Generac 48kw generator: DOA, Generac unable to repair/not helpful

[ponytug]

My neighbor bought a new Generac 48kw generator in December, 2019, and it was installed in January 2020. (RG04845)

Unfortunately, it has never worked. It has had new boards put in four times, but it won't function. Currently, it is throwing an error of E2670 "CANBUS error". Based on reading the Generac website, there seems to be more than a few of these units since late 2019 that aren't functional, and Generac doesn't seem to be able to fix it, nor are they offering to replace it. Turnaround on the replacements has been one to two months.

My neighbor put this in for health reasons, to be ready in time for the fall power outages, and it is September.

Has anyone managed to get one of these units running? If so, what did you do?

I am bringing this up because I know that Generac has previously enjoyed a reputation for quality and service. If you are considering a new standby generator purchase, you might want to do your research carefully...I have no idea how many units or models that this issue applies to.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

All the best,

Peter

 

[TractorGuy]

That's a huge generator.

All I can say is the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Your neighbor needs to take it up the ladder or get the state's attorney involved.

 

[cdaigle430]

Their reputation stands excellent for me, I am a 16KW owner for 4 years now and for health reasons. That being said-everyone is experiencing shortages in labor, parts, material these days thanks to COVID. I had to wait 3 months for my Certainteed siding to arrive. I cant find filters for my hot tub and if it breaks down Im told I might as well close it because parts are hard to find. This goes for so many other things as well-forget about finding sanding masks.

One to two month turn around-count yourself extremely luck. The wildfires out west and hurricanes in the south are going to make things worse. Being an American is no longer a customer oriented country where the customer is always right and gets what they want yesterday.

 

[r porter]

Portable Generators - Generac Generator Troubleshooting, Help, and Repair Forum | Gentek Power

 

[r porter]

keep trying.
i had a 35 or 40 k unit at an outbuilding i took care of for the company. i cant remember for sure but it had a john deere engine and i think a generac power head. it never did run right from day one, but it would go for weeks with no trouble and then a storm would hit and it would fail.

i don't remember who it was now but i asked the boss if he wanted it fixed and he says yes. so i called an outfit out of Springdale Arkansas and that dude had it nailed down in 15 minutes. we had to pay 2 days motel and such but he was gone in a day and it was working.

there are people out there, but finding them may be hard.

oh yea, it was a clogged pick up screen in the fuel line in the bottom of the tank.

 

[ponytug]

I read on another thread that Generac has a backlog of 80,000+.

She's trying to squeak, but it isn't being heard. (I guess I am part of the squeak.) I am trying to help her get up and running.

I hear you on Covid19. I have a cover for the cows backordered because of the demand for popup tents due to the virus.

Thanks!

All the best,

Peter

 

[radios1]

I found this. Generac Protector Liquid Cooled (Gas/Diesel) Evolution e-Code error code fault list with troubleshooting/repair guide - Generac Generator Troubleshooting, Help, and Repair Forum | Gentek Power there's a procedure that has to be followed after boards are replaced..

 

[grsthegreat]

im a generac trained service tech, however i dont work on liquid cooled units, only air cooled. (in the past i have done some basic service on some 24-48KW units, and find that they have very few issues. ). weird that a new unit isnt operational. i take it the guy that installed it probably isnt a liquid cooled service tech. you dont need to be one to buy and install the unit. your neighbor needs to get ahold of an industrial certified generac tech. they can be found on generac website. this should be 100% covered under warranty as long as unit was installed correctly. i have seen these large units installed wrong in the past. usually with too small of a fuel supply. I service 100's of air cooled units every year, and really have very few issues. during the last power outage in my area, some of my customers were under generator power for 36 straight hours. i only received 4 calls during outage, 3 were from people i never worked for before and one from a customer. on my customers unit somehow the generator breaker was shut off....few seconds later while on phone he had power again thru generator. the other 3 i was able to talk thru getting online over the phone. i really have no issues with generac as a product. but like anything there can be a lemon. Due to covid workplace restrictions, generac is over 82,000 units backordered as of a week ago. parts are also starting to be an issue. but so is everything else. go to home depot and look at electrical breakers....shelves here are empty.

 

[workinonit]

I'm just curious how big her generator load actually is to have the need for a 48 kW generator. I have a 25 kW PTO generator that runs my entire house and shop with power to spare and I live in a 2800 sq ft house. In the past most of these generators had some 3rd party engine that ran primarily on LP or diesel. This one is all Generac. Which means you are tied to Generac for service. What fuel is she running, LP or NG?

 

[grsthegreat]

Those bigger units are used in large houses with large heating loads. One of the 45kw units i serviced in the past had electric boilers and no other gas appliance in house. On demand electric boilers take lots of juice. Then add appliance loads to that. On one house that i did an install a few years back, we calculated the need for a 45 kw unit. Instead of doing this, we talked the owner into losing the 3 sets of electric heat back up furnaces that were 12 years old wnd install a new gas backup heat system. Then we supplied a 22 kw air cooled unit. He got a new heating system and a smaller generator to run the house all for less than the 45 kw gen would have cost. And he absolutely didnt want a huge generator in front of his house.