Michael from Colonia, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since February of 2022. The generator was commissioned that May: a Generac Guardian rated 17 kW on natural gas, outdoors beside the meter, with a 200-amp service-entrance switch, a smart management module and surge protection. The load calculation asked for 14 kW across 1,508 square feet, with an electric dryer among the loads – the item that most often pushes a small house past what its size would suggest, since an electric dryer draws roughly five times what a gas one does. The generator is supported by annual maintenance, a seven-year extended parts-and-labor warranty, and monitoring we manage.
Project Facts
- Location
- Colonia, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- February 2022
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7226
- Rated output
- 18 kW LP / 17 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 1,508 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Colonia homeowners
How close to the house can a generator sit in Colonia?
For the air-cooled models covered by the manufacturer's listed installation guidance, the rear of the generator can be as close as eighteen inches to a qualifying structure when every condition of that listing is met. That eighteen inches is a tested installation dimension, not a zoning setback, and a municipality can require more.
Why does cold weather matter when sizing a propane tank?
Because propane's ability to vaporise falls as the outdoor temperature drops and as the liquid level in the tank falls. A supply that looks adequate in mild weather can struggle to support a large generator through a long winter outage if storage and vaporisation capacity were not designed for it.
Does a generator produce less on natural gas than on propane?
Some models do have a lower rated maximum output on natural gas than on propane -- a current 22 kW machine is rated 22 kW on LP and 21 kW on natural gas. Other models carry their own ratings, so the model-specific specification sheet is what settles it rather than a general rule.