Paul from Colts Neck, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since August of 2021. The generator was commissioned in June of 2022: a Generac Guardian rated 19.5 kW on natural gas, with the transfer switch and a critical load sub panel indoors beside the service panel, and two smart management modules. This house is 10,235 square feet and the code calculation put whole-house backup at 42 kW, which is a different class of machine and a different price – so the design took the other route and built a critical load panel instead, carrying the well pump, the sump pump, the kitchen and the rest of what actually has to run. A house on a well loses its water with its power, which usually settles the argument about what belongs on that panel. The existing generator pad was reused rather than replaced.
Project Facts
- Location
- Colts Neck, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- August 2021
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7042-2
- Rated output
- 22 kW LP / 19.5 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 10,235 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 400 amp
- Transfer switch
- 100 amp
- Load management
- Essential Circuits/NEMA-3R
Standby generator questions from Colts Neck homeowners
Can a generator go in the side yard of a Colts Neck property?
Often yes, provided the side yard satisfies both the manufacturer's clearances and the municipality's zoning requirements. The site review covers the property-line setback, windows and doors, the gas and electric meters, the air conditioner, neighboring structures, flood conditions, service access and any local screening requirement.
Does the generator need its own gas shutoff?
The fuel installation has to include the shutoff arrangements required by the adopted fuel-gas code and by the installation instructions. The valve must be positioned where it is accessible, both for servicing and for isolating the machine in an emergency.
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.