Home Standby Generator (Page 2): I have a whole-house Generac. It tests itself automatically every week and comes on automatically when the power is out for thirty seconds, and is...

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Howard5252 wrote:

Would like to hear from people who have home standby generators. After this last hurricane I decided to get one and am looking for comments from those who own them. Reliability is a big issue I'd like to know about.

I have a whole-house Generac. It tests itself automatically every week and comes on automatically when the power is out for thirty seconds, and is piped into my propane tank. I love it. I'd highly recommend one of these--be sure to have it professionally installed, though.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

Mary Kate wrote:

I would check with Consumer Reports and see how they rate Home Gas Generators.

Thank you. I have checked with CR and now I wanted to hear from users. Always looking for more info.

Mary Kate Loc: NYC

Howard5252 wrote:

Thank you. I have checked with CR and now I wanted to hear from users. Always looking for more info.

Never hurts. BUT....Isn't there always a;but. CR has no stake in what they buy. An individual owner is married to their purchase and is biased. Not too often are you going to hear...Boy did I make a mistake?

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

Mary Kate wrote:

Never hurts. BUT....Isn't there always a;but. CR has no stake in what they buy. An individual owner is married to their purchase and is biased. Not too often are you going to hear...Boy did I make a mistake?

You are correct; it never hurts to talk with owners AND the CR review I read on line did not include Gererac units while the 2017 CR buying Guide did. I was curious.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Howard5252 wrote:

You are correct; it never hurts to talk with owners AND the CR review I read on line did not include Gererac units while the 2017 CR buying Guide did. I was curious.

Generac has been around for at least 40 years--they know what they are doing. I've had portable units of varying brands before getting a whole-house unit, and the Generacs always seem to be the most reliable. If you want a portable unit, Hondas are also top quality, seemingly more reliable than other brands. I have a lot of friends who also have generators, and the talk is Generac for whole-house and Generac or Honda for portable units.

I did a lot of research and question-asking before I bought mine, and the answers just about always came up the same.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

jaymatt wrote:

Generac has been around for at least 40 years--the... (show quote)

Thank you for your input

Fatford Loc: Rock Hill, South Carolina

I will add, find out who is going to service the unit. When I was at Generac we had electrical contractors that would install these units from Home Depot and Lowes, but they were not qualified to work on or do repairs. I had many customer calls about this. We would go and service, but until they found us via online or word of mouth, they didn't know who to call.
Just my words of caution before you buy any home standby generator.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Make sure you do not let your sprinklers spray on the generator - the water can be so caustic that the case disintegrates! I am currently renting and there is a generator here that no longer works and the case has large rotted areas. I think the other problem is that people have them installed and then do not have routine maintenance performed - they need to have an occasional oil change and lube job. The one I had in Maine was great - it was programmed to come on every Wednesday afternoon for 15 minutes just to keep things moving, stir up the oil, and show that it was still working. I would frequently lose power in snowstorms - sometimes for a day - so it was great to have the generator. The problem there was that it should have been in an open shed - when the snow got to be six feet deep I had to dig the generator out so that the air intake and exhaust were not under the snow. Not an expected problem in Florida...

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

what does something like that cost???

traveler90712 wrote:

I have a 5000 watt generator, which I got after Sa... (show quote)

Cookie223 Loc: New Jersey

Howard5252 wrote:

Would like to hear from people who have home standby generators. After this last hurricane I decided to get one and am looking for comments from those who own them. Reliability is a big issue I'd like to know about.

I had a natural gas Generac installed. It is more expensive than a portable gasoline unit, but it’s much easier and safer than a portable one.

When I had the portable and lost power, it was a major PITA to set up. You have to drag it out side, and have plenty gasoline available to keep it running. (Depending on the model you might have to fill it up in the middle of the night)

What I didn’t know was you also need to protect it from the elements.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Howard5252 wrote:

Would like to hear from people who have home standby generators. After this last hurricane I decided to get one and am looking for comments from those who own them. Reliability is a big issue I'd like to know about.

Fantastic! When I think of what life was like before we got our generator - well, I'm glad that's all in the past. I have a typical 5500W portable that I got for a little over $700 in 2003. Most importantly, it came with a "rebate" of an electrical panel for inside the house. That's the proper way to connect it. If you just plug the generator into a house socket, the current could flow out to lines that repairmen are working on. It was a hassle doing all the wiring, but it was worth it.

The more expensive generators are quieter, and the large automatic propane generators are the best, but they're expensive ($5,000) to buy and operate. If you get a gasoline-powered generator be sure to keep at least ten gallons of gas on hand - with Sta-Bil in the gas. After fourteen years, this unit still starts after three or four pulls.

If I had it to do again, I would connect some kind of hour meter to it. After fourteen years, it's not worth the effort.

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Portable-generators-Generators-Electrical/4294641569

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Cookie223 wrote:

I had a natural gas Generac installed. It is more expensive than a portable gasoline unit, but it’s much easier and safer than a portable one.

When I had the portable and lost power, it was a major PITA to set up. You have to drag it out side, and have plenty gasoline available to keep it running. (Depending on the model you might have to fill it up in the middle of the night)

What I didn’t know was you also need to protect it from the elements.

I made a small rolling "shed" that I move over it to keep it dry and also to keep the noise down. It can get hot inside there in the summer, so I have a remote thermometer to keep track of the temperature. I don't know how much protection it actually needs. If I had to make the shed again, I'd make it much larger. It's a snug fit. I used double wall plywood width rigid foam insulation between the sheets. I have a large exhaust fan in the rear to pull out the heat.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

sb wrote:

The one I had in Maine was great - it was programmed to come on every Wednesday afternoon for 15 minutes just to keep things moving, stir up the oil, and show that it was still working.

That seems to be a standard feature of the large propane units.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

jaymatt wrote:

Generac has been around for at least 40 years--they know what they are doing.

Mine is a Generac, but it was not easy finding one - and I mean any generator - in 2003. I had to drive over an hours to get mine.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

We have a Kohler natural gas generator - gets the gas directly from our gas meter. Don't know the size, had it about 6 years now, has come in quite handy - especially when the grid goes down for about 15-20 minutes. Cuts in after 10 seconds. Wasn't cheap, about $6,000 but it powers us as if there was no loss of the grid, that includes central air conditioning. Maintenance is also not cheap. I use BG&E Home - a spin off from the electric company. Cost about $260.00 for annual maintenance. Watch out for ants - my unit got infested and they effectively shut it down; took the technical about an hour to clean them out.