Generator Repair & Maintenance in West Palm Beach, FL
A standby generator sits outside in salt air for months, runs a few minutes a week, and then has to start on the worst day of the year. The ones that fail are almost always the ones nobody serviced. Nassif Electric repairs and maintains home and commercial standby generators across West Palm Beach and South Florida. We've been doing electrical work here since 1976, we're a Florida statewide licensed unlimited electrical contractor (License EC13001410), and we service units no matter who installed them. Generator not starting? Call 561-582-2600 — we offer 24/7 emergency service during outages.
What We Service
We work on permanently installed standby generators — residential whole-house units and commercial backup systems — including the automatic transfer switch, the controller, and the electrical connections that make up most of the system. We service units installed by other companies, and units whose original installer is backed up for weeks after a storm.
The Most Common Generator Problems
After 50 years, the failures we see repeat themselves:
- Dead battery. The single most common reason a standby generator doesn’t start. Batteries in South Florida heat often last two to three years, and the unit gives little warning.
- Transfer switch faults. The generator starts but the house stays dark, or it never gets the start signal at all. Control wiring, contactors and corrosion are the usual suspects.
- Stale or contaminated fuel. More common on propane and diesel units that sit for long periods, and on systems with a gas supply that can’t keep up under load.
- Corrosion. Coastal homes see rusted enclosures, corroded terminals and failed gaskets far faster than inland properties.
- Oil and filter neglect, which turns a routine service into an engine problem.
- Controller and sensor faults — error codes, failed exercise cycles, units stuck in a warning state.
- Rodents and insects nesting in the enclosure, chewing wiring and blocking airflow. This is a real and frequent problem in Florida.
- Undersized or failing components that only show up under load, which is why a load test matters more than a listen test.
Can an Electrician Fix a Generator?
For standby systems, yes — and often better than an engine shop. Most of what fails on a modern standby generator is electrical: the battery and charging circuit, the transfer switch, the controller, the sensors, the wiring and terminations. Those are an electrical contractor’s daily work. Engine-side repairs (oil, filters, plugs, valve adjustments) are maintenance we perform as well. Where a unit genuinely needs major engine work, we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s worth doing.
What Annual Maintenance Includes
Area | What we do |
|---|---|
Battery | Load test, terminals cleaned, charger output verified, replaced when marginal |
Engine | Oil and filter change, air filter, spark plugs, belts and hoses inspected |
Fuel system | Pressure check under load, lines and shutoff inspected, leaks checked |
Electrical | Terminations torqued, wiring inspected, grounding checked |
Transfer switch | Operation tested, contacts and enclosure inspected, transfer timing verified |
Enclosure | Corrosion inspection, gaskets, vents, pest intrusion |
Load test | Simulated outage with the house on generator power, start-to-transfer timing recorded |
Controls | Exercise schedule set, codes cleared, remote monitoring confirmed |
How often? At least once a year for most residential units, and twice a year for coastal properties or any generator that ran during an extended outage. Manufacturers also specify service intervals by run hours — a unit that carried your house for a week needs service afterward regardless of the calendar.
Repair & Maintenance Costs
Service | Typical range* |
|---|---|
Diagnostic visit | Flat fee, often credited toward the repair |
Annual maintenance visit (residential standby) | $300 – $600 |
Semi-annual plan (coastal / high-use) | Quoted per system |
Battery replacement | $200 – $450 |
Common repairs (sensors, controls, minor parts) | $300 – $900 |
Transfer switch repair or replacement | $500 – $3,500 depending on type |
Major engine repair | Quoted; we’ll advise repair vs. replace |
Emergency / after-hours response | Premium rate |
*Estimates for planning only. Pricing depends on the unit, the fault and parts availability.
Is It Worth Repairing, or Time to Replace?
A straight answer, because this is the question people actually have:
- Repair when the unit is under roughly 10–12 years old, parts are available, and the fault is electrical, a battery, or routine wear. Most of these repairs cost a fraction of replacement.
- Consider replacing when the unit is 15+ years old, parts are discontinued, the engine needs major work, or repeated failures have already cost you more than a few thousand dollars.
- Replace if your home’s load has outgrown the generator — a unit that trips or struggles under your current AC and appliance load was sized for a different house.
We quote the repair and, when it’s close, the replacement, so you can decide with both numbers in front of you. See our [whole-house generator installation] page for replacement options.
Service Plans
A maintenance plan is the cheapest insurance on a system that only matters a few days a year. Ours covers scheduled visits, a documented service record for warranty purposes, and priority scheduling — which is what you actually want when half the county is calling after a storm. Ask us what a plan looks like for your unit.
Book service before June. Once hurricane season starts, every service company here is triaging emergencies, and parts move slowly.
Emergency Generator Service
When the power is out and the generator isn’t running, waiting days isn’t an option. We offer 24/7 emergency response across West Palm Beach and South Florida for standby systems, including units we didn’t install. Before you call, it helps to know: the brand and approximate age, whether the engine cranks, and any code showing on the controller.
Generator down right now? Call 561-582-2600.
Why West Palm Beach Homeowners Call Nassif Electric
- Since 1976: 50 years of South Florida electrical work
- Florida statewide licensed unlimited electrical contractor: License EC13001410
- Licensed, insured & bonded
- We service generators we didn’t install
- Electrical depth: most standby failures are electrical, and that is our trade
- 24/7 emergency response during outages
Related: [automatic transfer switch installation], [whole-house generator installation], and our main [generator installation and backup power] page.
Areas We Serve
We repair and maintain standby generators throughout West Palm Beach and South Florida, from Juno Beach to Fort Lauderdale, including Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Jupiter, Riviera Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Greenacres, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most common repairs run $300 to $900, with battery replacement at $200 to $450 and transfer switch work from $500 up. We charge a flat diagnostic fee and tell you the repair cost before proceeding.
A dead battery. It is the reason most standby generators fail to start during an outage, and in South Florida heat batteries often last only two to three years. Transfer switch faults are second.
For standby systems, yes — and usually better than a small-engine shop, because most failures are electrical: battery and charging circuits, transfer switches, controllers, sensors and terminations. We also handle routine engine maintenance.
At least annually, and twice a year for coastal homes or any unit that ran during an extended outage. Manufacturers also specify service by run hours, so a generator that carried your house for a week needs service afterward regardless of the date.
Oil and filter change, air filter, spark plugs, battery load test, fuel pressure check, torqued electrical terminations, transfer switch test, enclosure and corrosion inspection, and a simulated-outage load test with the exercise schedule set.
That usually points to the transfer switch rather than the generator — a control wiring fault, a failed contactor, or corrosion inside the enclosure. It is a repair we make regularly.
Yes. We maintain and repair standby generators regardless of who installed them, including during outages when the original installer is backed up.
Usually yes under about 10–12 years if parts are available and the fault is electrical or routine wear. Past 15 years, with discontinued parts or major engine work needed, replacement often makes more sense. We quote both when it is close.
Our work is focused on permanently installed standby systems — home and commercial. For portable units, a small-engine shop is usually the better call. We do install the inlets, interlocks and transfer switches that connect a portable safely.
We offer 24/7 emergency response, and maintenance-plan customers get priority scheduling. After a major storm, demand across the county is heavy, which is the main reason we recommend pre-season service.
Schedule Service Before the Next Storm
A generator that hasn’t been serviced is a generator you shouldn’t count on. We’ll test it under load, replace what’s due, document the service for warranty, and tell you honestly if anything is approaching the end of its life.
Call 561-582-2600 or email info@nassifelectric.com to book generator maintenance or request a repair.
