Generator output and distribution
Main lugs, output breakers, distribution panels, cam-lock and pin-and-sleeve connectors, and the cable between them. Sizing, termination, torque and rotation checked so the panel downstream sees what it should.
The electrical side of portable and rental power: generator output and distribution, receptacles and connectors, control and charging circuits, transfer-switch connections, and light-tower electrical service. Work for rental yards, contractors, farms and shops around Red Deer and Central Alberta.
Output, distribution and controls — the electrical half of the machine.
Main lugs, output breakers, distribution panels, cam-lock and pin-and-sleeve connectors, and the cable between them. Sizing, termination, torque and rotation checked so the panel downstream sees what it should.
Twist-lock and straight-blade receptacles, 50 A range and welder outlets, GFCI protection for temporary power, and repairing the outlet panel that got backed into. Damaged receptacles are a common cause of a set that “loses one leg.”
Sets wired for 120/240 single-phase, 120/208 or 347/600 three-phase, and the selector switch or reconnection board that decides which. Getting this wrong is how a load bank of equipment gets damaged, so it is verified with a meter before anything is energized.
Block heater and battery charger circuits, failed chargers, corroded terminals, loose ground straps and the shore-power receptacle that feeds them. A set that will not crank in January is often an electrical problem before it is an engine problem.
Start/stop and auto-start wiring, control fuses, run relays, remote start leads, hour meters, gauges and indicator lamps. Tracing a control fault back through the harness instead of replacing the controller on a guess. Related: electrical controls.
Terminating and testing the electrical connections at an automatic or manual transfer switch: normal and emergency feeders, neutral and bonding arrangement, control interconnect, and verifying the switch transfers and retransfers as intended.
Inlet receptacles, manual transfer equipment and the feeder back to the panel so a shop or acreage can be run from a portable set safely, without a suicide cord and without backfeeding the utility. See panels and equipment power.
Fixture and lamp replacement, LED conversions, ballast and driver failures, mast wiring that has chafed through, plugs, junction boxes and the tower circuit that only works with the mast partly down.
Batch work on returned units: damaged cords and ends, missing GFCI protection, broken receptacle covers, burnt terminations and lights that came back not working. Booked so a yard can get units back on rent.
A generator is two machines bolted together. One is an engine with fuel, air, oil, coolant, injectors and a starter. The other is an alternator with windings, an exciter, a voltage regulator, breakers, cable and connectors. Grasse Electric works on the second one. Engine and mechanical service is a different trade, and if the problem is fuel, cooling or compression you should be calling a diesel mechanic, not an electrician.
That line is not always obvious from the symptom, which is why the first part of a call is usually deciding which machine is at fault. A set that cranks but will not build voltage is electrical. A set that will not crank could be either — a dead battery charger and a seized starter look identical from the operator’s seat until somebody puts a meter on it.
This is an owner-operated business with service vehicles, a trailer and lift access. Field repairs, modifications, terminations and diagnosis are the work. Alternator rewinding, engine service and factory warranty repair are not. Where a set needs a shop or a manufacturer’s service network, we will say so.
Tip: before a set is loaded onto a trailer for repair, check the obvious electrical items first — output breaker position, the reconnection or voltage-selector setting, cord ends and the ground strap. A surprising number of “dead” generators are a tripped breaker or a set wired for the wrong voltage.
Units come back with damaged ends, burnt receptacles and lights that quit. Work gets batched so several units are dealt with in one visit instead of one call per machine.
Distribution from a set to temporary panels and outlet stands, with proper bonding and GFCI protection on the construction receptacles.
An inlet, transfer equipment and a labelled list of what the set will actually carry, so the household or shop is not guessing during an outage. Common on farms and acreages.
Usually, yes — that is an electrical fault by definition, since the engine is doing its job. The order of checking is output breaker, reconnection or selector setting, output voltage right at the alternator terminals, then excitation and the regulator, then the distribution and cords. Some of those are field repairs, and some mean the alternator needs a shop. You will be told which before money is spent.
No. Engine and mechanical work is a different trade. Fuel, oil, coolant, injectors, starters and governors belong to a diesel mechanic. We handle the alternator side, distribution, controls, charging circuits and everything downstream of the output breaker, and we will tell you plainly when what you actually need is a mechanic.
We can install a proper inlet with transfer equipment, which is the safe version of what people mean by back-feeding. What we will not do is wire anything that can push power back onto the utility — that is dangerous for line crews and is not legal. Sizing depends on the set and what you want to run; most shops end up with a defined list of circuits rather than the whole panel. Related work is described under shop and garage electrical.
Almost always damaged cable at a flex point inside the mast, or a connector at the head that has corroded and only makes contact at a certain angle. The cable gets worked every time the mast raises and lowers, and eventually a conductor breaks inside insulation that still looks fine. It is a replace-the-run repair rather than a splice, because a splice in a flexing section will fail again.
Often, yes, depending on the fixture mounting and the tower’s electrical arrangement. The wins are lower load on the set and less lamp replacement. The thing to watch is fixture quality — cheap LED heads on a vibrating mast in Alberta winters fail early, and the driver is usually what goes. We will give you an honest read on whether the conversion is worth it for your fleet.
We come to you. Grasse Electric is a service-area business working out of service vehicles across Red Deer, Red Deer County, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake, Penhold, Springbrook, Innisfail, Lacombe, Ponoka and Morningside. After-hours work is available at an additional charge, with availability confirmed by phone.
Tell us what it is doing and we will sort out whether it is electrical.