Storm season is a fact of life in South Florida: summer thunderstorms knock power out for an afternoon, hurricanes for days. A plan beats a panic. For many homeowners, that plan is a standby generator that starts on its own and carries the essentials until utility power returns.
Fort Lauderdale AC & Electric installs generators across Broward County — from waterfront homes on the Intracoastal to suburban neighborhoods in Plantation, Sunrise, and Davie. We handle sizing, placement, permits, and the electrical connection, so your system is installed and inspected before the forecast turns.
Portable vs. Automatic Standby Generators
A portable generator is a wheeled unit you roll out, fuel up, and start by hand. It runs a few things through extension cords: fridge, lights, phone chargers. It cannot start your central air conditioner, and someone has to be home to run it. An automatic standby generator is permanently installed and wired into your electrical system. When power fails, it starts itself within seconds, carries your home until utility power returns, and shuts back down.
How a Standby Generator Works
The automatic transfer switch sits between your meter and panel and watches the utility line. When it senses an outage, it starts the generator and switches your circuits to generator power. When utility power holds steady again, it switches you back and the generator shuts off. Standby generators run on natural gas or liquid propane, so there is no refueling mid-outage. Most run a short weekly self-test to confirm they are ready.
What a Generator Can Back Up
A properly sized standby generator carries the loads that matter most: your air conditioner, refrigerator and freezer, lights, ceiling fans, internet equipment, and a sump pump where the home has one. Back up the whole house or just essential circuits, trading unit size and cost against coverage. We size to your actual loads, not a guess.
Sizing and Placement Basics
Sizing starts with a load calculation: your air conditioner's startup draw, the fridge, lighting, and everything else you want backed up. An undersized generator overloads and shuts down right when you need it. Placement follows code too: a concrete pad outside, clearances from windows, doors, and combustibles, exhaust directed away from the home, and the unit set above the local flood level, which matters in low-lying parts of Fort Lauderdale.
High-Rise and Waterfront Notes
Standby generators are a single-family home solution. If you live in a beachfront high-rise along A1A, a permanently installed generator is generally not an option for your unit — talk to your building about its own emergency systems. Waterfront homes on the Intracoastal and New River need placement that accounts for storm surge and flood elevation; we confirm the pad location meets code and passes inspection.
Permits and Code
Standby generator installations require permits and inspections for the electrical connection, the gas line, and the concrete pad, and some municipalities add noise and setback rules. We pull the permits and handle the inspections. After installation, routine care keeps it reliable: oil and filter changes, battery checks, and a yearly service visit, ideally before hurricane season.
Common questions
How does an automatic generator know the power is out?
An automatic transfer switch monitors your utility line. When it senses an outage, it starts the generator and switches your circuits to generator power. When the utility line is stable again, it switches you back and shuts the generator down.
Can a generator run my whole air conditioner?
Yes, if it is sized for it. Central AC draws a large surge when the compressor starts, so the generator must carry that plus everything else running. We size from a real load calculation instead of guessing.
What maintenance does a standby generator need?
Oil and filter changes, air filter replacement, battery checks, and periodic inspection of the transfer switch and connections. Most units also run a brief weekly self-test. Service it professionally at least once a year, before hurricane season.
Where on my property can a generator be installed?
Outside on a concrete pad, with code-required clearances from windows, doors, and combustibles, exhaust directed away from the home, and the pad set above the expected flood level. We confirm the placement meets local rules and handle permits and inspections.
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