Home Standby Generator (Page 3): Also looked at natural gas Generacs. They were on sale 10% off for a while after the hurricane here. What are the differences between 16 fuse(?) 100A...

mikedent Loc: Florida

Also looked at natural gas Generacs. They were on sale 10% off for a while after the hurricane here. What are the differences between 16 fuse(?) 100A transfer switches and 200A "whole house" transfer switches? Is the 200A one worth the price difference? Thanks

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

BboH wrote:

We have a Kohler natural gas generator - gets the gas directly from our gas meter.

That's the ideal situation, but many people do not have access to natural gas. Getting a generator installed means having to get a large propane tank to power it. Depending on the location, it could be an eye-sore.

dpfoto Loc: Cape Coral, FL

I do leave gas in the tank on my generator, however I make sure it also has a gas stabilizer in it. More important, I believe, is to make sure the gas is not left in the carb. Before storing the generator, I close the valve in the has line, and let the generator run until it shuts off.

The manufacturer recommends this procedure, and my next door neighbor, a certified ASA mechanic, confirmed that it is correct.

PRETENDER Loc: Micanopy,Florida

Most of the people on here don't get on for the sole purpose of nit picking but then are always few. Like everything else in the world I guess.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

PRETENDER wrote:

Most of the people on here don't get on for the sole purpose of nit picking but then are always few. Like everything else in the world I guess.

Have you been to The Attic lately?

Dale40203 Loc: Louisville, KY

Two respondents mentioned hooking up their portable gas powered generator to their service panel.
Could we have some details, for instance, did the electrician connect the generator to serve the entire house or just one or two circuits?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

dpfoto wrote:

I do leave gas in the tank on my generator, however I make sure it also has a gas stabilizer in it. More important, I believe, is to make sure the gas is not left in the carb. Before storing the generator, I close the valve in the has line, and let the generator run until it shuts off.

The manufacturer recommends this procedure, and my next door neighbor, a certified ASA mechanic, confirmed that it is correct.

I never drain the carb in anything. I just make sure there is stabilizer in the gas, and my machines start right away. One recommendation I've seen for storing engines is to drain everything is to run the carb dry. The other recommendation is to use stabilizer. A couple of years ago, I posted a picture of an old lawnmower sitting out back under a foot of snow. I said it would start on the second pull in the spring, and it did! These small engines are so much better than they used to be.

Years ago, when ASA was called NIASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence), I took the test and passed it. I guess that name was too long.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

jerryc41 wrote:

That's the ideal situation, but many people do not have access to natural gas. Getting a generator installed means having to get a large propane tank to power it. Depending on the location, it could be an eye-sore.

Most of the new propane tanks are now installed underground here in Indiana. All one sees is a filler pipe which can be disguised easily.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Dale40203 wrote:

Two respondents mentioned hooking up their portable gas powered generator to their service panel.
Could we have some details, for instance, did the electrician connect the generator to serve the entire house or just one or two circuits?

I looked into purchasing a stationary whole house generator, but the bill was in the neighborhood of $8K (including installation and permits). Instead I bought 2 portable gas powered generators (primary and backup). I ran a weather shielded outlet to the exterior of my home, installed a dedicated circuit breaker for the generator, and an interlock kit (not a transfer switch) on the service panel. Total cost was approximately $1600. The generator serves the entire house. It wasn't difficult to do, and you can do it yourself (see youtube) or hire an electrician.

Lee Roman Loc: Lavalette, West Virginia

We have a 20 KW Generac installed by electrician about 4 years ago. A little over 7,000 dollars. It has done a marvelous job when electric goes out in our neighborhood. It runs on Natural Gas and has never failed to power our large 3 bedroom brick home with full size basement! We to got an extended warranty that will cover us for 7 years, includes parts and labor through Generac! It is programmed to come on every Saturday at 12 noon and runs for 15 minutes to keep the engine lubricated. GREAT investment that gives you peace of mind especially when you come home after dark and the whole neighborhood is dark and you see your dusk to dawn light on and electric candles lit in the windows!!

Julian Loc: Sarasota, FL

Indi wrote:

I bought a 750 watt Briggs & Stratton after Sa... (show quote)

Perhaps, 7,500 Watts?

FordPrefect Loc: Indiana

I have a 17K Generac automatic stand-by generator that continues to serve without a hiccup.. I have the oil changed annually, and the battery every three years..

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

I have a Briggs & Stratton natural gas generator that has been in service for 12 years. To date I have replaced the battery once and had one other service call where it was discovered that insects had plugged a line. Other than that just regular service once a year. It powers the entire house including 2 furnaces and 2 A/C units. I should mention that we live in an area in which power failures are regular occurrences and have had several that lasted up to 7 days. My technician says that of the 300+ generators that he services we have by far the greatest number of hours on ours. Based on my own experience with this unit I will definitely replace it with another when the time comes.

rps Loc: Muskoka Ontario Canada

We have a 5500 watt Caterpillar generator. To use it, I have to set a switch on the breaker panel then start it with the pull cord. It powers most of the lights and outlets, the refrigerator, freezer, furnace and water pump. It usually starts on the first or second pull. However, by its very nature, it does not get used a lot and the gas goes stale. I make a point of filling it with fresh gas every 3 months or so, checking the oil and giving it a test run.
Although it seems to work very well, I do not operate my computer or television with it.Generator power can sometimes be uneven and damage sensitive electronics.

Hawknest Loc: South Georgia

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.

howard, i have used a mcculloch 4K generator for 40+ years and the only problem with it i have to gas it up about every two hours under a full load. hope this helps. rick