Joe from Farmingdale, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since January of 2013. He signed in the first week of January and the generator was commissioned at the end of June, close to six months, which was the shape of that winter after Sandy. It is a 20 kW Generac behind a 200-amp service-rated transfer switch covering 2,800 square feet with two refrigerators, an electric oven, a dishwasher and the laundry. Farmingdale is in Monmouth County.
Project Facts
- Location
- Farmingdale, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- January 2013
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 6244
- Rated output
- 20 kW LP / 18 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,800 sq ft
- Transfer switch
- 0 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Farmingdale homeowners
What size standby generator does a Farmingdale home need?
The correct size is decided by the electrical loads the generator is expected to run, not by the square footage of the house. Central air, heat pumps, electric heat, well and sump pumps, refrigerators and freezers, electric ranges and dryers, pool equipment and EV chargers all count. Where a load is connected automatically, the generator either has the capacity for it or an approved load-management system controls it.
How level does a generator have to be?
Within the leveling tolerance specified in its installation manual -- applicable air-cooled instructions have used roughly a half-inch overall. A poorly prepared base can settle after installation and bring on drainage, vibration or enclosure problems that were not there on the day it went in.
Does a 200-amp service need a 200-amp transfer switch?
A transfer switch installed in the service path has to be rated appropriately for the service and the configuration. A 200-amp service commonly uses a 200-amp service-rated switch, but the actual design is confirmed by the electrician rather than assumed from the service size.