Anybody have one? Been kicking around the idea of getting one, looking at the Kohler 20kw model. seems like Kohler and Generac are the 2 main players.
Need to size one, may have to go one size bigger. Appreciate any feedback and experience you may have.

Zim

Around here most people have gone with a kohler, Cummins used to make one not sure if they still do.

Zim, best money that I ever spent. I have a Generac.

About five years ago I was trapped for a week at a customer's island vacation home where I was staying while doing some remodeling. We had a bad storm that produced a micro-burst with straight line winds estimated at 80 mph. Downed trees and power poles blocked the only road in.

The year before the owner had installed a Generac whole-house generator. It ran everything for the entire week I was trapped there. It was like I never lost power. the only concern was running out of propane in his 500 gallon tank.

We have been experiencing power outages on a regular basis here in southeast PA for the last several years now. First Energy, our power company, does do not the maintenance or keep qualified personnel on the payroll, we customers pay the price. Outages are nearly monthly and last a minimum of twelve hours and are often days-long.

My Generac 5500 does a good job of providing us with the essentials during outages but it's a pain to drag out of the shop and hook up then put away again.

I'm seriously considering a whole-house set-up. If I go that route it will be a Generac. I've had good experience with their products and that's what all the folks around the lake where I was stuck on the island use.

I have had mine for around ten years. Power used to go out often, once for a couple of weeks. I had a smaller generator but it's a pain filling it with gas, most of the gas stations where closed and would not run the whole house. I did install an outlet where I could plug in the smaller generator for a back up but never had to use it. I have a 1000 gallon propane tank and it will run the whole house for two weeks. I can also use natural gas.
The Generac cycles every week for 30 minutes and it's simple to service.

I have had a Generac for 10 years with no problems. Natural gas. Love it. 23kw runs every thing including central air, freezers, stove and hot tub. We have numerous outages here.

Jtg, his self-starts and runs ten or fifteen minutes once a week. I was told is doing self-diagnostics when it's running like that. You fuel consumption sounds about like his. It put a dent in that 500-gallon tank. I don't know the actual size of his but it's a pretty big one. It ran everything, including the electric range, dryer, furnace for heat and hot water, well pump, etc.

When I lived for 15 years on the NCOuter Banks, I designed my power with a pigtail for my generator. I used a 12 kw gasoline model that was on wheels. The majority of its life was inside my first floor spaces. Did this because of the salt air. I doubt that generator had 60 hours on it, but it saved a lot of frozen food.my lowest level was about six feet up, so the generator stayed dry during storms. I had to turn off the lower level AC unit, but was ok with one unit running.

Sold the home after14 years. At the closing I asked the buyer if he would like to buy the generator. Sold it to him at a profit above my original price.

Dad has a 10kw generac it runs all the necessary things and used half the fuel of a larger one. He never notices when the power goes out.

Thank you all for the input.

Zim

We put in a generac, natural gas powered. Best thing we ever did.

my Great aunt has a Generac it is easy enough to work on , runs on LP

batteries ,and maintenances kits (oil ,filter and plugs) have been all it has needed 10-12 years
runs every Saturday at 6pm and auto switch over if the power goes out

Neighbor has a Cummins, really sucks down the propane but does the job.

I’ve got 6 of them and I deal with them all the time on our backup wells. I tell everyone that’s thinking about getting one to go with a manual transfer switch. The automatic transfer switch is very convenient until doesn’t work. If you are handy and can wire around it it’s fine but most folks don’t know how. I have a friend that is a master electrician that swore I was nuts but after a few years he agrees. I just don’t think it’s that hard to walk outside start the generator and pull the double throw down. That’s my two cents.

We got the Generac after the 2009 ice storm knocked power out for 3 weeks here. Best money ever spent.

I've been watching the thread- don't need a whole house generator but was looking at the Generac Powerpact for furnace and basic lighting. When I renovated the cabin - I put in a transfer switch, this was helpful.

I've had a propane powered Briggs & Stratton 10kw for several years with no problems experienced. We lose power a LOT!

Pete

I install stand by generators
We have had good luck with either Kohler or Generac brand ..
I'm waiting at my shop today , to accept delivery of a Generac 24 KW ..
They are a good investment, and increases the resale value of your home also ..

If you are wondering what size to get you probably know how well the generator you have been using works. Does it run everything you want it to? Mine pretty much does, which tells me a permanent one 1.5 or 2 times the size of my small one should be fine. My small generators main breaker is 30 amps at the generator itself. It runs about everything I need it to. The PTO generator I bought for the tractor has a 60 amp main. It should be a dandy.

I have a gen a friend and I hooked up and put a small electrical panel in for it. He is a retired electrician. Just throw a switch and it powers our essentials. I do have designated outlets in the house and basement that we have to run cords from to run the TV and refrigerator and freezers in basement. It runs our well pump, sand mound pump and most of the household receptacles.

It is always ready to roll but is an older pull start generator. I have it serviced regularly as needed to keep it tuned and ready. I may opt for a battery start unit for the house. I do have a spare battery start generator in our facility if needed. It is portable with wheels, it's pretty big and heavy to roll on soft ground or snow. Rarely have had to use it.

If I recall correctly, I believe Bud Guidry had 2 generacs and both failed him during the hurricane. He no doubt may have had extenuating circumstances but nontheless they failed to operate when needed.

My buddy just had a generac put in and another friend had a Briggs and Stratton I do believe and they like them. I’m also toying with the idea as I get older

After years of using a portable we got a standby to run the whole house. Maybe over kill but if I'm not home, the wife doesn't have to do anything when we need it. It's a Generac and when it kicks in, the wife says " Best dang money we ever spent"

Russ

Can the Generac (or similar) be made to run on alcohol or methane?

From my experience as an electrician generac are probably the best home generators. Many options on unit and transfer switches with different capabilities. Tech support will not really work with you unless you have a tech id number so there is that. But after the installation you really shouldn’t have much trouble. The problem I have seen a couple times is the way they actually run their transfer switches things have failed but the guts are easily replaced without having to take the can off the building. I believe generac is out of Wisconsin also. I have never heard anyone regret doing it and not say it wasn’t worth the money

yes Jefferson area for Generac was where they started HQ is in Waukesha, distribution out of Janesville with a few plants on the east side of the state

I don't have a whole house generator, but I know lots of folks that do. Around here they are Generac, mostly, we have 2 or 3 dealers in the area.

Honestly, I live in town and my power service is very dependable. I can only remember 1 time in the last 20 years that my power has been out for more than 5 or 6 hours. So, I really can't justify spending that much money.

If I lived out of town, I'd feel 100% differently. During the ice storms a year ago, I know folks that didn't have electric for over a week.

If your power service is kind of iffy, it would be a good investment.

We lost our power at least three times a year, until we put in our generac. It's been over a year and we have lost power just once. For about an hour.

Those around here that have them have Generacs.Never heard one complaint.

Let me ask, what kind of price are we looking at, someplace around $5,000 ? Installed and ready to go.

Best friend bought a portable generator, maybe 10 years ago? When he first brought that thing home, he showed me how to fire it up, get it going to run the fans for the furnace. He has both propane and wood. Forced air.

He was working out of town at the time. A few years ago they were calling for a bad ice storm, I asked him if he'd fired up the generator lately. He said it was running like a charm the last time he used it. Long story short, it took him half a day to get it going.

Small generators need to be fired up, and pull a load every so often. And when you need it, it's going to be cold, nasty and dark, sure as anything.

I have a Kohler 14kw, It runs everything, pump, AC etc and 2 burners on the stove.
The best part is when the power goes out I count ..... 9 seconds and everything is running.
I have had it 8 years now, natural gas. Cost $8000 installed, wire costs a lot, it is 65
feet away from the house. If everything is quiet I just barely hear a hum.

I'm planning on getting one as well. I asked my local propane man about them. He said he has a Generac and can't complain at all; it has served its purpose well. But, he did say, that if he had to do it again, he would go with a Kohler because parts were very hard to get here for Generacs around here and that more people know about Kohlers and how to work/fix them. Not sure if that is the case up where you live Zim, but thought I'd mention it.

Ya, I have heard both good and bad. I suppose it is like the old Ford-Chevy thing.
My son has a Kohler at his house out in Maine that he is happy with but it is almost new.
They have terrible electric service out there so it gets use. I need to talk with my electrician
and get his input as far as parts, maintenance, etc.
We have pretty reliable service here but the way things are going I am not putting a lot
of faith in the future. Thanks to all you guys for your experiences, I appreciate it.

Zim

I'm sitting here reading this thread, thinking I have lived in this house for 10 years and never had a power outage, when, seriously, the power goes out.

Within seconds, it was back on and my computer was booting back up. But while it was booting up I had some time to think about it. That was weird.

Around these parts, more Generacs due to dealers. Cummins are worth a look.... very quiet with great cold weather kits which are a necessity in my mind.

Zim [/quote]
Around these parts, more Generacs due to dealers. Cummins are worth a look.... very quiet with great cold weather kits which are a necessity in my mind. [/quote]

What does a cold weather kit include? I’ve never heard of that for small engines, interesting.

Mine is a Onan which is a Cummins motor. Ran on LP. Not sure of the other brands but cold weather kit is a trickle charger on the battery and a heat pad under the battery. Mine is a 20kw and has a 100A breaker. At half load of 50A that will run a lot of stuff. Including my ground source heat pump.

My Generac has an optional heating pad for the battery. Even though Zim is in Wisconsin's banana belt I would still recommend it.

Thanks Corky, was 16 below zero down in the banana belt this morning.

Zim

I'm sitting here thinking 24KW for a residential home? You people sure use a lot of electrical power. I have worked at multiple fishing lodges over the last thirty years and most get by with around 10KW. I'm sure when I worked at the utility we had as many as 5 houses hooked up to a 25KW transformer 30 years ago.

This thread may explain the mystery of why the latest FNG showed up with a 20 KW generator. We all have been scratching our heads on that one.

What all can you run with the 10k Pete, whole house or pick and choose? I’m debating between 10k or 13k.

Mom has a Generac.

Has failed three times and the local service company has been lets say challenging to deal with, One time was oil fill cap blew off after running for several hours. Service call was quick it was during a major outage in the area.

The next It failed to shut down after use, Which we don't know how long it ran; It is quiet and the load change is quick. It was a blown fuse that they replaced and it continued to blow fuses every test cycle and was an obvious chore for the Dealer who she bought it from to repair as it took three months for them to get it repaired.
Final outcome was tighten a connection point. (basic electrical troubleshooting to the rescue)

The latest was a tripped breaker in the unit that caused it to not shut down after test cycle, No one is sure how many hours it ran. They walked her through a manual shutdown and asked for codes and breaker positions. She was then put off and scheduled weeks out, She basically threatened to call her Lawyer and they got her taken care of the next afternoon.

All of these were suppose to be warranty repairs but it seemed that she always had to pay up for one reason or another. One reason given was that Holidays (I believe that after hours also)were excluded from her warranty.

The sales/service from the dealer she purchased from leaves a lot to be desired.
The unit I understand some failures are going to happen, Hers has had more problems than the one my uncle had installed the same day.

I will not go with generac when I purchase mine.

Around these parts, more Generacs due to dealers. Cummins are worth a look.... very quiet with great cold weather kits which are a necessity in my mind. [/quote]

What does a cold weather kit include? I’ve never heard of that for small engines, interesting. [/quote]

For Cummins units it is a battery heating pad and an engine oil heater....

Seems like everyone here has the Generac brand. Can't recall any complaint.

I have a Westinghouse dual fuel 12kw and runs all my loads no problem, I wanted to get it hooked to the Lp tank as I get sick of filling it with gas all the time. Propane company said the smaller Lp gensets are hard to tune when hooked to a big tank?? I’ve ran it fine off a 2O# tank.
I’m off grid and use it to charge my batteries.