generator and transfer switch

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ultramegabob

ultramegabob

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Indiana
I just got a call to quote a whole house generator with automatic transfer switch, does anyone have any input on what brands to look at? A while back I found a transfer switch/meter base combo that looked like it would be very simple to install, but I cant remember what brand it was. I havent looked at the house yet, but by the address, I figgure it is a pretty small house, Im guessing a 20 or 25kw will probably be as big as they would need and still be able to pretty much run everything as normal.
 
ultramegabob said:
I just got a call to quote a whole house generator with automatic transfer switch, does anyone have any input on what brands to look at? A while back I found a transfer switch/meter base combo that looked like it would be very simple to install, but I cant remember what brand it was. I havent looked at the house yet, but by the address, I figgure it is a pretty small house, Im guessing a 20 or 25kw will probably be as big as they would need and still be able to pretty much run everything as normal.
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Guardian has a nice product, I have always used a dealer, but I know you can get them in other places, You still need them to do the start up. Transfer switch's were basic, there is some control work:wink:
 
i would look at the guardian units along with their transfer equipment. i hope your customer has natural gas?? because whole house unit is gonna take a lot of fuel ??? you would be doing your customer wrong to sell him a system that is basically useless during an extended power outage. one of my neighbors had a system installed--first class--whole house--propane 200 gallon tank. was empty in three days--power was out for 16 days !!!
 
I have seen the guardian 16kw set ups at Sams club around here, one of those may be big enough, but I dont think the customer would be happy with the transfer panel set up they come with.
 
i did a guardian elite 20kw back in feb. w/ a 200A transfer switch. the transfer panel set is an option i believe. if you go to a dealer you can specify how you want it. its an easy setup and it works just fine.
 
Have installed the Guardian/Generac generator others have mentioned. All were natural gas. Installations went fine. Would recommend them - actually I think both Siemens and Eaton/Cutler Hammer are re-branding the Guardian/Generac units as their own.

I recently had a customer ask me about this one:

http://www.gillettegenerators.com/

I have never seen or installed these, anyone have any input on this manufacturer?
 
charlietuna said:
one of my neighbors had a system installed--first class--whole house--propane 200 gallon tank. was empty in three days--power was out for 16 days !!!
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Maybe someone should have told them the tank is refillable.
 
I guess Sams club must have sold out for the season, but the local farm store is a Guardian dealer and I picked up some literature to show the customer. has anyone else ever seen the transfer switch I originally posted about? It is your meterbase and automatic transfer switch all in one unit, I had it bookmarked forever, but must have erased it:mad:
 
i would look at the guardian units along with their transfer equipment. i hope your customer has natural gas?? because whole house unit is gonna take a lot of fuel ??? you would be doing your customer wrong to sell him a system that is basically useless during an extended power outage. one of my neighbors had a system installed--first class--whole house--propane 200 gallon tank. was empty in three days--power was out for 16 days !!!
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And that's why the EC should steer the end user to a firm that offers, emergency service. NEVER EVER had a problem with this, if the customer keeps the tank full, allows sufficient time for refill and coordinates all this in advance. And while we are not in a hurricane prone area we have had power outages due to ice and/or snow that lasted several days into a week.
 
ultramegabob said:
I guess Sams club must have sold out for the season, but the local farm store is a Guardian dealer and I picked up some literature to show the customer. has anyone else ever seen the transfer switch I originally posted about? It is your meterbase and automatic transfer switch all in one unit, I had it bookmarked forever, but must have erased it:mad:
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I haven't seen that one. They have a transfer switch that has a loadcenter built in; it has a whip w/ several conductors you attach to the house panel to transfer circuits over to backup power. They also have service-entrance transfer switches w/ MCB's installed. I could guess some EC's had problems w/ poco's not wanting to use the built-in meter base. Some only allow certain types of combos, which is fine, but w/ the generac transfer switch you're limited to only one type of meter combo. I'm just guessing though.

I would also recommend dealing w/ a factory direct dealer so you can sign up for the rebate program (it may be available anywhere; you'll have to ask the retailer). Also, they provide warranty & factory startup service.
 
If you use natural gas, be sure to check the line size and pressure available, it can be quite expensive to upgrade the meter and line. With propane you need a two stage regulator, one at the tank and one at the generator. Pricewise , Generac is the most competitive, but the smaller ones are pretty noisy, about like a riding lawnmower, so placement is critical. On the larger ones, the 1800 rpm units are much quieter than the 3600 rpm ones, but have a larger voltage sag if a heavy load is dumped onto it.
 
the aftermath of a hurricane does not include operating propane trucks and many large areas have lost their natural gas during storms. the idea i was stressing was when the power goes off during a storm--please understand there is a limit to operational time and it's directly proportional to the generator's load. you would be suprised how many generator owners don't consider this and when they do, they realize the whole house unit is stupid-operate only items necessary to servive and conserve fuel--that is your limiting item.
 
i installed a 10kw generator at my house. its a guardian and it came prewired with an 8 circuit transfer switch/subpanel. cost me about 2500 bucks since i paid what dealers paid for it plus the 600 to runt he gas line to it
 
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