roni June 21, 2011 Share June 21, 2011 Anyone have one? Any suggestions on brand/installation? How much maintenance is required? Considering doing this. Figure that while costly, hopefully it will be a long term investment both for the tanks and for the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT June 21, 2011 Share June 21, 2011 Whole house is a little overkill imo. Look at some things you really want to have power. aka furnace, fridge/freezer, stove/something to cook on, TV, cable etc., fish tank, and just pick a few rooms that need power. You get get a whole box installed just for when you switch to the generator power. At least thats the way we have it. then start thinking about how much power they will need, we went with a costco i think it was 7500-8000w or somewhere there about when they had a special for like 400 bucks which is darn cheap though it may not be the best generator it was briggs and straton motor. We run 3 rooms, 1 part of the furnace, tv, fridge etc (but have gas stove) and it works great, luckily one room happens to be where the fish tank is and i just leave the MH off. you will want 220v output plug to go to the house but its also nice to have some smaller to run other things you may need besides the house (tools etc for any random project or RV excursion) they make them where they can come on automatically but that an option up to you (nice for vacation but) most now have a pull start and battery starter, as long as you keep a batter tender on the batter it should last a long while and then all you have to do is walk outside and hit a button to start. then watch to see what neighbors look out the window and suddenly stop by to say hello/charge a phone etc. Other than that check out consumer reports and google to read some reviews, mainly look at the motor of the generator Hope i was some help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni June 22, 2011 Author Share June 22, 2011 Evan, Hmm, didn't realize the auto switch on would work for the smaller generators. We've kinda looked at it as a long term investment and an insurance policy but you've given me something to think about. Anyone else have one? Roni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfoxfox June 22, 2011 Share June 22, 2011 I have a Generac 20Kw. auto on and switch over. I live on top of the Blue Ridge and lose power often. This generator is about 83 amp and my electrician would not put on any extra amps even tho I told him we would 'never' run everything on the generator at the same time :-) My well pump, gas furnace, freezer, kitchen, master bath and part of the LR is on it. The generator is around 5K with the transfer switch. Install was 1200. I am very happy with it. I got it a Tractor supply for the same price as online. Extended warranty from TSC was a few hundred dollars. Good Luck. It runs on Propane. I highly recommend propane over any fossil fuel from a maintenance/storage perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS June 22, 2011 Share June 22, 2011 I haven't heard of portable generators being permanently wired to a house with an auto transfer switch. if that's possible, you are getting many of the benefits of a whole house unit. The other benefits to consider would be increased capacity, possibly cleaner power so computers and electronics will work and ability to use natural gas indefinitely instead of keeping fresh gas on hand and refilling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT June 22, 2011 Share June 22, 2011 I really like the generators that can run on different fuels as well. I know the honda EU6500is and EM5000 (i think those are the model numbers) have the option to run with an automatic transfer switch. I dont know if all models can, i also know there are plenty of other manufacturers taht have the option as well They call them portable as they are on wheels and in a frame but its not something one person can lift into a car. the Auto Transfer switch can get expensive though, manuals run around 300-400 and the automatics can run upwards of 6-900. if you loose power alot it may not be a bad insurance policy for when you travel, if you dont travel alot its not really a big deal. Especially with the battery starts, just push a button and the thing turns on. Really you dont need much more then 6500 to power alot of things, just google it and there are a ton of general power usages of different appliances. Id find a shop that sells generators (not home depot but an actual shop, we have used sterling mowers for a while and been happy but i dont know if they sell generators) and talk to them about options and or if you have an electrician friend talk to him and make sure its wired correctly....ive heard your supposed to tell your power company that you run a generator as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni June 22, 2011 Author Share June 22, 2011 Thanks everyone for your advice. From what my neighbors tell me, they haven't lost power in the 6 years they've lived there and we haven't lost power in the year I've lived in this house. My concern is Murphy's law, which always seems to strike me. I can envision us being away on vacation and a big storm hitting and knocking out power for 3-4 days ;( I'm going to take your suggestion and find a store that sells generators and try to dig up some more info. The honda + auto switch at a max of $2000 is a lot nicer then $6500 for the whole house, if it will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw June 22, 2011 Share June 22, 2011 Another thing to look at is insurance breaks and tax write offs. If you spend the $6500 for the whole house deal, can you recoup any of it through deductions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar June 22, 2011 Share June 22, 2011 I love the idea of the whole house generator because of the peace of mind. - It comes on by itself whether I'm at work for the day, or away for the week for my job or for vacation. - I don't have to store gasoline somewhere, refill it when it runs out, or siphon fuel out of my car to keep it running. - I don't have to worry about someone stealing it if I leave it outside, or storing it inside (somewhere) and dragging it out and setting it up in a storm. The only reason I haven't bought one is that power in our area if very reliable. I think once in the last 7 years the power was out for about an hour. If our current house was our forever home, or if the power wasn't so reliable here, I would have already bought one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 22, 2011 Share June 22, 2011 I have a Generac 20Kw. auto on and switch over. I live on top of the Blue Ridge and lose power often. This generator is about 83 amp and my electrician would not put on any extra amps even tho I told him we would 'never' run everything on the generator at the same time :-) My well pump, gas furnace, freezer, kitchen, master bath and part of the LR is on it. The generator is around 5K with the transfer switch. Install was 1200. I am very happy with it. I got it a Tractor supply for the same price as online. Extended warranty from TSC was a few hundred dollars. Good Luck. It runs on Propane. I highly recommend propane over any fossil fuel from a maintenance/storage perspective. Wayne, if you're following this, did you have to add a propane tank for this and, if so, how large is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni June 23, 2011 Author Share June 23, 2011 still looking into this some. Steve, great suggestion on checking with homeowners...unfortunately mine doesn't but some will drop premiums a substantial amount so worth checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 23, 2011 Share June 23, 2011 still looking into this some. Steve, great suggestion on checking with homeowners...unfortunately mine doesn't but some will drop premiums a substantial amount so worth checking. Keep us posted on this. I'm interested in knowing what you find out. As I move out to the country, I may have to consider some sort of alternate-fueled generator. Unfortunately, we don't have natural gas piped in at the new place, but do have room for a propane tank if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni September 29, 2011 Author Share September 29, 2011 Wanted to bump this back to the top. Couple things I've learned 17k-20K is plenty for most folks you have to have a concrete pad to put the generator on due to cost. You can either bury a tank or possibly hook into your natural gas line. Electricians are expensive. So, if anyone knows a licensed master electrician, please pm me. It's looking like the cost with installation is almost twice what the unit itself is, which will make this non viable for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS September 29, 2011 Share September 29, 2011 Yes, my installation cost estimate was about 1.5x the cost of the generator. That's cause the gas line and the power line are 50' apart so we would need someone to dig a 2' trench for 50 feet to bury the gas line. That was 3 years ago and I have put it off but now I'm looking into it again... I know a couple of electricians including the guy who I was talking with before. Lemme dig up some info and send it to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni September 29, 2011 Author Share September 29, 2011 Cool, maybe we can get a little discounted rate My neighbor is going to install one as well depending on the cost. To be honest, the entire cost is more then my new tank...I'm leaning towards just getting a smaller portable and using it for the few times we lose power, at least until it becomes more frequent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 September 29, 2011 Share September 29, 2011 Does your homeowners insurance go down if you have a whole house generator? I would think they would appreciate that. I know my friends basement flooded during the hurricane due to the sump pump stopping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankyf September 29, 2011 Share September 29, 2011 Roni, When I purchased one a few years ago I determined that the gas company was also going to charge me about $700 to dig up the gas line and install a high flow valve at the street. This may be something to check into as well. Also, I was not going to need a concrete pad. The generator came with a composite pad similar to what is used with heat pumps. As far a natural gas vs. propane, the natural gas should be an endless supply, but you typically lose a few thousand kw if you power it with gas instead of propane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni September 29, 2011 Author Share September 29, 2011 Mike, Unfortunately my homeowners doesn't discount, though that is definitely a plus for those that do. Banky, Do you remember the electrician that installed it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankyf September 29, 2011 Share September 29, 2011 I never installed it. I purchased it after we lost power for 3 days from a hurricane about 8 years ago. It was going to be very complicated to installed and I was not thrilled with any of the installation options. It sat in my garage for about 2 years until I finally sold it. The power never went out once during that time. I can count on one hand the number of times the power has gone out since and never for more than a few hours. I ended up purchasing a 7500 watt portable and a manual transfer switch that I installed myself. I made stickers with good instructions to put on the transfer panel and generator and walked my wife through how to switch it over and start the generator. Probably spent less on the portable generator and transfer switch than I would have on the maintenance and upkeep of the whole house gen for the last 8 years. Not really sure of the actual cause, but we run quite a few fires related to whole house generators during power outages in Stafford County. I am not aware of any major property loss as a result of this and they are typically just confined to the panel, but it is frequent enough to make me nervous about leaving my generator running when nobody is home. In the event of a power failure while I am away, I use the apex to notify me and the ecotech backup battery to maintain circulation until I can get home to start the generator and switch it over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 September 29, 2011 Share September 29, 2011 checkout Amazon for Generac whole house generators. They are surprisingly cheap. Also remember that there are permit issues, etc that need to be looked into for install. You have to run a gas line to the generator and your Washington Gas bill wont look pretty if it is on for an extended period of time. I run a 3500W inverter generator that sees double duty for my track events. It's enough to power everything in the tank but the metal halide lights. Also much quieter than the standard generators my neighbors use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni September 30, 2011 Author Share September 30, 2011 Great info. I think I'm going to look into whether there is any actual data about power outages in this area. If it ends up being infrequent, I think I'll go the route that a few people did with the portable. Thanks for everyone's help. BTW, Tractor Supply has surprisingly low prices on generators and will price match any Amazon price. My local one actually had a 17K in stock, which was nice in terms of getting a chance to see it before buying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankyf September 30, 2011 Share September 30, 2011 checkout Amazon for Generac whole house generators. They are surprisingly cheap. Also remember that there are permit issues, etc that need to be looked into for install. You have to run a gas line to the generator and your Washington Gas bill wont look pretty if it is on for an extended period of time. I run a 3500W inverter generator that sees double duty for my track events. It's enough to power everything in the tank but the metal halide lights. Also much quieter than the standard generators my neighbors use. Are you saying that your system uses more than 3500w on a continuous basis? That is a lot, I would hate to see that electric bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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