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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Buying a Whole House Generator

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Bob in GA

01-28-2005 15:32:17




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I am looking for advice as to what are the good brands of whole house generators. If you have one that you would buy again, I would like to hear what make and model it is.

Thanks

Bob




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buickanddeere

01-30-2005 12:02:07




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
Kohler make quality standby generator sets. They are all automatic and sit beside the house like an air conditioning unit.

http://www.kohlerpowersystems.com/residential_gas_all.html



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Bob in GA

01-30-2005 08:05:52




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 More information in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
This generator would be on a home that is 350 miles from where I live. I have an elderly aunt living in a home that I just purchased. She lives by herself with the help of other family members and home health care. PTO would be nice for me but the aunt would never be able to hook it up, so it is out of the question. Auto start is a must as she would not be able to manually do it. We are trying to keep her in the home so she does not have to go to a nursing home. The generator would have to use LP Gas for fuel

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Robert in W. Mi.

01-29-2005 12:47:49




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
I bought a Winco 15KW pto generator and i power it with my diesel tractor. I can run my whole house, and even be welding in the garage at the same time.

I switched a pto gen set because my tractor is usefull for other things too, and is always ready to go. I feel this way i don't have yet "another" motor to deal with, i just use one of my tractors as needed.

Robert



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polaris diesel

01-29-2005 05:21:01




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
one more thing youll need is a surge portector on the surge protector meter its installed for free but there is a monthly charge for it , it protects your generator from power surges when the lights
surge off and on during failure and when the lights come back on too mine costs 7.00 dollars a month extra on my monthly bill. but if the surge protector fails to protect my generator then the power company will buy a new one for me. its a cheap way of protecting the money ive invested on this unit.

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buickanddeere

01-29-2005 04:48:26




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
More data please. Size, location, loads, fuel, mechanical abbility of the operator, budget, preferred life style during a power outage etc. A fellow employee is putting a generator in big enough to run his whole house and the hot tub. He can't wait to be the only place in town with the lights on and him having a cold brew while in the backyard tub.



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polaris diesel

01-29-2005 04:43:51




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
there are air and water cooled generators mine runs my shop and home.what size is your need they start at 5kw to 40kw and even bigger 40kw will run everything in a bigger than ave house..
mine pulls 2 heaters a water heater its all the 220's in the house that adds up quick and then after all that the lights and etc..hope this helps in your decision



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polaris diesel

01-29-2005 04:31:14




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
I have a Winco Generaror honda engine runs on propane. the transfer switch is very important
let a professional hook it up do to this if the tranfer switch is hooked up backwards it will still run and transfer everything, but if the eletrical line man is working on the line in your grid area he can be electricuted ask your local
electrical company they put mine in for me at no cost to protect there linemen from being killed
I love my generator on my home in rural missouri
your electrical company will explain it more to just give them a call they where happy that I did due to the deaths of lineman and transfer switches not being hooked up corrertly. Hope this helps answer your question

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Steve Crum

01-29-2005 14:31:19




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to polaris diesel, 01-29-2005 04:31:14  
I've not checked the laws here in Pa. but I am told that if you cause the injury or death of a lineman due to non-use of or in-correct installation of a transfer/isolation switch, you will be held responsible in civil and criminal proceedings upto and including wrongful death and manslaughter charges. What many people don't take into consideration is that if the incoming power line to the transformer on the pole is say 4,800 volts, the transformer knocks this down to 240 volts to your weatherhead and entrance service.
If you energize your service using a generator and backfeed the transformer, it inturn energizes the main line with 4,800 volts, just the reverse of design! Some poor sap working on the main somewhere can get a nasty surprise he'll likely not live to tell about. Best to have this part of your installation done by a licensed electrition or the power company, that way you have peace of mind that it was done right and God forbid, if something were to go wrong, the installer would end up bearing the responsibility.

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polaris diesel

01-29-2005 21:57:35




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Steve Crum, 01-29-2005 14:31:19  
thats what i said have the electrical company put it in thanks for the feed back.. read all the messages on this subject



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Steve Crum

01-30-2005 04:35:23




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to polaris diesel, 01-29-2005 21:57:35  
I read all the posts before I posted. I guess I must have missed your explaination of HOW this deadly process happens and of the legal implications at least in Pennsylvania. Sorry if I rained on your parade. Understand all posts on the subject.



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FarmerDave

01-28-2005 20:12:49




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
Do you have a transfer switch already? That's where you should start. A guy hates to be all dressed up with no where to go.



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jdemaris

01-28-2005 19:08:52




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
I've got no suggestion for any particular brand, but you didn't mention if it's to be self-powered or PTO. Seems if your intention is to run the whole house, and be prepared for a possible long outage, you need a good quantity of fuel on hand that stores well. Gasoline does not. And, often duing power outages, you can't go down town and buy gasoline. My main standby generator is a 17KW PTO unit I hook to my diesel tractor. I've always got two full tanks of heating oil in the house (550 gallons) and another two tanks outside that provides heating oil for the barn furnace and tractor fuel. So, I've usually got over a 1000 gallons on hand which could make power for quite a while. I know some other people that have propane generators, which seems like a good idea if you already have a large propane tank hooked to the house. And, if you're on a natural gas pipeline - seems like that would be a great source for a generator.

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Midwest redneck

01-28-2005 17:17:04




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 Re: Buying a Whole House Generator in reply to Bob in GA, 01-28-2005 15:32:17  
I think that the Kohlers are the best, expensive though. I dont have one but I dont have $8000 to blow on a 15Kw house generator because the power might go out.



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