regarding small gas Gens and ATS…

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

Generac air-cooled HSB specifically state, “not to be used for life safety” or some such wording.

 

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

All Generac generators can be reconfigured to use a standard 2 wire start system.

On the air cooled you have to change a few wires behind the controller.

Most liquid cooled Generac res/comm up to 150 kw come configured to use their non standard 6 wire setup but already have the terminals for 2 wire since they know lots of people will do it this way.

Always wire your battery charge circuit from something powered by the generator. If your alternator fails, it will keep the generator alive during an outage. (At least on Kohler. Generac does not enable their charger during running. Ask me how I know. Had to scab in a Kohler charger to get the customer operational for the duration of the outage.)

It is correct most Generac will not meet 10 second start time requirements. Kohler seems to be preprogrammed to meet it even on small resi stuff.

Generac air cooled do not have an alternator. I don’t do much with liquid cooled so I’m not positive about those.

All the air cooled Kohler that I know of do not have an alternator either.

Both are powered through a line voltage battery charger. Generac ATS are powered through the ATS, so they charge on utility power or gen power, and Kohler are wired from a panel that will be powered by gen power when utility power fails.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Since there have been a few mentions in this thread about the 10 second rule for an Article 700 installation, note that any genset used for Artile 700 compliance must be manfacturer certified as a NFPA Level 1 genset. Level 1 certification includes a number of things beyond just the 10 second rule.
I'm not aware of any residential grade gensets that meet Level 1. In fact, most clearly say in their docs that they are not approved for Article 700 systems.

I can't come up with a reference right now, but I believe exit signs and battery lights are not required if a 10 second generator is installed, without all the other rigamarole of 700. Such as a fire station or something. But I could be wrong.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Generac air cooled do not have an alternator. I don’t do much with liquid cooled so I’m not positive about those.

All the air cooled Kohler that I know of do not have an alternator either.

Both are powered through a line voltage battery charger. Generac ATS are powered through the ATS, so they charge on utility power or gen power, and Kohler are wired from a panel that will be powered by gen power when utility power fails.

You wrote earlier:

On the Kohler 2 wire start models, we just run a 240 circuit off of a 2 pole breaker from a panel. It just has to be one that will never powered by the genset, so the battery will continue to charge when on gen power.

I thought you were saying that the battery charge circuit should NOT be powered by the generator, which is obviously not the case for air cooled, and with liquid cooled could go either way, but I prefer to have it powered at all times.

I must be reading something wrong, I was just offering a correction for the way I do it.

 

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

Weird. Don’t know where the “never” came from. Dang auto correct.

Supposed to be “panel that will be”.

Qere on the same page. Good catch.

 

[hillbilly1]

Here’s the wiring diagram on the 300 series’s.

 

[hillbilly1]

I can't come up with a reference right now, but I believe exit signs and battery lights are not required if a 10 second generator is installed, without all the other rigamarole of 700. Such as a fire station or something. But I could be wrong.

Does require a separate ats and panel. Did a lot of Lowes retrofits where the entire store was backed up by a single transferswitch, but they had to maintain the existing battery backup lights because it is considered an optional standby system.