James from Manahawkin, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since September of 2020. The generator was commissioned in June of 2021: 17 kW on natural gas, on a 200-amp managed whole-house switch, sized against a 16 kW calculation for the 2,000 square foot house. The gas supply was taken from an existing inch-and-a-half galvanized line already running to the pool filter, rather than a new run from the meter. An existing line of that diameter can usually carry a generator as well as what it was put in for, and using it saves a trench across a garden that already has one. A well pump, a sump pump, an electric oven, two refrigerators and a separate freezer make up the load – no water in and no water out once the power stops, which is what settles the question on a property like this.
Project Facts
- Location
- Manahawkin, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- September 2020
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7038-1
- Rated output
- 20 kW LP / 18 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,000 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 150 amp
- Transfer switch
- 150 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Manahawkin homeowners
What does the kW number on a generator mean?
It is the maximum continuous output the machine is rated to produce under the manufacturer's specified conditions. A current 22 kW model, for example, is rated 22 kW on liquid propane and 21 kW on natural gas. That difference is exactly why the fuel and the model both matter when a generator is sized.
Does a generator in Manahawkin 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.
How is the gas pipe size worked out?
From the generator's demand, the available pressure, the pipe length, the allowable pressure drop, the fittings, the pipe material and every other appliance connected to the system. The adopted fuel-gas code carries the sizing requirements and tables, and the model's published fuel consumption goes into the calculation.