The aluminum wire shell game usually starts up when copper gets spendy.... same nonsense went on here (Ontario, Canada) back in the late 70's/early 80's with house wiring..... great way to start a fire at an AC outlet.
All machines need maintenance, that's a given. These auto-transfer Generac units seems to have way too many components failing early in their life... anybody who has been through this wants to get the word out, as the Total Cost of Ownership is huge.... enough so to seriously start closing the gap on a "real" industrial system. It's a double problem, even if you have lotsa $$$ to play with, it can be a challenge to find service..... either the people who can do this type of work don't want to touch these Generacs, or they are already making too much money with other lines/activities.
Personally, I'm thinking for power, either go really cheap (small, effectively disposable generators, or at least they don't require on-site service), or big $$$$$ (decent PTO, or Onan auto transfer box). This middle ground (low end, home use auto transfer a la Generac), doesn't appeal to me - you end up spending a not small amount of money, for what seems to be pretty shaky reliability.
I remain open to be persuaded otherwise, over time. Presently, at a minimum I'd be looking for a v. good Parts AND LABOUR warranty from Generac, and would require extensive references from the contractor before plunking down my cash.
To be fair - if I didn't install it myself, I'd require the same contractor references regardless of what brand I was buying.
Caveat Emptor is all I'm really saying. Rgds, D.
All machines need maintenance, that's a given. These auto-transfer Generac units seems to have way too many components failing early in their life... anybody who has been through this wants to get the word out, as the Total Cost of Ownership is huge.... enough so to seriously start closing the gap on a "real" industrial system. It's a double problem, even if you have lotsa $$$ to play with, it can be a challenge to find service..... either the people who can do this type of work don't want to touch these Generacs, or they are already making too much money with other lines/activities.
Personally, I'm thinking for power, either go really cheap (small, effectively disposable generators, or at least they don't require on-site service), or big $$$$$ (decent PTO, or Onan auto transfer box). This middle ground (low end, home use auto transfer a la Generac), doesn't appeal to me - you end up spending a not small amount of money, for what seems to be pretty shaky reliability.
I remain open to be persuaded otherwise, over time. Presently, at a minimum I'd be looking for a v. good Parts AND LABOUR warranty from Generac, and would require extensive references from the contractor before plunking down my cash.
To be fair - if I didn't install it myself, I'd require the same contractor references regardless of what brand I was buying.
Caveat Emptor is all I'm really saying. Rgds, D.
