Joseph from Manchester, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since November of 2012. He signed that November and the generator was commissioned the following April, an 8 kW Generac on a ten-circuit EZ switch. The survey is the interesting part: only 600 square feet to keep running, but three refrigerators and a freezer on it. Cold storage, not floor area, is what decided the sizing here. Manchester is in Ocean County, in the pines west of Toms River.
Project Facts
- Location
- Manchester, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- November 2012
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 5870
- Rated output
- 8 kW LP / 7 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 600 sq ft
- Transfer switch
- 100 amp
- Load management
- Dedicated (Essential) Circuits
Standby generator questions from Manchester homeowners
Will it work if nobody is home?
Yes, which is one of the main advantages over a portable generator. It has to be properly installed, fuelled, maintained, free of active shutdown alarms and left in AUTO. That matters most where an outage would otherwise stop a sump pump, the heating, refrigeration or a well pump while the house is empty.
Can the existing natural-gas service in a Manchester home supply a generator?
Often yes, but the gas system has to be evaluated first. The review covers the generator's BTU demand, meter capacity, available pressure, regulator capacity, pipe diameter and length, and every other gas appliance in the house -- furnace, boiler, water heater, range and fireplace among them.
Can a standby generator be installed in the garage?
No. Residential air-cooled standby generators are designed for outdoor installation and must never be run inside a garage, basement, shed or any other enclosed occupied space. The engine produces carbon monoxide, which can cause serious injury or death. That is why outdoor location and separation from building openings are treated as critical rather than as preferences.