Getting a whole house genny installed...

[nikdfish]

Getting a whole house genny installed... (pics start pg 4)

Up til now, we have made do with a portable generator during outages (currently using a 7k/9k dual fuel) - but it does take some doing to setup & monitor/maintain while it is running. The wife finally decided she wanted a system that would handle things even if I wasn't available.

We went with a unit sourced at Costco & using their referred installer. To accommodate our house (including a 5 ton heat pump) via the existing 200A breaker box, we ended up with a 22kw air cooled unit made by Generac (but with a Honeywell label). It will be LP fueled using our existing 500 gallon tank (LP furnace is our backup heat). The package includes a smart transfer switch with load management (necessary with the 5 ton unit).

The generator will be located about 75' away from the service entrance. The switch goes in by the meter & the feed lines will run through the crawl space, passing through the masonry wall at switch & generator locations. Once the switch & genny initial install is done, the propane guy will come the following day & change out regulators at tank & black iron feed point for current models (ours are 20+ years old), "T"ing off by the black iron feed & trenching along the wall to the generator location (about 40'). The Generac guys will then come back (probably the following day) & do initial startup, testing & adjustments as needed.

Permits are pulled & the Generac installers come out tomorrow to start the process.

I'll try to get pics during the various steps & post as available. Power will be off at the house during "phase 1" with the power company coming by to do the cut off & back later to do the restore. The installer said to figure on it possibly being 9A - 6P. Hopefully it will be the last time I need to run the portable to keep things running, a necessary task as we have a large freezer, 2 refrigerators and a freezer/fridge to worry about (wife likes capacity!). Top that off with it expected to be one of the hottest days of the summer - got to have some fans running! Needless to say, but network, computer, phone & TV/Dish will also be powered (got to stay in touch...).

Nick

ETA: pics start on page 4

 

[buickanddeere]

Nikddish . You have about the most common sense of anybody on this site today .

 

[coralhead]

How long will the fuel tank last at 80% full? If the power goes out when you are about 40 -50 % tank capacity, how long will it run till you get to 20%(fill time)?

Just saying you may need a larger tank to run that large of a generator for a length of time.

 

[nikdfish]

How long will the fuel tank last at 80% full? If the power goes out when you are about 40 -50 % tank capacity, how long will it run till you get to 20%(fill time)?

Just saying you may need a larger tank to run that large of a generator for a length of time.

We don't use much propane in the normal course of things. It has been over 2 years since the last fill & are only down 100 gallons from full (i.e. @ 60%). My understanding is that during light use, we could see as low as 30-35 gallons a day. Half load (more than the full capacity of our 7k portable) is projected a about 2.16 gph - full load, wide open would be 3.68 gph. We plan to keep our "normal" fill level higher from now on. I would expect 40% would normally be good for 3 days - maybe more if we were conservative (more frequent shut-downs & lower use). If running the AC wide open, much less...

Nick

 

[TripleR]

Congratulations, we put a whole house unit in about three years ago as we are just getting too old to keep running heavy cables and the generator out and of course half the time the power came back on as soon as we got it running. We initially tried sourcing from one place, getting installation done privately, but no one would warranty and service the system, so we went with an local company to do it from start to finish with free service/maintenance for three years.

We heat and cook with propane, so we got an additional 500 gallon tank, a thousand gallon wouldn't fit. May not be for everyone, but for us, it has been money well spent.

 

[smstonypoint]

Nick,

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your updates.

I am contemplating a similar setup for my farmhouse. Would you mind sharing what it is going to cost?

Steve

 

[PhysAssist]

We don't use much propane in the normal course of things. It has been over 2 years since the last fill & are only down 100 gallons from full (i.e. @ 60%). My understanding is that during light use, we could see as low as 30-35 gallons a day. Half load (more than the full capacity of our 7k portable) is projected a about 2.16 gph - full load, wide open would be 3.68 gph. We plan to keep our "normal" fill level higher from now on. I would expect 40% would normally be good for 3 days - maybe more if we were conservative (more frequent shut-downs & lower use). If running the AC wide open, much less...

Nick

Hi Nick,

I'm looking forward to hearing more about how your process goes.

We're tentatively looking into doing the same things- and for the same reason, but even though we almost exclusively heat with wood, and rarely with the gas furnace, our hot water is gas, and we really want to be completely sure that we never end up running out of propane, so we're also going to look into getting a second tank, and then question will be whether to tie them together, or keep them separate.

Thanks for sharing,
Thomas

 

[nikdfish]

Nick,

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your updates.

I am contemplating a similar setup for my farmhouse. Would you mind sharing what it is going to cost?

Steve

Costco delivered price on 22kw generator + smart transfer switch was $4800. Installer quote + tax on generator added $4354 for a total quote about $9154. The chosen location of the generator added about $900 by itself (wall penetrations + cable run) over the closer but less desirable alternative.

Actual cost is offset some by a 10% Costco cash card that will give us back about $915 after install finishes, plus getting another %4 back from it being a exec. member Costco visa purchase (%2 + %2) or about $366. Propane work should be $300 or less, so net total is probably about $8174 if I have everything straight ...

Nick

 

[merlebo02]

I am in the process of building and plan on doing this very thing.. Thank you for taking the time to educate us on the subject

 

[General Lee]

Nick - I have 20kw Generac, propane fueled. Sounds like the same set up as yours. Great choice my friend :thumbsup:

 

[coobie]

How long will the fuel tank last at 80% full? If the power goes out when you are about 40 -50 % tank capacity, how long will it run till you get to 20%(fill time)?

Just saying you may need a larger tank to run that large of a generator for a length of time.

I think I can answer your question from my laymen experience.We have a generac 17kw propane with a 500 gallon tank.Lost power for 4 days,Gen. ran nonstop for 24 hours per day we used roughly 7%-10% from our propane tank is what our fill meter stated.I did check the meter on my tank when we first lost power and then when it came back on.We were not running our 3 ton air condition unit or furnace for heating just lights and such.We heat with wood pellets.Just the wife and I here at home.

 

[grsthegreat]

I install lots of 22 kw units, and the majority are on 500 gal tanks. When i replaced my old unit for a new 22 last month, i went ahead and sunk a 1000 gal tank just for protection. Weve had wind storms for the past 2 winters that have left us without power for nearly a week.

I order generators 4 at a time, and cant keep them in stock. I just got 4 in 2 weeks ago and there all sold.

I need to order 4 more tonight.

Remember, you dont need to run it 24/7 in extended power outage. We shut ours down during daylight hours except for an hour around noon to cool fridge and freezers. No need to waste fuel.

The 22 will usuall only run at 1/2 speed as long as you havnt overloaded the system. I use the wireless load shed modules to control ac units, water heaters and elect heat and any high tech well equipment.

I also service generac and i dont receive many calls. They seem like very nice units as long as their maintained. I put winter kit on mine cause our winters are cooooold.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Costco delivered price on 22kw generator + smart transfer switch was $4800. Installer quote + tax on generator added $4354 for a total quote about $9154. The chosen location of the generator added about $900 by itself (wall penetrations + cable run) over the closer but less desirable alternative.

Actual cost is offset some by a 10% Costco cash card that will give us back about $915 after install finishes, plus getting another %4 back from it being a exec. member Costco visa purchase (%2 + %2) or about $366. Propane work should be $300 or less, so net total is probably about $8174 if I have everything straight ...

Nick

Thats sounds about right for what you are getting. This one is 16kx w / transfer switch, installed. So add in the load shedding, bigger genset, and longer cable/pipe runs and you are doing pretty good: NEW 16 KW GENERAC INSTALLED

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Nick,

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your updates.

I am contemplating a similar setup for my farmhouse. Would you mind sharing what it is going to cost?

Steve

I just got an estimate yesterday on a Generac 22kw to run off of my propane. it was $8,900 dollars installed, but I already have my panel wired up.

 

[Sigarms]

I think I can answer your question from my laymen experience.We have a generac 17kw propane with a 500 gallon tank.Lost power for 4 days,Gen. ran nonstop for 24 hours per day we used roughly 7%-10% from our propane tank is what our fill meter stated.I did check the meter on my tank when we first lost power and then when it came back on.We were not running our 3 ton air condition unit or furnace for heating just lights and such.We heat with wood pellets.Just the wife and I here at home.

You AC can account for up to 50% of your electrical use.

You run a generator with everything in the house on, a 500 gallon LP tank won't last long.

Every 8 hours of run time = an oil change as well.

 

[smstonypoint]

Every 8 hours of run time = an oil change as well.

Please expand on this point.

Steve

 

[CalG]

Without medical imperative, a whole house auto-magic generator is only a money pit.

consider becoming familiar with the tranquillity of a temporary power outage.

A couple of Aladdin lamps and a wood stove go a long way towards necessary creature comforts.
At least I have come to appreciate the difference over the years.

 

[4570Man]

Without medical imperative, a whole house auto-magic generator is only a money pit. consider becoming familiar with the tranquillity of a temporary power outage. A couple of Aladdin lamps and a wood stove go a long way towards necessary creature comforts. At least I have come to appreciate the difference over the years.

I have a high efficiency wood stove that is our primary heat source, but without power to run the blower its heat output drops off drastically. I have a whole hour generator ( probably the same unit as the OP except mine has a Generac logo). I agree they probably aren't the most financially sensible thing to do, but how much is the convenience worth? What if the power goes off right while you're cooking dinner? I'll have power in 60 seconds. You'll likely decide to wait it out because it isn't worth the trouble of dragging out the portable generator. What if the power goes out for an extended period while you are on vacation? I'll come home to cold food in the freezer and my pipes won't be frozen.

 

[grsthegreat]

You AC can account for up to 50% of your electrical use.

You run a generator with everything in the house on, a 500 gallon LP tank won't last long.

Every 8 hours of run time = an oil change as well.

Generac has oil change every 200 hours run time or 2 years.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ive had a generator wired to the house for 20 years now. Installed it when i built house. There hasn't been a year come yet where i havnt used it. Personally i like lights, heat, cooking, comfort and dont wish to camp out in my house. Most of my clients that ive installed for also have a well. Try camping out without water for days on end.