Florida generator guide

The Company That Sells You a Generator Isn't Always the One That Fixes It

Updated October 30, 2026

Here's something most people don't find out until the power's already off: the company that sold you the generator and the company that fixes it aren't always the same crew. "Authorized dealer" sounds like one badge. It's really two — one for selling, one for servicing — and they don't always come from the same van. The time to find out which one you're hiring is before you sign, not the night it won't start.

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"Authorized to sell" is a different badge than "trained to service"

Sit through a sales meeting and you'll hear "authorized dealer" a lot. What that phrase usually means is authorized to sell — the company can put a Generac or a Kohler on your slab and hook it up. Whether that same company has people trained and set up to come back and repair it under warranty is a separate question. A lot of owners assume it's one and the same. It isn't always.

Why does this matter so much with a standby unit? Because of how the warranty actually works. Generac's own five-year limited warranty covers the unit for five years or 2,000 hours of running, whichever comes first. Two thousand hours is almost three straight months of the engine never once shutting off, so for a normal home the five years is what runs out first.

But read a little further and the coverage changes shape. For the first two years, Generac's warranty covers parts plus the labor and travel to install them. After that, it's parts only — the hands doing the work are on you. So who shows up, how far they drive, and what they charge per hour isn't a footnote. It's most of the bill.

The installer who sold it to you can vanish

Here's the part nobody puts in the brochure. In Florida, a group of homeowners handed over thousands of dollars in deposits to a generator company that then stopped answering. One of them, as WINK News reported, kept calling and finally drove out to the company's address — and found an empty storefront, scrubbed clean, ready for the next tenant. The install never happened.

Now picture the version where the unit did get installed, and then the company closes. Your generator's still bolted to the slab. Your paperwork still says you're covered. But the number you were told to call for service just rings and rings.

And skipping service to dodge the hassle isn't a loophole. Generac's warranty says the scheduled maintenance in your owner's manual has to be done by an authorized dealer, and you have to be able to show proof it happened. No records, and a claim can get denied. So "I'll just not deal with it" quietly turns into "I paid for a warranty I can't use."

What to actually ask before you sign

The good news: you're not chained to whoever installed it. Generac's own service-request page lets you punch in your generator's serial number, and Generac then notifies a local certified provider to come help — there's no rule that it has to be the original installer. Any authorized dealer can do the maintenance and the warranty work.

That cuts both ways, though. It means the salesperson across the table might be planning to hand you off to that locator the day something breaks, and they're allowed to. So ask it straight: does your own crew service what you sell, or do you pass me to somebody else? How fast can you get here in storm season, when every other generator on the block is screaming the same code? Is there a service plan, and what does it run per year?

The answer you want is a company that still knows your name after the check clears — the one that'll come out on that Tuesday in September when the whole street's dark and your unit is beeping a code the sales office can't read.

Get a real number for your actual house

Most of the uncertainty in buying a standby generator comes from the same place: nobody will give you a straight price until you've sat through a pitch. So the easy move is to flip it and start with the number.

GENERasic gives you one committed installed price for your specific address — not a range, not a "starting at," not a figure that grows once someone's standing in your yard. Put in where you live, see what it costs to power your home, and decide from there. The price tool is the place to start, before anyone asks you to sign a thing.

Common questions

Do I have to use the company that installed my generator for service?

No. Generac lets you request service by entering your unit's serial number, and it notifies a local certified provider — it doesn't have to be the company that installed it. Any authorized Generac dealer can handle maintenance and warranty repairs.

Will using a different company void my warranty?

Not if they're an authorized, certified dealer. Generac's warranty requires that warranty repairs be authorized by Generac and performed by an authorized dealer, and that your scheduled maintenance be done by one too. A random handyman can put your coverage at risk; an authorized dealer keeps it intact.

What happens to my warranty if the company that installed it goes out of business?

Your warranty is with the manufacturer, not the crew that bolted it down. If your installer closes, another authorized dealer can still service and repair the unit. Keep your maintenance records and registration — Generac wants proof the required service was actually done.

Is a yearly service plan actually required?

Generac's warranty requires the scheduled maintenance listed in your owner's manual, performed by an authorized dealer, with proof you can produce. Skip it and a future claim can be denied — so regular, documented service isn't really optional if you want the coverage to hold.

How often does a standby generator need to be serviced?

Generac recommends having an authorized dealer service the unit every six to twelve months. In a hot, humid, salt-air state like Florida, staying on the shorter end of that range is the safer bet.

Sources

Generac Power Systems — Coverage is for five years or 2,000 hours, whichever occurs first; years 1-2 cover parts, labor and limited travel, while years 3-5 are parts only. Scheduled maintenance must be performed by an authorized/certified Generac service dealer with proof available, and repairs not authorized in writing by Generac are not covered.
Generac — Homeowner submits a service request with the generator's serial number and 'Generac will automatically notify a top-rated local provider to assist you' — no requirement to use the original installer; the page also offers a dealer locator for urgent requests.
WINK News — Florida homeowners handed over thousands of dollars in deposits to a backup generator company that then vanished; homeowner David Perkins visited the business address and found 'an empty storefront... scrubbed clean, ready for somebody else to move in.'

Stop reading ranges. Get your number.

GENERasic pulls the real property, flood, and elevation data for your exact address and returns one all-in installed price — sized to your home, your fuel, and your flood elevation. The vetted local installer confirms it on site.

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