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HANDMADEELECTRIC LLC
Metro Detroit

Generator repair and service in Metro Detroit

Handmade Electric repairs and services home standby generators across Metro Detroit. We install, service, and repair Generac home standby generators. The unit that matters is the one that starts when the power goes out, and a generator that has sat for years without service is not that unit.

Get a quote(248) 787-0071
How a service call runs
Tested
Diagnosed, not guessedBattery and charging, fuel, oil and its safety shutdowns, controller, transfer switch.
Told first
Findings before any repairYou get what is wrong and what the options are before work starts.
Proven
Tested on a real transferStarting and carrying the house are two different things.
Scope

What we work on

  • Units that crank but will not start, or start and then shut down
  • Generators that never transferred when the power actually went out
  • Fault codes and warning lights on the controller
  • Batteries, which are the single most common reason a standby unit fails to start
  • Oil, filters, plugs, and the rest of routine maintenance
  • Transfer switch testing, because a healthy generator behind a failed switch still leaves you dark
Symptoms

Signs your generator needs attention

  • It stopped running its weekly exercise cycle, or you never hear it anymore
  • It cranks and cranks but will not fire
  • It starts, runs briefly, and shuts itself down
  • The controller is showing a fault, a warning light, or a blank screen
  • The power went out and the generator sat there
  • It has not been serviced since the day it was installed
Process

How the work goes

  1. Step 01

    Tell us what it is doing

    Call or text with the make, the model, and what the unit is or is not doing. Any fault code on the controller is worth writing down before you call.

  2. Step 02

    Diagnosis on site

    We test rather than guess. Battery and charging system, fuel supply, oil level and the safety shutdowns tied to it, the controller, and the transfer switch.

  3. Step 03

    Findings first

    You get told what is wrong and what the options are before any repair work happens. On an older unit that includes an honest read on whether the repair is worth doing.

  4. Step 04

    Repair and test

    After the repair the unit is tested on a real transfer, not just started up, because starting and carrying the house are two different things.

Questions

Common questions

My standby generator will not start. What is usually wrong?
The battery, more often than anything else. A standby generator sits unused for months at a time and the battery quietly dies where you cannot see it, so the first you learn of it is during an outage. After that the common causes are fuel supply problems, a low oil level tripping the safety shutdown, a controller fault, and maintenance that was never done. It needs to be diagnosed rather than guessed at, because several of those look identical from the driveway.
How often does a standby generator need to be serviced?
Standby generators are serviced on a schedule the same way a furnace is, based on the manufacturer's interval and on run hours, and units that run through a long outage need attention sooner. The point of the schedule is that the failure gets found on a calm afternoon instead of during the storm that takes your power out.
Why does my generator run by itself once a week?
That is the exercise cycle and it is supposed to happen. The unit starts itself briefly on a schedule to circulate oil, keep the engine from seizing up, and keep the battery charged. If yours used to do it and has gone quiet, that is a real warning sign and it is worth a call, because a unit that has stopped exercising will usually not start when you need it.
Do you work on brands other than Generac?
We install, service, and repair Generac home standby generators. If you have a different brand, call or text with the make and the model and you will get a straight answer about whether we can help you, rather than a truck showing up and a bill for finding out we cannot.
What does a generator repair cost?
It depends entirely on what is actually wrong, which is why nobody can quote it honestly over the phone. A battery is a very different job from a controller or an engine problem, and parts availability on older units affects it too. You get the diagnosis and your options before any repair work starts.
Is it worth repairing an old generator or should I replace it?
That depends on the age of the unit, the hours on it, what has failed, and whether parts are still available for it. Sometimes the repair is clearly the right call and sometimes you would be putting money into a unit that is going to fail again. We will tell you which one you are looking at and let you make the decision.
All services
Quote request

Ask about your generator

Send the basics and we will pick it up from there. For the full form, including address and property type, use the quote page.

Serving Metro Detroit

Tell us what is going on

Describe the problem or the project and we will pick it up from there. Handmade Electric works across Metro Detroit on residential, commercial, and industrial electrical, and on Generac home standby generators.

Get a quote(248) 787-0071

Prefer to text? Send a text to (248) 787-0071

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