[RE-wrenches] Generac EcoGen Failure.

[Luke Christy]

Hello Wrenches,

I've installed quite a few of the small 6 kW Generac EcoGen units for my off-grid customers and have been pretty pleased with them…up to now. The 15kW EcoGen unit recently became available and I commissioned one last week for a nearby off-grid site. The generator ran fine the first day, then the very next day I got a call from the customer saying that the genny auto started, ran for less than an hour, then started sounding funny and shut off with an error alarm. I made a site visit to check out the problem, and found that it would not start. Some further investigation suggests that there is some electronic control issue keeping it from running. The error code suggests a component failure. 

This is a brand new generator with less than 3 hrs of run time. 

The real issue I'm facing is that despite the fact that I am a Generac "Dealer", Generac refuses to give me access to Tech support or to help me with any troubleshooting over the phone. I can't get access to any service manuals or, really, anything unless I pay them ~$2k to become a Service dealer by attending some Tech training classes and buying a  bunch of spare parts I will likely never need. In general I'm not opposed to doing this as I work on generators all the time and it would be a good niche for my area, however it wouldn't help in this case, and I'm not exactly eager to pay Generac for training after the brushoff I got when I talked to Customer Support about this issue. 

Generac says my only option to get any kind of help or service on this generator is to contact a Service dealer. As I am based in rural Southern CO, the closest Service dealer is 3-1/2 hrs away. Of course this leaves me in a lousy position and makes it nearly impossible for me to help my customer in a timely manner, as it might take a week to get someone out here and then I'll likely have to pay for the drive time because the warranty won't cover anything over 100 miles round trip. 

I have to say I'm pretty much appalled at this lack of support for an obvious warranty issue with a  brand new product.

I know we've had some Generac discussions on here before. Seems like we may even have a couple of Generac Service folks on this list. Any advice on how I could get some troubleshooting help without bringing someone in from halfway across the state? Or does anyone know of a good Generac forum where I might be able to get some help?

Thanks as always. I appreciate this list.
 
-Luke

NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional™: Certification #031409-25 
NABCEP Certified Solar Heating Installer™: Certification #ST032611-03       

Solar Gain Services, LLC
PO Box 531
Monte Vista, CO. 81144
SGSRenewables at Gmail.com
719.588.3044
www.sgsrenewables.com