East Coast Generators supplies and installs standby, backup and prime-power generators for businesses, hospitals, aged care and homes across Melbourne and Victoria. We size the generator to your load, fit the automatic transfer switch, commission the system under load and service it afterwards. One team is accountable from the first site visit to the first service.
What a generator installation involves
Site assessment and load study
We look at your switchboard, what has to stay on during an outage, and any motors with a high starting current, such as lifts, pumps and compressors. That decides the generator size and whether you back up the whole site or essential circuits only.
Generator selection
Standby or prime rating, single or three phase, and the enclosure: silenced canopy, weatherproof housing or an open set in a plant room. Fuel tank size is set by how long you need to run without a refuel.
Location and site works
The position has to work for service access, exhaust, airflow, noise and fuel deliveries. We arrange the concrete pad or plinth and a bunded fuel tank where one is needed.
Transfer switch and electrical connection
The automatic transfer switch is built into your main switchboard. Connection is carried out by a licensed electrician to AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules) and AS/NZS 3010, the standard for connecting generating sets to an electrical installation.
Delivery and placement
Our own trucks, trailers and cranes deliver and position the generator, so there’s no third-party freight to coordinate.
Commissioning and load testing
We test the system under load, set up the controller and transfer timings, and hand over the test results and compliance paperwork.
Servicing
Every installation comes with a service schedule and regular test runs. A standby generator that’s never run is not a standby generator.
How an automatic transfer switch works
An automatic transfer switch (ATS) watches the mains supply and takes over when it fails. Nobody needs to be on site.
- Mains failsThe ATS detects the loss of supply.
- Generator startsThe ATS signals the generator to start.
- Load transfersYour site is back on power within seconds.
- Mains returnsThe ATS switches back and the generator shuts down.
We supply and install Kohler-SDMO transfer switches from 35 to 160A through to 200 to 630A and larger. Our guide to choosing an automatic transfer switch covers sizing and features in more detail.
Commercial, healthcare and industrial installations
We’ve installed standby power for hospitals, aged care homes, retail and commercial buildings across Victoria. A few examples:
| Site | What we installed |
|---|---|
| Mitcham Private Hospital | Replaced the old standby set with a new 500kVA generator and a 2,000 L long-range fuel tank, taking the old unit as a trade-in |
| Pakenham Aged Care | New 330kVA standby generator. We ran the facility on a temporary hire generator while the ATS was built into the main switchboard. |
| Traralgon nursing home | New 150kVA standby generator, with the main switchboard extended to take an ATS |
| Melbourne CBD building | 500kVA generator on a 1,000 L bunded fuel tank that we designed and built in our workshop to sit under the set |
| Masters, Pakenham | 88kVA generator with a 1,000 L double-bunded fuel tank |
| Mooroolbark nursing home | Standby generator repainted in our workshop to match the building, so it blended into the grounds |
Hospitals have extra requirements for emergency power under AS/NZS 3009, which we plan for from the first site visit. We also handle removals and upgrades: on one city job we took three 10-tonne Caterpillar generators off the 15th floor with a 200-tonne crane.
Home backup generator installation
A typical Melbourne home running lights, the fridge, hot water, internet and a few circuits needs 8 to 15kVA. Ducted air conditioning or a pool pump pushes that up quickly.
Permanent standby generator
Installed with an automatic transfer switch, it starts on its own when the power goes out, so it works whether you’re home or not.
Portable generator connection
To run a few circuits from a portable generator, have a licensed electrician fit a changeover switch and generator inlet.
Never back-feed a generator through a power point. It can electrocute line workers and damage your installation.
What affects the cost
The generator itself is often only 60 to 70% of the installed cost. On a standby installation, the installation work can be around a third of the total, and it’s the part cheap quotes leave out.
- Generator size and enclosurekVA rating, silenced or weatherproof canopy, and controller specification.
- Switchboard workSupplying and integrating the ATS, plus any switchboard upgrades needed to take it.
- Site worksPad or plinth, exhaust routing, craneage and access.
- FuelTank size, bunding and fuel supply.
- Commissioning and complianceLoad testing, certification and documentation.
We quote the whole job, including the generator, transfer switch, installation and commissioning, as one figure. Use our Power Calculator for a first idea of size, then call us to confirm it.
Why choose East Coast Generators
- Since 1991Family-owned and based in Altona North, with our own workshop, trucks and cranes.
- No gap in power during the cut-overWe can run your site on a hire generator from our own fleet while the new system goes in.
- One team after installationServicing, repairs and 24/7 breakdown support come from the people who installed it.
- Brands we installWe’re the Victorian independent authorised dealer for Rehlko, formerly Kohler-SDMO, and we install new and used units from our sales range. We also service most other makes.
Generator installation FAQs
Do I need an automatic transfer switch?
You need one if the generator should start and take the load without anyone on site. Without an ATS, someone has to start the generator and switch the load across by hand.
Can you keep my site running during the installation?
Yes. We can supply a temporary generator from our hire fleet so the site stays powered while we connect the new system, as we did at Pakenham Aged Care.
Is a Certificate of Electrical Safety required?
Yes. In Victoria, a Certificate of Electrical Safety is required for all electrical installation work. Prescribed work must also be inspected by an independent licensed electrical inspector.
Will a standby generator be noisy?
That depends on the enclosure, where it sits and how far it is from neighbours. Our generator noise guide covers typical levels and the noise rules in Victoria.
Do you service generators you didn’t install?
Yes. Our workshop and mobile technicians service most makes and models, wherever they were bought.
Book a site assessment
Tell us what needs to stay on during an outage and where the generator could go. We’ll come back with an itemised quote covering the generator, transfer switch, installation and commissioning.
83-89 Westgate Drive, Altona North VIC 3025[email protected]