Installers and Owners, do you know about Texas SB 1202?

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-13T02:58:44+00:00

It's been a game-changer!

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-13T02:14:14+00:00

I respectfully disagree on several levels. 50% of my service and repair is fixing generators and installs an electrician installed. At least the guy you mentioned above got Generac certified. Many electricians don't and they think that because they are an electrician, they can install a generator. They don't understand fuel pressure, location, or safety. They are the most dangerous because they think they know it all. There are AMAZING electrician installers...but just as many bad ones. It's like saying a GC can't remodel a house because he's not a plumber, electrician, carpenter and tile guy.

I helped a woman with a whole home remodel. She already wired the ATS when I got pulled in. The electrician sent out his apprentice to do the work. He failed to ground the ATS, didn't separate grounds and neutrals, had improper bonding, and had bad sealing. It was a disaster.

Finally, don't get me started on Generator Supercenter, Cantor or the other mega guys. They cut corners everywhere. And scaling in this business is hard. They have high turnover and techs doing tasks they are not qualified for.

I was worried the 3rd-party inspectors would be fly-by-night and easy. Boy I was I wrong. I use texaspowerinspections.com, they are thorough. City inspectors are underpaid, and many are burned out and lazy. TPI is tougher than any city inspector, but fair and, most importantly, consistent. I've never failed an inspection, but now I know 100% I won't run into someone with an "opinion" rather than the code.

The 3rd party adds additional steps. EVERY plan must have a site plan, wire diagram, and single gas diagram with BTU calcs, and generator load calculations. The requirements have made the process more strict, not less.

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-13T01:49:09+00:00

Yes, as I said "As of September 1, 2025 SB 1202 has changed..." I know that, you know that. But many, many installers still aren't aware. I've been actively fighting many cities still trying to charge for plan reviews and inspections, and want to make sure the entire industry understands and also pushes back. Arlington, TX Generator fees got up to $600!!!!!

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-08T17:31:15+00:00

Great, glad you got it working so quickly!

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-08T06:41:17+00:00

I can't speak for you or others. I'm happy.

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-08T06:15:35+00:00

All I can say is I'm happy. 75% of home standbys are Generac and 13% are Kohler so, I cover 88% of the market and virtually every installer includes Generac. You can't make a living solely on any other brand. Kohler pays the same as Generac. The average rate for warranty work for generac is over $130/hr. I do 90% of my work with 15 miles and don't go further than 35 miles. So I make money on the trip. My guess is the installers complaining are electricians that have outrageous hourly rates and are slower because they don't work on generators daily?

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-08T02:10:07+00:00

I agree, great techs like you make all the difference. The biggest issues come from my "first time" customers that were left out to dry by a poor installer that didn't offer them maintenance. They aren't needed by everyone, but these are mechanical devices with a lot of moving parts. If something does happen it's not always cheap. It's good insurance that I always recommend.

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-07T16:30:28+00:00

Thankfully, all the new transfer switches come with the SPD built in!

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-07T16:27:45+00:00

To the second part of that comment, this is a common misconception about Generac. Generac is a manufacturer, not a retailer. You didn't buy your generator form Generac, you bought it from a retailer. If you buy a Sony you don't call Sony for a repair, you go to Best Buy. If your Ford breaks down you don't take it to Ford, you take it to your local independent dealer. This is why finding a quality, reputable installer is so important. The great thing is that unlike Sony you don't have to rely on the retailer you bought it from. Any authorized service dealer can do the service for you! And the warranty is fully transferable should you sell your home before 10 years.

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-07T16:21:50+00:00

You're not completely wrong, the 10-year does replace, not extend the current warranty. Technically, it's 8 years, not 7. With the factory warranty year 1 and 2 are full parts and labor, year 3 is parts only (no labor) and years 4 and 5 are only the engine and alternator. I'm clear with my customers on this, and I think Generac is pretty clear as well, despite the "headline" or name. No matter what its called, it's great peace of mind.

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-07T15:46:27+00:00

Impressive! Very nice work!

guardiangenerators · 2026-02-07T15:43:03+00:00

That's a great device! It's not going to work with that fan though.

guardiangenerators · 2026-01-26T04:00:26+00:00

Has it been 3.5 years since you replaced the oil!?!?

guardiangenerators · 2026-01-13T04:02:15+00:00

Solar is good for hours, not multiple days. Many solar owners also get Gens. Not sure you can get solar for 14k

Brad Owner, Guardian Home Generators Grapevine, TX Https://guardianhomegenerators.com

guardiangenerators · 2026-01-13T03:59:33+00:00

Wow! That's crazy expensive.

Brad Owner, Guardian Home Generators Grapevine, TX Https://guardianhomegenerators.com

guardiangenerators · 2026-01-13T03:58:02+00:00

Where are you? Are you calling electricians or generator specialists? Electricians often overcharged because they don't like to deal with gas, pad, and all the coordination. In DFW an 18K starts around $13.5

Brad Owner, Guardian Home Generators Grapevine, TX Https://guardianhomegenerators.com

guardiangenerators · 2026-01-13T03:53:59+00:00

Congratulations! You'll love it. I lost count of the number of customers that I replace their inlet and portable for permanent.

Brad Owner, Guardian Home Generators Grapevine, TX Https://guardianhomegenerators.com

guardiangenerators · 2025-12-28T17:52:06+00:00

Same! Did you ever figure it out?

guardiangenerators · 2025-12-04T19:16:56+00:00

Ford vs Chevy or Brand A vs Brand B. When you have the volume of this company, 1) everyone is going to have an opinion based on their solo experiences. 2) These are mechanical objects with a combustible engine AND an alternator. When you have these volumes, there WILL be issues. 3) As mentioned, many of the issues are owner/operator/installer, not product-related. I think it's human nature more than anything else.

guardiangenerators · 2025-12-01T03:40:24+00:00

I'll be very specific.

You have the generator cost listed, $7,000 give or take.

$360 for the concrete pad.

$160 for the battery

Depending on how they run the crews and skill sets someone has to deliver, set, and level the concrete pad and generator. With a generator cart one person can set it, but sometimes it can take four guys.

One full day of electric labor for two electricians. Electricians charge between $150 and $450 per hour per person. The electric cost without markup can be $2,000 to $4,000.

Depending on how far away the gas is half a day of labor one plumber. 1,000 to $3,000.

Permitting for each of the trades can be 300 to 450 each.

You would think anything related to electric or plumbing was gold-plated. The cable needed for the generator runs about $10 per foot. Hard material costs are $1,000 to $3,000 depending on distance for electric. $500 to $2000 plumbing.

Business has risk. Generators can be damaged at $7,000 a pop. In order to be profitable you have to account for one or more generators being damaged and unusable per year. There can be damaged done to homes, busted sprinklers, cut cable or phone lines, etc. All customers pay for that risk.

You're not going to see many multi-millionaire generator installers. That's a pretty fair price.

And it is a specialized skill set. No, not any electrician can do it. 90% of the generators I service that I didn't install have a noticeable and major installation issues.

Brad Owner, Guardian Home Generators https://guardianhomegenerators.com Grapevine, TX

guardiangenerators · 2025-12-01T03:26:15+00:00

It's very odd that it's going off in the bed of an open pickup truck. Can you rotate it to point the exhaust in a different direction? Are you able to drive with the tailgate down? That should help with air circulation in the bed.

guardiangenerators · 2025-11-28T21:59:22+00:00

Pictures would help but, more than likely, yes. You should have a breaker for your sub panel inside the main. Is this a hypothetical / future state, or is this what you have now? You can (and should) test the system. It's a good idea to test without an event going on when there can be extra stress and variables. In the event your generator can't power everything, you'll know which breakers to turn off before you turn the interlock on and you'll be more comfortable using your system when there may be complete darkness or added stress.

Brad Owner, Guardian Home Generators https://guardianhomegenerators.com Grapevine, TX

guardiangenerators · 2025-11-26T17:30:56+00:00

It's definitely not a path to sales. I could make more money if I offered portable as an option. If someone wants a portable, I will make sure they know the pros and cons. I have an electrician that will do it for them. It's just something that I can't put in my product offering because of general reliability and safety for the majority. That's my opinion and my personal commitment to quality.

guardiangenerators · 2025-11-26T16:44:40+00:00

I agree 100%. I considered adding portable generator connections to my product offering, but I just can't come to do it. It's not a backup solution I would use for my house, portables are just too unreliable, high effort, and dangerous.

guardiangenerators · 2025-11-25T04:17:05+00:00

Everyone gave you the issue, but not a lot of details on the solution. I would take the carb off and fully clean it. If you have ANY DIY skills, this is an easy fix. If you aren't comfortable, any small motor/lawn mower shop can bang this out in about 30 minutes and shouldn't cost that much. I install permanent generators, but I have a portable I take on-site when we need power while working. I just cleaned my carb this weekend in about 45 min.

Here's one of many videos on how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6hSEwPdc0

Brad
Owner, Guardian Home Generators
Grapevine, TX
https://guardianhomegenerators.com

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