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Generator Repair Ann Arbor, MI
Standby generator silent, stuck on a red alarm or running while the house stays dark? We find the cause, quote the fix in writing and test it under load.
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3D Electric offers Generator Repair Ann Arbor, MI for Generac, Honeywell and Kohler home standby units in the city, Pittsfield Township and Scio Township. Most calls start the same way: the power went out, and the generator stayed silent, ran without lighting the house or showed a red alarm. This page on Generator Repair Ann Arbor, MI covers what tends to fail in Tree Town, what to tell us before we drive over from Belleville and how the visit goes.
We are a family-owned, licensed and insured electrical contractor with about two decades in the trade, and we have already completed a generator install in Ann Arbor. Every repair is quoted in writing before the work starts. For new systems and our other standby power work in town, see the Ann Arbor home generator page. For permits, utilities and the townships we cover, visit our Ann Arbor area page.
Lectro's tip
After a windy storm, walk out and brush leaves and twigs off the generator's air openings before the next run.
Generac generator repair in Ann Arbor: what usually fails
A standby generator is a small engine plus the electrical gear that hands your house to it. In our experience, the second half causes more trouble than people expect, and that half is our trade.
The starting battery and its charger
The 12-volt battery lives inside the enclosure through every January cold snap. A charger inside the unit keeps it topped up from a 120-volt house circuit. If that circuit trips, the battery loses a little with each weekly exercise until it can no longer crank the engine.
Fuel pressure on DTE Gas or propane
Inside city limits, DTE Gas feeds most units. A gas line that is too small may run the generator fine on its own and then starve it when the furnace and water heater fire too. Out in Pittsfield and Scio, some homes run on propane, so a low tank or a tired regulator can shut the engine down mid-outage.
The transfer switch and control wiring
If the engine runs and the rooms stay dark, look at the generator's main breaker, the switch and the thin control wires between them. Our page on automatic transfer switches for Ann Arbor homes shows how a normal hand-off should look.
What Tree Town storms do to a standby unit
On July 3, 2026, a storm left about 400,000 DTE customers without power across southeast Michigan. Outages that long push a generator harder than its short scheduled exercise runs ever do.
Days of running. Oil drops with every hour, and a low oil pressure alarm stops the engine to protect it.
Leaves and twigs. Under big oaks and maples, debris blows into the intake and exhaust openings. Blocked airflow leads to a high temperature shutdown.
Falling limbs. A branch can dent the enclosure or crack the conduit that carries wires to the switch.
Washouts on slopes. Near the Huron River the ground drops fast. Heavy rain can wash gravel from under a pad or leave water standing against the unit.
Mice. On wooded lots, rodents nest in a warm enclosure and chew wiring over the winter.
If a limb struck your generator, keep everyone back, stop restarting it and take photos for us.
Details that save a second trip from Belleville
Our shop sits about 18 to 22 miles away, down Interstate 94. A clear phone call lets us load the likely parts and fix more on the first visit.
Brand, model and kilowatt size from the label.
The status light color and the exact words on the screen. On most Generac units, green means ready, yellow a warning and red an alarm shutdown.
Your fuel: a DTE Gas meter or a propane tank, and the tank gauge reading.
When it started: after a storm, a long outage or a battery swap.
Whether the unit is still under the manufacturer's warranty, plus the serial number and install date.
Whether you live in the city or in Pittsfield or Scio Township.
Staying safe until we arrive
Smell gas? Leave the house, then call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Sparks, smoke or a burning smell call for 911.
Keep hands out of the enclosure while the controller is in Auto. The engine can crank with no warning.
Reset the generator's main breaker one time. If it trips again, leave it off.
Never feed the house through a wall outlet from a portable. Backfeeding is illegal and can kill a line worker. Use a portable generator interlock kit for Ann Arbor homes or cords to single appliances.
Run any portable outside, far from doors, windows and vents, and test your CO alarms.
24-hour emergency service available. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 7 am to 5 pm.
How an Ann Arbor repair visit goes
Phone first. You describe the alarm and symptoms, and we plan the parts.
Diagnosis. We load-test the battery, check the charger and its circuit, measure gas pressure under load, read the alarm history and inspect the switch.
Written quote. You hear the cause and see the price before any repair begins.
Repair and live test. We cut utility power at the switch and watch the generator start, carry the house and hand it back.
If a part must be ordered, we explain the wait and what you can safely run in the meantime.
Repair, replace and what sets the price
A battery, charger, sensor or loose control wire is nearly always worth fixing. A failed engine, or a control board nobody stocks for an older unit, may cost more than the generator is worth. We say so plainly. The price of any repair depends on the part, the time to find the fault and the work around it. The home generator cost guide explains the factors.
When a new unit makes sense
A replacement is a new install. It can often reuse the pad spot and sometimes the switch. City addresses file through STREAM with the Building Department at 301 E. Huron St., and Pittsfield and Scio use their own offices. Confirm current requirements for your address, and read our generator permit guide. See Generac installation in Ann Arbor for how that job runs.
Keeping it running after the fix
A yearly generator maintenance visit in Ann Arbor catches a weak battery or old oil early. If the trouble turns out to be the house panel, our Ann Arbor electricians handle that too. The regional Generac generator repair service page covers alarm meanings in more depth. Book through the Ann Arbor repair request form or our main contact page.
Related pages
New standby systems, sizing and permits in town
Alarm meanings and battery service in depth
Yearly service that heads off repairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if it is a Generac, Honeywell or Kohler home standby unit. Have the model, serial number and install date ready when you call. For other brands, ask us before you book.
Yes. Debris packed into the air openings can cause a high temperature shutdown, and a limb can damage the enclosure or the conduit to the switch. Keep people away from a damaged unit and send us photos.
A low tank or a regulator problem is a common cause on propane. Check the tank gauge and call your propane supplier if it is low. If the tank is fine, write down the alarm and call us.
Routine fixes like a battery or charger are service work. Replacing the generator or the transfer switch is new installation work, which usually needs a permit through STREAM in the city or from your township. Confirm current requirements for your address.
Our shop is in Belleville, about 18 to 22 miles away along Interstate 94. That is why we ask for the alarm details and a photo first, so we can bring the likely parts.
Yes. 24-hour emergency service available. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 7 am to 5 pm. Call 911 for fire, smoke or a gas smell.