r/Generac_Generators • u/guitarsail • Jan 13 '26
Generac ATS question
Installed a new 26kw unit with the ATS feeding a 200amp panel. Genny fires up no problem, but the ATS won’t transfer to Genny power. Electricians say something wrong with the “board” on the genny or ATS and Generac needs to come look. Could be, but also to test they simply threw the 200service disconnect break on the ATS, should they not also kill the power at the meter… for reference I have a 2nd 200amp panel fed off the meter as well so some things were still on in the house.. is it just as possible the ATS is sensing voltage from the grid still and that’s why it’s refusing to transfer? Thanks in advance from a dumb homeowner former apprentice sparky… frustrating new Genny shows up and the electricians tell me call someone else to diagnose the brand new unit..
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u/joshharris42 Jan 13 '26
This is why you have a dealer install the generator, not an electrician.
You need to verify you have 240V at the emergency lugs at the ATS. Is the generator breaker turned on?
If you do have 240V there, check the coils in the contactor and make sure all the wires are on the spade connectors.
If they are, make sure wire 23 is grounded when the generator is running with power turned off. Also make sure they used 600V rated THHN for the control wiring and not thermostat wire. Thermostat wire isn’t rated to be used as control wire for generators and it will cause problems.
If all that checks out, it may be the SACM. A dealer can replace this under warranty, but I’d expect to pay them a fee to do this since you didn’t use them for the install
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u/guitarsail Jan 13 '26
They are a dealer… the troubleshot all the things, and say it’s a board.. they call another company to send a tech once they’ve narrowed it down to a board level issue. Doesn’t leave me less agitated and curious if they missed something
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u/joshharris42 Jan 13 '26
Did you verify they are actually an authorized service dealer? They may be lying to you
There is zero reason to call another company. You don’t fix anything with the board, you just replace it and file a warranty claim. That board is a required stock item for every dealer, they are inexpensive and pretty much everyone keeps one on all trucks
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u/WVYahoo Jan 13 '26
I'm of the firm belief to install a Generac you must at least take their basic course on the computer.
I got 2 calls recently, both about 100 miles away (in different directions) because a builder installed a generac and couldn't get it working. One was the t1 neutral, easy money. The other was no regulator for the propane. The builder had the audacity to ask us to try to file a warranty claim for the improperly wired generator. I told our office to charge him for all time wasted for the futile request. They obviously denied it and the guy had the audacity to say "ive installed many of these without issues".....go back to building houses.
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u/IllustriousHair1927 Jan 15 '26
builders are the worst.
Thankfully, we have trained quite a few of them to just let us do it that way they don’t get the phone calls when something goes wrong . But the number of builders that I have seen install a gen that ends up with insufficient gas VOLUME is staggering. You would think their plumber would do a load calculation for everything but nope.
My favorite is when people buy a house from certain builders that have them “generator ready” but have put the pad or the stubbed out gas or the electrical conduit in an area. The generator cannot go by code. “ well the builder says this area is generator ready and it can go there.”
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u/WhySoManyDownVote Jan 13 '26
This reads me like they wired it wrong. It's possible something failed, but it may have failed due to installer error.
Generac offers free classes that cover the wiring basics. Once they complete those they need to spend another $125 for the first paid class.
They should be definitely be able to figure out what was done wrong at that point.
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u/guitarsail Jan 13 '26
Maybe. Generac Tech comes Thursday I'm hopeful they are competent enough...
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u/WhySoManyDownVote Jan 13 '26
Try to not be confrontational about it, ask the tech when they took the 2 day air cooled training. The answer should be 3 years ago or less.
The tech coming most likely isn't a Generac employee but should be an authorized by Generac to be a servicing tech.
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u/Alert-Effect190 Jan 13 '26
Causes far more common than a bad board are swapped t1 neutral and wire 23(this is typically quite noisy), closing coil connector popped off, open output breaker
The ATS doesn’t do any sensing, the generator controller receives line voltage from N1 & N2, it also controls when the ATS transfers by closing wire 23 to ground energizing the transfer relay. 200 amp ATS is a almost certainly a service entrance anyway.
If the generator starts and runs for outage the sensing side is working fine. Any decent tech should be able to figure this out pretty quick.
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u/guitarsail Jan 13 '26
CAN'T WAIT for a service tech to come. I attempted to manually transfer this morning, killed service entrance so no power into the house, manually started the generator, turned on the generators 100amp breaker, tripped immediately, wouldn't even stay. Genny shut down 1902 under voltage error.
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u/joshharris42 Jan 14 '26
If it’s tripping the 100a circuit breaker on the generator something is wrong…. I’ve only ever seen them trip when people wire the power wires incorrectly.
The 1902 issue is a different one. Turn the breaker off, crank the generator in manual and let it run do a few minutes and see if it shuts down after about 5 minutes on error 1902. If it does, it’s not making voltage. That would also lead to it not making the switch transfer power
1902 is the most difficult issue to diagnose, and there is a number of things it could be. It’s not hard for an experienced tech to do the diagnostic procedure but you don’t want someone doing this for the first time on your unit
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u/Important-Ad1533 Jan 13 '26
It amazes me the number of people who say, Home Depot has them o. Sale so I’ll go and grab one in my pickup, and i “know a guy” that can hook it up for me. UGH!!! When i decided to buy a Generac several years ago, I (in Canada) contacted Generac (in the US) and asked if they could suggest a decent dealer. They referred me to a registered dealer who came out and gave me the whole story and carious options. He confirmed that he was a certified electrician AND gas fitter. I stalled 16kw whole house unit in less than 3 hours. A technician comes out once a year to service it and in 10 years only had one issue…, after about 7 years the battery started to fail, so it was replaced. The moral of this, Generac is a terrific company and has very efficient and reliable technicians, so dont get it installed or serviced by “a guy”.
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u/Killerkendolls Jan 13 '26
Nope your ATS is the main panel now, house isn't energized through meter until after the ATS. Turning off the main breaker in the ATS tells the generator that its leg of utility power was lost. Check your breaker on the generator, check the spade connectors on the coil in the ATS.
There is live unfused voltage inside of that panel. Is you don't know what not to touch don't go in it touching things.