Whole house generators. Anyone running one?

[Dino]

I'm without power once more in lovely rural Michigan.  Usually it's back on in a few hours but this may last a bit longer.

I'm looking at whole house generators and my head is spinning because there's so many.  I would love for it to literally power the whole house but as long as I can run the central air, fridge/freezer, well pump and a tv I'll be happy.

I'm looking at the 20kw Generac Guardian 5875. 

http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Generac-Guardian-5875-Standby-Generator/p4797.html

Does anyone have any experience with the guardian series?  I'd love the 1800 rpm quiet model but they start over $8K and that's not gonna happen.


Any insight and tips welcome!

[chargerboy69]

I run a 8500 watt Generac.  We have a transfer switch wired into the house, this is the key part.  Just plug it in, and we can run the entire house.

Came in handy this last week when we lost power for three days.  Spend the extra money, and get a good brand like Generac.

[Domino]

15kw(LP) air cooled generac, about 7 years old. Auto switch and weekly exerciser.  Works great. 
Big jump in $ to liquid cooled models
I don't have the AC backed up due to limited 220 circuits...thinking about getting a 110 mobile unit for the master bedroom for sleeping.

[Chryco Psycho]

I am looking at these as well , was thinking more along the lines of solar panels though , anyone know how many solar panels it would take to run 2 fridges , computers & a few lights ?

[68blue]

I've got the 14kw Generac with an automatic transfer switch. Runs about everything but the electric HVAC so we have wood heat in the winter and a 110V window AC for the summer. It gets us by when the power goes down and hooked up to a 1K propane tank we can last a long time.

[2Gunz]

Going to do need to do some real math on the central air to see if you will be able to run it on the genny.

20kw sounds like a lot but if you have a large home it might not cut it.


As far as the solar panels..........

Im not an expert in the field, but I have done some research.

I think its going to be cost prohibitive as a backup power source.


Solar systems generally fall into two catagorys.

1.  Solar panels with no battery.  This is the most common system.

When the sun is out and most people are not home, you give the power company electricity and they pay you for it.
At night you buy electricity when the rates are cheaper.

2. Solar panels with batteries. Not as common because of battery cost.

You make power, and use it as you need it. If you need extra you get it from the electric company.


As a backup power source Im not sure solar is a viable option.
But if you where planning on doing it anyway..... it might be worth a look.


Good luck!

[J.Bond]

Bought an Onan 30 Kva propane unit for the property last week, was not in the market, but I had a customer that bought it years ago, was going to hook it up to his store, only to find out it was no match for the amperage load. 30 Kva equalls a 100 amps, he could run 1 of his 12 coolers. At 30 Kva,  water pump, freezer, fridge, furnace and A/C are possible, anything smaller may be a PITA. As for Generac, first ones I looked at I believe were the 15 and 20 Kva models, and what scared me away were the 2 stroke diesel motors they came with.

[Todd Wilson]

I am looking at these as well , was thinking more along the lines of solar panels though , anyone know how many solar panels it would take to run 2 fridges , computers & a few lights ?

A lot  of panels  and so many batteries I would hate to guess what the cost would be to do it. I was wanting to run my ham radio equipment and some computers on solar and figured the solar alone was gonna be a few grand (panels,charging controller and  power inverter to take 12volt dc to 110volt ac) and then 8-10 deep cycle batteries. After checking, my ham radio equipment used about 3$ a month in electricity so the return on investment wasnt real good. That and you'll get to replace those big batteries in 5-8 years if you are lucky and they last that long.


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

If you are gonna get one.....get one that can run off the fuel type you have at your house for heating.  Plumb it into natural gas or your big LP tank if you are in the country.


Todd

[Dino]

Thanks for all the replies guys!   

We'll be running it on natural gas most likely.  When we build the new garage we will be moving the gas meter so that would be the time to run a line to the genny.  We could do propane tanks but the natural gas line seems like a better idea.

I think the Generac 20kw models and under run an air cooled engine and sure it won't be as smooth or quiet as the liquid cooled 1800 rpm engine but that's also double the price.  I don't mind it making some noise for a few days if it means having power, but I'm a bit concerned about the life of these things.  Is it not like an old car?  If you don't use it, it'll break.  Maybe I should run the house on the genny a few hours a month or so.

[Todd Wilson]

Thanks for all the replies guys!   

We'll be running it on natural gas most likely.  When we build the new garage we will be moving the gas meter so that would be the time to run a line to the genny.  We could do propane tanks but the natural gas line seems like a better idea.

Be sure to attach the line before the meter!   


Todd

[Dino]

Thanks for all the replies guys!   

We'll be running it on natural gas most likely.  When we build the new garage we will be moving the gas meter so that would be the time to run a line to the genny.  We could do propane tanks but the natural gas line seems like a better idea.

Be sure to attach the line before the meter!   


Todd

Ah yes that might be a good idea.   

[A383Wing]

I got a 5500 Generac.....powers the entire house....we were without power for 6 days last winter....was a lifesaver

Bryan

[bakerhillpins]

2. Solar panels with batteries. Not as common because of battery cost.

You make power, and use it as you need it. If you need extra you get it from the electric company.


As a backup power source Im not sure solar is a viable option.
But if you where planning on doing it anyway..... it might be worth a look.

The Solar/ battery option is a viable option, I know several people up here in the VT/NH area that are off the grid. Is it cheap, no, does it work, yes. Most typically have a very small fridge and limit the number of high usage appliances. Many even have gas powered fridges.


I put in a generator backup to a sub panel that runs selected circuits in the house when I rewired the place. No need to run the entire house IMHO. I powered select rooms that are typically used the most and looked at the load needed during the day. This put a realistic estimate on the wattage I would need and kept a lid on my budget as price climbs quickly with wattage.

For example, I only provide power to the following circuits:  Kitchen lights and outlets, Microwave, Fridge, family room outlets, master bedroom, master bath (including lights), communications (net/sat), Forced Hot water heating system and the well pump. I chose these circuits by mapping the family usage areas during any given week in the winter/summer and looked at what REALLY got used. dumped stuff that was light duty or could be easily worked around. Not lots of if/ands/buts.  Power loss isn't usually more than a half day but even when we lost it for a week during a major storm that arrangement worked more than adequately.  Fire alarms are linked and battery backed up so no need for them even though they are almost no current draw.  Look at the max current of each device and determine what items will draw that max concurrently. This will size your generator. For example, your fridge might kick on while the heating pumps are running and the water pump is on. So all those maxes might need to be accounted for.  Also, you will note that I only provided full power to the master and it's bath. When the kids are gone it will not matter and during the outage the master can serve as the family bath. Minor inconvenience. We spend most of our "relaxation" time in the family room and can run a floor lamp in there when using in the evening. TV is operational as is the Xbox and Net. So it's not like we don't have entertainment. I have a 5.2Kw gasoline portable gen. I just go out into the garage open the door for the exhaust, plug it into the house and fire her up. On the plus side I can take the generator with me when I need it else where, which you cant do with a fixed NG unit.    The generator gets started and run every other month (more often in the cold winter) and can handle short lived overages.

I went with a manual transfer switch and with that of course no auto start as it was much cheaper but has it's pros/cons.
Pros:
I don't have to deal with auto starting maintenance issues such as battery.
Cost.
Doesn't kick in when we are away. (I am slightly paranoid that it will explode or whatever)

Cons:
Sometimes it can be a bear for the wife to start if I am out of town in the winter.
Doesn't kick in when we are away. Typically our losses in this case are slim but I can just call friends/neighbors to help out if needed.
Runs for a min of 20 minutes even if power comes right back to reduce generator wear. And we loose power for a few seconds a LOT out here.

[Dodgecharger74]

go with the 20 KW generac  I install them. It will run whole house with 5 ton A/C.  They will not run a tankless elec. water heater.  they are reliable units My company maintains 200 units twice a year very few part failures  i can't install 1 for you  I am 1200 miles away