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Whole home generators

22K views 143 replies 71 participants last post by  1911crazy 
#1 ·
Thinking of getting one. People that have them. What brand and size did you get.
 
#30 ·
This is something I’ve researched and dreamed about for years. I do have a portable generator but it isn’t large enough to run the whole house and all the extension cords running everywhere is a PITA. Wayyyy down here in SoFla the power goes out often as a result of hurricanes or other similar storms. It would be really sweet to have a whole home generator that automatically flips on. The problem I have is where I live its difficult to get the approval to bury the tank. Whether it’s propane or diesel it has to be a certain distance from things so if it blows or goes nobody else gets injured. And I don’t have a yard large enough to put it the required distance from the neighbors or street.
My only advice to the OP is if you do get one make sure it’s properly protected as my neighbor has one and flying debris from Irma last year destroyed the housing thereby damaging the generator itself and they were out of luck.
 
#31 ·
We have a 14k Kohler with an auto transfer switch and a 250 gal propane tank. It runs my whole house and once ran 4 days straight. Only one issue in 6 years was an ant nest the 1st year that got built in the main breaker in the unit that caused a missed start. It’s 30yds from the house next to the woods. The installer came out in the rain, diaged it and pulled a breaker from a new unit at his shop to get me running that nite. Since then I put an ant trap trice a year in the enclosure and no more issues.
My point is all things break no matter how well made, **** happens. I think a good installer with a reputation for good support is as important as the brand.

I went with the Koehler due to good reviews , and our local Generac dealer was very rude and had an attitude.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Depending on the extent of local emergencies, people may also consider a moderate-sized solar array mounted on the roof of a house or outbuilding, or even on a pole/stand that “tracks” the sun (to give more solar generating hours per day).

Such an array can easily be relied upon to power refrigerators, freezers, lights, televisions, well pumps, etc., etc., during the day when the sun is out.

This could then be paired with a small portable generator to power an A/C unit, and heavier loads (electric stove/oven, microwave, etc.).

If one didn’t mind a little bit of “electric censorship” during a disaster, this is a good setup, maintenance free, and, if tied to a grid, could also be used to “sell back” electricity to the power company the rest of the year, lowering one’s electric bill substantially. Of course, without a battery storage setup, solar will only work during the day....but in the South, is a substantial source of supplemental, maintenance free power.

It won’t, however, run an A/C unit unless you have a very large array. Hence the “censorship”.
 
#33 · (Edited)
We have a similar 21kw Perkins Diesel as FightinTXAggie described, bought from http://www.centralmainediesel.com/ about 15 years ago. (They had a free shipping promo, could not pass that up)
Found a good, used Square-D manual transfer switch on eBay.
Bought some reconditioned, lined 55 gallon drums to store the fuel.
Hurricane a couple years ago, ran the place for a week on it, wife was happy.

perkins unloading generator
 
#34 ·
I'm not a big fan of LPG/NG generators, simply because they're horribly inefficient. You'll burn 80-100 gallons of propane a day depending on the size and load. One is also dependent on resupply trucks... NG is dependent upon uninterrupted service- during the last 2 hurricanes that hit my area, natural gas was intentionally shut off in some areas, as the ground was saturated and they didn't want to risk a break in the pipes with gas flowing.

I keep 50+ gallons of fuel (gasoline) on hand, and can travel to get more. I can stretch my fuel supply by running as needed, rather than 24/7.

I've found that a relatively small (3.5k) will keep the freezers and refrigerators, as well as a fee lights goin, and use the 5k for bigger loads.
 
#37 ·
Sorry gentleman... but your myths about diesel storage and propane usage are grossly exaggerated.

I have a 200 gallon propane tank that last 3 weeks under load running 24/7....guess what? That's not hyperbole... that is actual data from my usage during 2 hurricane outages of 2 and 3 week durations. Like I said before, having had to chase down 5-8 gallons of gasoline a day to run my gasoline generator during previous hurricane outages, that was the primary reason to toss out the gasoline generators(besides brush lifespans) and opt for the permanent propane generator.

80-100 gallon propane usage a day.... come on, no one is going to believe that.
 
#38 ·
What size generator were you running?



With 200 gallons of Propane for three weeks? I am skeptical of your claims of Propane efficiency. And yes despite what your claims are. I can easily store off road diesel in bulk indefinitely. .
 
#39 ·
Diesel storage...

I bought a 1000 gallon diesel tank off of an old man that buys, reconditions, and sells them. He has told me (on more than one occasion) that he has often bought old farm tanks that have been sitting with varying amounts of diesel fuel in them for over 40 years. I believe he said the oldest diesel he has used (recently) was from the 60's, found in a tank.

When he buys these "forgotten" or no longer needed tanks (often from heirs after the old farmers/ranchers have been long dead), he transfers the diesel into another tank on his trailer so he can load the one he bought, empty. Then he uses that diesel in his trucks and equipment...sort of a fringe benefit.

He says that he has NEVER found diesel that he couldn't use. And he has been doing this for a living for over 40 years. His recommendation was to just keep a clean fuel filter on the tank, and diesel will literally last a lifetime.

So far, knock on wood, that has also been my experience.
 
#40 ·
#42 ·
I chose natural gas for the convenance. I didn't want the added work hauling diesel, monitoring fuel levels, ect. The same for propane. My generator is the only thing that I have that runs on gas. (but not for long). I can't hardly tell any difference between the minimum bill and the bill from the time the generator runs. The gas has not been turned off in my area for many years if ever and no one remembers gas pressure dropping so low that stuff won't work. The power in my area is not usually off very often or for very long. I was off twice so far this month for about 6 hours total. All of these facts weighed on my choices. I was looking for something that would give me adequate service with a minimum amount of labor on my part.

I have hooked up several larger diesel generators (300 horse power or so) and have a great amount of respect for a diesel. I just didn't want to mess with fuel. I also didn't want the noise. A cold dead diesel is also a bear to start. I do like the way they will carry the load, don't bog down, ect.
 
#47 ·
I have a 17 kW Generac runs the whole house And my barn have a 500 gallon propane tank to it I've had it nine years runs falsely we lose power quite a bit where I live probably use it five times a year it's been flawless power out for no more than 20 seconds, Best Money I've ever spent.
 
#48 ·
Another Generac 22 KW air cooled, propane fueled owner here. It was the largest KW output I could find without going to a much more expensive liquid cooled unit unit. I have a 1000 gallon propane tank. The main concern in my area is the potential for major ice storms every few years. The unit fires up and self tests every Wednesday at noon. We have only had a couple of short duration outages in the couple of years I have owned the unit. So, far it has worked well.
 
#49 ·
I have a Generac (sp) whole home system - it has been great up here in the winter when we are often absent First Energy supply for hours, a few times in the summer also. Was hit by lightening once and cost me 1500 to repair but t is worth it. only failed once in 7 years, which is how we discovered the lightening strike. It is programed to test run once a week at a time we are home, and you can also check to see when it last run if you want to. Highly recommend but not cheap.
 
#50 · (Edited)
I have a Generac 22Kw system that runs on natural gas and have a kit to convert to propane if needed, not that I have had to to-date. It is programmed to run once a week at a prescribed time for 30 minutes under a load and I have a telemetry system that allows the installer to monitor it for any issues. I also have a contract with them to maintain it with oil changes and other maintenance needs. It has "saved the day" more than once when we have had weather-related power outages, some lasting over a week. It is already very quiet, but I have some noise abatement structure around it to minimize what remaining noise signature it has, and this is very effective as well. I have a very reliable source for natural gas, thus that fuel choice. Mine ran continuously for over a week on the longest outage I've had since installing it, and no issues at all with either the generator or the power in the house.

I do have a backup in the form of a 10Kw diesel generator and an 8Kw gasoline generator. To this add a small Honda generator that I use for camping and at my hunting lease.

If you want to run systems into the house that are not installed as full-house, and not just run a bunch of extension cords, you will want an interface at your breaker box that allows you to plug your generator in and that will prevent feedback to the grid.
 
#51 ·
Can I ask, if its a real long term outage of utilities, and you have limited stored fuel of any kind, and getting more fuel could be problematic, why would you run the whole house?

Even if you didn't turn anything on, there's still some leakage current between wires. And, with a big gen, say 20kW+, if you don't turn anything on the gen is still running wasting fuel.

For DP, wouldn't smaller gas (propane and the like) gen's be the way to go? Maybe a few of them, and then you run them as needed. So maybe one big propane tank + a few BBQ tanks, and then a few smaller gens? Smaller and portable also makes it easier to say take it out in the field to run some electric tools to fix or build something that is needed?

I think of "D" in "DP" as a major thing, like the utilities have been wiped clean from a tornado(s) and you'll be off grid for many months and having to drive for more fuel is close to a full tank of gas in your truck and you not sure gasoline will be at the far end to make it back, or if there will even be gasoline there. Or is this view just too extreme for "DP"?
 
#52 ·
During outages, I have a fairly efficient 3.5k to run freezers and refrigerators, and an older 5k to run everything else. Both are gas. I run them on an "as needed" basis. I got the 3.5k specifically for its purpose, because I need more time to keep those appliances cold enough- and its vastly more efficient than underutilizing the 5k.
 
#53 ·
Generac 22 fueled by natural gas. Our main concern is ice and snow, which strands us and causes trees to fall on power lines. The county and the linemen get to us last. It has worked perfectly every time it was needed.

I tried to save money buying it from Lowes with a coupon ($500) and paying a buddy's electrician to handle the installation. Then I had to go get the permits myself, order the pad, pay the gas company to come hook it up, etc. Better if I had just bought it directly from Generac and let their installation team handle the total process. I also recommend an annual maintenance plan.
 
#55 · (Edited)
The need for power (energy), so why not invest in some solar panels? No fuel needed.

But if you are heavy into say propane, why bother with pushing propane into a engine that drives a generator? Wasting lots of energy there. Why not just get propane appliances? These days they make small units that are sub $1k and can run on propane/120vac/12vdc, so its truly flexible.

Note: I am not 100% on the efficiency diff between prop-->gen-->fridge vs prop-->fridge. That would need to be looked at.
 
#56 ·
Our 21kw Diesel generator is very economical at partial load.
Fuel storage is not an issue for us, because all the family vehicles are Diesel.
We keep about 4-55 gal drums full of “road tax paid” Diesel for the generator.
That runs the house for about 3 weeks.
All the vehicles are topped off as a Hurricane approaches, so there are another 80-100 gallons of Diesel fuel available, if I had to move the vehicle fuel to the generator fuel tank.
After November, the stored generator fuel is used in the vehicles.
Refill drums every Summer, repeat.

The RV is a Diesel too, but has 330 watts of solar and big house batteries, so we can move in there if the house becomes unlivable, and as long as there is Sun, we are good.
 
#57 ·
We started with a generac portable 3.5kw propane unit for necessities; pellet stove, water heater etc. For a portable unit that is not used all the time propane is a better choice than gasoline that is susceptible to stale fuel, or clogging of the fuel plumbing from evaporation.

Propane’s usefulness can be location dependent. Cold temperatures negatively affect its usefulness because it needs heat to change from liquid to gas. A tank exposed to the air in in a cold climate like winter in New England is not going allow enough vaporization to support a large generator. The only solution is to bury the tank below the frost line so that it is exposed to a constant temperature greater than freezing.

So we installed a 20ish kw Koehler powered by natural gas. And of course since then have not had a single power outage.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
#59 ·
GONRA gotta "Natural Gas" GENERAC in 2001. Very Pleased!!! Automatically runs Usual Stuff, Well Pump too. BUT - not quite "whole house": No AC, kitchen range, clothes dryer.

So, in the Winter we have everything we really need. In summer everything except AC. If his isn't OK, just get a Larger GENERAC....
 
#60 ·
All I gotta say is not having power after a hurricane in south Florida mid summer SUCKS!
My portable gas one runs the fridge and we use the propane bbq to cook with.
But man it gets HOT HUMID AND STICKY in the house and I just can’t sleep in that crap.
I want a whole home generator to run some things during the day and the central AC at night.
 
#61 ·
I hear you man, went 5 days with out AC after Irma. I have a 5k portable with transfer switch that will run lights fans and the fridge. I also have a Honda 2000 for back up to the 5k and to let it rest. Over the winter I got a couple window AC units so at least next time we can have one room cool. I think I was loosing my mind on day 5. LOL.
 
#64 ·
We had an old Lister single cylinder diesel running a 120volt ele. motor at a hunt camp . Listing to the putt putt putt would drum you to sleep at night . Now I have a propane generac 7000watt for the last 11years that can run my well , refer , gas furance and several other area circuits . In 11 years powers not been out for more than a hour total time so it runs 10 minutes a week and that's about it !! Power copo head man lives down the road so when problems pop up his powers back on NOW if it goes off .
 
#65 ·
Well, purchased a Sears 3500W OHV 8 horse around 1999. I have never needed it but I have had many friends that have needed it. They were all very thankful that I bought one.
 
#67 ·
This is an older thread but I thought I would contribute. I had a 16kW Generac whole home generator installed a little over 2 years ago. It's been awesome! It came with a 10-year warranty! I have an annual maintenance agreement for $140/year but they keep the generator running in tip-top condition. This generator runs and performs a weekly self-check to ensure it's operating correctly. It has a phone app so I can see what the generator is doing. During a power outage, the generator automatically starts and switches my home power source to the generator automatically! It's a turn-key solution. I haven't worried a bit since it was installed. It's great piece of mind and it powers my entire home which would include A/C in the summer and the furnace in the winter. The only negative is during an extended power outage my home is the only light beacon in the entire neighborhood which draws attention to me. But, that's where the 2nd amendment comes in...
 
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