Restaurant and retail standby generators for San Antonio kitchens and storefronts
A walk-in that warms up overnight costs product, and a store with dark registers cannot sell. We size the generator from the loads you choose to keep on, install the transfer switch, pull the permit and keep the system serviced. Licensed by TDLR and insured for commercial work.
We sell and install Generac home standby and commercial generators.
What should a restaurant put on a standby generator?
A restaurant usually puts its walk-in coolers and freezers on a standby generator first, then the registers, the lighting, the security and, to keep cooking, the hood and make-up air. We size the unit from that list with a load study, install the transfer switch, pull the permit and keep it serviced. A licensed plumber runs the gas line.
What has to stay on
In a kitchen the first loads on the list are the walk-in coolers and freezers, because losing one overnight costs product. After that come the reach-ins, the registers and card terminals, the lighting, the security system and, if you want to keep cooking, the hood, its exhaust fan and the make-up air. A store's list is usually the registers, the lighting, the sign and the security. You choose what goes on the generator, and the size follows.
Walk-in condensers and evaporators
Registers, card terminals and the network they run on
Every cooler, fryer and dish machine has a cut sheet with its voltage, phase and load, and each walk-in's condenser and evaporator are on their own circuits from the refrigeration contractor's sheets. We build the load list from those sheets and from measurements, including how the compressors start, and leave room for equipment you plan to add.
Loads from the cut sheets and measured at the panel
The automatic transfer switch moves the chosen loads to the generator when the utility fails and back when it returns. The National Electrical Code treats standby power three ways: emergency systems in Article 700, legally required standby in Article 701, and optional standby in Article 702. Which one your loads fall under is set by the building's design and the authority having jurisdiction, and we wire, separate and test the system to match.
Transfer switch installation and wiring
Feeders between the generator, the switch and the panel
A natural gas unit needs a gas line sized for the generator. Gas line and gas connection are not included. That is a licensed plumber's work and we quote it separately. We coordinate the plumber with the electrical work. A diesel unit carries its own fuel tank, and the fuel vendor fills it. Placement is set by the setbacks and the service access the code and the manufacturer call for, and in a leased space the property owner or manager settles where the unit can sit before the pad goes in.
Gas line coordinated with a licensed plumber
Placement checked before the pad
Access for service
Permits and inspection
Inside the city limits, commercial electrical permits go through the City of San Antonio Development Services Department, and the suburban cities run their own permit offices. We pull the electrical permit, schedule the inspections and meet the inspector, and the plumber handles the gas permit. Work in an open restaurant is scheduled after close or before prep starts.
Electrical permit pulled by us
Inspections scheduled and met
Shutdowns after close or before prep
Maintenance and testing
A generator that will not start on the night the power fails has not saved the walk-ins. Scheduled maintenance covers the generator, the batteries and the transfer switch, with written records after each visit. A maintenance agreement can also check the connections behind the line, where heat and grease loosen them.
What do restaurant and store owners ask about standby generators?
Straight answers. If you do not see yours, call us and ask.
Yes. We sell and install Generac home standby and commercial generators. We install the generator, the transfer switch and the electrical connections, and coordinate the gas line with a licensed plumber.
Which other pages cover standby power for restaurants and stores?