Home Standby Generator - Kohler or Generac?

[tyromeo55]

Something to ponder. Home depot sells the same setup for 4529 plus tax and you could get 10 percent off easy enough I think. The best part would be of there was a problem with it you would have a local store you could just return it to. Out out of curiosity. Why do you want such a big genset?

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

We have a 20 KW Generac that is right at 4 years old, and has been reliable since we bought it. It's water cooled, runs on natural gas, and can be converted to propane with a simple swapping out of a jet. We do not have a propane tank or cross-over valve setup yet, but it is on the wish list.

Maintenance is as simple as maintaining a small car engine. Ours has about 75 hours of run time(it runs 12 minuets a week for an automatic test) and has kept us up and running many times, too.

I highly recomment having a back-up generator, and can vouch for the Generac.

 

[1shott]

I am looking at this model, with the transfer switch ....... Air Cooled and will be plumbed into my Natural Gas Line ...... They have two of them left right now ...... They have priced this one to me for $4,500 (shipped) ...... and 2% off for paying with a Bank Check ..... $4,410 quoted price ......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220950615161&ssPageName=ADME:X:BOCOR:US:1123


The install will run around $1,500 ........ Gas and Electric hookup .......

IF they have them in stock ready to ship, current production, then thats not to bad. I order direct from Generac, and there is a current wait time of up to 2 months, due to production demands from the hurricans and storms of last year.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Standby generators are selling like guns.

What does that tell you about the mood of the American people?

Woody

 

[pinkhamr]

Thanx for all of your inputs - They are greatly appreciated. Looks like a different location for the Generator drops the install down to about $650 ..... Decided to go with the Generac 5875 20KW (77AMP on NG) and includes at 200 AMP RTS (Service Rated) Auto Transfer Switch. Total cost is $4,504 delivered and delivery within 10 days. May be an extra $40 for a lift gate truck to deliver it. I will be ready for this Spring .....

 

[1shott]

Thanx for all of your inputs - They are greatly appreciated. Looks like a different location for the Generator drops the install down to about $650 ..... Decided to go with the Generac 5875 20KW (77AMP on NG) and includes at 200 AMP RTS (Service Rated) Auto Transfer Switch. Total cost is $4,504 delivered and delivery within 10 days. May be an extra $40 for a lift gate truck to deliver it. I will be ready for this Spring .....

Sounds like a good score, and your happy. cant beat the two. I am glad you found a place that has them in stock.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

That's a good deal. We have basically the same Generac system - 20KW, natural gas, 200AMP Xfer switch and set us back around $6,300.00 including the pouring of the slab, a split electrical system between what is backed up and what isn't (was an option when the house was built).

WORD OF CAUTION: When you have your slab poured for the generator, have the wires run through conduit up through the slab near the electrical connections under where the generator will sit, and make sure the slab is at least a foot away from your house's foundation/slab. We made sure ours was the foot away from the house slab because we've been in a house that had the generator bolted down to a patio on the back of the house and the engine noise reverberates all through that house.

Woody

 

[Fireguy]

I have a Generac, 1st Generation 15kW, natural gas, that was installed in 2006. I have less than 120 hours of actual generating time on it. It ran for a snow storm for several hours, a hurricane for 3 3 1/2 days and a hurricane for 17 hours, in that order. It started leaking oil through the PTO down to fan and blowing it all through the generator housing, during the first hurricane. It actually shut down due to low oil pressure. It cost me $300 to repair a rear main seal. It ran for for the second hurricane and low and behold I have the same leak. This time it cost $800 for the same repair as before. When I talked to Generac they told me it was out of warranty and there was really nothing they could do. My Generator is probably not even broken in yet with les tha 120 hours on it. Im contemplating a replacement with a Kohler. Kohler has a 5 year warranty. Any one with Kohler Experince?

 

[pinkhamr]

So far so good with my Generac. Longest power outage has only been for about 4 hours thus far. It does self test for 20 minutes every Saturday ..... no hiccups at all ..... Very happy with it.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

It does self test for 20 minutes every Saturday .....

FWIW the self test is called "exercising" if it actually transferes the load of the home to the genset...if it's not, its just running the engine under no-load and over time it will just glaze the cylinders and cause oil consumption.