Read the manual thoroughly and understand all of the instructions, cautions, and warnings before using this equipment. If any section of the manual is not understood, contact your nearest authorized dealer, or contact Generac Customer Service at 1-888-436-3722 (1-888-GENERAC), or www.generac.com with any questions or concerns. 

Error code, alarm, or fault occurs during an outage

This article provides steps for restarting a home standby generator after clearing an error code during an outage. If you generator has been backing up loads to the home, there are additional steps that should be taken so that the generator is safely restarted. Starting your generator with all loads applied can cause damage to the generator. If you must shut the generator down while it is powering the home, follow the steps in How do I shut down my generator when it’s powering my house?

Important: Your generator's LED status indicator color will indicate the type of alert. See this article for more information.

Environment

• This article applies to home standby generators with an Evolution 1, Evolution 2, or Power Zone 200 control panel.
• This article is intended for readers who have just cleared an error code that occurred during an outage (the home has been running on backup power). For general outage troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting guide for home standby generators during an outage.

Scenario 

• In a power outage scenario, the generator automatically senses utility loss and begins the startup and power transfer sequence. 
• If a generator was running during the outage, but then shuts down unexpectedly due to an alarm, a red status light on the side will illuminate, and an error code will appear on the generator control panel or in Mobile Link. To understand status lights, see Status indicator lights on home standby generators.
• The error code will need to be addressed before the generator can be restarted and safely returned to load. For steps to clear alarms, see How do I clear an error or alarm code on my home standby generator?

To resolve:

Power Zone 200 control panel

1. Go to the front of the generator, lift the lid, and locate the controller on the top right side of the generator.
2. Turn the generator OFF.
3. Turn the generator disconnect, or main line circuit breaker (MLCB) OFF.
4. At the electrical panel, remove household loads by turning off all circuit breakers in the transfer switch or main electrical panel.
5. Clear the alarm on the controller if still present: hold the OFF button for at least three seconds. The red LED will become solid when the alarm is cleared. (see clear an error/alarm code for more information).
6. Go back to the generator and place it in AUTO mode (see How do I put my home standby generator into AUTO mode?). If the error code returns and it does not start, contact a service dealer using the dealer locator.
7. If the error has cleared and the generator successfully starts, turn the generator MLCB to ON and proceed with step 7. If the error code returns, see How do I perform a hard reset on a home standby system? and/or contact a service dealer using the dealer locator.
8. One at a time, return household loads to generator power by turning on all circuit breakers in the transfer switch or main electrical panel. If the generator runs but the home does not transfer, see Power transfer issues: troubleshooting the automatic transfer switch (ATS).

Evolution 1 and Evolution 2 control panels

1. Go to the front of the generator, lift the lid, and locate the controller on the top right side of the generator.
2. Clear the alarm at the control panel by pressing OFF, ENTER (see clear an error/alarm code).
3. Turn the generator OFF.
4. Turn the generator disconnect, or main line circuit breaker (MLCB) OFF.
5. At the electrical panel, remove household loads by turning off all circuit breakers in the transfer switch or main electrical panel.
6. Go back to the generator and place it in AUTO mode (see How do I put my home standby generator into AUTO mode?). If the error code returns and it does not start, contact a service dealer using the dealer locator.
7. If the error has cleared and the generator successfully starts, turn the generator MLCB to ON and proceed with step 8. If the controller shows “Switched to OFF,” see My generator shows Switched to OFF—how do I put it back into AUTO?
8. One at a time, return household loads to generator power by turning on all circuit breakers in the transfer switch or main electrical panel. If the generator runs but the home does not transfer, see Power transfer issues: troubleshooting the ATS.

Additional troubleshooting

If the generator will not restart after clearing the error, or the fault immediately returns, refer to the specific error-code article (for example, Overcrank, 1100–1101, High Temp, 1400–1401, RPM Sense Loss, 1500-series) and follow the guidance provided. See Where can I find a list of error codes for my generator? for common codes.