FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Alan guard houses have a pre-installed electrical sub-feed load center with "lugs only". They need to be "hardwired" to an upstream branch circuit breaker. The correct way is to use electrical conduit.

You'll need a minimum of 30 amps at 120 volts. Or a minimum of 20 amps at 120/240 volts.  

That will cover the air conditioner/heater as well as the inside lights and outlets for "light" draws. If you install heavy draw appliances, such as a coffee maker, microwave oven, water cooler, or copier, those will increase the power requirement. Insufficient amperage due to heavy loads or long wiring runs will cause a voltage drop and the air conditioner will not work and may burn out the air conditioner control panel. This is not a warranty item.

*Can I hookup the building to a generator?

Yes, but you need "clean power". This means a true 'sine wave' generator, also known as an RMS (root mean square) generator, a low TDS (total harmonic distortion) generator, or an inverter generator. It needs to deliver a minimum 30 amps, so it needs to be at least 3500 watts. Hooking up the building to a cheap "step wave" generator means "dirty power" which could burnout the LED light and air conditioner control panel, as well as damage other sensitive appliances like phones, tablets and computers. The generator also needs to meet CARB requirements to be sold in California.

Here is a generator that meets all of the above requirements:

RYOBI 4,000 Watt Inverter Generator. Model #: RYi4000. It has the minimum power output for the guard house with AC-heat. As of February 2026 it is available at Home Depot for $729.

*Can I use solar power panels?

Probably not. You would need at least ten 400-watt solar panels which would take up around 200 square feet. If you use a solar panel that takes up the available roof area but it would only supply enough power for the inside light and a laptop computer.

*Who is responsible for maintenance? 

The user of the building is responsible for all maintenance. Besides janitorial, we suggest putting down a plastic chair mat or door rug to protect the plywood floor from a chair or stool. The air conditioner filter must be cleaned every few months or the air conditioner will eventually not work. The filters are washable and reusable. Some people throw the dirty filter away and run the air conditioner with no filter, which eventually clogs the cooling fins causing the machine to not cool. That is not a warranty issue and replacing the air conditioner will be charged for.

*Will you bring out a forklift and move the building? 

No. We only deliver to "best access" using a tilt bed truck. We'll get the building on the ground without a forklift, but only to a place that the truck can back up to and still get out. Depending on the ground surface the smaller buildings can be moved with a pallet jack or 4,000 pound forklift. The customer is also responsible for leveling the building as needed. This usually means placing a wedge or block under one corner of the building.