Gary from Brielle, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since June of 2022. He signed in the middle of June and the generator was commissioned in early September, an 18 kW Generac on a pad with a 150-amp service-rated transfer switch, a whole-house surge protective device and a management module to keep the largest load from overwhelming the rest. A Generac service contract has covered it since, with scheduled visits and monitoring. Brielle is in Monmouth County, on the Manasquan River, where storm season is taken seriously.
Project Facts
- Location
- Brielle, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- June 2022
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7226
- Rated output
- 18 kW LP / 17 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 1,784 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 150 amp
- Transfer switch
- 150 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Process was very easy throughout. The electricians and plumbers were polite, efficient, and instalation and clean up were perfect. I highly recommend this company.
Green Sun Energy Services replied
Thank you, Gary. A generator install puts electricians and plumbers in the same house on the same day, so polite and efficient has to be true of both trades or neither. The 18 kW machine in Brielle carries surge protection and load management, which is how a mid-size unit covers a house comfortably. Clean-up is part of the job, not an afterthought.
Standby generator questions from Brielle homeowners
How much clearance is needed above a generator?
Applicable air-cooled guidance requires roughly five feet of overhead clearance from structures, overhangs and projections. That is what rules out a good many low decks, roof overhangs and alcoves as generator locations, and it is worth establishing early rather than after a site is chosen.
Will an 18 kW generator run an entire Brielle house?
For many homes, yes, but that does not mean every load can run at the same moment. Houses with two central air conditioners, electric heat, EV charging, pool equipment or electric cooking may need load management or a larger machine. The answer comes from a load calculation rather than from the phrase whole house.
Can the generator be connected to any nearby gas pipe?
No. The branch supplying the generator has to be sized for the flow and pressure the machine needs. A pipe that happens to be close by may be too small, or may already be carrying too much load. Undersized piping shows up as poor starting, unstable running, reduced output or a generator that shuts down under load.