[NotQuiteCricket]

Bookmark. Good topic, this is on my to do list as well.

[outofsalt]

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.

[xzins]

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.

[freedumb2003]

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.

[tazman3]

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.

[outofsalt]

[Vendome]

Oh yeah.

I had Rice and beans for dinner....

[Brooklyn Attitude]

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.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

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.

[SamAdams76]

For years, I got by with just a portable generator. I'd run extension cords to house to run refrigerator, some lights and other small appliances.

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.

[Zarro]

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!

[DariusBane]

Your decision should be driven by the servicing dealer. That being equal buy the Kohler

[Fiddlstix]

Bookmark

[RegulatorCountry]

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.

[stayathomemom]

I thought for sure you were posting from SE Michigan. We are in the midst of the largest weather related power outage in DTE's history. Almost 700,000 customers were with out power do to sustained winds of over 35mph over a 12 hour period and gusts to 65mph. Lots of trees down.
Anyone I've run into who has a whole house generator says it's been a great decision on their part. I have a large generator which plugs into an outlet in the garage and then a circuit box in the basement to transfer on necessary circuits to the generator. I think I'm using about .5gal of gas/hour? Not sure though. It's noisy, but I have heat. Many don't and we are expecting lows in the teens for the next few days.

[BuffaloJack]

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.

[databoss]

Don’t waste your money.

[PJammers]

27KW? Wow! Forget Generac and Kohler, you should be looking at Caterpillars.

[BuffaloJack]

27KW. Wow that’s big.
in 2006 when we had an ice storm, the Valu Home Center 2 blocks from my home ran their entire store (light, heating, phones, cash registers, etc.) with a 7KW generator.
How big is your home that it needs 27KW of power?

[mad_as_he$$]

27kW? What are you running? A server farm?