I'm interested in getting a decent sized generac for my house, something 10-17KW range. So these run on LP or NG, are there any with backup gas options?  

Anyone running a residential generac or is everyone just using portable gennies? any downside to these things other than portability? I'm lazy so I like the generac easy on/off system rather than lugging out the portable gennie and hooking everything up.

I've looked at the tri-fuel honda 14KW which might be nice to have options.

Any thought from the knowledgeable hive?

Their transfer switches have, in the past, been cheap plastic crap. Hard to find replacement parts if not impossible.
I still don't trust Generac.

You can get a tri fuel kit for that Generac. Been looking for a while. Gonna see a few things on GB and then buy one next week. (if there are any left in the country with all this weather)

Get it! Post picts! Profit!

I am thinking about the natural gas Generac.

Do it!

Are any other better options?

A hole house Generac running off your natural gas line would be best, but $5 to $10K or more.

I prefer multible smaller generators. I run one or more according to the load required. This method keeps gasoline consumption low.

2-3 portable generators plus heavyduty extension cords and some steel gas cans $1-$2K.

The problem with that is fuel availability. I was once told that if the power goes out, it's no big deal, but if NG service stops, it means TEOTWAWKI.

Once I am out from under the mountain of debt I have, I want to get a Generac running off the NG line for the house, AND at least one portable gasoline generator when mobility is important.

Get both.

Kohler.

ar-jedi

When you get your portable, buy a tri-fuel conversion kit and install a remote on your NG service for it. Then you'll have the flexibility of running it on gasoline or NG. My kit cost about $150, I think.

Okay. Don't buy a Generac, you.

Get a couple little Hondas.

We have 15 KW permanent gennies at some of our sites...........Id go with somthing else myself .....they are the cheapest , there is a reason

Husqvarna- honda ohv motor

This......

I have a 16KW Generac that runs on propane.  I have one and so do each of my parents.  If you have NG at your house you could always have a tank of propane as a backup since it doesn't go bad.  The downside to NG is that with the pumps being converted to the grid for electricity the system has become less reliable.  

If I had to do things over I would buy a smaller Kohler something in the 7-10kw range.  Less fuel consumption and better quality would be the reasons.  We haven't had any problems with any of the 3 Generacs and they are now 5 years old but after much research and buying larger generators for our business I have come to the conclusion that the Generacs are a homeowner grade and the Kohlers are more of a commercial/industrial level.

I also have an EU2000 for small projects and I absolutely love it.  

Grove

We have a number of Generacs for standby power at remote communications towers. The only problems we ever had was because we failed to replace the cranking batteries on a regular schedule (3 years).  These are units designed for a service life in the 1000 hour range...a long ass time for standby power.  We have one that ran for over two weeks, with nothing but refilling the propane tank and adding a quart of oil.  

The exercise timers vary quite a bit.  Some are a timers you can actually set a date and time on, others are not programmable and run 7 days after it was powered up.

There's another poster here in a generator thread I read just today who has a whole house propane generator.  He said that once it kicked on, he drained his 100gal fuel bottle in < 48 hrs (I cant find that thread right now, so this is from memory), then he was screwed for the next 4 days.  Bottom line, consider fuel cost and your storage capability.  Nothing is free.



ETA:  Here.  Sorry, my memory sucks.  I was off by gal vs. lbs.






 

unless you have a large LP tank onsite I wouldn't bother for prepping use. I really can't see a burried gas line being all that reliable if SHTF. Thats a LOT of money to tie up to a utility line. The point of prepping is to NOT rely on the grid.
 

The 7 kW uses about a gallon an hour at 1/2 load.  We set a 150 gallon tank, which gets us close to a week.  Not very practical for home use, unless you have some space.  There are minimum distance requirements from buildings openings and the truck has to be able to get within about 75' of the tank to refill it...a problem for urban back yards.

Have a 20kw Generac propane whole house and 500 gallon tank-you can shed the load to cut fuel consumption. Also have a portable 7500kw and a Honda 2000. Generac is good to go since Hurricane Ike in 2008. Also, you dont need to run your genny 24/7.

I've heard people float this idea from time to time and it sounds like a great idea on the surface and I think I addressed it on another generator thread a while ago.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if your house is on NG now, getting a NG generator makes sense.  But you think, 'for another layer of backup I'll plop down an LP tank and I'll be able to just turn the lever on the generator to LP and I'm gtg'.  Wait!  What about all the NG appliances in the house?  Oops.  Ya gotta change 'em all over to LP now to use them.  If all you want is electricity or your house is all electric you're okay but most of us will need/want access to gas.  Is your LP tank plumbed to the house ready to switch over?  LP is delivered to the house at a higher pressure than NG so things have to be changed.  Furnaces, water heaters, stove tops, ovens, etc.  The orifices are smaller for LP appliances.  Water heater controls are different.  

If you're knowlegable in doing all of this AND have everything needed to do it you can take a day and get it done.  If you have to rely on someone else though, good luck when the emergency hits and everybody is out of NG.  It doesn't happen at the flick of a switch.  NG isn't even an option where I live but I probably wouldn't use it if it was.  I think it makes sense for those who can to go all LP for their gas needs.  It might be a tad bit more expensive but you won't be at the mercy of the NG utility in an extreme emergency.

gk

I got the 16kw/15kw propane/NG one. Works like a champ, runs the whole house and when the power is out, takes about 8 seconds from power out to whole house transfer. NG is cheap, and a steady supply. You could esily have a back up tank there too.It also runs clean, about every 8-12mo I change the oil for shits and giggles and it's still clean. Nothing wrong with them IMO, i've had a good run with them.

Onan

I have a 20 KW ( really 18 KW on NG )  whole house transfer switch from Generac.  I have not regretted my decision , of course I still have yet to have need of it.....    I live in the burbs and   any decent size LP tanks are not allowed... so I do have some BBQ tank Lp laying around and if needed I can convert my Genny over to LP.   I saw some people mention a tri fuel for a generac ?  I am not aware of that and will need to look into it .

We have four models at work....onan/cummings.......whisperwatt .....taylor and generac.............the Onan's are beasts but absolutely reliable.......the whipser watts are amazingly quiet and ultra reliable as well.........the taylors are a good gennie but not quite up too the first two......the generacs are falling apart rusting out complete POS that if it were up to the guys in the field would be replaced tomorow but they are the cheapest so when they do get replaced the bean counters in charge will probably buy more generacs

This.

Or for the same price, get four Champion Inverter 2000i gennys from Sam's (Costo in Canada). Oh, don't need four generators? Great, just get two and then count all the money you saved.

Generac has been trying to fill employment vacancies for some time now in Wisconsin.  I heard its because they dont pay well and have a high turnover as a result.

Don't have any experience with a whole house Generac, but my old toy hauler had an on board Generac that ran off propane. Worked like a champ,but it was pretty loud.

That's the kind of thing you would expect any salesman to say.  Not that I doubt him, but it certainly isn't support for one over the other.

This is a good point and having a propane backup to NG makes more sense for someone with electric appliances over gas unless they have all the orifice changeover kits. The Generac unit that I have only requires flipping a lever inside the unit to toggle between propane and NG.  If I had NG (I don't) it would just require me switching a line and flipping the lever.  

Grove

I have a 12kW unit that runs off of natural gas, and the ability to switch to LP.    No problems here...other than the power hasn't gone out since I got it.  

For the guys with Kohlers, if you don't mind, how big and how much?  I'm having a new heat pump put in and the outfit also does generators.  They gave me a bid of around $9k for a 14kW completely installed.

Thanks.  The quote was for everything––gas lines, wiring, electric.  Same folks did my heat pump and did a nice job.  Guy that gave me the estimate really knew his stuff.  Took a look at my gas meter, lines, panel, etc.  I could tell very quickly this was a guy I could trust.

I've got a Generac16kw whole house. I have not regretted it once, especially when the power goes out. It's probaby the best upgrade I've done to my house because I can actually see a return on it. I don't have any experience with any others but we did upgrade to a 1000 gallon propane tank. I did an addition a few years ago that litterally double the size of my house. I was informed last week by the Mrs. that I am to get a generator for the addition now. Not sure what make or model but it will definitely run on propane.

Guys, please don't take offense to this, but that is a lot of money to fork out for back up power.
If you want to power the essentials, you don't need a whole lot of power.
For heat, a kerosene heater is a less expensive option than sizing a generator to power your heat pump / furnace.
For AC, a few strategically mounted window units do pretty well.

I used a pair of Champion 3kw units to power two deep freezers, one freezer / fridge, one tv / dvd player, one oxygen condenser, one 5k btu (i think) ac unit, a 40 amp battery charger, and numerous lights and fans during our latest power outage.

I could have made this work with one of the 3kw units, but running two was a lot more convenient.

You can usually find these generators on sale at Lowes and Tractor Supply Company for @ $300.
They advertise a 10 hr run time at 50% load, with their 4 gallon tank.

You could buy two of these units for about $600.
Eight NATO fuel cans from D.O. for about $400.
There are much more frugal options for bulk fuel storage.
Forty gallons of regular, unleaded gasoline for @ $140.
I won't include the $ for extension cords / transfer switches, etc, because this is up to your preferences.

This would give you fifty hours of run time, with both units going at 50% rated load.

If your whole house generator throws a rod, you have nothing.
With this idea, you have something, if one generator goes down.
You also have portability, if that is important to you.

Of course, you have to do maintenance on two generators instead of one.
I suppose you are also doubling the chance of a failure with two units, instead of one.
Portable generators, like the Champions I talked about are... portable, and easier for someone to make off with.

The whole house generator also has the benefit of powering up if you're not there to do it.
If you are in Tibet on a business trip, the whole house unit will fire up on it's own, and save your freezer full of steaks.
It will also keep your home security system powered in your absence.

Good luck.

Whole house vs several portables????/ there are pro's and con's to each.

I like the flexibility, low cost, reliability and low gas consumption of several portable generators.

One 2K watt inverter generator is plenty for 90% of the power outages I get.


 

I have a 15kw Generac WH that I installed about 8 years ago that I have had no issues with at all.  It was a model that was being discontinued at the time and I got it for 50% off at Home Depot including transfer switch.  Mine is set up for NG and with installation the whole deal was around $1600 IIRC.  We've lost power several times since then. Usually for less than a day each time but once it was over a week.  The generator did what it was supposed to do, but it did shut itself down about 3/4 way through that week because it was running low on oil.  That was no problem though. I just added some more oil and fired it right back up. That unit was worth every penny I paid for it.



I do also have an EU2000i and a 4K Craftsmen portable that I can use if the Generac fails, but fortunately I've never needed to use them for the house.

Same here...installed it after the 2004 storms that hit Florida.

Also have a Honda EU2000i portable, and an Onan 5500 mounted in the toyhauler.

I probably going with the 10kW unit installed for about 5-6K. Will go NG and also have the LP hookup installed. I'm not goint full house coverage but I like the fact that it's automatic and will cover major items and enough so the wife can do her hair and makeup and I can take a hot shower.