Stuart and Celia from Long Branch, NJ have been Green Sun Energy Services clients since September of 2020. A Generac Guardian rated 18 kW on propane and 17 kW on natural gas went in during June of 2022, running on natural gas behind a 200-amp automatic transfer switch, with 1,520 square feet of living space behind it on the load survey. Eighteen kilowatts on a house that size is sized to the loads rather than to the floor area, and the 200-amp switch carries the service whole.
Project Facts
- Location
- Long Branch, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- September 2020
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7226
- Rated output
- 18 kW LP / 17 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 1,520 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 100 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- GenReady
Standby generator questions from Long Branch homeowners
Can the existing natural-gas service in a Long Branch 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.
Why does the generator run when the power is on?
It is performing its automatic exercise cycle, which confirms basic engine operation and keeps the machine ready. A generator can also start because utility voltage has become abnormal even though the power has not gone off completely -- the controller watches the quality of the supply, not simply whether it is absent.
Can the generator run the propane tank right down?
It is a poor outage plan. Propane should be monitored and topped up before the generator runs out. Usable capacity is not the same as the tank's nominal water capacity, and cold weather reduces how much vapour the tank can deliver just when the machine is working hardest.