Posted on 03/10/2017 8:44:22 AM PST by Cementjungle
I'm in the process of getting quotes from local companies to install a whole-house standby generator. I'm in southern FL and last year's near-miss with a hurricane is prompting me to move on it now. I had planned to do this anyway since moving here, but all my other projects took first priority... this is my only remaining big project for this home.
Anyway... I know I need around 27Kw and, and Generac and Kohler both seem to have comparable products at comparable cost. Both are American made.
I had one installed several years back in WA (an 8Kw Briggs and Stratton), so I am familiar with the things involved (propane tanks, transfer switch, etc.)... but this one is bigger this time around... and a very big investment.
Since Freepers have vast experience with many things, I'm looking for any feedback on these brands and any other "gotchas" that would be helpful.
And remember.... "Make electricity great again!"
Bookmark. Good topic, this is on my to do list as well.
A possibility would be to get two smaller units and split your home into zones. This gives you some redundancy (in case one unit fails) and might actually be cheaper up front.
I live in the country and use propane heat. When I looked at the backup generator, I discovered that it would use about 400 gallons of propane in a week...if my calculations were right.
I heat with 800 or so gallons for an entire winter. This year was so mild I got by with just one.
IOW, it will cost you with today’s low prices for propane about 500 bucks to generate a week’s worth of electricity. I’m assuming you’re on natural gas, but the prices are about the same.
My calculations could have been off, but I used their literature.
It’s cheaper to get an external 5 kw generator and use gasoline for me, and just be selective which appliances I’m using at any given time.
If you find something that will generate a whole home, please it me know ;)
Actually I haven’t but I’ll be watching this thread as it is something I have thought about for quite some time since I am in N. Dallas adjacent to Tornado Alley.
I’ve had a 17Kw Generac for over two years. Works great. Natural Gas primary but can run propane. Super nice for any power failure, which I’ve had maybe 10.
I don’t have natural gas available where I live, so I have to look at propane with a tank. The cost of operating it isn’t a huge concern, since this is really just for emergency situations. If we get a direct hit with a hurricane we’re told to expect a 3 week outage... which in the summer in south Florida would be miserable, and damaging to a lot of delicate artwork we have in the house (high humidity... works on paper).
Oh yeah.
I had Rice and beans for dinner....
27 Kw is a very big unit. Are you sure you need that capacity? A smaller one will save you some money in the cost of the unit and fuel.
I think you would find lots of info on various YouTubes. This is a popular topic.
I have not done this, only studied it a bit.
The difference between an 8 kw gen and a 27K gen is...large. Consider; 27 kw/120 volts = 225 amps. This is big power. Yes, modern standards are that if you re-do the service to your home you use a 200 amp panel. But you are not using all of that at the same time. Without telling you that I am any kind of authority on this, if you’re doing this to cover a power outage in the wake of a storm, in such an aftermath, you’d probably not be running washer and dryer and elec oven and arc welding in the garage all at the same time. If you’re doing this to “get off the grid”, most folks contemplating such are not looking to live a super consumptive lifestyle.
But you could be different and if you’re willing to pay for a brontosaurus installation, I have no issue with you using as much power as you’re wiling to pay for.
That’s my only point, 27 kw is GIANT ampacity and it will require a considerably beefier buildout than your typical home gets. That’s semi-industrial strength, not home grade.
I went through that a couple of years ago and opted for a tri-fuel generator from Winco that is on 4 wheels. I liked that idea in case we moved or had to leave for some other reason we coild move it with us. I try to fire mine up every month and let it run for about 15 minutes. I made a dummy load to feed to output into using a 5 gallon water container and a 220 volt water heater element. The generator works very good. Here is a link to a website that sells a lot of different ones:
https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/power/winco-generators.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=winco%20generator&utm_campaign=Brand+Winco&utm_content=Winco
When I went to sell my home, I had one added on advice of my realtor. It cost me about $6,000 but I was able to add $10,000 to price of my house so I recovered the investment and then some.
Wondering if you considered looking at a solar/battery approach? Maybe even a grid-tie setup, which could provide a bit of payback against your daily electric bills, perhaps. It would take a significant battery bank, I would imagine to support a 27 kWh need, but I think it could be done and you should have ample solar available there...
Good luck!
Your decision should be driven by the servicing dealer. That being equal buy the Kohler
Bookmark
Running the entire house on a generator is a very costly proposition, not just in upfront expenditure but in fuel whenever the system kicks in. You’d be far better served by having a generator panel wired with limited, selective appliances and lights, enough to keep the house habitable and functioning, but be sparing. Climate control is the biggie, air conditioning really draws a lot of power. Heat can be handled a number of ways.
That's what I've done. I have a 70 gallon supply of gasoline stabilized with Pri-G in 5 gal. containers that gets rotated on a regular basis.
With some heavy duty cabling to get to the fridge and freezer...and some low voltage lighting and the thermostat for the gas heat, I think I'm all set. Not a replacement for a whole house solution but it will maintain food, heat and light.
I own 2 generators that I bought during a 2006 ice storm that left us without power for 13 days.
One is noise puts out 6.5KW and eats 5 gallons of gas every 3-4 hours.
The other is smaller quiet and has a capacity of 1.5KW. A 3 gallon fill-up will run for 24 hours.
I like the small one.
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