Anyone had one installed, what's the price.

Yesterday our power went out at 330-345 and I don't think it came on until midnight. The house starsts to get a little warm after awhile.

I got a little Champion 3500/4000 watt, but I couldn't get that bastid started. I could of at least run a fan and some lights.

I have two generators. If I ever have a problem with one, the other has always fired up. You should be starting your generator and letting it run for a few minutes, every month. I shut off fuel and run the carborator dry each time at shutdown. Also, check your fuel, gas does not store well long term without additives.

Yeah, I had additives in it, but it was just to old...

With an outboard motor, and this has been debated on the 'fire', running the carburetor dry seems to be a good practice. Straight gasoline, and Stay-bile can't hurt.

Marine gas is best, due to no ethanol, but it is a little more money. Available at most marinas. And age has littfle to do with it. I know off-gridders with machines older than you are. Maintenance matters, and the availability of parts.
One of my two was 13yrs old before it was even removed from it's box. I was immediately told by a shop it was unrepairable due to it's age, due to the lack of parts. (They lied. They just didn't want to do their jobs right. ) It just needed a coil. They deteriorate over time. $27.00 for a new coil, a little labor on my part, and I got a backup generator for the cost of repair.

I am interested in propane generators, since I heat with propane. Most people probably don't store alot of gas, and it has a shelf life. Propane is alot cleaner. I believe the generators more money though.

Propane is the only fuel that can be stored indefinitely . And there are propane adapters for most gasoline engines . However, There are fewer BTU's in propane than gasoline, So a converted gasoline powered generator will perform at a lower level . (Common set up with off-gridders)

Roughly $5K for a 22KW "whole house" Generac installed when building the house - extra $500.00 when adding to existing house - I priced a propane unit.

My only experience with Generac was a 3500W we had at work. We got it new and ran it a couple times to make sure it was working ok and doing the job we wanted it for, then we parked it. The 1st time we needed it, it was just out of warranty. The engine worked ok but it wouldn't put out any juice. The circuit board in the generator head was bad and we couldn't get parts, not even from Generac. Nobody in town could fix it. We ended up trashing it.
It was like a Harbor Freight unit but more expensive. Generac imported it from China but didn't import parts. It was a very expensive throw-a-way unit.

I can not say about a Generac, our PTO unit has brushes that can stick. I've been told to turn it over, even by hand every so often.

here ya go........

https://homegenerators.cummins.com/standby-generators

We installed a generac 20kw unit 4 years ago when we built the house. I think it was right at $5,000. We have needed it about 3 times, once right at the beginning of the super bowl. It turns itself on once a week and runs for 15 minutes. I change the oil / filter once a year. That reminds me.......

Can't answer the OP's question, but do have experience with a Generac 20KW unit that was in a house I moved to.

The first month of living there I added a line to run propane for a kitchen stove. During the hustle of piping it in, I disconnected the Generac, and never went back in to plumb it back in. In 2 years of living there we never lost power.

Went to sell the house and decided I should make sure the generator worked. Plumbed the propane line back in to it, flipped the switch to manual, and in 5 seconds I had a generator running my whole house.

Here's a site that keeps track of gas stations that carry pure gas. It's often cheaper and more convenient than going to a marina.

PURE-GAS.ORG

My ex made me buy one for Y2K. Got a 10.5k, wheels, and the switch panel, which I had installed by an electrician.

Ran it once after a hurricane took out the power. Had tv, fridge and freezer, lights, water, and microwave. Was riding high! Went next door to see if the neighbors needed wate and was told the commercial power had been back on for 45 minutes.

If you're gonna do it, don't go Bubba on it. Do it right and make sure you undersand how to operate it properly. Power company techs have been killed because someone was running their backup without opening the mains and energized the feed. Best, and priciest is an auto system. It has to be routined and maintained. During the Sandy storm, "smart guy" Bill O'Reilly's setup didn't work because he never ran routine checks on it.

There is (or was) a converter for my unit that would allow it to be run on either gas or propane by throwing a switch on the carb or maniflold. Propane makes sense for someone that already has a big tank for other stuff in the house.

I don't worry about normal outages, but it's not been that long ago that folks in parts of VA were without power for weeks. Having water in times like that is a huge deal.

we put a whole house generator in when we built. 22Kw Generac that runs on natural gas. I'll never be without one again. Learned my lesson the hard way.

That was our experience with a Generac we bought in the 90's for our off grid cabin. Motor ran great but the generator head kept failing. Had it repaired twice, once under warranty & about $500 the next, and the third time they couldn't even get the part. We bought a Kohler standby (still working fine) & gave the Generac to someone who needed the motor.
I think they've cleaned up their act these days. My nephew is an electrical contractor and installs back up systems. He says they're top rated and have the best customer support of the ones he's dealt with.

Seafoam is my favorite additive to keep gas fresh. Also, when shutting down, turn the gas line off and let the machine die. I also start mine about monthly just to keep everything running well. Also, NEVER use ethanol gas. I buy only high octane, premium ethanol free gas for all my small motors.

As for the generac question, I am interested in the replies as I feel the need to invest in one of those.

I would say $5-6K is about right installed for about 20kw of power. Depends on new or existing construction and how much power you want. You could easily spend $10k. Generac makes several models that run on propane or NG. It's a pretty neat setup once installed, though they generally cannot be installed by DIYer. Gas hookup requires licensed plumber, and electric hookup, a licensed electrician - if you want to do it right. Running on propane is great if you have propane. Just have to keep the tank at least half full. Switched out our 500gal for a 1000gal after the generator was added. NG shouldn't be an issue assuming that some SHTF situation doesn't disrupt the supply of it.

Good, thank you. Looks like I will have to hit a marina in a neighboring country though. Nothing local listed.

We have a Generac 22k that uses natural gas. I got it because of my wife's health which has improved some, Thank God. We paid $7500 for it installed. The contractor poured a nice pad. For the 22k you may need a gas meter with a higher flow rate.

let me tell you a story about 2 guys that were best of friends there whole life until one bought a generac.

these 2 families lived side by side in va beach for 40 years. the 2 boys from each family became best friends. a few years back there parents all died off leaving the boys both houses. one decided to buy a generac generator for the house,a 25k unit was put in between the 2 houses. first time the power went out and the generator came on the best friend next door started complaing that it was to loud and he couldn't sleep. the guy hat owned the generator then spent a small fortune building walls around it to keep the noise down. the friend still complained and took him to court and one the case. the judge made him get rid of the generator. now its setting in my brotherinlaws garage after he bought it for 1500.00. i may buy it and put it on my house.

Get a Kohler

https://www.norwall.com/blog/generator-information/generator-noise-levels-how-loud-are-they-2/

Guessing power outages of much length in cold weather could empty the average size storage tank pretty quick using LP as fuel for home heat AND a backup generator at the same time.

Those things can get really noisy, especially if "between the 2 houses" puts it 10' from your bedroom window. OTOH, how often does the power go out so it kicks on? Is it often enough to really be an issue?

They kick on weekly to "cycle"

Do you need a whole use unit?

I suppose it depends if you are in an area that power goes out alot. But I add up your loads. I have clamped both legs of my house at 9 amps. Stove propane. Dryer is electric. But you can air dry clothes, or tumble on low heat.

Air compressors take alot to start. Probably won't need one, but never know when you get a flat.

I hunted out of a camp with a well, and they ran it off a small generator. Not sure size, but not a whole house. What sucked was all the gas it went through. How many people have enoug full gas cans at all times?


Not sure the draw on central air, that may want you up sizing, especially down south.

A monster unit is nice luxory, but you can do quite a bit without one.

Heat is not a huge draw. They will mine up every 3-4 weeks in the winter, and usually has 25-40% in it They can only fill to about 80%.. Obviously you can't time the outage to a full tank. You can get 2nd tank or bigger. Some do it to buy when price low.

How much will the generator eat, is a question. It comes down to how smart you are, and how much the rest of the family listens to you. Turn it off during the day. Fridge will stay cold for a long time when shut. Its a cooler.

I have a 20K Generac propane wired right to priory load panel...Electric goes on within 10 seconds of the power loss...It is fed by a 1000 gal buried in the ground tank...Test cycles weekly and it's on a service contract every six months to make sure there is never an issue. Best $10,000 I ever spent on the house!!

A friend is the facility and maintenance director for a local college and doesn't have anything good to say about Generac standby generators. Koehler (sp?) and Honeywell are much better according to him. I have a portable 5000W generator that I back feed when the power goes out once or twice a year. We're running mostly gas in our house for water, stove, furnace and I went to LED for all our lights but that little generator will power everything we need in our house (3500 sq/ft). There's a selfish pleasure in having the porch lights on and watching TV in a black out storm.

I have natural gas on the property, so installed a Generac unit. One repair for a burned out panel in 10 years. Tried to get Kohler unit, but could not find an installer willing to travel to the boondocks. change oil & filter + air filter once a yr and exercise weekly and you are golden.
My gas well is starting to lose pressure, so, I may switch to propane. Propane will produce about 10% more power than natural gas.

Generac standby generators are great. Just run them once in awhile.

I put one in a few years ago. Went cheap with transfer switch and 8KW unit running on propane. Handles the water well, fridges, freezer, lights & ceiling fans in bedrooms, TVs, and fireplace blowers. Not everything but enough to keep us comfortable winter or summer.

I put a 35kw Generac NG unit on a custom home a couple years ago, and my father has a 22kw LP unit he had put in about ten years ago. They both have worked perfectly.

I just finished a larger home, and put in a fairly large Cummins "light commercial" unit. I get the impression the Cummins are better for heavier use, especially when you get into the larger models, but I've only heard good things about Generac.

Our son had a job of checking fuel on a generator at a cell phone tower during an outage years back. You could barely hear it running. I wish I could recall the make, it had a Japanese diesel engine.

I bought a 22kw unit when I retired. My Wife said the response time to outages was not acceptable anymore. Guess she was spoiled by having a bucket truck parked in the driveway 24/7? I was all electric so I had to have gas ran to the house. It was close enough that I qualified for a free service but the plumber charged me $175 for his part. I did the electrical myself. I got into it for a total of around $5600. Lots of my neighbors have them but a few have had trouble, including me. It seems that they throw them together at the factory and depend on the warranty guy to fix them. Mine would not program due to a faulty control panel. Took about a week to get that fixed. Then the motor blew up the next time it started and took about a month to get that fixed. Been running fine since then. The neighbors that had trouble are getting good service also, once whatever problems were corrected. 22kw will comfortably carry my all electric house but I did caution my Wife to not wash, dry, cook, wash dishes all at once if she did not have to. Just common sense!

Factor in maintenance costs as well as that of the generator itself. Find out how far to the closest factory-certified repair center and how much they charge for service calls.

We installed a Cummins-Onan whole-house unit, and it's a great genset except for the cost of repair. Installed the unit myself except for the electrical hookup (local power company requires a licensed electrician to do the hookups to the transfer switch). Even the electrician said that it's the nicest, well-thought-out generator and transfer switch that he's installed. And American-made (except as it turns out, some of the electrical components). Not much scheduled maintenance needed, and I do the oil and air filter changes myself, which minimizes the costs for routine maintenance.

Worked great for the first four years. Then the genset failed following a big storm. We're out in the country and there's no factory dealer in the area who services these. Cummins had a shop about 1-1/2 hours away, and since the unit was still under warranty they sent out a technician. Turned out to be a circuit board on the genset had failed; part was still covered but labor was no longer under warranty. A couple of weeks later, they installed the new part and had it running like new. But there was a trip-charge of $1000 to come visit and diagnose the problem.

A year later, the unit failed again after another big storm. Different tech came out and this time it was a circuit board in the transfer switch. Two weeks later tech comes out with the part -- wrong part. Seems someone had seen the earlier failed circuit board and placed one on order for the genset instead of the one needed for the transfer switch. Couple of weeks later, another tech comes out with the new part and gets me up & running again. Cummins did not charge for the second trip (when they brought the wrong part) but I did pay for one service call ($1000) and for the part and labor, as the units were no longer under warranty at that point.

So when making your decision, factor in the hidden costs of unscheduled maintenance, particularly after the warranty expires. I'm still very pleased with the system, but had definitely not budgeted for the trip charge.

Maybe a big set should be installed on a trailer with a plug-in so you can haul it to down when needed.

That COULD work, if you had both the transfer switch and the genset on the trailer, so that both could be moved for evaluation and repair. You would also need a way to disconnect the power cables, control panel cables, and the propane line (which would need to be purged when you return and re-connect).

There is also the cost of the trailer, maintenance (tires and bearings), tags and annual registration, and (in some states) personal property tax. One would have to consider their own unique situation and do the math to determine whether your proposed solution would be cost-effective in the long run.