Kohler Generators
- Thread starter mannyb
- Start date
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
I am the big Kohler fish in a very small market. Ask what you would like.
You are correct you are supposed to run power and signal in different conduits. I almost always run the main gen power and the battery circuit in the same large conduit though.
You are correct you are supposed to run power and signal in different conduits. I almost always run the main gen power and the battery circuit in the same large conduit though.
Can you provide or share the Kohler information/document
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
Putting in a Kohler right now. They are pretty simple, and yes you must run the controls separate from the power, if not, it voids the Kohler warranty. What’s kinda nice, is Kohler has a breaker in the service rated switches for the charger.
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
All of their owner/installation manuals are freely available on their web site. We don't really know what specific model you are working with.
Otherwise just trust us, all Kohlers need 2 conduits at least.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
Set the generator today, concrete guys screwed us over. Shown the head guy that spoke some English stake driven in the center, is dead center of the slab, slab is to be parallel to the fence, Dimensions of 4’ wide, 8 1/2’ long. My stub ups missed. Huh? Why? They made it 4 1/2’ wide, and 8’ long, and it’s at an angle to the fence! Now one of my stubs is under the brace! 
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I would have made them do it over, or don't pay them.
And, maybe, next time, stake the four corner locations.
And, maybe, next time, stake the four corner locations.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
They were hired by the customer. They were also supposed to set the generator (1800lbs) but only got it half way there before they started tearing up the shrubbery with a telehandler. They got run off, and I brought in a trailer and four wheeler to get it the rest of the way. I built the trailer specifically for generators, but not one this big!
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
I get this all the time, too expensive, let the customer do x or y part of the project.
Then when it is said and done, they screwed it all up and it has to be worked around.
Then when it is said and done, they screwed it all up and it has to be worked around.
How would you separate conduits when you have 2 or 3 ATS same generator? You just nipple across? Most of the time they are installed with gutter to rough in all 3. Do you know if they need to be directly tied ATS? Just asking this has become an issue with running LV through gutter then ATS even with divider.
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Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
Most electricians do not think that hard about this issue. The 2 separate conduits just usually terminate in the same gutter as everything else. I'm not saying it's right. But with 600 volt THHW and functionally associated control conductors, it's not a real issue.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
Kohler doesn’t like splices in the transferswitchs either, at least the feeds and load conductors.
Seven-Delta-FortyOne
Goin’ Down In Flames........
- Location
- Humboldt
- Occupation
- EC and GC
You *can* run the 2-wire start conductors to just one ATS. With Generac you MUST install them as master/slave, with Kohler you can do it either way.
The conductors get real close when you land them anyway, so I’m not sure that having them in the same gutter is going to cause a problem.
The conductors get real close when you land them anyway, so I’m not sure that having them in the same gutter is going to cause a problem.
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
I've never heard or read that. The home transfer switches are too small to do much comfortably though.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
Our local Kohler dealer would turn us down on commercial job commissions if there was splices. I had to splice the neutral on the last one because the existing was too short. The start up tech fussed about it, but went ahead and signed off.
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
Well he might have made it up, because it's not in any book I know of.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
It may be just one of Nixon Power requirements. They had that requirement for many years.
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
Yeah there aren't enough rules in this business, we could always use a few more.
You are right but the Kohler tech commissioning system does. They want us to go from generator directly into ATS and not through gutter. I'm mostly asking what alternative or anyone experience this issue and a remedy. They do not want comm and power same conduit enclosure until it reaches ATS
Birken Vogt
Senior Member
- Location
- Grass Valley, Ca
Should have hired me to do the Kohler side of things then. Long drive though