GENERATOR BUYING

[hr3]

Gary,, Read over the fine print on the Kohler's I think you will find that the 5 year is an extended warranted that you have to buy,, and other than there normal 1 year you have to have a signed service contract with an authorized dealer to get more.. Not 100% on this but you might check,, Also the surge your right the Generac only has 35,470.. but with the Nexus system it not a problem,,

Here is a good link to look at,, Generac Guardian 5875 20 kw Generator, 20 kW Emergency Power System w/ Aluminum Enclosure

We install both brands but Generac is 98% of the business..

 

[jake98]

I heard Kohler got into the generator business because they wanted to sell plumbing fixtures where there was no power to pump the water. Just a little $.02 not sure if it's true..

 

[kenmac]

If you have the xtra $ . Go for the 25 kw water cooled. Years ago (when I installed generac's ) Generac didn't recommend connecting A/C to their air cooled engine generators ( I have no idea if that's still an issue).Some installers ( back then ) wouldn't tell their customers that.

 

[dwost]

I had an 8kw Generic installed at our office and it's worked flawlessly for the past 2 years. Only time will tell but it's not had one issue. We run it off 2 , 100lb tanks. It powers our server room, kitchen and a couple banks of lights. As mentioned for a whole house where you will include at least one furnace minimum I'd go would be 27kw. I'm in the process of installing one in a new build for my inlaws house. It will cover one of their geothermal units, lights, and all the necessities. I'm going with another Generac.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Good info guys. I will check on the Kohler warranty for sure before buying, but that sounds like a good lawsuit in the making if they advertise a 5 year warranty but you have to pay extra for it and a service plan to get it.
As for size, 20KW is about the limit that I am willing to go. They are in the 4500-5K range but to step up to even a 22K requires a water cooled unit and they start at nearly $10,000. I could buy 2 of the 20kw for what one water cooled unit cost and the fuel consumption is much higher on those even at 1/2 load they but nearly as much as the 20 Kw under full load.
I have checked with some very knowledgeable electricians and am assured that even a 17 kw will run everything in my house with minimal power management which is why I stepped up to a 20Kw as the price is not much more and gives me the little extra boost without much more $$ or fuel cost.
My biggest drain is the 5 ton heat pump which actually runs very little of the time since my house is well insulated. The only other big amp drawer is the stove or oven which I would have to limit the use of those but I think I could run the oven and range at the same time if I dont use the HVAC unit. The only other big amp draw is the water heater. Most of my lights in the house are LED and pull 7 watts and I could turn all 19 on for only 133 watts of power usage. So basically as long as I only run only one of the large amp drawers at a time, the 20kw should be up to the task to run everything else in the house along with that one.

 

[grsthegreat]

the reason i switched my cooktop, waterheaters and back-up heat to GAS was to be able to downsize my generator.

I power my entire house on a 10KW unit. all lights, water heater, cooktop (ignitor), heater (fans), microwave, etc.

just the savings in the cost of the generator paid for all the upgrades to my system. Also, the wife likes the gas dryer and cooktop better than the electric. With 2 gas waterheaters, we NEVER run out of hot water.

I caqnt use the air conditioning function of the heat pump...but i dont need to during a power outage. the outages here in north idaho usually happen during storms and severe snowstorms. who needs a/c

 

[jenkinsph]

the reason i switched my cooktop, waterheaters and back-up heat to GAS was to be able to downsize my generator.

I power my entire house on a 10KW unit. all lights, water heater, cooktop (ignitor), heater (fans), microwave, etc.

just the savings in the cost of the generator paid for all the upgrades to my system. Also, the wife likes the gas dryer and cooktop better than the electric. With 2 gas waterheaters, we NEVER run out of hot water.

I caqnt use the air conditioning function of the heat pump...but i dont need to during a power outage. the outages here in north idaho usually happen during storms and severe snowstorms. who needs a/c

That is how I look at it too. I don't see the need to run a 20kw genset for power outages, I get by with alot less.

A typical set of heat strips in an electric furnace will need 19.8kw, a standard electric water heater (40 gallon) is 4.5kw, add a few smaller appliances and lights to this and you are past 30kw. Removing the two heating loads of 24.3kw can make a huge difference in what is needed. The amount of fuel needed could be conserved too, lessening the chance of running out in the middle of a long power outage.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If I had natural gas access, I would have put in some gas appliances, but to fuel with propane at almost $3 per gallon in summer, I dont think the cost would work out. Wife doesnt like gas stove or oven and that is the biggest energy burner. Most of our power outages occur in spring with the severe weather and tornados. Occassionally we get an ice storm but that is rare. I dont believe my unit will pull anywhere near 19Kw. That would be 88 amps and it only has a 50 amp breaker so I would think it would be normally around 40 amps. I will have to look at the tag when I get home to be sure.

I have been assured that this unit will run my 5 ton HVAC system, but to be on the safe side, I have a Generac distributor coming out tomorrow to assess the situation.

 

[Elviscaretaker]

Most of our power outages occur in spring with the severe weather and tornados.

Makes me feel glad I live in the great North Wet

 

[Gary Fowler]

My brother in law and I both have ordered above ground tornado shelters for our homes. He is getting pretty antsy for it to get installed what with all the tornados hitting all around us the last few days. That is one piece of equipment that I hope never gets used.