Whole House Generators

scalabro · Post by **scalabro** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 6:34 pm

Diesel is king of the hill....I did think of buying a 10KW Kubota D, and plumbing into my twin 330 HO tanks. But then my friend dropped a used 17KW Propane unit in my lap for free. All it needed was the battery charger.

Earnest1974 · Post by **Earnest1974** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 6:44 pm

On the 1000 gallon tank issue I meant 500 gallon lol my bad. But I have personality seen a 500 gallon tank freeze up as well and cause a unit to not start. One of the guys I work with actually had a very small 200 gallon tank no be able to keep up with a small kohler unit. And yes there is Preventive maintance cost associated with a diesel unit, 2 oil changes a year along with fuel filters. even if the unit only runs for a few hours. but I know it will run and handle the house at full load, even if we have to switch to 100% electric heat. We do live in a close community with close neighbors and like I said you cant hear it and I have never had any issues. But the city did do a noise reading at the final inspection. But you can smell it sometimes LOL

Earnest1974 · Post by **Earnest1974** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 6:51 pm

Those Kohler units with the John deer engines where always loud, and then the fact of the duct work on the engine fan adds a lot of noise. Kohler's design on the generator cooling fan was also very loud.

coalnewbie wrote:POH stoves and candles. Too much cost and maintenance.

A very small 20kw unit needs at least a 1000 gal tank to run 24/7. and then most of them are not designed to run 24/7. And they will typically over heat and shut down, not the engine but the generator side of these units.
Yep that is correct. It's just not worth it. Big diesels are just too noisy and the average person will be shot dead by his neighbors. The real world...

How many days do you think you can run that and stay alive.

3 base heaters ready to go and lots of beer. Always works, is always available and is totally silent. It's just not worth it. Sorry. 800MM BTU in the bin and that will last me a while. My next move is a Glenwood #8 in the sub basement and electricity is then optional. If they wish to provide power then fine. If not, forget it.

lsayre · Post by **lsayre** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 7:11 pm

Who makes the best diesel generator in the 9,000 to 10,000 Watt range?

Pauliewog · Post by **Pauliewog** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 7:38 pm

lsayre wrote:Who makes the best diesel generator in the 9,000 to 10,000 Watt range?

I have an Onan Cummings RV QD 10000 as a backup which is the same model used in Recreational vehicles.

Im really happy with it. The engine speed adjusts automatically with the load, its not hard on fuel, and in my opinion its pretty quiet.

Paulie

grumpy · Post by **grumpy** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 7:46 pm

lsayre wrote:Who makes the best diesel generator in the 9,000 to 10,000 Watt range?

Many are good, I like the Perkins for smaller units, any good diesel from Japan is also good but I do recommend a Mecca-Alte alternator as the generator end.

Just know what your buying, you want close to 2 HP per 1000 watts.. and 1800 RPM

Are you looking to buy? what are you willing to spend? Maybe I can help..

lsayre · Post by **lsayre** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 7:48 pm

Pauliewog wrote:
lsayre wrote:Who makes the best diesel generator in the 9,000 to 10,000 Watt range?
I have an Onan Cummings RV QD 10000 as a backup which is the same model used in Recreational vehicles.

Im really happy with it. The engine speed adjusts automatically with the load, its not hard on fuel, and in my opinion its pretty quiet.

Paulie

Paul, it looks like an ideal generator, but why does it appear to be intended for RV use only, and does using it for home backup void the warranty?

Grumpy, are you a dealer for such generators?

grumpy · Post by **grumpy** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 8:04 pm

Larry check your PM's

Pauliewog · Post by **Pauliewog** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 8:43 pm

Larry,
I took it in on a trade from a customer who had purchased a refrigerated box truck and had no use for the genset or the two roof mounted ac units.
The generator and roof units were used less than 20 hours and the price was right.

Our last 3 motorhomes all had Onan gensets and I had good luck with them all.

I have a good friend that has the identical model in his motorhome and I had the opportunity to spend a week long trip where it ran non stop in the scorching Georgia heat. My bed was less than 6 feet away from the genset and IMO it was really quiet.

That was my biggest reason for choosing it as a home backup. The second reason is if I decide to sell the AC units the Onan was free

It has a 3 year Warranty for consumer use and 2 years for commercial use.

Paulie

lsayre · Post by **lsayre** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 8:45 pm

Pauliewog wrote:It has a 3 year Warranty for consumer use and 2 years for commercial use.

Paulie

Does its engine run at 3,600 RPM, or at 1,800 RPM?

Pauliewog · Post by **Pauliewog** » Tue. Jan. 06, 2015 9:14 pm

lsayre wrote:
Pauliewog wrote:It has a 3 year Warranty for consumer use and 2 years for commercial use.

Paulie
Does its engine run at 3,600 RPM, or at 1,800 RPM?

It automatically adjusts its speed with the load to max at 1800 rpm.

Paulie

Earnest1974 · Post by **Earnest1974** » Thu. Jan. 08, 2015 8:36 pm

I started her today in the coldest part of the day , here are some pics to enjoy

Whole House Generators

Attachments