Emergency generator repair or a temporary generator during an outage - post free. Genie 911 posting skips the bidding process and connects you directly with the next available local pro. Planned standby generator installation is posted under Electrical Services. Covers natural gas, propane, and diesel standby units as well as portable units for storm season or planned outages. Many installs need a local permit and inspection, so mention your unit size and fuel type so pros can scope the job accurately.
What's Included Under Generator Services
This category covers backup power work of several different kinds, and it helps a Service Professional bid accurately if your post makes clear which kind you mean. Standby generator installation is a permanently wired system, usually running on natural gas or propane, that switches on automatically during an outage. Portable generator hookup covers a smaller, cord-and-plug unit you wheel out and connect as needed, often for storm season rather than as a permanent fixture. Transfer switch installation is the piece of equipment that safely connects a generator to your home's electrical system, and it's sometimes posted on its own if you already own a generator but were never wired up to use it safely. Annual maintenance and repair round out the category, including the emergency generator repair and temporary generator installation items flagged for Genie 911 when a unit fails during an active outage. If you're not sure which of these your job actually is, describing the goal, such as "keep the fridge and a few lights running during outages" versus "power the whole house automatically," gives a Service Professional enough to steer you toward the right scope.
Sizing and Fuel Type Basics
Generator sizing comes down to running watts versus starting watts -- the continuous power a generator can sustain versus the higher, brief surge some appliances need to start up, particularly anything with a compressor or motor, like a refrigerator or well pump. A whole-house standby unit is sized to carry your entire electrical panel, while a smaller portable or partial-house setup is sized around a shorter list of essential circuits you and your electrician agree on ahead of time, such as the refrigerator, a few lights, and a sump pump. Fuel type matters too: natural gas and propane standby units draw from an existing or dedicated fuel line and are built for automatic, unattended operation, while diesel and gasoline portable units need someone to manage fuel storage and refueling during an extended outage. Mentioning your home's approximate square footage, panel size, and which specific circuits matter most to you helps a generator pro size the job correctly on the first bid rather than needing a follow-up visit just to figure out scope.
Permits, Inspections, and Transfer Switches
Most jurisdictions require a permit and a follow-up inspection for a standby generator installation, since it involves new gas or electrical connections to your home and a transfer switch that has to be installed correctly to prevent backfeeding power into utility lines -- a genuine safety issue for utility workers, not just a code technicality. The permit and inspection process is typically handled by the installing Service Professional as part of the job, but it's worth asking directly who pulls the permit and roughly how long inspection scheduling tends to take in your area, since that affects your project timeline more than the installation work itself does. A transfer switch, whether manual or automatic, is what makes a generator installation legal and safe to use with your home's wiring rather than an improvised extension-cord setup; a portable generator connected without one can be both a code violation and a real electrical hazard. If your post mentions an existing permit history for the property or a prior electrical inspection, that can occasionally simplify the process, so it's worth including if you know it.
What Helps a Generator Pro Bid Accurately
A Service Professional bidding without seeing your property in person needs a few concrete details to price the job correctly rather than guess. Note your fuel type or preference (natural gas, propane, diesel, or gasoline), your home's approximate size or panel amperage if you know it, whether you want whole-house or essential-circuits-only coverage, and whether a gas line or adequate electrical service already exists at the intended generator location. For a portable unit, mention whether you already own the generator and just need a transfer switch, or need help selecting a unit sized correctly for your needs. A photo of your electrical panel and the outdoor space where a standby unit would sit -- accounting for required clearance from windows, doors, and property lines -- often sharpens a bid more than a written description alone, since it lets a pro assess access and placement without a separate site visit just to quote the job.
Why Maintenance Matters for a Machine That Mostly Sits Idle
A backup generator's entire job is to work reliably on the one day a year you actually need it, which makes routine maintenance more important than it might seem for equipment that otherwise sits unused. Annual service typically includes an oil and filter change, a battery and charging-system check, and a test run under load, since a generator that starts but can't sustain a real electrical load isn't actually ready for an outage. Skipping maintenance doesn't usually cause an immediate problem -- it tends to surface as a failure to start or a sudden shutdown exactly when the power is out and you need the unit most, which is the worst possible time to discover it. If you're posting a maintenance job rather than a new installation, mention your unit's brand, approximate age, and roughly when it was last serviced so a Service Professional can bid on the actual scope of work rather than a general inspection call. Once you have a quote for any generator job, it's worth comparing more than just the price -- here's how to check a quote the right way.