How House Works

Generac 2100 overload: remove load and restart

By How House Works EditorialBased on Generac manuals and Help CenterChecked against sources Updated

Generac controller or Mobile Link

2100

“Overload Remove Load”

Guardian, Next Generation · Help Center code tables; Help Center 2100 article (2025-02); Help Center 2100 article (2025-12); Guardian 10–26 kW manual p. 34; Next Generation manual p. 37
Owner can check

Generac's articles cover 2100–2103; its Guardian table lists both 2100 and 2100–2103. Owner's manual remedy: clear the alarm, remove household loads from the generator, put it in AUTO and restart (Guardian 10–26 kW Owner's Manual, p. 34; Next Generation 10–28 kW Owner's Manual, p. 37).

What it means

The generator shut down because the electrical load was more than it can carry (Generac Help Center, “What does it mean when my generator displays an alarm: Overload Remove Load, error codes 2100-2103”, Dec 8, 2025). Generac’s other 2100 article lists the usual causes: large loads added since installation, a load management device that is not working, several large loads switching on at once, or a generator too small for the current demand (Generac Help Center, “What Does It Mean When My Generator Displays an Alarm: Overload Remove Load, Error Code 2100-2103?”, Feb 19, 2025).

The owner’s manuals’ remedy is to clear the alarm, remove household loads from the generator, put it in AUTO and restart Guardian 10–26 kW manual, p. 34; Next Generation manual, p. 37.

Check these first

  1. Decide which loads you can do without during the outage. If the generator backs up part of the house, look at the circuits in the priority panel; if it backs up the whole house, look at every load in the house. Hot tubs and pool heaters are the examples Generac gives (Feb 19, 2025 article).
  2. Switch those loads off by unplugging them or turning off their breakers in the main panel or the priority panel (Feb 19, 2025 article).
  3. If you have a Generac Load Manager, check that it works and that its lockouts are set (Dec 8, 2025 article).
  4. Restart with no load. Generac’s Dec 8, 2025 article: set the generator’s main line circuit breaker (MLCB) to OFF, set the utility main line circuit breaker to OFF, and clear the alarm. On Guardian units press OFF, then ENTER; on Next Generation units hold OFF for at least 3 seconds. Then put the generator in AUTO.
  5. Once it starts, let it warm up for one to two minutes, set the generator MLCB to ON, then set the utility main line circuit breaker to ON so the generator can tell when utility power comes back (Dec 8, 2025 article). The manual’s restart after an outage shutdown uses the same order, with a warm-up of a few minutes Guardian 10–26 kW manual, p. 21.
  6. If the same alarm comes back after AUTO, remove more loads or contact an IASD, Generac’s Independent Authorized Service Dealer (Dec 8, 2025 article).

When to call a licensed technician

  • The alarm returns with only the loads you need left on.
  • A load manager or Smart A/C module that does not behave as set up, or any change to the wiring. Only a trained and licensed electrician should do wiring and connections to the unit Guardian 10–26 kW manual, p. 2.
  • You have added large loads since installation. Generac names an undersized generator as one cause (Feb 19, 2025 article). The generator size calculator adds up running and starting watts so you can compare them with your generator’s rating.

Notes for different models

  • Both owner’s manuals list a second load alarm, LOW VOLTS REMOVE LOAD, with the same remedy Guardian 10–26 kW manual, p. 34; Next Generation manual, p. 38. Generac’s tables give it no number. The Guardian table’s 2299, Undervoltage Overload, is not tied to it in Generac’s documents (Generac Help Center, “What Error Codes Do I Need to Call a Dealer For?”, Sep 21, 2026).
  • Next Generation units also have 7000, Overload Cooldown, a warning whose Mobile Link message reads “The generator has experienced an overload and is in cool down mode. If condition persists, contact a dealer.” (same article).

Related Generac codes

See also

All Generac codes

Generac is a trademark of its owner. How House Works is not affiliated with or endorsed by Generac.

Sources

  1. Generac Power Systems, Inc.. Guardian 10–26 kW Owner's Manual. Part No. A0001846499 Rev. C, 05/12/2023; cover title: Owner's Manual, 60 Hz Air-Cooled Generators, 10 kW to 26 kW; Evolution 2.0 / Sync 3.0 menu; printed page numbers (PDF page minus 3). Accessed Oct 13, 2026.
  2. Generac Power Systems, Inc.. Next Generation 10–28 kW Owner's Manual. Part No. A0004332577 Rev. C, 04/24/2026; cover title: Owner's Manual, 60 Hz Air-Cooled Generators, 10 kW to 28 kW; Power Zone 200 controller; printed and PDF page numbers match. Accessed Oct 13, 2026.
  3. Generac Help Center (Generac Power Systems, Inc.). What Error Codes Do I Need to Call a Dealer For?. Web article dated Sep 21, 2026 on the page; holds Generac's Next Generation and Guardian code tables. Accessed Oct 13, 2026.
  4. Generac Help Center (Generac Power Systems, Inc.). What Does It Mean When My Generator Displays an Alarm: Overload Remove Load, Error Code 2100-2103?. Web article dated Feb 19, 2025 on the page. Accessed Oct 13, 2026.
  5. Generac Help Center (Generac Power Systems, Inc.). What does it mean when my generator displays an alarm: Overload Remove Load, error codes 2100-2103. Web article dated Dec 8, 2025 on the page. Accessed Oct 13, 2026.