cdaigle430
Veteran Member
I wish
Used the Home Depot card and 0% financing for 18 months (5.5K). Have a little over one year left to pay on it before the promo period is over. The generator has a 10 year warranty.3-Point Hitch PTO Generator arrived today
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I wish
Used the Home Depot card and 0% financing for 18 months (5.5K). Have a little over one year left to pay on it before the promo period is over. The generator has a 10 year warranty.Turbys_1700
Elite Member
If you are in an area like mine that has few storms and a good power grid I really don't know if a generator is justified.
When Hugo came through 30 years ago I was out of power 7 days. At that time I had purchased a welder generator that served me well. Eventually I sold it off from lack of use.
I do remember an ice storm with 4 days of outage years later. When that happened I decided I would always have a backup generator in addition to gas logs as a back up heat source. When I purchased my All Power 10KW generator on close out at Northern Tool 10 plus years ago I had no idea how much I would use it. Fast forward to now and it has a whopping 13 hours of run time.
I still consider it a good investment. Not a lot of coin tied up in something that will get at best intermittent use. I would love to have a PTO generator but can't justify the cost in my current situation. If my power was out more often the cost justification would change.
When Hugo came through 30 years ago I was out of power 7 days. At that time I had purchased a welder generator that served me well. Eventually I sold it off from lack of use.
I do remember an ice storm with 4 days of outage years later. When that happened I decided I would always have a backup generator in addition to gas logs as a back up heat source. When I purchased my All Power 10KW generator on close out at Northern Tool 10 plus years ago I had no idea how much I would use it. Fast forward to now and it has a whopping 13 hours of run time.
I still consider it a good investment. Not a lot of coin tied up in something that will get at best intermittent use. I would love to have a PTO generator but can't justify the cost in my current situation. If my power was out more often the cost justification would change.
carolinarider
Bronze Member
I have long considered getting a Kohler natural gas emergency generator. I have a location for it close to the home's natural gas feed and a location for the generator.
My question is, someone mentioned a ten year warranty on the generator, in your experience, does the warranty require a factory approved installation and factory approved servicing.
I understand how to hook it up, have the location for the automatic switch, and can make that installation. The only issue that has stopped me from installing one is the of maintenance. I can read the manual and do the maitneaoe but don't know if the warranty would be supported with "self maintenance".
My question is, someone mentioned a ten year warranty on the generator, in your experience, does the warranty require a factory approved installation and factory approved servicing.
I understand how to hook it up, have the location for the automatic switch, and can make that installation. The only issue that has stopped me from installing one is the of maintenance. I can read the manual and do the maitneaoe but don't know if the warranty would be supported with "self maintenance".
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
im not sure about kohler, but generac allows for homeowner to maintain it. they DO require a generac approved service tech to do any WARRANTY repair that GENERAC pays for. so a homeowner can change oil, but they cannot repair a defect IF it falls under warranty. but then again, generac pays me to repair it, so what does that matter. The warranty is definitely worth it. I just repaired a customers transfer switch when the electromagnet melted down. part was over 400 bucks and labor was 2 hours plus travel. generac paid me to fix it. didnt cost customer anything.
ive installed a few kohler units, but i dont service them so im not familiar with their policies. Here in Idaho iev done warranty repairs on customer installed units and generac has always paid me for repairs AS LONG AS UNIT WAS INSTALLED PROPERLY. Ihad one unit fail because homeowner didnt put a gas line t trap in and garbage got into the regulator. generac wouldnt pay to fix that and i didnt think that they should. it was installed wrong.
carolinarider
Bronze Member
Many thanks for the information.
Since you have installed both and work on the Generac, would you say one is significantly different from the other.
I don't have any personal experience with either and picked the Kohler of the Generac in my list of two based on information from a national consume group.
Since you have installed both and work on the Generac, would you say one is significantly different from the other.
I don't have any personal experience with either and picked the Kohler of the Generac in my list of two based on information from a national consume group.
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
i like the hydraulic lifters offered on the kohler ( im not sure if their current versions still offer them) as opposed to the manual lifters on the generac, but this only needs 20 minuter to check and adjust every 2 years so no real big deal. I like generacs load shed options FAR FAR better than kohlers. if you have any large loads to shed generacs units are far easier to hook up. the curent version of generac units are all powder coated aluminum and the kohlers i worked on were steel. not sure if they still are though.
both are usa made , both are reliable units. generac holds 75 % of total market share, so be careful about complaints online. if someone has 100 complaints on 1,000,000 units compared to 10 complaints on 100,000 units its the same. personally i do very little repairs on these generators. fact is they dont run too much. the 22 KW unit on my house is 1-1/2 years old now and only has 22 hours on it. it looks brand new. if i needed a generator for continuous or off grid applications id NEVER use a 3,600 rpm machine. id stick with an 1,800 rpm unit
when i put in my new unit i was contemplating the quiet source generac line. there liquid cooled 1,800 rpm units but there 2x the cost. i could not justify it for my circumstances. during my last 3 power outages this winter, the generator powered up my 4,000 sf house and barn without issue. i have high end appliances and electronics and all worked flawlessly.
the kohler units operate great also. my problem with them is the difficulty installing the load shed system. generacs units are wireless and you can install them onto any 240 volt unit of 50 amps or less. you can add up to 8 of them. it makes install so much easier.
WranglerX
Super Member
Any "cut over (transfer) switch" properly installed would do...
Dale
Dale
WranglerX
Super Member
If he did that, it's dangerous, becasue it energizes the utility fed and if there is a worker upstream of generator and then backfeed poses sever safety issue for worker, DON'T BACK FEED any utility under any circumstance..... During a power failure a few years ago (poles down and wires across road) utility people pulled meters from ALL residences with access to line BUT that may not be the case in any situation, be safe, don't jeopardize our utility workers lives...
Dale
buickanddeere
Super Member
15pto HP to make 10Kw of power . The 2HP per Kw is some reserve for motor starting and to avoid a continuous 100% duty cycle on consumer grade equipment .
In all honesty I would not continuously load the generator past 80% of full rated current .
buickanddeere
Super Member
It is rather disheartening to see these cheap egotistical people who don’t really care about about anyone except themselves . Their limited electrical knowledge in their minds qualify them to Jerry Rig something illegal and dangerous because they are too smart to have anything ever go wrong.
Even an interlocking plate added to the main breaker panel is safe, reliable and low cost .
LouNY
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
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- 14,887
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- Greenwich, NY
- Tractor
- Branson 8050, IH 574, Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility (traded in on Branson) NH 8160. Kioti CK2620SECH
When he turned his main breaker off it isolated the utility,
then lets think about what would happen if he didn't turn off his main.
If you try to backfeed a utility with a small generator whats actually going to happen.
lets see 220 volt and a 30 amp breaker on the generator; and lets assume a 13,500 volt primary feed,
13,500 volt and 0.5 Amps, of course the inrush to load the transformer blew his circuit breaker or stalled his generator.
So he could not backfeed thru the transformer, with enough generator it would be theoretically possible if there is not a short
in the system.
I will admit to "backfeeding" my main panel also, I verify that no voltage is present on the main,
Then I turn the main off, plug in my cord to the 50 amp receptacles,
bring the generator to speed and close the breaker on the generator then the breaker to the receptacle.
The worst point is that I have a 600 Volt 200 Amp 3 pole double throw switch just waiting to be installed,
which may never happen, I am going to install one of these as I don't have to pull the meter to install it.
Manual Transfer Switch Kits | Generator Interlock Kit
So to all of the "safety gestopos" on here, stuff it.
verify the voltage and check for voltage on the incoming main
WranglerX
Super Member
Where did he say he "turned his main breaker off"????
You argument is moot from your very first sentence...
besides I perfaced my comment with "IF"..... And my comment was focused on those less aware about utility vs generator (auxiliary) power .... Let it go at that...
Dale
You argument is moot from your very first sentence...
besides I perfaced my comment with "IF"..... And my comment was focused on those less aware about utility vs generator (auxiliary) power .... Let it go at that...
Dale
Sawyer Rob
Super Member
We don't have many extended outages, but when WE have, I've always pulled my own meter myself...
Power company walks down my drive, see's that I've pulled my meter, turns around and goes to work...
I've never even one time, had them say "anything" to me about me pulling my own meter...
SR
buickanddeere
Super Member
How is these do it your selfers who advocate back feeding welder and clothes dryer receptacle . How do they know more about electricity than the experts in the electrical industry who know that break before make transfer switches are required .
Gale Hawkins
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
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- 12,426
- Location
- Murray, KY
- Tractor
- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
Make and break is as safe as it can get we all agree.
In unplanned emergencies not everything is always ideal. I know linemen that back feed their own houses. Sometimes it is a low on cash issue and other times it was just the lack of preplanning.
We are lucky because we live at the end of three phase power grid that feeds 3 secondary single phase parts of the grid so we are the first to get power restored. It is so dependable I have gone years without needing a generator.
The 2009 ice storm did have us out for 66 hours but my brother down the road was out for 3 weeks. The roads stayed clear thankfully but we had to drive to TN to get gas.
WranglerX
Super Member
The real thing to do is look at you hook-ups and make decisions on what needs to be done to make switching and connections safe and implement them long before emergency is at hand, rushing to get power restored during emergency so sweet heart can microwave your pizza dinner can result in really serious AW SH!# situation...
Dale
Dale
