Brian from Red Bank, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since August of 2021. The generator was commissioned that December: 18 kW on natural gas, on a 200-amp service-entrance switch with three smart management modules. The load calculation asked for 14 kW across the 2,800 square foot house – a refrigerator, a separate freezer, a washer, a gas dryer and a dishwasher. Three modules on a load that size is more than the arithmetic strictly requires, and it buys something worth having: the machine is never asked for everything at once, so it spends its working life well inside its rating rather than at the edge of it. Annual maintenance, an extended parts-and-labor warranty and monitoring we manage all sit behind it.
Project Facts
- Location
- Red Bank, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- August 2021
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7228
- Rated output
- 18 kW LP / 17 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,800 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Red Bank homeowners
Can a generator be raised on a platform?
Yes. Manufacturer guidance specifically covers installations on platforms and other supporting structures, and directs them to the applicable fire-safety standard, including a noncombustible surface extending beyond the generator for the configuration addressed. Flood and structural requirements have to be satisfied as well.
Does the transfer switch need flood protection as well as the generator?
Yes. A flood review should cover much more than the generator enclosure. FEMA recommends that a residential standby system consider elevation or protection of the generator, the transfer switch, the normal and emergency panels, the feeders and the control wiring together.
Can the generator be connected to any nearby gas pipe?
No. The branch supplying the generator has to be sized for the flow and pressure the machine needs. A pipe that happens to be close by may be too small, or may already be carrying too much load. Undersized piping shows up as poor starting, unstable running, reduced output or a generator that shuts down under load.