Chances are you installed your standby natural gas generator to be prepared for power outages caused by inclement weather, grid issues, or any other reason. When your generator shows signs of operational issues, it is essential to address them early to ensure maximum performance and prevent damage to the unit's components. Nick’s Generator’s licensed and experienced natural gas generator experts offer superior generator repair services in Houston, and are standing by for your call regarding any issues with your electrical backup system.
Keeping your standby generator in good repair is crucial for ensuring its reliable operation during power outages, maintaining safety, extending its lifespan, and minimizing operational costs. Regular maintenance and prompt repairs when an issue is detected help to protect your investment, provide peace of mind, and help ensure your generator is always ready to provide backup power when required.
Whole-house standby generators are designed to deliver consistent power to all circuits connected to them. Fluctuations in power levels could indicate electrical issues in the generator, like a faulty phase selector, or there could be a problem with the home’s electrical service panel.
Your whole-house standby generator contains an array of liquids required to cool, lubricate, or fuel the unit. Evidence of any motor oil, engine coolant, or any fuel indicates that there is either an external leak leading to one of the generator components or an internal gasket inside the generator has failed.
When the power fails in your home, no ignition source is available to fire your generator. Thus, like your car, your generator employs a battery to crank the engine until ignition and combustion can take over. To have the cranking amperage required to start your generator, the battery must be in good condition and make proper contact with the electrical connections to the generator.
Your whole-house standby generator uses an alternator not unlike the one in your car that recycles energy generated by the engine's rotation, feeding it back to the battery to maintain an adequate charge.
Whole-house standby generators that operate via an automatic transfer switch should respond to a power failure within 6 – 10 seconds of it occurring. This extra few seconds of delay ensures that the outage is not momentary. If the utility company's power is down longer than 5 – 7 seconds, it’s likely to be out for several minutes or even hours.
When the generator functions appropriately, the changeover should be almost seamless, with delicate electronics and HVAC equipment not exposed to dangerous power surges. Start-up delays beyond those programmed into the system are usually the fault of the fuel delivery system or can be traced to a battery issue.
Most high-quality whole-house generators from well-known manufacturers have a potential lifespan of twenty to twenty-five years. For generators, their actual age isn’t expressed in years. Instead, a more critical number in gauging your generator's actual age is the unit's operating hours.
In terms of running hours, the average whole-house standby generator can provide roughly 3,000 hours of use over its lifespan, with continuous run times of less than 500 hours.
While whole-house standby generators have gotten most of their attention in Houston post-Hurricane Harvey and the deep freeze of 2021, many homeowners have lived with the confidence and convenience of uninterrupted power for decades. Whole-house standby generators have been popular since they entered the market in the late 1980s, and as a result, there are a lot of generators in the Houston area that are currently in need of either serious repairs or replacement of the generator altogether.
If you’ve had your generator for more than ten years, or the cost to repair the current unit exceeds 50% of the cost of a new standby generator, Nick’s always recommends replacement over repair. Sure, you may be able to coax another two years of service out of the unit with that costly repair, but as the generator ages, other components will surely fail before very long.
When a competent generator installation company performs a repair on a standby generator, they follow a systematic approach to diagnose and address the issues effectively. Our technicians begin the call by discussing the generator's issues with the owner or operator to gather information about the symptoms and any recent events that may have led to the problem. While it’s helpful if the homeowner has a record of the generator’s maintenance history to provide possible insight into any issues, it isn’t crucial.
After a visual inspection is performed to discover any obvious physical damage to the unit, your technician will use various diagnostic tools to check the generator’s components. Fuel delivery systems, electrical systems, engines, control panels, and sensors, while on-board computers are scanned for error codes.
Once your Nick’s Generators technician has diagnosed the issue with your generator, a detailed repair plan that outlines the necessary repairs, replacements, and adjustments needed to address the identified issues is prepared. The repair plan also includes estimated costs and timelines for completion.
The technician may need to replace faulty or worn-out parts and components, such as sensors, filters, belts, hoses, or electrical components. They ensure that replacement parts meet the appropriate specifications and manufacturer recommendations. If fuel-related issues are suspected, the technician inspects the fuel system, cleans fuel lines, replaces filters, and addresses any blockages or contamination.
The electrical system, including the wiring, connectors, terminals, and control panel, are thoroughly inspected. Wiring issues are repaired, and any damaged or corroded connections are addressed. Engine-related issues are addressed, which may include adjusting valves, replacing spark plugs, repairing the cooling system, or addressing mechanical problems.
egular engine maintenance tasks, such as oil and filter changes, may also be performed if needed. The generator's control panel is calibrated and programmed to ensure it functions correctly and accurately monitors its performance.
After repairs are completed, the technician conducts load testing to ensure the generator can handle the expected electrical load during an outage. They monitor voltage, frequency, and stability under load to verify proper operation. The technician ensures that all safety features, such as low oil pressure and high-temperature shutdowns, are functioning correctly. Emergency shutdown systems are tested to confirm they respond as intended.
The repair process is documented, including all parts replaced, repairs made, and any adjustments performed. The technician provides a report to the generator owner or operator, including a summary of the repairs and recommendations for future maintenance or upgrades.
Nick’s Generators is part of Nick’s Family of Services that all began with Nick’s Plumbing back in 1979 and continues as a family-owned and operated business. Operating from our new facility in the Independence Heights section of Houston, Nick’s Generators guarantees your generator repair services in Houston so your standby generator is returned to proper working condition and ready to provide reliable backup power during outages.
Nick’s Generators prioritizes safety, quality, and compliance with manufacturer recommendations and industry standards throughout the repair process. Contact Nick’s Generators to book an appointment with one of our standby natural gas generator experts today.
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