Tom from Farmingdale, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since December of 2012. He signed between Christmas and New Year and the generator was commissioned at the end of May, a 17 kW Generac behind a service-rated automatic transfer switch. At 1,800 square feet with an electric oven, a dishwasher, a washer and a gas dryer, the house is comfortably inside what that machine carries with nothing switched off. A PowerBase plan has kept it serviced in the years since. Farmingdale is in Monmouth County.
Project Facts
- Location
- Farmingdale, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- December 2012
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 6053-0
- Rated output
- 17 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 1,800 sq ft
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Farmingdale homeowners
What should a Farmingdale homeowner look for in a generator installer?
A contractor who can design, permit, install, commission, maintain and repair the whole system rather than one who sells the machine. That means generator sizing and transfer equipment, disconnect and shutdown requirements, grounding and bonding, the manufacturer's own installation requirements, gas or propane capacity and pressure, the model-specific clearances, the municipal zoning setbacks, windows and vents and carbon-monoxide entry points, flood requirements where they apply, permits and inspections, utility coordination, load management, commissioning, warranty registration, monitoring and long-term service. The lowest proposal is not necessarily the lowest cost over the life of the system.
Should gas pressure be checked while the generator is running?
Yes. Operating pressure means more than a static reading taken with the generator off. The fuel system has to hold adequate pressure while the generator runs and other appliances may also be drawing gas. That matters most when an existing residential service is being reused.
Does a generator produce less on natural gas than on propane?
Some models do have a lower rated maximum output on natural gas than on propane -- a current 22 kW machine is rated 22 kW on LP and 21 kW on natural gas. Other models carry their own ratings, so the model-specific specification sheet is what settles it rather than a general rule.