Juli from Colts Neck, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since October of 2019. The generator was commissioned that December, sized against a 15 kW calculation for a 980 square foot house – a figure driven not by the floor area but by what the property runs: two well pumps, a sump pump and an electric range and oven combination. Before the work could begin, the staircase to the back deck had to be relocated so the generator would have eight feet of clearance from the west side of the deck. Moving a staircase is a considerable thing to ask, and it is worth understanding why: clearances around a generator are about exhaust and about combustible surfaces, and they are not negotiable on inspection. Settling that in the contract rather than on the day is what keeps an installation from stalling.
Project Facts
- Location
- Colts Neck, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- October 2019
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7176
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 980 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 100 amp
- Transfer switch
- 100 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Colts Neck homeowners
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.
What is a service-entrance-rated transfer switch?
One that is listed for use as service equipment when installed in the appropriate configuration. These are commonly used for whole-house systems, where the transfer switch becomes part of the home's service arrangement rather than sitting downstream of it.
How far from the property line does a generator need to be in Colts Neck?
There is no single statewide New Jersey property-line setback for a residential generator. Setbacks are set by the municipality's zoning ordinance, so the requirement is a Colts Neck question rather than a general one. A generator can meet every manufacturer clearance and still breach a side-yard or rear-yard setback, which is why the zoning review happens before the location is fixed.