Photos from Generator Jobs on Site

This is what a typical visit looks like: canopy doors open, the engine exposed, a bucket under the sump during an oil change, and tools laid out on the paving beside the set. A portable petrol generator stripped down on a lawn is a repair in progress, with the engine, frame, fuel tank and casing panels laid out so each part can be checked, cleaned or replaced.

Much of this work happens in tight spaces such as garages, side passages and carports. That is why we ask where the generator is installed when you book (see how a job works), and why a maintenance visit also looks at the space around the set: airflow, the exhaust and safe access for the next service.

Business and industrial sets are larger and work harder: canopied diesels under a shade-net carport and inside a mesh security cage beside an office car park, a set in a basement parking and plant area, and a large open set beside its switchgear in a plant room. The canopy door marked 250 kVA / 275 kVA shows two ratings; figures like these are usually the prime and standby ratings, and the kVA sizing guide explains why the difference matters.

On these sites a failure costs trading hours, stock or production, so the work is planned rather than reactive. Commercial generator services and industrial generator services describe maintenance programmes for businesses and plant, and load bank testing proves a set can carry its rated load before an outage tests it for you.

Inside the canopy is where faults are found. These close-ups show the parts that come up again and again in repairs and services: the fuel injection pump and injector pipes, oil and fuel filters, the starter motor and the starting battery. Many diesel faults start with the fuel, so fuel system repairs and diesel fuel contamination are good places to read on; a set that cranks slowly usually points to the battery, its charger or the starter circuit (battery not charging).

A SmartGen controller, and a control module under a raised canopy lid with the emergency stop beside it, show where start signals and alarms are handled and, on an automatic set, where the mains is monitored. Faults there are covered by control panel repairs and the controller alarms guide. The alternator coupled to the engine carries the exciter and windings, and usually the AVR in its terminal box: see AVR repairs and generator rewinding.

Labels matter too. An engine label on a rocker cover lists valve clearances and pump timing, and a model label on a canopy identifies the set. A photo of either, sent before we arrive, helps the technician bring the right filters and parts.