Donald and Mary from Belford, NJ have been Green Sun Energy Services clients since March of 2016. Donald and Mary signed in the middle of March and the generator was commissioned at the end of May, a 16 kW Generac in a steel enclosure on its own pad behind a 150-amp service-rated switch. It covers 2,100 square feet with a refrigerator, a dishwasher, an electric dryer and a sump pump. Belford sits on the Bayshore in Monmouth County, where the sump matters as much as the lights.
Project Facts
- Location
- Belford, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- March 2016
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 6459
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,100 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 150 amp
- Transfer switch
- 150 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
The business was conducted in a thorough and forth right manner. The generator was sized for the house and not over engineered. The plumbing and electrical subcontractors did and excellent job of installing and cleaned the premises very well. The pricing seems to be in-line with other firms. They were very professional.
Green Sun Energy Services replied
Thank you, Donald. Not over-engineered is exactly the right compliment: the 16 kW Generac at your home in Belford was sized around what the house actually runs, an electric dryer and a sump pump included, rather than to the largest machine we could supply. Our subcontractors are held to the same standard on the clean-up.
Standby generator questions from Belford homeowners
Does a generator keep the well running during an outage in Belford?
Yes, when the well pump is included in the design. A private well pump is electric, so without power there is no running water at all -- a different order of problem from losing the lights. Homes on a well are among the clearest cases for standby power, and the pump belongs on the load list from the start.
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.
Can a generator sit next to the air-conditioning condenser?
Potentially, provided the installation preserves the clearances required by both machines. The generator's hot exhaust should not be directed at the condenser, and neither unit should obstruct the other's airflow or service access. In practice that often means about three feet or more of separation, but the manufacturers' actual requirements decide it.