Lisa from Howell, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since June of 2017. The 17 kW standby generator at the house was installed by another company in January of 2014, and Lisa moved its servicing to us three years later, adding an extended parts-and-labor warranty at the same time. We began with a startup inspection — standard on any machine we did not install ourselves, because there is no sense servicing a generator before knowing what condition it is in — and then carried out every scheduled interval from the three-year service through to the six-year in May of 2020. The switch is a dedicated essential-circuits type: heat, water, refrigeration and lighting rather than the whole house, which is what lets a 17 kW machine cover everything this home actually needs in an outage.
Project Facts
- Location
- Howell, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- June 2017
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 6242
- Rated output
- 17 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Transfer switch
- 65 amp
- Load management
- Dedicated (Essential) Circuits
Standby generator questions from Howell homeowners
Can the existing natural-gas service in a Howell home supply a generator?
Often yes, but the gas system has to be evaluated first. The review covers the generator's BTU demand, meter capacity, available pressure, regulator capacity, pipe diameter and length, and every other gas appliance in the house -- furnace, boiler, water heater, range and fireplace among them.
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.
Does the generator have to be bolted down?
Not every ground-level installation uses the same anchoring method. The requirement changes with the model, the pad type, wind exposure, flood requirements, elevated platforms and any local engineering requirement. The model manual and the site conditions decide it.