Home Generators - Recommendations Requested

[brenn_man20]

So I was considering getting a generator for our home recently, but I realize now that I know nothing at all about them.

I previously lived in an area with underground wiring and we never lost power in the past seven years. Now in the new location, the risk is much higher. Couple that with all that's going on in the world and I thought it may be a wise investment.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd prefer not to break the bank but figure I might have to on a purchase like this.

Do I need to contact an electrician to hook it up or is that something a novice like myself can do?

Are there any considerations about fuel efficiency - in a long outage it would be nice to have something that we could keep running. Right now I don't have a great place to store fuel - that's also on the list and if you have recommendations I'd appreciate it too.

Thanks in advance!

 

[noelnole]

here are my thoughts, this is for a whole house generator

dont get generac, decent brand in the past but they got the chinease making their products now so its all cheap and not very durable

i had a generac whole house liquid cooled gen that cost my 18k

only ever had to use it less than 10x's since 2005, found out a few hurricanes ago it doesnt work due to xyz problems, got several other opinions and it turned out that my motor was blown

very surprising from what little use it had and the cost i spent, didnt think i had to purchase another in my lifetime, thoroughly dissapointed to say the least

now im having a briggs and stratton whole house installed in a few weeks, its gonna be air cooled

depending on the sq footage of your home (4600 is mine) all you need is an air cooled generator, it has a longer warranty (10 yrs as opposed to the liquid cooled 7 yrs) and the parts are cheaper than the liquid cooled. air cooled is also more durable than the liquid plus the liquid is more expensive

air cooled will cost approximately 9k and the liquid is 18k and above

liquid cooled is only for an extremely large house

my new gen guy said the generac people prob saw my two story house and nice neighborhood and decided to sell you the liquid cooled for profit motive

prob should have asked more questions 15 yrs ago but i justed wanted a whole house for peace of mind, my girls were still toddlers at the time and hurricanes are prevalent

idk where your from but if you wanted just general info you can call these guys, seville power equipment in pensacola, ask for the generator department and anyone can help you 850 432 8856

if you call ask them about the generac brand

one more thing, when i had problems with my unit i called the generac company up in new england it think and also the sub contractors that installed it and got zero help

these guys im with currently are local and will do all the maintenance which is very important

hope this helps

 

[UNC71-00]

You should definitely wire it yourself and make sure someone is taking video when you do.

 

[hmt5000]

Go propane. It will be worth it. Get a couple 40# tanks that you buy and then get a couple of the gas grill tanks you trade in and you'll be good for about a week of power outage. Propane won't go bad like gas and as long as you run it a few minutes every few months you will not have near the maintenance issues as gas and diesel.

If you have natural gas in your home you can get a combo unit and you are golden for a hurricane type shutdown.

 

[UNC71-00]

Go propane. It will be worth it. Get a couple 40# tanks that you buy and then get a couple of the gas grill tanks you trade in and you'll be good for about a week of power outage. Propane won't go bad like gas and as long as you run it a few minutes every few months you will not have near the maintenance issues as gas and diesel.

If you have natural gas in your home you can get a combo unit and you are golden for a hurricane type shutdown.

this is my setup and I have a 250 gallon lp tank buried in the back yard

 

[Cre8ive]

So I was considering getting a generator for our home recently, but I realize now that I know nothing at all about them.

I previously lived in an area with underground wiring and we never lost power in the past seven years. Now in the new location, the risk is much higher. Couple that with all that's going on in the world and I thought it may be a wise investment.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd prefer not to break the bank but figure I might have to on a purchase like this.

Do I need to contact an electrician to hook it up or is that something a novice like myself can do?

Are there any considerations about fuel efficiency - in a long outage it would be nice to have something that we could keep running. Right now I don't have a great place to store fuel - that's also on the list and if you have recommendations I'd appreciate it too.

Thanks in advance!

Get one that runs on natural gas is you have gas. It's a bit of a chore of keep enough fuel around.

 

[Rebarcock.]

Generac is good product

 

[44Bobcats55]

How many amps do you need? I have one for my RV that supports 12000w and has a 50a, 30a, 2 110a outlets. It is duel fuel and cost less than 1k

 

[tiderollsonu]

It comes down to needs, honestly I prefer the smaller 4-5kw units you can use propane or gas. Will power all of the important things outside of heat pump/dryer/stove and use a lot less gas.

You don't have to have the electrician but you have to cut off the main to the house before you tie it in. You can do it with a double male end 12Ga power cord and just plug it into any non GFI outlet.

This solution gets you out the door for under a grand and will power your devices/fridge/internet/TV.

If you want a whole home generator you have to jump to a 10-12kw generator and have an electrician put in a transfer switch to switch to it and have a propane tank installed. My dad put this in but it sat for 10 years and when needed didn't run and he spent a fortune getting it fixed. A lot of expense for something you may use for a week every 5-10 years.

 

[Long cat]

What do you want it to operate? Do you want it to be automatic or just something you can hook up Every now and then? You could spend a lot of money and have a full, automatic backup system or you could go cheap and spend $500 for a generator that will run limited stuff. I went cheaper and spent like $500 on a generator that will run everything I need except for central AC. I live 30 miles from the coast and have lots of family spread all around the central Florida area, so if we get hit bad we just take off for a few days and stay somewhere with power. Other than natural disasters (hurricanes for me) the electric grid is extremely reliable unless you have special power needs for medical equipment or something.

 

[Rebarcock.]

I havent done it at my new place bit you can get an electrician to pigtail your electrical panel. Then plug and play as needed. I have big welders so i have an advantage of having large machines on trailers to power everything. I also have a 6000w i keep in my shed if power is only out for a couple days