Homes and estates
Generator Repairs and Servicing for Homes, Estates and Smallholdings
We repair, service and maintain home generators on site across Gauteng: petrol and inverter portables, silent diesel and gas standby sets, and generators that back up a solar inverter. A home generator usually lets you down at the worst moment, at the first outage after weeks of standing or late in a week of back-to-back load shedding, and most of those faults can be found and fixed at your home.
- Portable, inverter, standby and solar-backup setups
- Load-shedding wear: batteries, fuel, starts and hours
- Houses, townhouses, estates and smallholdings
- Free callouts and quotations
Established 2006
20 years of experience
24/7 operations
We Arrive Within 1–2 Hours
(usually within 1 hour)
Free callouts and quotations
One-year warranty
Qualified and certified technicians
We Service & Repair All Generator Brands
All generator makes and models
1 kVA–20,000 kVA capability
Home generator setups and what goes wrong with each
| Setup | How it works at home | What usually goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Portable on extension leads | How it works at homeStarted by hand or key when the power goes; appliances plug straight into it | What usually goes wrongStale petrol in the carburettor, a flat starter battery, overloaded leads, worn brushes or a failed AVR |
| Portable with an inlet and manual changeover | How it works at homeA lead runs to a wall inlet, and a changeover switch moves chosen circuits onto the generator | What usually goes wrongA scorched inlet or plug, and a changeover wired to more circuits than the generator can carry |
| Standby set with an automatic changeover | How it works at homeA silent diesel or gas set starts by itself in an outage, transfers the house and hands back when the mains returns | What usually goes wrongStarting batteries and chargers, controller settings, worn changeover contactors and old diesel |
| Generator backing up a solar inverter | How it works at homeThe generator feeds the inverter’s generator or grid input, which runs the house and recharges the batteries | What usually goes wrongThe inverter rejecting unsteady voltage or frequency, or the generator overloaded by battery charging |
Not sure which you have? A photo of the generator, its data plate and the distribution board is usually enough for us to tell. Our photo gallery shows these setups on real jobs.
Load shedding at home
What load shedding does to a home generator
Most household generators were bought for the odd outage, not for a daily timetable. In the heavier stages of load shedding a home set may be started several times a day and run through every evening slot, so a portable or small silent diesel can reach in one season the hours it was expected to run over years. Read the hour meter, or keep a simple log if the set has none, and book generator servicing when the hours fall due, even if the last visit feels recent.
The household pattern adds its own wear. Evening slots coincide with cooking, the kettle and the borehole, so the set is pushed hard at supper time and then idles almost unloaded through a late-night slot. Portables get refuelled by whoever is home (always with the engine stopped and cooled), and leads and plugs are coiled away damp. On a standby set the starting battery takes most of the punishment, and a slow, laboured crank late in a hard week is the usual first warning; see battery not charging.
Then the schedule pauses, sometimes for months. Petrol goes stale in the carburettor, diesel tanks collect water and batteries discharge, so the set that carried the house all winter may not start for the next cable theft or summer storm. A diesel set that spent long nights lightly loaded may also show wet stacking: black, oily residue around the exhaust.
In this example, a morning and an evening cut every day put about 35 hours a week on the hour meter and 14 starts on the battery and starter.
Generators, solar inverters and batteries
How the generator connects
The generator connects to the inverter’s generator or grid input, never its output. Set up well, it runs for a short, well-loaded spell to recharge the batteries, which then carry the quiet hours: far kinder to an engine than idling lightly all night.
Voltage and frequency
Inverters are strict about what they accept. If the generator’s voltage or frequency wanders outside the inverter’s window, it refuses to connect, or connects and drops out every few seconds. Small open-frame generators with a capacitor-regulated alternator or a hunting governor are common culprits; inverter generators and well-governed diesel sets usually hold steady.
Battery charging and generator size
With the batteries low, the inverter may demand full charging current on top of the house load, so the generator trips or its speed sags. We test the generator’s output under load and repair the AVR, governor or carburettor if it is at fault; if it is healthy, the installer can widen the inverter’s acceptance settings or limit its charging current.
Estates, complexes and smallholdings
Estates and sectional-title complexes often have rules on where a generator may stand, how loud it may be, which way its exhaust points and how much fuel may be kept. When you book, tell us how contractors are cleared at the gate and whether the set is yours or the body corporate’s; communal sets are usually booked through the managing agent or trustees.
On smallholdings, a generator often runs a borehole pump and outbuildings at the end of a long cable. Long runs lose voltage, so a pump starting at the far end can stall or trip the set, and when a set trips we check both ends of the cable.
- Noise: a worn silencer, loose panels or failed mounts make a set louder
- Placement: clear airflow, with the exhaust away from windows and neighbours
Is your generator big enough for the house?
A generator that keeps tripping, or lights that dim when the borehole pump starts, often point to sizing rather than a fault. Add up what runs at the same time, then allow for motor starting surges: fridges, gate motors and pumps briefly draw several times their running power. Kettles, geysers and ovens are best left off a small set.
Standby sets are usually rated in kVA, while appliances (and many portables) are rated in watts; at a typical power factor of 0.8, a 6 kVA set supplies about 4.8 kW. The kVA sizing guide works through the sum, as in the example below.
Servicing
Servicing a home generator, by type
Portable petrol and inverter units
Small air-cooled engines carry little oil, so oil changes come round quickly. A service covers oil, the air filter, spark plug and spark arrestor, and the carburettor if fuel has stood. See petrol and inverter generators.
Silent diesel standby sets
Oil and filters, the water separator, coolant and belts on water-cooled engines, the battery and charger, and a test of the automatic changeover. A set that seldom runs still needs servicing. See standby generators.
Gas home standby sets
Oil, filters, spark plugs and clear cooling vents, plus a transfer test. The gas supply itself is a job for a registered gas installer. See gas generators.
Service, maintenance plan or repair?
Most homes need a generator service when it falls due and a repair when something fails. If the household relies on the generator for security, a borehole, medical equipment or working from home, a maintenance plan adds battery, fuel and changeover checks between services.
When you book, send the make and model, the kVA rating, the hour-meter reading and a photo of the controller screen. If it has broken down, we normally arrive within 1–2 hours. We Service & Repair All Generator Brands.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you come out to homes, and do you charge for the callout?
Yes. We work at houses, townhouses, estates and smallholdings across Gauteng and repair most faults on site. Free callouts and quotations: you get a quotation before any work starts.
My generator ran all through load shedding. Why will it not start now?
Usually because it has been standing: petrol goes stale, batteries discharge and diesel tanks collect water. With the set switched off, check the fuel level, the battery terminals for corrosion and that the emergency stop is released, then see generator not starting or book a repair.
My solar inverter will not accept power from my generator. Can you help?
Yes. We test the generator’s voltage and frequency under load and repair it if it is the cause. If the generator is healthy, the inverter’s generator input settings may need adjusting by its installer.
Can I plug the generator into a wall socket to power the house?
No. That back-feeds the wiring and can electrocute you, your family or a municipal worker on the line. Use extension leads to the appliances, or have an interlocked changeover installed by a registered electrical contractor.
How often should a home generator be serviced?
At the interval in its manufacturer’s schedule, by hours or by time, whichever comes first. Through heavy load shedding that can be within months; a set that seldom runs still needs a yearly service.
What size generator do I need for my house?
List what must run together, add the starting surge of pumps, fridges and gate motors, and leave headroom. The kVA sizing guide shows the sum, and we can measure what your house draws when we visit.
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Who we work for
Need a generator technician?
- 24/7 operations
- We Arrive Within 1–2 Hours (usually within 1 hour)
- Free callouts and quotations