Luis from Atlantic Highlands, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since September of 2021. The generator was commissioned in May of 2022, on an essential-circuits switch, sized against a 14 kW calculation for the 2,400 square foot house. Two conditions were set out before the work: the household would level the area and ensure at least ten feet of clearance between the exterior wall and the new retaining wall, and would have the Verizon FIOS box moved to the left of the main service panel in the garage. Ten feet is not a preference but a requirement – a generator has to sit a set distance from the structure, and on a sloping lot with a retaining wall going in, that distance has to be built rather than found. Annual maintenance, an extended parts-and-labor warranty and monitoring we manage all sit behind the machine.
Project Facts
- Location
- Atlantic Highlands, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- September 2021
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7226
- Rated output
- 18 kW LP / 17 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,400 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- GenReady
Standby generator questions from Atlantic Highlands homeowners
Does the residential building code apply to a generator?
It can. For applicable one- and two-family dwellings New Jersey adopts the 2024 International Residential Code, subject to state amendments. Structural and flood-related generator installations may therefore need review under the residential subcode as well as the electrical and fuel requirements.
How often should a standby generator be serviced?
Maintenance follows the schedule for the exact model and its operating hours. For current air-cooled units that means an annual inspection plus scheduled work at hour-and-year intervals. Extended running during a long outage can bring the next service forward.
Will the sump pump keep working if the power goes out?
It will if it is on the generator. This matters most in exactly the weather that causes outages: heavy rain and a power cut tend to arrive together, and a sump pump without power cannot keep a basement dry. A sump pump is one of the loads worth confirming during the survey rather than assuming.