Which 20kw whole house generator would you recommend and why

[pclausen]

I'm trying to help out my mother in selecting a new generator.

A little background. She currently has a Generac Guardian 15KW that was installed in 2006 by my brother and late father. It ran on the break-in oil for the first 2 years, instead of just the first 4 hours! As a result, it now burns about a quart of oil every 8 hours. In talking to the company that service the generator, they told me that they were told in training that the Guardian's burn oil and that's normal and just be sure to check it every 4 hours!

That, combined with the Generac's only having a 3 year warranty, is leading me to look at other brands models, specifically the following 3 20kw models:

Briggs & Stratton 18/20kW NG/LP Standby Generator & Dual 200 Amp/Split 400 Amp ATS - Norwall PowerSystems

20RESL Kohler 20kW Air Cooled Standby Generator with 200Amp Automatic Transfer Switch at Norwall.com, Kohler Air Cooled 20kW 20RESL Standby Generator with 200amp Automatic Transfer Switch

Cummins Onan RS20A 20kW NG/LP Standby Generator - Norwall PowerSystems

The Briggs has a 4 year warranty, the Kohler and Cummins Onan 5 years. The Cummins Onan is very quiet and consumes the least amount of fuel, but it is also the most expensive once you add a 400A transfer switch, and Cummins Onan doesn't offer a 400A one. I'd like to keep the whole system as 'factory' or OEM as possible, so that unfortunately will likely rule out the Cummins Onan offering.

The Briggs comes with a dual 200A transfer switch which looks pretty cool, all for a package price under the $6000 budget. It also has an Air Conditioning Control Module which imprints starting wattage of your air conditioner (AC) in the control board, monitors usage, and 'waits' until your AC can be started with the least amount of power, assuring usage while preventing possible overload.

The Kohler comes in at ~$6,200 once you add a 400A xfer switch, but does have the 5 year warranty. No load shedding without adding a load control module.

Any of you guys have direct experience with any of these generators and have thoughts on which of the above you would recommend?

 

[murphy1244]

Peter, I have had my Briggs 17 KW for a year now with 55 hours on it and no oil burning. It uses the briggs vanguard wich is nice cause I use the same Plugs, Oil filter and oil as my lawn tractor.I run on LP gas.

 

[gcmedica21]

I'm trying to help out my mother in selecting a new generator.

A little background. She currently has a Generac Guardian 15KW that was installed in 2006 by my brother and late father. It ran on the break-in oil for the first 2 years, instead of just the first 4 hours! As a result, it now burns about a quart of oil every 8 hours. In talking to the company that service the generator, they told me that they were told in training that the Guardian's burn oil and that's normal and just be sure to check it every 4 hours!

That, combined with the Generac's only having a 3 year warranty, is leading me to look at other brands models, specifically the following 3 20kw models:

Briggs & Stratton 18/20kW NG/LP Standby Generator & Dual 200 Amp/Split 400 Amp ATS - Norwall PowerSystems

20RESL Kohler 20kW Air Cooled Standby Generator with 200Amp Automatic Transfer Switch at Norwall.com, Kohler Air Cooled 20kW 20RESL Standby Generator with 200amp Automatic Transfer Switch

Cummins Onan RS20A 20kW NG/LP Standby Generator - Norwall PowerSystems

The Briggs has a 4 year warranty, the Kohler and Cummins Onan 5 years. The Cummins Onan is very quiet and consumes the least amount of fuel, but it is also the most expensive once you add a 400A transfer switch, and Cummins Onan doesn't offer a 400A one. I'd like to keep the whole system as 'factory' or OEM as possible, so that unfortunately will likely rule out the Cummins Onan offering.

The Briggs comes with a dual 200A transfer switch which looks pretty cool, all for a package price under the $6000 budget. It also has an Air Conditioning Control Module which imprints starting wattage of your air conditioner (AC) in the control board, monitors usage, and 'waits' until your AC can be started with the least amount of power, assuring usage while preventing possible overload.

The Kohler comes in at ~$6,200 once you add a 400A xfer switch, but does have the 5 year warranty. No load shedding without adding a load control module.

Any of you guys have direct experience with any of these generators and have thoughts on which of the above you would recommend?

Hello,
Lot of generator posts on here lately......LOL

I have a 07 Generac Gaurdian with a Kohler in it........it does not burn oil. I find that odd that the guy said that.
In my manual it said to run the original oil in mine for 8 hours then change it. For me that was about a year before i reached that 8 hour mark. After that it the manual said around 100 hours before i change it again..........had me worried so i changed it the next year. I change mine about every year (depending on use). I have been happy with it but i do feel better about a Kohler motor versus something else.

 

[pclausen]

The sales guys from the Generac certified company that maintains the generator came out today, to start working on an estimate for getting a 20kw unit put in. (we did this just to get an idea about what the cost would be to have someone else do the work).

The guy was really nice and he had the exact same 15kw model and vintage. He was really surprised we were having the issues we were, so rather than take my mothers money for a brand new 20kw setup, he went back to the office to schedule a thorough service call. When the tech comes out, he will do a full load test, compression test, adjust the valves, etc to see if he can figure out what's going on and why this generator won't start the AC unit after running for several hours and hopefully also have some ideas of why this thing is burning oil.

To replace the engine would be about $1500 with labor, which is certainly better than swapping out the entire system. I'll have them break down the cost. I might just do that myself depending on how much of the $1500 is the labor. The guy was telling me the Briggs generators use a converted lawn mover engine where the Generac uses engines specifically engineered for generators. Typical sales talk. After that, I didn't bother asking him his opinion on the Kohler or Cummins Onan gennys. Nice guy though like I said.

Will keep you guys posted on what the result of the service call will be.

I must say that after doing my initial research on the latest crop of generators, I'm really digging the fast that they call have Ethernet connections and can be managed/monitored from a web browser or smart phone. Cool stuff!

 

[murphy1244]

But thier using the briggs Vanguard...

 

[pclausen]

Do you think all generations of them do? My 1996 8kw Generac does look a lot like a re-badged V-twin Vanguard, but the engine in my mother's 15kw unit looks a lot different. If the engine does get replaced, I'll be sure to make note of any identifying marks on the box or packing material and be sure to give the sales guy a hard time about it if it is a Briggs.

 

[grsthegreat]

are you hooking into a 400 amp panel???

most 400 amp house wiring systems I've installed have two separate 200 amp panels, and the generator has a single 200 amp transfer switch. We only hook the generator feeds into one of them. A 20K genset only is capable of feeding 83.3 amps.

Ive hooked up all the models you stated...problem is i have NO knowledge as to how they operate after the install. And yes, the Kohler is amazingly quiet, but everything is extra. they charge for winter heat options, battery chargers, atc. nothing is standard.

 

[sodamo]

I seem to recall that Briggs owns Generac. Anyone know differently?

David Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[gcmedica21]

The sales guys from the Generac certified company that maintains the generator came out today, to start working on an estimate for getting a 20kw unit put in. (we did this just to get an idea about what the cost would be to have someone else do the work).

The guy was really nice and he had the exact same 15kw model and vintage. He was really surprised we were having the issues we were, so rather than take my mothers money for a brand new 20kw setup, he went back to the office to schedule a thorough service call. When the tech comes out, he will do a full load test, compression test, adjust the valves, etc to see if he can figure out what's going on and why this generator won't start the AC unit after running for several hours and hopefully also have some ideas of why this thing is burning oil.

To replace the engine would be about $1500 with labor, which is certainly better than swapping out the entire system. I'll have them break down the cost. I might just do that myself depending on how much of the $1500 is the labor. The guy was telling me the Briggs generators use a converted lawn mover engine where the Generac uses engines specifically engineered for generators. Typical sales talk. After that, I didn't bother asking him his opinion on the Kohler or Cummins Onan gennys. Nice guy though like I said.

Will keep you guys posted on what the result of the service call will be.

I must say that after doing my initial research on the latest crop of generators, I'm really digging the fast that they call have Ethernet connections and can be managed/monitored from a web browser or smart phone. Cool stuff!

If i remember right i think mine was 5k installed with transfer switch. Now i will say that even though it says it will run AC/Heat they have to be gas and not a heat pump. That part is in the fine print not on the package.............well mine was not, i dont know about now. They have to a be a gas heating and cooling unit. To much draw on start up of them so i could do it but i wouldnt be able to afford the generator that could. So when power goes out in winter i use wood stove in summer i will have to open it up and pray for less than 100 degree days.

Side note your last paragraph said they have ethernet connection that is bad ***!!!! Be sure to have modem/router connected to outlet that is run by generator though!!!

 

[pclausen]

most 400 amp house wiring systems I've installed have two separate 200 amp panels, and the generator has a single 200 amp transfer switch. We only hook the generator feeds into one of them. A 20K genset only is capable of feeding 83.3 amps.

Both my house and my mothers has a 320/400A meter based that feeds 2 200A panels. By going with a single 400A transfer switches (wired between the meter base and the 2 200A panels, the generator would be able to power all the circuits that were active on *both* 200A panels. Neither my place nor my mothers would likely ever pull more than 83.3 amps concurrently. Such an arrangement would completely eliminate the need to move circuits between panels to get all the "important ones" consolidated into a single panel. Of course the downside is the cost of a 400A transfer switch over that of a 200A one.