Getting a whole house genny installed...

[buckeyefarmer]

Re: Getting a whole house genny installed... (pics start pg 4)

I probably should put one in, but hard to justify the cost for the outages we get.

 

[nikdfish]

The biggest impetus for us was peace of mind for the wife.

Since moving in here in 2010, I don't think there has been a year without at least one multi-hour outage & a number that have exceeded 12 hours. We had managed pretty well with the portables (a 5.5kw porter cable that lasted 20 years, followed by the present 7kw champion dual fuel), but it has never been a process the wife felt she could comfortably (or safely) do alone. Doing without was not an option, we depend on the well pump for water and have multiple freezers and refrigerators.

The whole house option meant no picking and choosing which circuits to include and that both heating & cooling were covered (portables kept the fans & furnace available, but no AC). Plus there is the convenience factor of not having to be up at 4AM to refuel or set up the generator & its' shelter in a dark rainy (or snowy) night! We are both retired, don't have a lot of expensive hobbies (not counting tractors...) or feel the need to trade vehicles that often, so resources were available (and you can't take it with you!).

This is how it looks with everything filled in:

The dark area is were the exhaust fan cooked the grass. Probably need to do some marble chips or stone there ...

Nick

 

[k0ua]

The biggest impetus for us was peace of mind for the wife.

Since moving in here in 2010, I don't think there has been a year without at least one multi-hour outage & a number that have exceeded 12 hours. We had managed pretty well with the portables (a 5.5kw porter cable that lasted 20 years, followed by the present 7kw champion dual fuel), but it has never been a process the wife felt she could comfortably (or safely) do alone. Doing without was not an option, we depend on the well pump for water and have multiple freezers and refrigerators.

The whole house option meant no picking and choosing which circuits to include and that both heating & cooling were covered (portables kept the fans & furnace available, but no AC). Plus there is the convenience factor of not having to be up at 4AM to refuel or set up the generator & its' shelter in a dark rainy (or snowy) night! We are both retired, don't have a lot of expensive hobbies (not counting tractors...) or feel the need to trade vehicles that often, so resources were available (and you can't take it with you!).

This is how it looks with everything filled in:

The dark area is were the exhaust fan cooked the grass. Probably need to do some marble chips or stone there ...

Nick

Nick that looks great, I know it will give you peace of mind in the future. I should have noticed that ladder line in the previous photos, but the light bulb didn't go off until I saw your QRZ page.:thumbsup: Do you work much PSK31? I work about as much digital as anything else on HF

 

[nikdfish]

Nick that looks great, I know it will give you peace of mind in the future. I should have noticed that ladder line in the previous photos, but the light bulb didn't go off until I saw your QRZ page.:thumbsup: Do you work much PSK31? I work about as much digital as anything else on HF

I have not done much with digital yet. I have software & rig controls set up for WINMOR/WINLINK & most common software driven digital modes but not yet comfortable with managing the exchange via keyboard. I do occasionally spend some time monitoring & will eventually dive in at some point....

Nick

 

[k0ua]

I have not done much with digital yet. I have software & rig controls set up for WINMOR/WINLINK & most common software driven digital modes but not yet comfortable with managing the exchange via keyboard. I do occasionally spend some time monitoring & will eventually dive in at some point....

Nick

I would be happy to help in any way I can. It took me a while to figure things out. But if want some help just holler.

 

[3930dave]

"The whole house option meant no picking and choosing which circuits to include and that both heating & cooling were covered (portables kept the fans & furnace available, but no AC). Plus there is the convenience factor of not having to be up at 4AM to refuel or set up the generator & its' shelter in a dark rainy (or snowy) night! We are both retired, don't have a lot of expensive hobbies (not counting tractors...) or feel the need to trade vehicles that often, so resources were available (and you can't take it with you!). "

Looking good Nick.

Whole house is nice, for sure. $ wise, what you spend upsizing the gen should be offset by lower installation cost.

You'll see all sorts of comments about money.... if anybody is giving you too much grief, point 'em at this thread :laughing:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/368074-tonka-toy.html#post4525571

Enjoy the system.

Rgds, D.

 

[HillStreet]

500 gallon tank

 

[grsthegreat]

not all generators are easy to install. i did this one yesterday and it was a pain. problem was he had a 400 amp service and only wanted one side controlled, but he also had a well control he wanted added. in order to add 20 amp well to a 200 amp service i not only had to add a transfer switch, but had to add a 200 amp feed thru panel so i could add the well. then i had to add a gutter ( j box) and reroute the feed to the house.made for a cluttered install but i can see no other way to do it. The inspector loved it. Original panel are first 2 pictures. If you notice all the writing, the original owner had a suicide manual transfer system installed.....no interlocks.



These are install pics

 

[nikdfish]

Just a side note as a followup. When we sent in documentation for the Generac 10 year parts & labor warranty promotion (even though contract was initiated before the start date & name plate is Honeywell) we got a "sorry charlie" letter saying we didn't meet the criteria.

Low & behold, just got in a letter congratulating us on getting the 10 year parts & labor upgrade. It lists our generator serial number & install date (8/14/2016) and gives us 10 full years parts and labor coverage (i.e. until 8/14/2026) as long as we maintain regular service.

Nick

 

[Code54]

We just had a 20KW put in recently and it is nice - REAL simple install. They pulled the meter head, snaped the transfer switch right over the old meter base then reinstall the head and hook up about 4 wires. Guess this box is a dealer only install and they had to get permission from our utility company but it works great. Also had two load shedding switches installed on the electric backup/emer heat and hot water tank in case we are pulling more than the Generator can put out.
Now I am almost looking forward to a power outage.....