What Happens During a Standby Generator Installation?

Placement is engineering, not aesthetics. The unit needs manufacturer-specified clearances from windows, doors, and vents (carbon monoxide), separation from property lines per local code, a route for gas and electrical runs, and — a genuinely local consideration — elevation above known flood levels. In neighborhoods from Dickinson Bayou to the coast, we set pads and mounting height with storm surge history in mind, because a generator underwater is a paperweight precisely when it matters. The survey also verifies your gas meter and line can feed the unit at full load; undersized gas supply is the most common flaw in installs we're called to rescue.

The automatic transfer switch (ATS) is the brain: it watches utility power, starts the generator when the grid drops, moves your panel onto generator power, and reverses everything when the grid returns. It also performs the safety-critical job of isolating your home from the grid so your generator never backfeeds into lines a utility crew is repairing. This is why generator electrical work is permitted, inspected, licensed-electrician work — Mackey's installs run under Texas license TECL 558211 — and why a “just plug it into the dryer outlet” suggestion from a neighbor is a hard no.

The crew starts the unit, verifies voltage and frequency, then simulates a real outage: utility power is cut, the ATS transfers, and the generator picks up your selected loads while everything is measured. You'll see your AC start on generator power — the moment that matters. Before leaving, we register the warranty, set the weekly self-test schedule (the unit exercises itself for a few minutes each week), and walk you through the status indicators worth glancing at after storms.

Not much — but not nothing. The weekly self-test runs unattended; your job is noticing if it didn't. Annual professional service (oil, filters, battery, transfer test) keeps the unit start-ready and keeps Kohler and Generac warranties valid — manufacturers can and do request maintenance records on warranty claims. Batteries are the quiet killer: they die of age while the unit sits happy, which is why battery testing anchors every service visit. Our maintenance plans fold generator service into the same schedule as your HVAC visits — see whether a plan is worth it for how that math works.