Alepou LLC in Long Beach Township, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since August of 2020. The generator was commissioned in June of 2021: a Generac Guardian rated 18 kW on natural gas, with a 200-amp service disconnect and air conditioning load shedding, set outdoors beside the meter. It sits on a raised platform built to our specification, which on this stretch of the island is the whole point – a generator at grade in a flood zone is a generator that drowns in the storm it was bought for, and height is the cheapest insurance available. The load calculation asked for 15 kW across 3,900 square feet, with two refrigerators, a washer, a gas dryer and a dishwasher to carry through an outage.
Project Facts
- Location
- Long Beach Township, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- August 2020
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7039-1
- Rated output
- 20 kW LP / 18 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 3,900 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Long Beach Township homeowners
Does a generator in Long Beach Township have to sit twelve inches above the flood elevation?
That figure should not be treated as a universal rule without looking at the actual property. The required elevation can depend on the flood-zone designation, the municipal freeboard, the Design Flood Elevation, Coastal A or V Zone conditions, NJDEP requirements and the applicable building-code provisions. Each flood-zone installation is worked out individually.
Is a standby generator the same as a portable one?
No. A home standby generator is permanently installed and automatically connected to the home's electrical and fuel systems. A portable normally has to be placed, fuelled, started and connected by hand each time, using approved connection equipment. The standby machine is designed as an integrated backup-power system rather than as something you fetch out of the garage.
Can a generator be converted from propane to natural gas later?
Many air-cooled models can be configured for either fuel, but the conversion has to follow the exact procedure for that model. The new natural-gas supply then has to be properly sized and pressure-tested for the generator before it is put into service.