Skip to main content

Business premises · Servicing and maintenance

Commercial Generator Servicing & Maintenance Across Gauteng

Commercial generator maintenance and servicing on site for offices, shops, restaurants, complexes, schools, clinics, hotels and small warehouses, planned around your trading hours. We are open 24/7, so early mornings, evenings and weekends can be booked, and you get a free written quote first. Breakdowns go to our commercial repairs page.

Callout fee waived when you accept our written quote. 1-year workmanship guarantee. See prices

  • Planned around trading hours
  • Contracts and SLAs per site
  • 1-year workmanship guarantee
  • Onsite across Gauteng
White canopied diesel generator with louvred radiator end on brick paving under a carport beside a face-brick wall

One set, one building

Servicing a business generator around the business

Most business premises rely on a single diesel standby set that starts itself through an ATS, is run by a controller such as a Deep Sea, SmartGen or Datakom module, and lives in a plant room, a basement or a corner of the yard. That one machine carries the tills, the lights, the network cupboard and often a lift or a cold room. When it fails to take over, the bill is lost trading, spoiled stock and tenants on the phone, so the point of maintenance is a set that starts, transfers and holds the building every time.

Hours alone mislead on a business set. A generator that barely ran last year can still be due, because oil, coolant, stored diesel and the starter battery age whether the engine turns or not. Offices and schools that close over December are the usual case. We plan commercial visits by the calendar first and bring them forward when long outages add running hours.

Each visit leaves a record of the date, running hours, work done, parts fitted, readings and findings, which you can pass to a landlord, trustees, an insurer or an auditor. Tell us who meets us on site and who signs off the work, and we book every visit through that person.

Maintenance contracts and service level agreements (SLAs) are customised for each client. We inspect and assess the generator, its condition, capacity and usage, and your requirements, then quote the plan in writing. There are no fixed packages or prices.

Cream canopied diesel generator with doors open on the engine and a SmartGen controller panel

On the day

What a commercial servicing visit covers

A business service looks after the building’s needs as well as the engine’s. These are the nine things we work through.

  • Service items due for the engine

    Oil, filters and the other items your engine maker lists for this interval are replaced, matched to the hour reading and the date of the last visit.

  • Starter battery and charger

    We test the battery under load and confirm the mains charger keeps it topped up, because a weak battery is what leaves a building dark on a cold morning.

  • Fuel in the canopy and bulk tank

    We check the level, water and condition of the diesel in the base tank and any separate bulk tank, so a long outage does not end in a blocked filter.

  • Controller alarms and settings

    We read the alarm history, hour counter and auto-start settings on the controller, and deal with the cause of a warning rather than just silencing it.

  • Changeover as a controlled test

    The ATS is checked as a controlled test of the changeover. A transfer that puts the whole building on the generator is agreed with you first.

  • Notice for tenants

    When a test moves the building onto the set, we fix the time with the centre or building manager so tenants and staff hear about it in advance.

  • The loads that matter

    Tills and IT, cold rooms and fridges, lifts, air-conditioning and kitchen extraction: we note what the set must carry and watch those loads come on.

  • Voltage and frequency on load

    With the set carrying load we read voltage and frequency and check they hold steady, so sensitive equipment on your board gets a clean supply.

  • The visit record

    Before we leave you have the record: date, running hours, work done, parts fitted, readings and anything to keep an eye on before the next visit.

What different premises need from a maintenance plan

The engine work is much the same from one site to the next. What changes is the load the set has to carry and the people who need to know about a test. Each row links to the page with more detail.

PremisesWhat mattersRelated page
Offices and business parksServer rooms and lifts have to ride through the changeover. A load bank test proves capacity where the building load is too light, or too important, to test on.Load bank testing
Retail and restaurantsCold rooms, fridges and extraction fans draw a surge as they start, so the plan checks that the set picks them up without tripping.Generator trips under load
Body corporates and estatesGates, lifts, pumps and common lighting share one set, and access and notice run through the managing agent or the trustees.Body corporate maintenance
Schools and clinicsSets stand through holidays and quiet spells, so batteries and fuel are checked on the calendar even when the hour meter hardly moves.Generator not used for months
Small warehouses and workshopsLonger runs add hours quickly, so the plan follows the engine’s hour interval as closely as the date.Diesel servicing and maintenance
Several branches on one contractOne plan can cover sets at several addresses, with a separate record kept for each generator.How maintenance contracts work

The callout fee is only payable if you do not accept the quotation. If you accept the quotation, the callout fee is waived. A basic service (inspection and fluids) is typically R900 to R1,800, and your written quote gives the figure for your set. The cost guide lists the other published prices.

Warning signs

Signs a business generator is due

Any one of these is a reason to book a visit before the date on your plan comes round.

  • 01

    It tripped as the building came on

    The set started, then dropped out when the tills, lights or air-conditioning switched over to it during the last outage.

  • 02

    It ran but never took the building

    The engine was running in the plant room while the offices or shop floor stayed dark, which points at the transfer, not the engine.

  • 03

    The transfer stalled

    The changeover hesitated or hunted between mains and generator, leaving staff waiting and equipment rebooting more than once.

  • 04

    Cold room alarms during the outage

    Temperature alarms on fridges or cold rooms while the set was meant to be carrying them suggest it is not picking up the surge.

  • 05

    An alarm acknowledged, not cleared

    Someone pressed the button to silence a warning on the controller, and the cause is still sitting there waiting for the next start.

  • 06

    Past the plan

    The set has gone beyond the hours or the months set for its next service, often because a busy quarter pushed the visit back.

  • 07

    A new load since the last visit

    A tenant added air-conditioning, a kitchen or a server rack, and nobody has checked whether the set can still carry the building.

  • 08

    Slow to crank on a test

    The starter turns over slowly or needs a second attempt, the usual early sign of a battery or charger that will not last.

  • 09

    Leaks, smoke or a new noise

    Oil or coolant under the set, smoke on start-up or a sound that was not there before all justify a visit whatever the meter says.

Common Questions

Questions about commercial generator maintenance

How often should a commercial standby generator be serviced?

At least once a year, or at the engine maker’s hour interval if the set reaches it first. Busy sites with long outages or critical loads usually need interim visits between full services. Your own engine’s manual gives the exact figure for your set.

Can you service our generator after hours so trading isn’t interrupted?

Yes. We are open 24/7, so a service can be booked for an early morning, an evening or a weekend when the building can manage without backup power for a while. Planned work is quoted in writing before the visit.

What does a commercial generator maintenance contract include?

It is written for your site after we assess the set: the visit schedule, what each visit covers, any load testing and the records you receive. If the generator breaks down between visits, contract clients are scheduled ahead of new callouts. Preferred labour rates may apply to repairs on sets covered by a contract, and every repair is still quoted in writing first.

Do we get a record of each visit for the landlord, insurer or auditor?

Yes. Every visit is recorded with the date, running hours, work done, parts fitted, readings and findings, ready to file or forward to whoever asks for it.

How much does commercial generator servicing cost?

A basic service (inspection and fluids) is typically R900 to R1,800. The final figure depends on the size of the set and the items due, and you receive a free written quote, valid for 14 days, before any work starts.

Can one contract cover several branches or buildings?

Yes. Generators at several addresses can share one maintenance contract, each with its own schedule and its own record, so every set’s history stays separate.

Do you do load bank testing for commercial generators?

Yes. A load bank applies a controlled load in steps and records voltage, frequency and temperature, which proves capacity without risking your tenants’ equipment. Our cost guide puts load bank testing at R2,800 to R5,500. Send the kVA rating and we confirm the test for your set.

What is the difference between commercial and industrial generator maintenance?

Commercial maintenance looks after the standby set that serves one business building, usually somewhere between about 30 and 500 kVA, planned around trading hours and tenants. Industrial maintenance covers heavy plant at factories and processing sites, often on prime duty, serviced by running hours inside shutdown windows.

Still unsure what the fault is? Call or WhatsApp 082 057 4605 for onsite diagnosis.

What to send before we attend

These details help us plan the visit and bring the right parts. Send what you can on WhatsApp; if you can’t find the model number, we still book the visit.

Location
The suburb or site, so the visit can be booked in the right area.
Make and model
The generator brand and model, if they are known.
kVA
The size printed on the data plate.
Fuel type
Diesel, petrol, LPG, natural gas, or dual-fuel.
Controller model
The module name on the panel, when it is visible.
Fault or alarm
What the set does, and any text on the screen.
Photos
The generator, the data plate, and the controller or alarm. Send these on WhatsApp.

Book a Visit

Arrange commercial generator servicing

Tell us the type of premises, the suburb, the kVA, your trading hours and who will meet us on site. We come back with a time that suits the business and a written quote.

Photos of the generator and the data plate can be sent on WhatsApp.

Add your email (optional)
  • Free written quote before any work starts
  • Callout fee waived when you accept the quote
  • 1-year workmanship guarantee

We use your details only to reply to this enquiry and never sell or share them for marketing. Privacy policy

What happens next

  1. We reply with questions about the generator, or to book a visit.
  2. A technician comes to you at the booked time.
  3. The fault is diagnosed on site and you get a written quote. No work starts until you accept it.

Charlie, lead technician: Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Degree in Electrical Engineering, Diesel Plant Fitter. Generator specialists since 2000.