Generator installation in Malibu.

Why Malibu is different

The most shut-off city in the county, and half of it has no gas.

Malibu lies entirely inside a very high fire hazard severity zone, with SCE distribution running through the Santa Monica Mountains, and the utility de-energizes large parts of the city during nearly every Santa Ana event from September through December. Outages of a day or two are normal; longer ones happen. Many homes are on wells, booster pumps or septic pumps, behind electric gates, at the end of long driveways, and none of that works without power.

The second difference is fuel. Natural gas mains serve some of Malibu and not the rest; the canyons and much of the western city run on propane. A standby generator there runs on propane too, which means a tank sized for several days of runtime, a line to the generator, and a plan for refilling during a long event. County Line coordinates all of it with the propane supplier.

Malibu generator questions

In writing

What the estimate lists, line by line.

A generator estimate that says "installed" and a number is not an estimate. County Line's names every part, so two bids can be compared on the same page.

• The unit: Generac model, kilowatt rating, air-cooled or liquid-cooled, and the load calculation it was sized from
• The automatic transfer switch: amperage, whole-house or critical loads, and where it mounts
• The pad and the location, with the clearances to windows, doors and the property line
• The fuel: natural gas line size and run, or the propane tank, regulator and line, and who does that work
• The electrical: conduit, wire, breakers, surge protection, any panel work the house needs first
• The permit and inspection, and the HOA submittal where there is one
• Startup and a simulated outage with you present
• The twice-yearly service plan: $600 a year, both visits, and what each visit covers

Timing

When to buy a generator, honestly.

The right time is spring and early summer. Shutoff season in Southern California runs from September into December, when the Santa Ana winds arrive, and that is when everyone calls. Lead times on Generac units and on permits stretch, gas work gets booked out, and a generator ordered in October may not be running until the season is over. A unit ordered in April is installed, inspected and exercised before the first red flag warning.

County Line says this on every generator page because it is true and because a customer who plans ahead gets a better installation: time to size it properly, time to place the pad well, time to get the HOA and the permit done without a rush.

Logistics

How County Line works in Malibu.

The office is in Newbury Park, about forty minutes over Kanan or Malibu Canyon away. Installations are scheduled as full days, and the twice-yearly service runs are batched so the crew covers the coast from the Colony to Point Dume in one trip. The company says this plainly because a contractor who pretends to be local to every city on its website is not telling the truth about any of them, and because the honest version is still a good one: a crew that is on site for the duration of a phase does better work than one that drives in for an hour.

Service visits, generator maintenance and small jobs are scheduled in batches by area, so the crew is in one part of the map for the day rather than crossing it.