John from Howell, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since July of 2014. The 20 kW standby generator at the house was installed by another company in February of 2013, and John brought its servicing to us the following year. It then ran the full maintenance sequence with us: the one-year service in 2014, then the two, three, four and five-year intervals through to April of 2018, with a service kit supplied in 2014 and a service call in 2016 when something needed attention between visits. At that last scheduled visit the hour meter read 62.5 hours — five years of storms and outages, and the machine had run for barely two and a half days in total. Which is the point of standby power: the hours it does not run are the ones you are paying for.
Project Facts
- Location
- Howell, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- July 2014
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 5887
- Rated output
- 20 kW LP / 18 kW NG
- Transfer switch
- 90 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Howell homeowners
Can a generator be raised on a platform?
Yes. Manufacturer guidance specifically covers installations on platforms and other supporting structures, and directs them to the applicable fire-safety standard, including a noncombustible surface extending beyond the generator for the configuration addressed. Flood and structural requirements have to be satisfied as well.
How close to the house can a generator sit in Howell?
For the air-cooled models covered by the manufacturer's listed installation guidance, the rear of the generator can be as close as eighteen inches to a qualifying structure when every condition of that listing is met. That eighteen inches is a tested installation dimension, not a zoning setback, and a municipality can require more.
What is a sediment trap for?
It helps stop foreign material in the gas line from reaching the generator's fuel controls. Where the fuel-gas code and the system configuration call for one, it is fitted, and the maintenance schedule includes inspecting or cleaning it.