Anyone have a whole house generator?
 

I just got two quotes which are about $1700 difference in price. The higher one is for a Briggs and Stratton with a 3 year warranty. The other for a Generac Guardian with a 2 year warranty. The systems pretty much create the price difference.

Does anyone have experience with either? Is the Briggs and Stratton that much better?

yes they are. go with B&S.

Damn im tired i thought it said Whore house generator :Oh crap

sold them for years if you wanna know anything hit me up :)

B&S is famous so youll pay the name but it comes with a nice service too... Anyhow 1700 is nothing in difference if youre seriously considering a big genset, Im pretty sure youre lookin at a big portable right?

Peaches, these run around 1200 and can power the essentials like your fridge and tv and small appliances. The bonus is it's very, very quiet and can run a fridge for like 6-10 hours or more one one gallon of feul.

http://i.tnpv.us/pv/2005/02/22/HON2005022269425_pv.jpg

No, it's not a portable. 12W hardwired into the electrical panel.

The B&S quote is $7059 completely installed. The Generac is $5245 but w/o propane hookup (which will run about $400) so I guess it's really just a $1400 difference (my math sucks :winkwink: ). The B&S will also be set on pebble whereas the Generac on cement and the B&S guy said that would reduce noise a bit - true?

The president of the company gave me the B&S estimate whereas the Generac guy was a sale dude who spent about 1/4 of the time here the B&S spent.

Everything points me to the B&S but I wanted to make sure it was worth the extra $$$ :)

Many thanks!

I actually have a small gas powered generator that I hate and have now given to my brother :( I lose power for at least an hour or so once a week and more than 6 hours about once every two months so I need something that doesn't take much effort for me to get started, lol! The gas powered are so loud and if I have no power for a long period of time, being able to get to the store to buy gas is unlikely. This generator will hook up directly to the propane tank, test itself weekly, automatic on, blah, blah, blah. It's my early birthday/Christmas present to myself :)

this thing?: runs on propane or other natural gas...

http://www.standbygeneratorsystems.c...roduct_pic.gif

Should I get one of those too? :thumbsup

Yes :)

8char

speaking as one of wilma's bitches, down here in Miami.. ;-)

I can say that the people with B&S generators have had the least problems with them. They have always just started up with no problems.

and lets face it, when you need them... you really really need them!

Yeah, that's my thought. You doing OK?

If storms continue to increase in Florida you can expect to get your money back on a Generator system when it comes time to sell the home.

As far as insulating properties of gravel vs. concrete I'm not seeing how the concrete would be quieter than mounting on gravel. I would elevate the system if possible to alleviate any worry of flooding. Granted if you're going to flood, the generator would most likely be only a small worry.

I'm in GA and on a VERY steep hill. There is virtually no way anything could flood. I could slide off the mountain though :thumbsup He said the pebble is quieter than the cement, not the other way around. And it's cheaper.

I live in a very remote area so yes, the generator WILL help the value of the house - she says with much hope, lol! :)

where are you finding the B&S at? I know Costco has the generac, but I have heard nothing good about them. Does that come with the switching panel, or whatever it's called?

I don't even have a portable generator. I just stayed at my office, that had generator.

I went through a local company. The price I gave is completely turn key. I give them the $$$ and then do nothing but enjoy my power when the lines go down :)

I could probably get it a few dollars cheaper by doing it piecemeal (buy the system, get an electrician, call the gas company, etc.) but I just don't want the aggravation.

I'm doing great. We got our power back last night!!!! :-)

For one whole week it was darkness, cold showers in a pitch black bathroom, and cooking with a butane camping stove. Reading by flashlight, driving around trying to find open networks in the small areas that had power so that I could get online. maniacs driving right through intersections where the lights are out instead of treating them like 4 way stops the way they are supposed to.....


But NOW... All is redeemed! Last night the power came on!!!

*Michael dances around the living room howling with glee*

Ok, so things are still a mess around here, but with the lights on, and the DVD/internet/water heater/lights/stove working.... I can deal with it. :thumbsup

Peaches,

I have the generac with the auto transfer switch and hooked to propane. It was $3400 at Home Depot (2001) and is a 10kw. That's not enough to run everything I have, but I hooked up my essentials to it.

I'd say the prices you are getting are fair considering it is turn key. :)

There are some things I would pay to see - that's one of them :thumbsup

Who are you again? :winkwink: And yes, I took your advice and I'm not hooking up the AC or heat strips. Probably won't use the oven either, knowing me :)

You would have appreciated the looks they were both giving me on how they were going to get the unit down to where it needs to go :1orglaugh

No payment needed.




For you... anytime! :winkwink:

Allrightythen - just called the guy and they are delivering the B&S unit itself on Thurs and getting all installation done next week :)

Thanks everyone - I will blame all of you if it goes wrong ;)

this is the one you should get. Keep in mind that you have to ad a 2k for installation and hookup. Check with your oilcompany for gas deleverence and connections. Make sure the gastank you get is big enough. Its a great machine and works flawless.

if you have a waterpump keep that in mind. A more light type wont get your pump going.

Yeah installing that isnt 10 bucks. What we used to sell with them was a sync unit that takes over the power to a UPS synchronised the genset and switched to genset power and vice versa. Not cheap but that way its all auto-starting.

Plus get a decent tank yes. And a service contract. They gotta run every 6 months or year, tests need to be done. Installing these means getting a solid base to put them on too. Insulation to decrease sounds.

Dont know how its arranged over there, but they need to be within a certain db(A) reach to have approval to start these in an area with lotsa houses.

That's the one I'm getting. Yeah, one of the questions they asked me was if I have a well pump, but we have our own community water system here so I'm clear :)

My tank is only 330 gallons and I can't get a larger one delivered. I'll be calling them when it hits 40-50% so I have less chance of it running out. The only other two things using it are my gas logs and a wall heater. I can usually go an entire year with just one fill.

The price includes everything - they even use the same gas company as I do for the gas line extension and install :)

I don't have a lot of houses around me ;) This unit is 69db. Installation is $1750 of the price. I get a free oil changes the first 6 months and I can elect to get a service contract after that. And it tests itself automatically once a week.

You all know that the minute they install it I won't have a power outage for years, right? ;)

I have a Briggs & Stratton 5500 watt generator. I think its a better bet to have a portable one, because with a catastrophic event, be it hurricane or earthquake, odds are an outdoor generator will get damaged as well. And if your whole house gets damaged, you won't be needing a fixed generator anyways.

With the portable you've got a lot more options and its a lot simpler to handle and maintain.

http://shop.briggsandstratton.com/Im...0209_Large.jpg

I had a portable one for 4+ years. Bought it from someone who went whole house. :)

All our wires are above ground and we have a LOT of trees. That means when the wind starts blowing, my power goes out. It may only be for an hour or so at a time but dealing with all the hassles of starting up a portable once a week just isn't my idea of good time management :( Whole house around here just makes more sense. If I lived in the burbs where power went out once or twice a year, that's different.

It's going to be down by my AC condenser next to the cement basement wall. If it gets damaged my house will be in bad enough shape where I'll be calling Wig and having him come fetch me :)

I've been talking about getting one for years - I feel like a kid at Christmas!!!

Why not go solar, it pays for itself in 10yrs.

k cool 69 isnt bad at all, nice price if thats incl install

12kW in solar ...right

any idea what costs we would talk bout?

POSTEDIT : I just checked the Kyocera we sold then $1k per 160W, do the math :)

Here's the breakdown:
? 1 ? Briggs & Stratton 12kW w/ 200 AMP Automatic Transfer Switch.
? Turn-key professional installation ? all electrical, gas piping and start up
? Three year Briggs & Stratton warranty
? Transfer switch located on the exterior of your home near existing electric service.
? Generator location on the left side of your home in area we discussed.
? Installed Generator System Price:
o Generator System w/ Transfer Switch $4,962.00
o Installation $1,750.00
o Sales Tax on Generator System $ 347.34
o Total $7,059.34

My parents have a B&S for their home. It was there when they bought the home and has run as needed without fault for them for 4 years now. I think the actual unit is 10 years old. They are near the ocean and they only need it when winds kick up or a big rain storm comes in and knocks out power. It comes on automatically and there is like a 5-10 second loss of power. Probably overkill in their case but expensive homes come with expensive toys these days.

so help me out is this transfer switch manual? Its just a big switch you gotta turn when the powers off to set the whole net to the genset right? Nothing automatically.

B&S really is a nice choice, we dont use them that often since 99% are aluminium engines and being close to the sea thats a no-no, not sure if this ones alu too, theyre cheaper and for this price Im pretty sure it is. Nothing bad just means you cant get them to redo the engine if its fucked up.

No, it's automatic. :)

good deal then cause thats expensive. Why not a diesel btw? I know gas is a lot cheaper there but still diesel runs a lot more eco plus you dont get the dirt down below in the tank with diesel.

I don't have a way to store 330 gallons of diesel :) This will feed off my propane tank (no access to natural gas up here).

Went with the B&S - thanks for the info :)

Unit was installed today, gas guys come tomorrow, electricians on Sat. and start up on Monday :)

http://www.onlinebeach.com/generator01.jpg

Can they hook those up to our natural gas?

Also, can it be setup inside like in the garage or something so it won't get damaged by a storm?

That looks like a good investment if you live in hurricane country.

Yes, they can hook it up to natural gas. I'm not sure if they can put it under cover - probably under a deck or something but I'm sure there's some sort of exhaust that's not good for humans.

I don't live in hurricane country, just in the boonies where the power goes out a lot :)

Yes they can run off natural gas.
I would not install it in a garage though do to fume buildup and co2. However you could very easily build a small cover for it that was well vented so it could still remain outdoors yet be protected.