Curious about having a whole home generator installed. Questions I have is if you have one, do you like it? How loud is it when running? Yearly maintenance costs or problems? Install cost? Size. Etc?

I am getting a in house estimate next week and thinking a 15kw should be plenty as currently I have a gasoline generator (9500 watt) and manual transfer switch that I use but it can be a pain sometimes but this powers my whole house when needed.

Thank you all in advance for the replys as this site has been the best true source of information for anything I have ever asked.

I have one. I can hear it ''Click'' on and while it is running. I have to change the oil once a year- not a big cost. It's for the whole house. I forget the watts but I have central air. it cost us $10,210.00 and it was done in about half a day.

I do not like that fact that I cannot disconnect from the power company and run it. I cannot turn it on if I want - or turn it off if I want. It does work when the power goes off. It has a 30 second timer and then it comes on.

Get a Gerac propane, the largest you think you need.
auto start,,,,,and quit.
a 200 amp service is 48,000 watts......

I can run everything with a 12 k
I used to run a 10k gas, portable with no problem.
We have a on demand electric water heat, 3 freezer, well and a guest hose.
No forced air heat.
Chech with the installer to make sure that It will work if you have a newer furnace,,,,,,,some of the new furnaces need true sign wave to function correctly.

Up sizing is good so that the machine works less.

We only loose power once or twice a year during a Nor easter

I would suggest get bigger than you need. I knew a farmer that had a PTO generator on his tractor. An ice storm took out the power and he fired up the tractor and PTO generator. It didn't generate enough power for the house, the wiring overheated and burned his house down in an ice storm. Spend the $$$ to do it safely.

Generac Propane is what my aunt had , she passed this year and my cousin bought the house

I used to do some of the maintenance on it

not hard to change oil and if all it runs is the 15 minutes every week then change oil every other year check the oil level spring and fall.
the filter can be looked up and just buy a wix replacement
the oil is full synthetic 5w30 only takes about 2 quarts
her house was very low dust around the generator so blew out the air filter and it might have been changed 2x in about 16 years.

schedule the run for a time you are normally home ,hers was Saturday right in the middle of supper
the generator is on the back of the house and the dining room table is about the closest place to sit near it , you hear it , sounds about like a lawn mower running in the yard.

about every 4-5 years it needed a new battery we just used a similar size battery to what it had that they had at auto parts.
that is why you want it to run when you are around to notice it doesn't and replace the battery.

her son installed it , he used to be a generac dealer before he moved back to FL about 15 years ago.
it is auto switch over

I can't help on the cost but the maintenance if you buy their kit is around 50-60 every other year is you source your own oil and filter more like 20 and budget for a new battery about every 4 years.

when you do the service there is plenty of room to write inside on flat surfaces write oil change and date , battery and date , ect , they are low enough maintenance you probably won't be able to remember when or what was done last.

Buy the biggest Generac you can buy. Anyone considering a new build should automatically price it into the new build cost. Whether it’s running sump pumps, heaters, air, refrigerators and freezers….ect; the money spent up front is well worth the cost for the time you’ll spend in your home. The single best investment I’ve made on my new home. We’ve been in this house 6 months, and that generator has kept us comfortable through so many storms this spring and summer I’ve lost count. As others have stated, there’s only about a 10 second delay between power outage and the generator kicking in and EVERYTHING in my house back up and running and normal. Mine is propane. I think we had a little less than $10k into it when it was all said and done.

Generac 18k…… propane……. Total cost includes generator, transfer switch, installation and inspection before power company turned power back on. <$7000. (Propane) can get expensive if long outages. Maintenance contract around $175 yr. Including oil changes, filters (oil and air) , battery replacement if needed, plugs. Covers any labor cost if needed for the yr.

Only issue I’ve had is if wet snow gets sucked in intake (wind) , the sow condenses in air box and freezes filter. I’ve owned it for 3 yrs. and has happened once. I keep a couple of extra air filters handy.

Not understanding comment of not being able to manually disconnect from grid. To my knowledge all transfer switches have a manual over ride. You need this in case of brown outs that could damage your equipment.

I have a HF 6500 generator it's not really to loud. I had a electrican put in a outside plug and I like it it. For 8 years I had not had one and meat spoiled so after I been without electricity for two weeks I bought it am so glad it's every year you can set your watch a bad storm comes U loos power.

That is what I have. I have a thousand gallon propane tank and it will last more than two weeks with no power. Mine is around 15 years old with no issues. One of the best decision that I have made. I

If you a country folk,,,,, get a 320-500 gallon propane tank just for the generator......

Thanks for the replys so far.

Yes I live in the country on 40 acres and I'm 2/3 miles off the road, we lose power 3-4 times a year. I already have a 1000 gallon propane tank that is used for my furnace only and in a typical winter I only use 200 gallons of the tank because most of my heating comes from the forced air wood furnace. My house is roughly 2300 sq ft with central air (size unknown) 3 freezers, electric water heater, septic system, electric stove and well water.

Get this, and never worry again

I don't have one and have never worried. It is part of life. But it never gets that cold here. -30 to -40 max with a 40-50 mph wind.

It’s not the minus temps that concern me, it’s the week of 90-102 weather in the middle of summer that concerns me more. I’m guessing your refrigerators and freezers have a super defense to that as well though

I would have a separate propane tank here you can rent them really reasonable.

When I lived on the coast, I had a 11.8kW Honda gasoline generator on wheels. I would roll it out of the workshop onto a covered deck where a pigtail was located. I had to manually through the transfer switches. I babied it. Always drained the fuel, kept the tires inflated, and the battery charged. When I sold my house, the buyer bought the generator for the exact price I paid for it ten years earlier. It would power one AC unit but not both. We cooked and heated water with propane. Electric elevator was no problem.

It was loud and hot. Had to keep 10-15+ gallons of gasoline for it. When not in use I stored it in an airconditioned shop on my first floor. When in use, I had to constanty monitor fuel and make sure rising tide water was not about to reach the level of the deck where it operated. Always used ethanol free gas. Each year I would get new fuel and put the old fuel in our vehicles.

If you live near water, put your whole house generator up on a platform to keep it dry during a storm or flood. Check it frequently for signs of rust. If you will be running on propane, make sure your provider keeps plenty of fuel in your tank.

I'd get a Generac if I ever moved back to the coast.

I have a Generac, came with the house when I bought it. Starts up every Thursday at 10am, runs for 15 minutes and shuts off. Runs the whole house and runs on natural gas. Haven't needed it yet.

It might be worth a call to your power provider to see if they sell generators. The company I work for sells generators to anyone on our system and we have two guys that install them and do maintenance checks once every month or two. Ours run on propane or natural gas and If I remember right they will run a week on full load on a 500 gallon propane tank

I’ll say the same as always. If you aren’t electric inclined. Do Not get an automatic transfer switch. They will fail. Get the generator and a double throw switch. You won’t regret it