Scott from Howell, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since August of 2019. The standby generator was commissioned that November. The house has a 150-amp service, so rather than pare the backup down to a handful of essential circuits we fitted a 16 kW machine on a managed whole-house transfer switch, which holds the largest loads apart so they cannot all draw at once. The load calculation called for 12 kW, and the extra covers a second refrigerator and the rest of the kitchen without anyone having to think about it.
Project Facts
- Location
- Howell, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- August 2019
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 70351
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,100 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 150 amp
- Transfer switch
- 150 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Howell homeowners
Can the existing natural-gas service in a Howell 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.
Will the sump pump keep working if the power goes out?
It will if it is on the generator. This matters most in exactly the weather that causes outages: heavy rain and a power cut tend to arrive together, and a sump pump without power cannot keep a basement dry. A sump pump is one of the loads worth confirming during the survey rather than assuming.
Can a generator sit on compacted stone?
Certain air-cooled models can, on a properly prepared compacted aggregate base, where the applicable installation manual permits it. The base has to be stable, level, and resistant to settling and erosion, and the preparation comes from the model's own manual rather than from general practice.