Whole house generator - - generac?

[Tdog]

We are still without power after the storm at the end of August. While it is a huge expense for our budget, given that the storm season is not over, & that we seem to be in a cycle of very active seasons, we are about to buy a whole house generator. I cannot do the work myself, so I'm at the mercy of installers. I've been quoted $6k for a 15kw Generac Plus, including transfer switch - - installed. I'd still have to make arrangements for a propane tank. Anyone have experience in this area? Is it a fair price?

Thanks,

Jack

 

[rswyan]

You should search the forums here on "Generac" - I believe you will find several unhappy customers. If memory serves me correctly there was one who a problem with his immediately after purchase and it took an unreal amount of time to get Generac to do anything about it (like a year) ..... and I'm not sure that they ever did .... the remedy may have come from whoever he purchased it from.

 

[BubbaJr]

I didn't get a Generac, I got a Coleman that looks just like it. I would recommend that whatever you get, get one with a Honda engine. I had one with a B&S, and had nothing but trouble with it.

3 years ago my 10KW unit with transfer switch cost about $3500 + electrical hookup of about $400. The propane company hooked up their line for free as part of the tank installation.

Then the company that couldn't repair my generator let me upgrade to the 11KW Honda engined one for another $500. I should state that I had my house wired with the installation of a generator in mind, so the electrical hookup was pretty simple.

In my humble opinion it would be worth the piece of mind no matter what the cost. And $6K doesn't sound that bad compared to what I have and the inflation since 2002.

One more thing, check with FEMA, they may cover some or all of the expense if you get it while your power is still out. I got $200 from them after our area was declared a disaster area after the ice storm last winter. That was for fuel for the chainsaw and generator. If I would have had to buy those items during the blackout, I would have recouped almost all of my expenses.

Whatever you do, I wish you the best of luck. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[GaryM]

I have a Generac 15KW propane powerd unit. It's the air cooled 3600RPM model that was purchased from the "Electric Generator Store" in Ohio. Shipped right to my door. IIRC the cost was right near $3100. That included the transfer switch and the 15KW upgrade.

Installation was included in the electrical cost of the new home, so I don't have a breakdown for that. The cable that connects the transfer switch to the unit was about 6' too short, so we had to add a box to splice on longer wires.

No problems at all with the unit. Yes, it's louder than a liquid cooled unit would be, but as long as the air conditioning is working I can sleep fine. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ran about 8 hours total after Monday's storm.

 

[kenmac]

I use to sell generac generators several years ago,& can tell you that if you are going to run a/c that generac doesnot recomend the air cooled mod. To go with the 4 cyl water cooled mod.At one time they put out a memo that stated that if a/c was connected to an air cooled generator that it voided the warranty. I would say to call generac tech. dept. to see it this has changed.

 

[Tdog]

Thanks for the feedback. I was assured that the unit would handle one of my heat pumps at a time, but not both of them. That's something I can live with. I will definitely ask about running the AC - - if I can't, I won't go with it. thanks.

Jack

 

[kenmac]

Heat pump or a/c unit same thing as far as load. Did the person that is trying to sell you the unit telling you it will operate your unit ok ? I wish you luck , but like I said call generac for their opinion on running a/c /h.p. unit on air cooled engine .

 

[Highbeam]

"At one time they put out a memo that stated that if a/c was connected to an air cooled generator that it voided the warranty"

-That's bologney. Please educate me as to why the generator cares what it's output is being used for. If the unit is of adequate size, including surge capacity for start ups, then what is sucking juice at the end of the cord shouldn't matter a bit.

I use every available watt from my cheap coleman 6850 surge generator. I've run RV A/C units, welders, and anything else that uses electricity since that is what a generator is for.

 

[BobinCols]

In Ohio, Home Depot sells the 15K Generac for $2995.00 and charge $1,000 for the install. Sometimes they have a 10% off sale if you use their credit card. Central ohio stores normally have 1 in stock. I don't know how good they are, but they look like a decent unit. With their setup, you get the most for your money (generator, transfer switch, wiring, etc..)..

 

[GaryM]

If it doesn't say in the installation instructions, sales brochure, or owners manual not to run an A/C unit, and it doesn't, they haven't got a leg to stand on. That's my opinion for what it's worth.

 

[kenmac]

It maybe bologney , but that is what the memo said. If you are/ were an installer you would have gotten the memo.I don't care if you use a rabbit to turn the generator. The man asked for info. and this is the info that I got from generac when I was an installer. You don't have to trust what I 'am telling you pick up the phone & call generac. They may have changed their stance on this , I don't know, but this is what it was about 5 yrs. ago.

 

[kenmac]

I guess not , but you can also spend thousands to take them to court to find out. Again this is the info that was sent to me from generac. I f I still had the memo I would gladly fax you a copy,but I got rid of all my generac stuff.

 

[Highbeam]

Don't hide behind the memo, tell us the real deal... do you agree with the memo? If so, why? Whether or not there was such a memo is not bologney, it is the content being discussed.... we don't doubt your credibility here.

I would venture to say that many people, including the poster, intend to or do run their A/C units on air cooled generators so this is important.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

My generator is a Winco, powered by a 16hp 3600rpm natural gas/propane Briggs Vanguard V-twin. I do not have my AC powered by my generator. My electrical contractor advised against it. I don't know enough about electricity, loads, etc to pretend to understand why, but he suggested heavier duty engines (lower rpm/water cooled units) to power the AC. In my climate I worry about power failures in the winter. So I sized my generator to run the gas furnace, well pump, refrigerators, lights, etc. In the summer if we have a power failure it is a nusience, in the winter it is dangerous.

 

[kenmac]

Don't know what you mean "hide behind the memo" ? There is nothing for me to hide . I'am not trying to sell an air cooled gen. to run an entire house.I do agree with them though . What they are looking at here is the these small air cooled engines were not designed for heavy duty use, ie, running an a/c or the amps that is required to run most items on 220 volts makes these small air cooled engines tend to work harder than they should shortening the life of the engine. remember these are 2 cyl. engines . The generator is not the issue here,its the engine. This is the reason they build the gen. with a 4 cyl. liquid cooled engine , not because it runs quieter. It is to hold up to the demands of running high amp equip. This is what I have at my house.If you don't want to or can't afford the xtra money & want to chance it. Hey, go for it & buy the cheap mod. with air cooled engine it may work out for you just fine, but then again it maynot last long. The last time I talked to a company installing a gen with an air cooled motor & telling the cust. it will run a/c , I questioned him, He said mabe the warranty will be out by the time something happens to the gen. Hope this helps ya. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tdog]

Well kenmac, I've looked at the warranty & see nothing about voiding it if the AC is run. I don't doubt you know what you are talking about, but there's nothing 'upfront' about it on their webpages. [http://www.guardiangenerators.com/PublicPDFs/GUARDIANstby2Year6.04.pdf]
Near as I can tell, the jump in $ from air to liquid cooled engines is fairly large.
Whatever, there are no propane tanks to be had here for over a week, so maybe I've got a little more time. Although I'm going to take the plunge to a stand-by generator regardless of when I get my power back [it will be a month Monday].
Thanks, all, for the feedback. I definitely am planning to run one heat pump at a time on the unit, so I will ask some pointed questions about that.

Jack