Anybody have a Generac whole house standby generator?
I watched the TV commercial a couple of times and was thinking about getting one because my antique no name generator on a homemade yard card weighs a ton and if I ever was the man I used to be I sure as hell ain?t no more.
I did my internet research and it looked like I was out of the market because that advertised starting price of $2,000.00 appears to be an advertising gimmick. I wasn?t surprised by that but I was surprised by the amount it is off from the real price.
We don?t have a local dealer so I got a phone number from their internet site. I talked to a dealer who told me he is pretty sure he can have me up and running for $30,000.00. It seems the ?starting price? doesn?t include site preparation, shipping (they take it off the truck for no charge), concrete pad, fuel tank, fuel, installation and possible new breaker board. After that conversation I thanked the man and pretty much forgot about Generac.
BUT THEN, I was talking to an acquaintance who told me his buddy installs Generacs and he told him he was pretty sure he could have him up and running for $6,000.00. That?s still a sizable chunk of change to me, but it might be manageable if I don?t start running into the little extras after I?m in too deep to get out.
Any information will be appreciated. I?d like to have one but I don?t want to sell the house to get it.
I did my internet research and it looked like I was out of the market because that advertised starting price of $2,000.00 appears to be an advertising gimmick. I wasn?t surprised by that but I was surprised by the amount it is off from the real price.
We don?t have a local dealer so I got a phone number from their internet site. I talked to a dealer who told me he is pretty sure he can have me up and running for $30,000.00. It seems the ?starting price? doesn?t include site preparation, shipping (they take it off the truck for no charge), concrete pad, fuel tank, fuel, installation and possible new breaker board. After that conversation I thanked the man and pretty much forgot about Generac.
BUT THEN, I was talking to an acquaintance who told me his buddy installs Generacs and he told him he was pretty sure he could have him up and running for $6,000.00. That?s still a sizable chunk of change to me, but it might be manageable if I don?t start running into the little extras after I?m in too deep to get out.
Any information will be appreciated. I?d like to have one but I don?t want to sell the house to get it.
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No sir, no generator here. But sure glad to see you in here. 0 -
I just finished having a 22kw Generac put in my Mother's place, hooked up to natural gas. For that size, you are looking between 8K minimum, and 11K tops depending on your installation. This is assuming you are using honest people and not thieves.
I would be highly doubtful of getting a 22kw for 6K being as the equipment alone runs just under 5K with transfer switch. You may be looking at a 16kw, or even smaller. It all depends on what you are trying to run, and how many load shed switches you are willing to use.
The one I did will run everything just like the house was on utility power.0 -
I have a 13 KW that was installed in 1999...used it many times,and still do...mine runs on propane,although I have natural gas...My propane will run for four days...the cost is in the "Transfer Switch"....they do eat batteries.... I average a new batterie evr two years...how you been doing?....I see ya'll have a new QB.....Nordic C/s closed down this summer... 0 -
Get a written contract with everything spelled out with a detailed cost per item. 
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Get a written contract with everything spelled out with a detailed cost per item. 0 -
We have Generac 12kw that runs off propane. Bought it at Lowe?s / HD (don?t recall which). It came with the auto switch. Had a neighbor (Master Electrician) install. Has worked for years, flawlessly. We have the TV and router in a UPS so we don?t even realize when the power goes out.
Get propane vs. gas. Propane in the tank lasts forever...0 -
You can buy a Generac LP/Nat gas tool less conversion unit with 200 amp transfer switch for 5K at Northern Tool, pay electrician to hook up for whatever deal you can arrange.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200665217_2006652170 -
Get the unit that can run either and if you lose gas you can run on propane WearyTraveler wrote:We have Generac 12kw that runs off propane. Bought it at Lowe?s / HD (don?t recall which). It came with the auto switch. Had a neighbor (Master Electrician) install. Has worked for years, flawlessly. We have the TV and router in a UPS so we don?t even realize when the power goes out.
Get propane vs. gas. Propane in the tank lasts forever...0 -
I installed a 17KW Gererac natural gas generator in May 2013. No problems at all. I have them come and change the oil, plugs, oil and air filter yearly. They also test the battery and cycle the generator and transfer panel. Still the original battery. $6000 installed in 2013 when the house was built. 0 -
mogley98 wrote:Get the unit that can run either and if you lose gas you can run on propane, plus propane or LP gas is more efficient than natural gasWearyTraveler wrote:We have Generac 12kw that runs off propane. Bought it at Lowe?s / HD (don?t recall which). It came with the auto switch. Had a neighbor (Master Electrician) install. Has worked for years, flawlessly. We have the TV and router in a UPS so we don?t even realize when the power goes out.
Get propane vs. gas. Propane in the tank lasts forever...0 -
have 2..10K with welder on gas and 7.5K portable on propane......solved the dead battery problem with a 20ft set of homemade cables...no battery on generator ....can always get up to it with a car/pickup/tractor..... 0 -
We had a 22KW unit installed about a year ago. We are on the end of the line and power drops off often. The generator has paid for itself already. We were between $4 & 5K for the unit and a couple thousand for installation. We had a pad poured by someone else as part of some overall landscaping in the area. You can get a load shedding device and go with a smaller generator unit if you have multiple ac units or big users on your house. 0 -
I have had a Generac 7.5K for about 15 years. Runs on propane, use a 125 lb tank for propane . Powers most of what I need, well pump, furnace, fridge, sump pump and lights in kitchen, living room and bedroom.
Ran for 8 days straight when we had a bad October snow storm in 2010, never got close to running out of propane.0 -
We had a new Generac 16kw installed in our 2700 sq ft house by a master electrician dealer 9 months ago for $8500. Included concrete pad and winter heater (we are in northern wisconsin). We can (and have) run whole house with only a 5 second delay from time of outage. The 3 or so outages we experienced were from 10 minutes to 3 hours without problems other than satellite tv and computer having to reboot from 5 second delay. We could have reduced cost by one or two thousand dollars to run just selected sections of house or omit air conditioning etc. with a 12 or 14 kw. Our neighbor down the road has had one just like for 3 years and has run it for one or two days several times without problem. 0 -
They're great for what the average customer does with it. But if the lights go out for an extended time then any generator running 3600 RPMs is junk. Diesel Power is dying even the military is going green now,but it's the best engine for long term use in extended emergencies.
serf0 -
I have a 15k gas generator, but it is not of the standby / on-demand type. It is on 2 wheels with its own battery. I couldn't beat the price. I got it for free for being the only one to clean up a storage room at work where it happened to be buried. It hadn't been used in 6 years but was properly cleaned, emptied, and readied for long term storage. I had to put 2 new tires on it and of course a battery. Then, it fired up in about 5 seconds of cranking. It has 52 hours on it and it runs and looks brand new. I am thinking about either building a drag skid on it, building a small roofed, but open sided shed for it and just leave it hooked up as an on-demand or, maybe building a better 4 wheel cart of some type for it. It is just heavy enough that to push it across our bumpy yard, especially after rain, in snow, etc makes it tough. I am going to get a transfer switch wired in at some point but I have been trying to decide if I should expand or replace my current breaker box. It is really too small but the thought of going to all the arc fault breakers that have proven to be somewhat problematic has been the thing stopping me.
I also have a 6.5k generator that I actually use a lot more. It is handy to use out at the deer stand for power tools, run a power tool somewhere at the edge of our 10 acres, etc. It probably has 1500 hours on it.0 -
I'd like to get a propane whole home generator 14kw or higher to run central A/C witha dedicated 1000 gal tank...currently use a 8kw gas generator wired into both boxes, plug on the outside of the garage and manual main lock outs. It will due, definitely better than nothing but would love a whole home generator. 0 -
My buddy has one at his house . Think it was about 18 kw , don?t tremember the cost but it is on automatic transfer switch . Has fine well in the past three or four hurricanes/ storms . It is also a dual fuel but is plumbed for propane at current time 0 -
Thanks for all the replies. Other than wiping out my family fortune I don?t see much downside. Most of the estimates are more in line with what I expected. I have to spend righteous bucks on some house maintenance that I've neglected too long, so I?ll see what?s left after I finish that. I?m hoping I can swing it and it looks better than it did. $30,000.00 US dollars was just entirely out of the question.
Getting old sucks. Getting old with a broken back really sucks.0 -
Turns out the internet was giving me outdated information. It said we didn?t have a local dealer, but in fact we have two. One of them came out today and we did the walk around the house and checked out my wiring, etc. I?ll be getting a 22KW with propane. I could have saved a dollar or two but I got a couple of options that I needed anyway. The installation I?m getting is similar to what Marc1301 did at his mother?s house. His estimate was dead on too, bottom line will be just over $10K, still a respectable chunk of change to me but one whole hell of a lot better than $30K.
I really appreciate all the input. I was about ready to hide my head in my hands and cry in my Pepsi.0 -
I bought a Generac generator for my last house. After I sold and bought a new house 10 years later, I went to buy another Generac.
I was told the Generac quality was gone now that they are made in China. So I bought a Briggs and Stratten.
I have been happy with the Briggs and it has come in handy many times.0
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