Key takeaways
- Generac publishes a 5 Year Limited Warranty for its automatic standby generators. The written terms for your exact model are what count.
- A limited warranty covers what its terms say, under the conditions its terms set. Read them before you buy, not after something fails.
- Keep a record of every service visit. Warranty terms can ask for maintenance records.
- The manufacturer's warranty covers the machine. The installer's workmanship is a separate promise, so ask what it is in writing.
Generac warranty basics are worth understanding before you buy a standby generator, because a warranty is a written document with terms, and what it covers depends on those terms. Generac publishes a 5 Year Limited Warranty for its automatic standby generators. This post does not restate Generac's terms, because only Generac's written document for your exact model can tell you what it covers. What it can do is tell you what to read, what to keep, and what to ask your installer.
What Generac publishes
On the product pages for the Guardian home standby sizes we install, Generac lists a 5 Year Limited Warranty for automatic standby generators. That wording is Generac's. The full terms, including what is covered, what is excluded and what Generac asks of the owner, are in Generac's written warranty document.
Each of our model pages links Generac's product page and spec sheet for that size, for example the Generac 22kW generator and the Generac 26kW generator. Start there, then ask for the written warranty for the exact model in your quote.
What a limited warranty means in general
A limited warranty is a promise with limits written into it. It usually names which parts are covered, whether labor is covered or only parts, how long each kind of coverage lasts, and what the owner has to do to keep it in force. It also names what is excluded, such as damage from causes the manufacturer does not control.
It also helps to know that a warranty and a service plan are different things. A warranty is the manufacturer's promise about defects in the machine. Routine service, such as oil, filters, plugs and the battery, is the owner's job under almost any warranty, and it is what keeps the machine ready to start. Paying for maintenance is not a sign that something went wrong. It is part of owning a standby generator, and the records it produces are part of what you may be asked for if a claim ever comes up. The word limited is not a warning sign on its own. Most product warranties are limited. It simply means the coverage is what the document says and no more. That is why reading the document matters more than any summary of it, including this one.
Questions to answer from the written terms
- Which parts are covered, and for how long?
- Are labor and travel covered, or parts only?
- What does the owner have to do to keep the coverage, such as maintenance?
- What is excluded?
- Who performs warranty work, and how is a claim started?
Write the answers down from the document itself. If a quote or a salesperson tells you something the written terms do not say, the written terms are what apply.
Keep your service records
Warranty terms can ask for maintenance records, and a record of every service visit is worth keeping whatever the terms say. Keep the date, what was done, the oil and filters used, the battery test, the transfer switch test, and who did the work. A folder or a photo of each work order is enough. If a claim ever comes up, a clean history is the first thing that helps.
What a service visit covers is laid out in our Generac generator maintenance schedule guide, and our post on how long a Generac generator lasts explains why that care matters beyond the warranty too.
The installer's workmanship is separate
The manufacturer's warranty covers the machine. The wiring, the transfer switch installation, the connections at your panel and the placement are the installer's work. If one of those fails, that is a workmanship question for the installer, not a Generac warranty claim.
So ask every installer you are comparing what they promise on their own work, in writing. A clear answer is a good sign. A vague one is worth noting. The gas line is a third piece: gas line and gas connection are not included in our electrical price. That is a licensed plumber's work and we quote it separately, so the plumber's own terms apply to it.
Questions to ask the installer
- What do you promise on your own work, and for how long, in writing?
- Who do I call if the generator or the switch fails, and who decides whether it is a warranty matter?
- Will you pull the electrical permit and meet the inspector?
- Will you give me a written record of the install and of every service visit?
- Who runs the gas line, and whose terms cover it?
The answers tell you who stands behind each part of the system. A standby generator is three kinds of work: the machine, the electrical installation and the gas line. Each one has its own promise, and you want all three clear before the work starts, not after something stops.
When something goes wrong
If the generator faults, fails to start or stops during an outage, start with the controller. It records faults and warnings, and that record is what a technician needs first. Write down when it happened and what you saw or heard, and do not open the enclosure or try repairs yourself. A standby generator can start on its own at any moment if the utility power drops or the exercise timer comes up, so it is not something to work on while it is in automatic.
Then call for service with your records in hand: the install date, the model, and the service history. Whether a repair falls under Generac's warranty is decided by Generac's written terms. Whether it is an installation problem is a question for the installer. A good service visit sorts out which is which before any work is done, and gives you a written price for anything that is not covered.
Selling the house, or buying one with a generator
A standby generator often stays with the house when it sells. If you are buying a house that has one, ask the seller for the model, the install date and the service records, and read Generac's written terms to see what they say about coverage after a sale. If you are selling, a folder with the paperwork and every service record makes the generator a clear point in your favor rather than a question mark.
Either way, an older unit with an unknown history is worth a service visit before you count on it. A technician can tell you what condition it is in, what is due, and whether anything needs repair.
A good install protects the warranty too
A generator installed to the manufacturer's instructions and the code, with the permit pulled and the inspection passed, starts life on solid ground. Placement that keeps the setbacks and leaves room for airflow and service also makes the maintenance the warranty can depend on easier to do.
We sell and install Generac home standby and commercial generators, and our Generac generator installation page describes how we do it. What an install costs is explained in the Generac generator cost guide.
Before you sign
Read the written warranty for the exact model, ask the installer what they promise on their work, and keep every service record from the first visit on. Our free Generac sizing visit gets you a recommended size and a written price, and every size we install is on the Generac generators page.