Backup Generators

[hoz53]

Storm here the other day and my power at house has been off 2 days. Happens often enough Im thinking of getting a backup generator. Im wondering if anyone here has experience with them and mabie some advice wat to get. Im thinking of the ones that are basically permanent and run off nat gas. May endup going with a portable though. Thanks

 

[Dub]

I have a 34K Generac that runs on propane. We have Geothermal heat/AC so the load is pretty large. It works flawlessly. The good thing is the power rarely goes off once you spend a fortune preparing for it.

 

[Terry]

We have a Kohler generator that will run the entire house. Runs on natural gas. Works well. No problems,

 

[Cecil S.]

The 20KW units (Whole House) can be Pricey to install you get an automatic transfer switch "Power goes out unit comes on" around $20000.00 for 200 amp Service. Depends on what you want to protect and for how long. It can get expensive real quick.

 

[Mark M.]

I have a portable it works great but if I had to do it all over again I would buy a whole house that runs on natural gas, Your budget will dictate on which way to go

 

[Guewithane]

I have a portable it works great but if I had to do it all over again I would buy a whole house that runs on natural gas, Your budget will dictate on which way to go

Ditto

 

[spaniel]

If you have access to natural gas and the budget, that's the best way to go in most circumstances. I guess is the NG system goes down you're screwed.

I don't have NG so I have gasoline generators. I have a 3K unit to back up the house, clearly I have to be selective what I run and whole house A/C won't happen.

I have two hand portable Honda units for my camper which hook together to produce 4K and run the whole camper, including A/C. If the power went out and it was really hot, I'm sure my wife would move into the camper for the A/C while I maintained the freezers etc in the house with the 3K unit.

Whatever you do, invest in quality. All mine are Honda. I know people who have bought cheap generators and when the time comes they need them they won't start or break down.

 

[Clous]

For portables the Generac XG series do well. 10,000 watt should run most houses just fine. I’m in a 1,600 sq ft ranch with two electric water heaters and 10kw is just fine.

 

[338 dude]

If you have access to natural gas and the budget, that's the best way to go in most circumstances. I guess is the NG system goes down you're screwed.

I don't have NG so I have gasoline generators. I have a 3K unit to back up the house, clearly I have to be selective what I run and whole house A/C won't happen.

I have two hand portable Honda units for my camper which hook together to produce 4K and run the whole camper, including A/C. If the power went out and it was really hot, I'm sure my wife would move into the camper for the A/C while I maintained the freezers etc in the house with the 3K unit.

Whatever you do, invest in quality. All mine are Honda. I know people who have bought cheap generators and when the time comes they need them they won't start or break down.

Like you I only have a portable gas powered but it is 8500 watts it will run everything in my entire house except for the AC so if it’s hot out I have to turn most things off and cool the house down then turn off the AC and have lights TV etc. luckily I don’t lose power all that often . Edit. I changed it in a later post I saw it was only 5500 watts

 

[5spd]

A pal just had a generic 22k installed, pad, wired, natural gas hooked up, panels, the works for $12,000

 

[Peterson1]

Koler
Whole house
Runs on natural gas
Get maintenance contract
They service once/year
CLP

 

[Terry]

https://apelectric.com/kohler-20res...uminum-enclosure-and-200a-se-transfer-switch/

Mine was about $5,000 delivered. Paid about $2,000 to hook it up.

 

[hoz53]

I have a 34K Generac that runs on propane. We have Geothermal heat/AC so the load is pretty large. It works flawlessly. The good thing is the power rarely goes off once you spend a fortune preparing for it.

Good info-- I was thinking the same thing- once I buy one I prob wont lose power again. Giood insurance i guess-- Thanks

 

[Daddymac]

Give Taylor power systems a look, A great product and even better people.

 

[hoz53]

We have a Kohler generator that will run the entire house. Runs on natural gas. Works well. No problems,

Thats good to know that Kohler is a good brand--Thanks

 

[velocette]

Things to consider:
Natural gas / city gas is wonderful if you have it. BUT consider what happens when a large storm comes through.
Trees are knocked down, when the trees go down, they rupture water lines, gas lines, electric power lines etc.
I've seen this here in Ft. Lauderdale. Propane is wonderful if you have a BIG propane tank on your property, not so much if you will feed the genny with individual cylinders. Like where will you get the cylinders refilled when power is out everywhere. You gonna have a dozen propane cylinders for a weeks supply?
Gasoline is difficult too. Storing gasoline demands additives to keep it from going stale, usually good for 6 months to maybe a year. But it is easier to get gasoline in difficult times than propane. The good part of gasoline is that it can be used in the lawn mower or the cars when its time has come, or you gotta boogie on out of there.
No matter what you buy, make certain that you install a load bank to transfer power from utility to genny. DO NOT think you can get away without it.
You will need enough power to run water pumps, refrigerators, water heaters, interior lights, radio, TV, computers, small appliances etc.
Perhaps not all at the same time. 8 ~ 10,000 watts will generally do that. With a good genny, running 12 hours a day, intermittently, 6 gallons / day will suffice for fuel.
Another thing to consider, The damn things are noisy! NOISY I SAY! Beware of that in what you buy. The quieter the better.
With portables, a negative factor is that they are portable. You MUST have means to secure your genny, and I mean SECURE YOUR GENNY. If not someone else will be enjoying the benefit of your genny. Understand when the power is out, everyone wants to either take your genny or to enjoy the benefit of your genny.
I speak these truths as a long time south Florida resident with a good Yamaha genny. Been here, seen the whole enchilada and learned a bit.

 

[hoz53]

The 20KW units (Whole House) can be Pricey to install you get an automatic transfer switch "Power goes out unit comes on" around $20000.00 for 200 amp Service. Depends on what you want to protect and for how long. It can get expensive real quick.

Thanks for that info. Its good to know the money Ill be talking about,.

 

[hoz53]

I have a portable it works great but if I had to do it all over again I would buy a whole house that runs on natural gas, Your budget will dictate on which way to go

the whole house would be nice for sure but a portable mite be more flexable and i could use it other ways. Thanks

 

[whatsupdoc]

If you have a natural gas unit is one thing but if you are thinking of a gasoline powered generator just remember to get a fuel efficient unit. Many times during a major event gasoline may be not so readily available. Buying a large gasoline generator that drinks 20 gallons of fuel a day will become a problem if you need it for a few weeks.

During hurricane sandy many found this out the hard way.

 

[HonkinDonky]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet, is don't buy a gen that is too large. You want to be running it at least 50% load, 70% is better. It is bad for the gen, and if it's a tier 4 diesel, it's very bad for the emissions systems to run at light load. I am a service manager for a very large company that services, among other things, generators and too light of a load causes me more service calls than any thing else on generators. By a huge margin....