David from Middletown, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since June of 2013. He and Diane signed in early June and the generator was commissioned in the first week of September, a 20 kW Generac on its own pad behind a 200-amp service-rated transfer switch. It covers 2,920 square feet with a refrigerator, a dishwasher, the laundry and two sump pumps. A PowerBase plan has kept it serviced since. Middletown is in Monmouth County.
Project Facts
- Location
- Middletown, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- June 2013
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 6244
- Rated output
- 20 kW LP / 18 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,920 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 0 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Middletown homeowners
Can Middletown require a generator to sit farther from the house than the manufacturer does?
Yes. Another applicable requirement can result in greater separation than the manufacturer's listed minimum -- equipment may be permitted eighteen inches from a qualifying wall while the local ordinance requires several feet from a property line. Both requirements have to be satisfied; neither cancels the other.
Is an emergency shutdown required?
The 2023 National Electrical Code contains requirements addressing emergency shutdown of generator prime movers. Whether and how they apply is determined from the generator's rating, its location, the model and the installation, and the factory equipment is evaluated against them rather than presumed to comply.
What gas pressure does a generator need?
It is model-specific and has to be read off the specification sheet rather than assumed. A current 22 kW model, for instance, specifies a minimum natural-gas pressure of 3.5 inches water column. Different models carry different requirements.