Recent Jobs

What the Homeowner Needed

The home was being renovated with new siding and windows, and the electrical service needed to be upgraded to go with it. Because the house was partway through the renovation, the new service had to fit cleanly with the new siding and trim.

What Our Team Did

• Installed a new outdoor meter-main combination panel
• Installed a new service mast and weatherhead
• Reconnected the overhead service drop
• Tested the system before the meter was set
• Removed the old service equipment
• Provided a clearly labeled emergency disconnect on the outside of the house

The Result

The home now has updated, code-compliant electrical service with more capacity. The meter and main breaker are housed in one outdoor enclosure, and the emergency disconnect can be reached by first responders from outside the home.

The installation is clean and matches the newly renovated exterior.

The Code Requirement Many Homeowners Do Not Know About

Many homeowners do not know that current electrical code requires an emergency disconnect on the outside of the home when the service is upgraded. The goal is simple: firefighters or utility crews should be able to shut off power to the house without going inside.

How a Meter-Main Combination Panel Handles It

A meter-main combination panel puts the meter and the main breaker in one outdoor box. On our recent service upgrade in Grygla, that one enclosure provides a clearly labeled emergency disconnect on the outside of the house.

Why Exterior Projects Are a Good Time to Upgrade

If you are already doing siding or other exterior work, that is a good time to upgrade your electrical service. The new equipment can be mounted and trimmed in cleanly with the new exterior. In Grygla, the house was partway through a siding and window renovation, and the new service was installed to fit with the new siding and trim.

Before: Relying on Utility Power Alone

The homeowner wanted automatic backup power for their home. Without a standby generator, an outage would mean waiting for the utility to restore power.

After: Activated, Monitored, and Tested

Our team installed and commissioned a new Generac 26 kilowatt propane standby generator with an automatic transfer switch. We connected the generator to the homeowner's Wi-Fi network for Generac Mobile Link monitoring and warranty activation, then tested the system through a full transfer cycle.

The home now has new automatic backup power that is activated, connected to Mobile Link, and ready for winter.

What Comes Next

Landscaping around the generator is in progress. We will add an updated photo once the homeowner finishes that work.

What the Homeowner Needed

The homeowner wanted automatic backup power for their home. With an automatic transfer switch in place, the generator is designed to sense a utility outage and take over on its own, so the household does not have to start or connect anything by hand.

The Equipment

We installed a Generac 24 kilowatt home standby generator. This model uses the new generation Generac controller, which has built-in Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. The generator is paired with an automatic transfer switch that moves the home between utility power and generator power.

What Our Team Did

• Installed the new Generac 24 kilowatt standby generator and automatic transfer switch
• Commissioned the system once utility power was connected
• Diagnosed and corrected a controller fault that appeared at startup
• Connected the generator to the homeowner's Wi-Fi network so it could activate and register through Generac Mobile Link
• Ran the startup test

The Result

New automatic backup power is in place. The generator is activated and registered, connected to Generac Mobile Link for remote monitoring, and ready for winter.

What We Saw on This Job

On a new Generac 24 kilowatt installation in Wahpeton, the generator was set well before utility power was connected to it. By the time we returned to commission the system, the battery had drained to about 2 volts, and the controller showed communication and battery charging faults.

Why the Battery Drained

Newer Generac generators use a controller with built-in Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. The controller and the connectivity module draw a small amount of power all the time, even when the generator is not running. Until the unit is energized, nothing is recharging the battery to replace that power, so a generator that sits for a while before the utility connection is live can drain its battery.

What We Do Differently Now

We now leave the battery disconnected until the unit is energized. That keeps the battery from draining during the gap between setting the generator and connecting utility power, so the system is ready to start on commissioning day.

What This Means for Homeowners

If there is a gap between the day your generator is set and the day utility power is connected to it, this is one of the steps our team takes so your new generator is ready to start when it is commissioned.