Comparison Home Stand By Generators

[daugen]

a few thoughts.

A Cummins diesel powered genset would be a dream to most of us and serious overkill to boot.
But since when did that stop any of us from buying the next bigger size motor up, in our car, truck, boat, etc.
I think it would be helpful to put pricing restraints on some of these discussions.
Say, If I have a $5k budget what is the best standby generator? Or $10K?
Not everyone has a portable gen budget, some have the means to ensure they feel truly secure.
End of story, their money.

But it seems we have three choices.
The first choice is a portable gen in the $1-3K range let's say.
Then we have permanent standby air cooled gens in the $3-7k range.
Then the sky seems to be the limit. You can go bigger liquid cooled car engine powered propane. You can go diesel.

If I had a big working farm with lots of diesel tractors and equipment I'd go diesel in a heartbeat.
Just one more engine to maintain but that little Cummins 4 cyl engine will go 15k hours easily.
I mean, just how long an outage am I really gonna have?
Try getting that out of your aircooled engine. Really unlikely.

Still seems the Generac 22kw model is the best value out there with their integrated switching and load shedding capability.
I'm sure the Kohler ones do the same.

I'm an automatic guy due to health, but I'm also an automatic guy because I know it works, it's really, really cool to have it come on in 16 seconds every time. We used to count and within one second the lights would go on. There is a value to that.

And no, I probably wouldn't survive out in the woods. Give me all the modern conveniences you got, well, the ones I can afford.
And we all have to consider what each one of us can afford.

We haven't heard a discussion over the quality of the generating head and related electronics vs. just
the motor powering it. Though Generac seems to deny it, their engine is a Vanguard and that's a good engine, particularly
when powered by clean fuel like propane. Mine ran flawlessly for three years. But who makes a better, more reliable switch gear?
Who uses heavier gauge wiring where it counts? Lots of details that are hard to compare unless one is an EE.

 

[daugen]

and furthermore regarding valve adjustment...
Assuming the valves have adjustment (aren't the Kohler ones hydraulic and therefore don't need adjustment?) capability,
I would think that the valves should be checked in the first 50-100 hours after everything has seated in. Then they ought to stay
just fine for a very long time if they are designed properly. But yeah, at least once, I'd check them. To me it's just part of a break in procedure and if they recommend it, well you'd better do it.

 

[GManBart]

The warmer engine will spin faster while cranking and require less choke to start .

Sure, it will spin faster, but I don't think having warm oil will change the choke requirements at all....it's not able to heat the incoming air, and at -10*F, the intake is going to stay very cold even if the oil is warm. The idea that heat from the oil in the pan will heat the intake any significant amount....not gonna happen.

My electrician said that when they didn't start they would backfire a couple of times...big, loud bangs, and after doing that a couple of times would stop trying (can't recall...something like 3-5 attempts) because of the computer sensors. He would get there, put it in manual mode, put his hand over the intake, and cover it completely (he showed me this as he was doing the first service on my generator in case it ever happens to mine)....then they would start. He pretty much completely covered the intake with a gloved hand...that's a bigger difference than you're ever going to get with a slight change in intake manifold temperature (the actual metal).

 

[check]

Cummings now you are talking diesel. Yes they are the best of course. I was talking about average home propane generator. Generac standby genrerator are only in NG or LP sorry for not mentioning that. Generac propane generators are the best to me lol

Nope. My friend bought a Cummins 20 Kw propane generator.

 

[check]

The cold weather kit can't change the incoming air temps, so it won't influence starting the way I described above. The cold weather package is still a good idea, but won't fix the starting issues I mentioned.

Well, my Kohler came with a carburetor heater and battery charger (cheap options), and starting in the cold has not been a problem in the 5 years that I have had it. (Temps at my cottage go down as low as -30 to -35 degrees Celsius or roughly -25 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Didn't know about the possibility of an oil pan warmer, but I guess I haven't needed it.

 

[K man]

I'm sure they have an automatic choke, but at some point it might get too cold for that to be enough. He did tell me it was only a couple of generators that had the problem, and mine started just fine when it was in the ballpark of -25*C. It's possible they were older units that hadn't been properly serviced.

There you go probably older generators not properly serviced makes more sense to me .:thumbsup:

 

[K man]

Nope. My friend bought a Cummins 20 Kw propane generator.

Never knew Cummings made propane engines until now. Thanks

 

[bigdeano]

Cummins bought Onan in 1992, a longtime maker of gas and propane generators.

 

[check]

Is your kohler diesel? I find my Generac very quiet to the gasoline ones that some friends of mine use. In fact they even commented on how quiet it is. I can't hear run unless I got outside to about 20 ft from it. Now that is quiet.

Nope - my Kohler is propane. And it seems quiet enough for me, but the Sommers and Cummins are apparently quieter. Our Kohler is at the cottage, and "out back" (opposite to where the deck is). We can hear it from the deck, but you have to stop talking and listen, and from our bedroom, you REALLY have to listen.

We did have a throttle problem early on, which was just due to a loose bolt (fixed with threadlock), and then just recently it stopped exercising. It may be a mouse problem, but will find out soon. We have a hot tub, so the generator MUST be connected to the automatic standby switch at all times in the winter.

 

[K man]

Cummins bought Onan in 1992, a longtime maker of gas and propane generators.

Yes, I had a on board Onan generator in my RV back in the 80's Good make it was.