a normal conversation. Liquid-cooled units at the larger sizes are generally quieter under load than small air-cooled ones. Orientation, distance and a simple screen wall make more difference to how it is perceived than the specification does, and we will stand where your neighbor stands before we commit to a location.

A portable unit is wheeled out, started by hand, refuelled from cans and connected through a manual transfer switch or interlock. A standby unit is permanently installed, connected to natural gas or propane, and started automatically by a transfer switch within seconds of an outage whether or not anybody is home. Portables cost less and suit occasional short outages. Standby units are the answer where outages are long, frequent or expensive.

An automatic system typically restores power in about ten to thirty seconds: the transfer switch confirms the outage is real rather than a momentary blip, starts the engine, lets it stabilise and then transfers the load. Equipment that cannot tolerate even that gap, such as servers and some medical devices, sits behind a UPS which bridges the seconds until the generator is up.

It can if it is sized for it, which usually means 22kW or more on a typical South Coast home, and more again with two air conditioners, a pool, a well and an EV charger. Many owners choose a smaller unit with a load-managed transfer switch instead, which carries the whole panel but sheds the big loads for a moment when several start at once. That approach costs less and works well.

On natural gas, as long as the main keeps flowing, which is normally the entire outage. On propane, a 250 gallon tank runs a mid-size home roughly two to three days and a 500 gallon tank comfortably covers a week at typical load. Diesel runtime depends on tank size, and we size the tank to the outage length you actually expect rather than to a catalogue figure.

They solve different problems. A battery covers short outages silently and is excellent at it, but a typical home battery will not carry a well pump and air conditioning through a multi-day public safety shutoff. A generator will, and it does not care whether the sun came out. Plenty of properties here run both, and we design around an existing battery rather than replacing it.

We answer the phone during outages and carry parts for the brands we install, so most failures get resolved on the first visit. If the unit cannot be fixed on the spot, we deliver a rental to keep the property running while we sort it out. The failures we see are nearly always batteries, fuel and transfer switches, which is exactly what an annual service visit is looking for.

It comes from a load study, not from the service size. We list every motor and process load, calculate running demand and starting kVA, and add headroom for growth. Sizing from the panel rating usually produces a set that is far too large, which runs lightly loaded and fouls a diesel engine, or one that drops out when two large motors start together. The study is a short piece of work and it is the most valuable part of the project.

Diesel for most sites above 100kW: better output per gallon, better behaviour under sustained heavy load and fuel stored on site independent of the utility. Natural gas where there is a good main, where fuel storage is unwelcome and where air district conditions are tight. Gas costs more per kW and responds a little more slowly to abrupt load steps, which matters with large motor starting.

A load bank applies a controlled artificial load so the set can be run at its rated output without involving your building. It proves the machine will hold, and on a diesel it burns off the wet stacking that light running leaves behind. Annually is the standard for standby sets, and it is what produces the certificate insurers and inspectors ask for. We do it at commissioning and then on the service schedule.

Usually yes for stationary engines above a modest threshold. The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District permits these sources and limits annual run hours, and new installations generally need Tier 4 Final compliant engines. We prepare and file the application as part of the project, because a set installed without the permit is a compliance problem waiting to be discovered.

Yes. On live industrial sites we phase the work and schedule the tie-in around production, typically overnight or at a weekend, and where a shutdown is unavoidable we bring in a temporary rental set to cover it. That is standard practice for us on food production and cold storage work, where an unplanned outage is not something the site can absorb.

A well-maintained industrial diesel set will run for decades in standby service, and engine hours matter more than years. What kills them early is neglect: stale fuel, missed oil changes, coolant left past its life, and years of light running with no load bank test. A set on an annual service contract with clean fuel will still be dependable long after an ignored one has failed at the worst moment.

Most independent restaurants are comfortable on 40kW to 60kW, which covers walk-in and line refrigeration, the hood and makeup air, point of sale, and enough lighting to keep trading. Offices and small retail often need far less. The number comes from a circuit-by-circuit list rather than from square footage, and we do that walkthrough before quoting anything.

It depends on the occupancy. Emergency egress lighting, fire alarm panels, elevator recall and smoke control systems carry backup requirements under the building and fire codes, and in many buildings those are met with battery units rather than a generator. Larger assembly, healthcare and high-rise occupancies have stricter requirements. We will tell you what your building actually needs rather than selling you past it.

The accepted standard for emergency systems is a monthly exercise under load and an annual test at or near rated output, with written records kept. That is what a fire inspector, an insurer or an accreditation surveyor will ask to see. Our maintenance contracts run that schedule and keep the log, which is the part most businesses would rather not manage themselves.

Almost always. The bulk of the work happens outside the building, and the only part that genuinely needs power off is the transfer switch tie-in, which is usually a few hours. We schedule that for your quietest window, early morning or a closed day, and where even that is impossible we bring in a rental unit so you stay open through it.

Scheduled visits through the year covering oil and filter changes, coolant testing, battery load testing, fuel condition and polishing where needed, transfer switch exercise, control and alarm verification, and an annual full-load test. Contract customers get priority response and hold their place ahead of new calls during widespread outages, which is when it matters most.

Yes, and downtown it is often the only option. It needs a structural review of the roof, crane access for the lift, vibration isolation, careful exhaust routing away from intakes and operable windows, and a fuel strategy that works at height. It costs more than a ground installation and it is entirely routine work. We will tell you at the survey if the structure will not carry it.

Once a year for a residential standby unit, or every 100 to 200 running hours if it gets there sooner, with a first service shortly after commissioning to clear break-in debris. Commercial emergency systems are exercised monthly and given a documented annual test, with a full service two to four times a year depending on use. Missing the annual service is the standard route to a denied warranty claim.

The battery, most of the time. Standby batteries live outdoors on a trickle charge and quietly reach the end of their life at three to four years, usually without warning. After that the common causes are fuel supply, a controller sitting in a locked-out state from a previous fault, a failed starter or a block heater that stopped working two winters ago. The controller fault code narrows it in minutes.

Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. Buildings change hands, contractors move on and warranties expire. We service Generac, Kohler, Cummins, Champion, Onan and older equipment, and the first visit on an unfamiliar unit includes a full condition assessment so you know what you actually own rather than what the previous owner said you owned.

Annually or every 100 to 200 hours of running, whichever arrives first, using the oil grade the manufacturer specifies for the ambient conditions. Most standby units never come close to the hour figure, so the calendar governs. Oil sitting in a cold engine still degrades and still collects moisture, which is why the interval is not negotiable just because the hour meter is low.

It is unburned fuel and soot building up in the exhaust of a diesel that spends its life running lightly loaded, which is exactly how standby sets live. It fouls injectors, glazes cylinders and eventually costs real output. The fix is an annual load bank test that runs the engine at proper load long enough to burn it off, which is why that test is on every commercial service schedule we run.

It depends on the machine. A twenty-year-old air-cooled residential unit needing a controller and alternator work is usually not worth the parts, since the repair approaches the cost of a new install with a fresh warranty. A well-built liquid-cooled commercial or industrial set of the same age is often very much worth rebuilding. We give you both numbers honestly and let you make the call.

Small portable units run roughly $75 to $150 a day. A 25kW to 60kW towable diesel set is about $250 to $500 a day, or $2,000 to $4,000 on a monthly rate which works out far cheaper per day. Larger 150kW to 500kW sets are quoted per project. Every quote includes delivery, connection, the cable and distribution you need, and collection at the end.

It depends on catering, lighting, sound and refrigeration rather than on guest count alone. As a rough guide, a small backyard wedding with lighting and a sound system is fine on 10kW to 20kW, while a full ranch venue with commercial catering, staging and a band is usually 45kW to 100kW. Send us the vendor list and we will size it properly, because under-ordering is the most common event mistake we see.

We deliver, place, ground, connect and test everything except the smallest portables, which customers sometimes prefer to collect themselves. On event and ranch sites we place the unit where it will not be heard or seen and where the truck can still reach it, and we lay matting or plate on soft ground rather than leaving ruts behind.

Units go out with a full tank. Short-term rentals come back full, or we refuel on collection and bill the difference at cost plus a small service charge. Long-term construction and industrial rentals go on scheduled fuel delivery, with the larger sets monitored remotely so we top up before anyone has to notice, and fuel billed as used.

Most of the county gets next-day delivery, and same-day is often possible when a suitable unit is on the yard, which matters during an outage. Events should be booked well ahead, particularly between May and October when the wedding and festival calendar takes most of the quiet units. During widespread outages we run the queue on need and on existing service agreements.

Yes, if we place them properly. Sound-attenuated and inverter units run in the low 60s of decibels at a distance, and at 100 feet behind a hedge or a building nobody notices them. Placement does more than the specification here, which is why we walk the venue beforehand on anything where the ceremony and the generator are going to share a field.