Generac Error Code 2100: Overload Remove Load
Code 2100 is the one alarm you can almost always fix yourself. Generac's diagnostic manual: "Overloaded — default (output current method). Unit is overloaded. One or both CTs detecting an overload condition. Check transfer switch load shed functionality (change load dynamics or utilize load shed)." Action: "Remove Load." The current transformers inside the generator measured more amps than the unit is rated for, and it shut down to protect itself. Generac's owner steps: identify and turn off non-essential loads at the panel, verify any load-management device is working, turn the generator's main breaker OFF, turn the utility main OFF, clear the alarm (OFF → ENTER → AUTO), restart with loads removed, and bring circuits back one at a time. 2102 and 2103 are variants where the unit tried repeatedly to accept load and couldn't.
What code 2100 means
Every air-cooled Guardian has current transformers (CTs) on its output leads. The controller compares the measured current against the unit's rating; sustain more than that and it posts OVERLOAD REMOVE LOAD, lights the red LED, and stops the engine. Unlike 1600 Underspeed, which catches an overload by watching the engine slow down, 2100 catches it directly in amps — so it fires even when the engine is strong enough to hold speed for a while.
Generac's support article puts the cause in one sentence: "load demand exceeds the generator's rated power capacity." The usual way that happens is not one huge appliance but a stack of ordinary ones plus a motor start: the central AC compressor drawing three or four times its running current for a second while the well pump, dryer and water heater are already on. The other way is a transfer switch or load-shed module that should have held the AC off and didn't — which is why Generac's manual says "check transfer switch load shed functionality."
| Code | Display | Meaning (Generac wording) | Severity | DIY? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2100 | OVERLOAD REMOVE LOAD | "Unit is overloaded. One or both CT(s) detecting an overload condition. Check transfer switch load shed functionality." Action: Remove Load | Unit will not run | DIY-friendly |
| 2102 | OVERLOAD REMOVE LOAD | "Unit re-cranks 5 times when load is applied, engine dies (0 RPM) and has low voltage (<180 V)." Action: check for overload; inspect stepper motor operation | Unit will not run | Check, then call |
| 2103 | OVERLOAD REMOVE LOAD | "Unit has run and attempted to accept load 10 times, could not accept due to overload condition." Action: check for overload | Unit will not run | Check, then call |
| 2101 | OVERLOAD | Named in the 2100–2103 range on Generac's support index; no definition published for air-cooled units | Unit will not run | Check, then call |
| 2299 | UNDERVOLTAGE OVERLOAD | Unit started with a large load connected and cannot ramp to target voltage — Remove Load | Unit will not run | DIY-friendly |
The Mobile Link message for 2100–2103 is "The generator has experienced an overload alarm. Please contact a dealer." On Next Generation (Power Zone 200) units there is also a yellow 7000 Overload Cooldown warning — the unit is in cool-down after an overload and will return to service; if it keeps happening, the same load review applies.
Reset procedure (as the manual states it)
Generac's overload article, in its order:
- Review the loads connected to the generator. Identify what is not critical during an outage.
- Disconnect or deactivate non-essential loads — unplug them or turn off their breakers in the panel.
- If the installation has a load-management device (Generac's Smart Management Modules or the load-shed contacts in the transfer switch), verify it is working.
- Turn the generator's main line circuit breaker (MLCB) to OFF.
- Turn the utility main breaker to OFF.
- Clear the alarm: Guardian OFF, then ENTER; Next Generation hold OFF for at least three seconds. Then AUTO.
- Once the unit is running, MLCB ON and restore loads one at a time.
Generac's closing line: "If the same alarm reappears after putting the generator in AUTO mode, remove additional loads or contact a Generac authorized service dealer."
Step-by-step diagnosis
- Add it up. List what was on at the moment of the trip and run it through the wattage calculator, which adds starting surge for the largest motor. A 14 kW unit is rated for about 58 A at 240 V; the LRA (locked-rotor amps) figure on your AC condenser's nameplate — the current it draws for a moment at start — is often a large fraction of that on its own. If the calculator's peak exceeds the nameplate, the generator did what it was designed to do.
- Find the motor. Overloads are almost always a motor start on top of steady load: central AC, heat pump, well pump, pool pump, an older refrigerator or freezer compressor. Turn that breaker off, restart, and watch whether it holds. The motor is the suspect; the resistive loads (water heater, range, dryer element) are the background.
- Check load management. If the installer fitted AC shedding, it should hold the compressor off when the generator is loaded and release it when there's room. If the AC started immediately after transfer with everything else on, the shed module or its wiring is not doing its job — that's the installer's warranty call, not yours.
- Restart with the MLCB open, as Generac's outage article insists — "starting your generator with all loads applied can damage the generator." Bring circuits back in order of importance: refrigerator, furnace or boiler, well pump, lights, then the big ones.
- 2102 — re-cranks and dies at load. The unit reached voltage, took the load, the engine stalled to 0 rpm with output under 180 V, and it tried five times. That's an overload the engine can't carry even briefly, or a throttle that can't respond. Check load first; if light load still stalls it, the stepper motor needs a dealer.
- 2103 — ten attempts, never accepted load. Same logic, ten tries. If nothing changed on the house side, look for a new load — someone plugged in a space heater, a well pump stuck on, a failing compressor drawing locked-rotor current.
- It trips with almost nothing on. A CT or its wiring can fault, but a shorted appliance or a wiring fault in the house draws real current, and the generator sees it. Turn off every branch breaker, restart, and add them back one at a time. The one that trips it needs an electrician, not a generator technician.
Parts, numbers, and consumables
| Part | Part number | Fits | Where verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air filter | 0J8478S | 14–26 kW air-cooled | Owner's manual A0001846499 |
| Air filter | 0E9371AS | 10 kW air-cooled | Owner's manual A0001846499 |
Load-management hardware — Generac's Smart Management Modules and transfer-switch load-shed kits — is sized and wired by the installer for the specific panel, and current transformers are controller-specific. No part numbers are given because none could be confirmed with fitment from a Generac or dealer listing.
Repair or replace?
2100 is not a repair problem. Shedding one circuit costs nothing; a soft-start kit on the AC compressor is a modest part and an HVAC visit; a load-management module is a few hundred dollars plus installation. The only decision with real money attached is the one Generac's article skips: a unit that overloads every outage because it was sized without the AC, the EV charger or the new heat pump. Then the choice is load management (most people's answer) or a larger generator, and a dealer who knows your panel can price both.
When to call a dealer
- 2100 trips with light load after the branch-by-branch test above.
- 2102 or 2103 with light load — throttle (stepper motor) check.
- Load-shed hardware is fitted but the AC starts under full load anyway — installer.
- A single branch circuit trips the generator every time — licensed electrician for the house wiring.
- Generac support: 1-888-436-3722.
Parts and supplies mentioned on this page
A plug-in watt meter tells you what each appliance actually draws; a compressor soft-start cuts the AC's starting surge and is the most common cure for a chronic 2100.
- Plug-in power meter (watts, per appliance)Check price on Amazon
- AC compressor soft start kit (residential)Check price on Amazon
Related codes and symptoms
1600 Underspeed is the engine-side version of the same complaint — if the log shows both, the unit slowed and then measured the amps. 1900 Undervoltage can follow a heavy overload as the output collapses. 1501 RPM sense loss while running is another way a sudden load shows up in the log. Portable-generator owners running the house through an interlock kit get the same physics without the code — the generator's breaker trips instead.
Not sure the generator can carry the load?Generator Wattage Calculator Running watts, the largest starting surge, and a generator class from manufacturer charts.Frequently asked questions
What does Generac code 2100 mean?
The current transformers measured more load than the generator's rating and the unit shut down. Generac's action is "Remove Load": turn off non-essential breakers, clear, and restart with the main breaker open.
How do I reset a Generac overload alarm?
Turn off non-essential loads, set the generator's main breaker and the utility main to OFF, press OFF then ENTER (hold OFF three seconds on Next Generation units), then AUTO. Once running, close the main breaker and bring loads back one at a time.
Why does my Generac overload only when the air conditioner starts?
Compressor starting current is several times its running current. A soft-start kit on the AC or a load-shed module from the installer lets the generator carry it; the wattage calculator shows how close to the limit you are.
What is the difference between Generac 2100 and 2103?
2100 is the basic overload — the current sensors saw too many amps. 2103 means the unit ran and tried to accept the load ten times without success. Same cause, more attempts.
Do I need a dealer for code 2100?
Usually not. Generac's article only sends you to a dealer if the alarm returns after loads are removed and the unit is back in AUTO.