Opinions on this Kohler standby generator?

Do you need that much KWs? Overkill for a home. I've had one of those home models for years 12kw runs on propane. The only thing I don't have connected to it is the electric range and electric HW heater. It runs everything else including the heat pump. Never any trouble. The automatic switch box that comes with it is first class and hands off.
 
I would prefer a dual fuel model NG & LPG. Diesel has some of the limitations of gas when storing for an extended periods of time. Your NG supply has a pretty good chance of surviving a weather disturbance. Propane can be stored on site for an unlimited time.
 
oldcodger said:
I would prefer a dual fuel model NG & LPG. Diesel has some of the limitations of gas when storing for an extended periods of time. Your NG supply has a pretty good chance of surviving a weather disturbance. Propane can be stored on site for an unlimited time.
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So even with a large power outage, you'll still have NG service?
 
If I were to get a whole house generator, I would surely go with natural gas.

That's a lot of money for something that would rarely get used and doesn't even account for installation labor. I would have a professional consulted to tally up everything you would want powered during an outage and match a suitable generator for your needs.

I lost power last evening for seven hours due to a bad storm. I was only concerned with the fridge and freezer and will stick with my portable generator for that.
 
Lubener said:
If I were to get a whole house generator, I would surely go with natural gas.

That's a lot of money for something that would rarely get used and doesn't even account for installation labor. I would have a professional consulted to tally up everything you would want powered during an outage and match a suitable generator for your needs.

I lost power last evening for seven hours due to a bad storm. I was only concerned with the fridge and freezer and will stick with my portable generator for that.
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I agree. That's my situation as well. $15K pays for A LOT of electricity. I totally get the idea of wanting a good backup power supply. But you can achieve that for a hell of a lot less than that.

And you have to add in all the hookup costs as you mentioned. Even if you have very undependable electric service, I doubt you need to part with that much coin to give you a good, dependable backup system.

We never get power failures that last longer than a few minutes. Most of the time it's just a few seconds. (Just long enough to have to reset all the digital clocks).

I have 2, 9500 watt portables than are dual fuel, (gasoline and propane), that will run everything in the house except for the A/C. As of now I've never had to use either..... Knock on wood.
 
The motor guy said:
Wouldn't something like this be way better than those home rated generac generators that everyone installs?
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Way better for what? You don't tell us what you "need" it for. Often, people think they "need" a lot of power during an emergency, but they don't stop to think about wants and needs are two different things.


The motor guy said:
This thing doesn't say much about the engine though. I think it says 2.2 liter turbo charged, runs off LP/natural gas.
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You could contact them and ask more about the engine specs.


The motor guy said:
I'd prefer a diesel model honestly.
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Fuel source is unique to the application parameters. You've not told us much about where you're at, expected duration of run times, etc.
 
One nice thing about propane and natural gas, is it never goes bad like gasoline and diesel can. It is also very rare, if not impossible to have issues with water or moisture in the fuel.

The downside to propane and natural gas is most generators produce less power on those type of gaseous fuels, than they do on gasoline.
 
Agree w/others to stick w/NG or Propane. If you're worried about NG then you could figure out how long of a duration at a time w/o power and then size a propane tank for it on your property.
 
Living in Hurricane country I own a portable 9.5k start/7.5k portable gas generator. Gas is a pain to store and this thing loves gas.

Mine runs a few outlets and lights but, more importantly, two freezers and a fridge. It's wired to a sub-panel through an automatic transfer switch. I run it one hour on, two hours off.
 
That looks great for a larger house in hurricane country. The 1,800 rpm is much nicer than a 3,600 rpm generator if you have to listen to it for a week straight.

I agree with everyone else that NG is the way to go if you have it. No refueling or bad fuel to worry about.
 
Diesel engines run at lower rpm, produce more torque and have a longer life span. Diesel generators cost more than gas. Fuel can last longer than gas.

NG is cleaner and supply is virtually unlimited. NG generators produce less power and consume more fuel.

Gas generators are generally portable and easier to keep out of the weather and your cheapest option. But most inconvenient.
 
I have been toying with the idea of a generator. I have a portable gas one for now but I would like a NG generator that runs at 1800 rpm. If you are likely to suffer frequent prolonged outages you should look for something that's continuous run rated. I don't think these generac or even Kohler liquid cooled are continuous run. After so many hours they will shut themselves off. After the snowvid ice catastrophy that hit Texas a couple of years ago we were without power for almost a week. I of course had no generator but one of my customers who is an electrician has a customer who has a liquid cooled generac on his house. He was upset that his generator would run and then it would turn off. I sat down with my customer and called generac and they said these generators will not run continuously. Maybe that's a big deal maybe not. It was to at least this one guy. Not sure what he did about it.
 
30kw is a lot of generator . Assess your needs . You can probably do just fine with a smaller unit .
 
nomas said:
30kw is a lot of generator . Assess your needs . You can probably do just fine with a smaller unit .
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I'd like to run the central ac 5 ton, electric on demand water heater, fridge a window ac unit also in the garage. I'd like to feel like it's a normal day, no sit and tittle my thumbs when it's 110 outside
 
I have a Generac 26k which is hooked up to natural gas but can run on propane if needed. I went oversize for the same reasons you want to, I don't want to think about what to run and what not to run when the power goes out. The cost between the larger and smaller units was not much, and it's a one shot deal so why not. Most of the cost was in the install so get the size unit you want.
 
Run your needs by a local installer or two. Then run their quotes by us for our input. Just understand that during an emergency situation nothing will be as if it was a normal day. Might as well get that outa your head. The storm that knocks out the power could also take your roof or worse….
I like my Honda EM6500SX and Generlink, plus a Honda EU2200 as backup. Works awesome for me but doesn’t mean it would for anyone else.

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