Comparison Home Stand By Generators
- Thread starter warriordba
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Toyboy
Platinum Member
OK, I'll jump in on this. A couple years ago I had an automatic 20kw Generac running NG installed. I could have gotten by with a 17kw but the cost difference was only a couple hundred for the bigger unit.
We live in a rural area but have the convenience of NG. Now the Generac carb has a lever that you can switch from propane or NG so no worry about getting the wrong fueled unit. The GenSet also comes with a built in trickle charger that keeps the battery fully charged when your on the grid.
We have a well, septic lift pump, 2 fridges and a freezer, electric washer & dryer, dishwasher, 2 microwaves, 1700 sq ft detached heated garage, 3 electric garage doors, AC, alarm system... and a bunch of other stuff that I could go on listing. Oh yeah, and a wife that's a cousin to "chicken little"!
Now I went for convenience , no hassle, start up - run - shutdown even if we're not home, vacations etc. Do I care about fuel consumption.... he!! no. I care more about our home and contents. We do not want to return from an extended vacation.. whatever, and find the power went out 2 days after we left and have a big mess to clean up in the summer OR winter.
Now if we were home body's and were available to run extension cords, haul gas, manually activate transfer switch, we may take a different view of things, but I doubt it. There's just something about running extension cords through a open window at -15 F that don't appeal to me.
Now those that live in warmer climates could very well do with less, but where we live, the north woods, I don't want to mess around.
Anyone living in cold climates should have the cold weather kit installed on the unit, factory or dealer. Also whatever brand you choose (your choice) make sure the dealer is full service. There are a lot more dealers out there that do the install but not the mechanical service. You want one that does both.
We live in a rural area but have the convenience of NG. Now the Generac carb has a lever that you can switch from propane or NG so no worry about getting the wrong fueled unit. The GenSet also comes with a built in trickle charger that keeps the battery fully charged when your on the grid.
We have a well, septic lift pump, 2 fridges and a freezer, electric washer & dryer, dishwasher, 2 microwaves, 1700 sq ft detached heated garage, 3 electric garage doors, AC, alarm system... and a bunch of other stuff that I could go on listing. Oh yeah, and a wife that's a cousin to "chicken little"!
Now I went for convenience , no hassle, start up - run - shutdown even if we're not home, vacations etc. Do I care about fuel consumption.... he!! no. I care more about our home and contents. We do not want to return from an extended vacation.. whatever, and find the power went out 2 days after we left and have a big mess to clean up in the summer OR winter.
Now if we were home body's and were available to run extension cords, haul gas, manually activate transfer switch, we may take a different view of things, but I doubt it. There's just something about running extension cords through a open window at -15 F that don't appeal to me.
Now those that live in warmer climates could very well do with less, but where we live, the north woods, I don't want to mess around.
Anyone living in cold climates should have the cold weather kit installed on the unit, factory or dealer. Also whatever brand you choose (your choice) make sure the dealer is full service. There are a lot more dealers out there that do the install but not the mechanical service. You want one that does both.
bcjmmac
Silver Member
+1
Couldn't agree more. Had a 20KW Briggs & Stratton, propane, installed when we had the house built. Don't leave it on auto because I don't want the noise if we lose power in the middle of the night. Bought it for peace of mind when I am away as work overseas so wife is alone & don't think she would handle a portable unit + when we travel it powers the appliances, sump pump, back up heat, etc.
Couldn't agree more. Had a 20KW Briggs & Stratton, propane, installed when we had the house built. Don't leave it on auto because I don't want the noise if we lose power in the middle of the night. Bought it for peace of mind when I am away as work overseas so wife is alone & don't think she would handle a portable unit + when we travel it powers the appliances, sump pump, back up heat, etc.
patrick_g
Elite Member
I have a 17.5 KW Generac with critical circuits on the transfer switch/breaker panel. It is propane fired and is automatic. A friend looked it over and bought a 20KW propane Generac and just powers his whole house (using common sense and not running all the big loads simultaneously.)
Diesel is good for long term runs but short runs like the auto exercise every week for a few minutes is not the best application for a diesel. Low RPM diesel units are typically BIG and costly. High RPM are cheaper but have the short run syndrome. Some worst case analysis: You won't be home when the power goes out. Can your kid or wife remove the implement from the 3PH and install the PTO powered 3PH mounted genset and then run it correctly and hook up the output correctly. Or if no one is home for a few days you may lose the contents of your non-servel frige or freezer for lack of an automatic installation. Any genset is better than none but automatic to power the critical loads is a reasonable goal. Propane is clean burning and gives long service life. I have had my Generac for 10 years and it is super trouble free, easy to service, and has been 100% reliable. Propane is a good fuel choice for another reason... you don't have to go out in foul weather to pour gas and risk spilling/fire.
Diesel is good for long term runs but short runs like the auto exercise every week for a few minutes is not the best application for a diesel. Low RPM diesel units are typically BIG and costly. High RPM are cheaper but have the short run syndrome. Some worst case analysis: You won't be home when the power goes out. Can your kid or wife remove the implement from the 3PH and install the PTO powered 3PH mounted genset and then run it correctly and hook up the output correctly. Or if no one is home for a few days you may lose the contents of your non-servel frige or freezer for lack of an automatic installation. Any genset is better than none but automatic to power the critical loads is a reasonable goal. Propane is clean burning and gives long service life. I have had my Generac for 10 years and it is super trouble free, easy to service, and has been 100% reliable. Propane is a good fuel choice for another reason... you don't have to go out in foul weather to pour gas and risk spilling/fire.
Toyboy
Platinum Member
I had ours installed so it was not near the bedrooms. We can hear it but very softly.
Heck, that's the only way we know we're off the grid is when we hear it running other then the weekly exercise day.
That happened one time on a beautiful summer day and it took us awhile to to figure out it was not an exercise day. It was like "why is the GenSet running"?
Called the power company and were told they were having trouble with low voltage in our area... aka. brown out... the GenSet sensed that and took us off the grid until full power was returned.
You don't need storms or other weather/accident related occurrences to screw up a whole bunch of electronic stuff we all have in our homes today.
If you can, position it so the exhaust sound is directed into a open area, not towards something that will reflect the sound back at you. On propane installations you can pretty much move it around and away from the house. You just need heavier gauge wire to run to the house. NG installations are not that accommodating as you have to be somewhat close to the meter. Also in cold weather installations, try to locate it where it will get the winter sun to help warm it.
Heck, that's the only way we know we're off the grid is when we hear it running other then the weekly exercise day.
That happened one time on a beautiful summer day and it took us awhile to to figure out it was not an exercise day. It was like "why is the GenSet running"?
Called the power company and were told they were having trouble with low voltage in our area... aka. brown out... the GenSet sensed that and took us off the grid until full power was returned.
You don't need storms or other weather/accident related occurrences to screw up a whole bunch of electronic stuff we all have in our homes today.
If you can, position it so the exhaust sound is directed into a open area, not towards something that will reflect the sound back at you. On propane installations you can pretty much move it around and away from the house. You just need heavier gauge wire to run to the house. NG installations are not that accommodating as you have to be somewhat close to the meter. Also in cold weather installations, try to locate it where it will get the winter sun to help warm it.
K man
Platinum Member
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After reading all these posts on automatic propane standby generators. I am happy to say that I made the right choice in installing one. Who cares about the cost just knowing your home is protected 24/7 when at home or not. I also agree with those who live in the North should have a Winter kit installed.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Who cares about the cost..... that about says it. 
Again, has anyone run one of these large generators for a week 24/7 and how much did the fuel cost?
Again, has anyone run one of these large generators for a week 24/7 and how much did the fuel cost?
kiotiken
Veteran Member
Who cares about the cost..... that about says it.
Again, has anyone run one of these large generators for a week 24/7 and how much did the fuel cost?
I guess that does say something, but I too am in that camp. How much does it cost... I wouldn't have a clue and I wouldn't loose much sleep over it if I did. I won't run mine continuous for a week, but I'll run it as long as I need to to make sure I don't flood and to keep the family happy and warm. After about 6 hours, the genset gets a break, but it has nothing to do with cost. It's only happened once or twice in the 10 years I've had mine that an outage lasts long enough for that to happen anyway. These things are there to get through a few hours, not a few weeks.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Its nice to know some folks don't have a budget. :laughing:
In all seriousness, I understand the need for sump pumps. And I enjoy convenience. I'd just like to know if anyone has figured out how much it would cost to run a large automatic generator 24/7 for a week, instead of everyone saying "who cares?", that's all.
In all seriousness, I understand the need for sump pumps. And I enjoy convenience. I'd just like to know if anyone has figured out how much it would cost to run a large automatic generator 24/7 for a week, instead of everyone saying "who cares?", that's all.
kiotiken
Veteran Member
Well, when mine was first installed, I looked at the consumption listed in the manual and figured the tank they installed would last 2.5 weeks at 100% load. The tank costs about $1000 to fill in the winter or about $750 in the summer.