[Marcia2009]

Hello all! My question is regarding generators.

I have a generator that I wheel in and out when needed but due to some physical limitations am now looking at purchasing a "whole house generator". My understanding is that it's possible to fuel these by hooking them up to your gas line? AND.. that they turn on when needed? Is this all factual?

My other question is cost - I found a Kohler 12RES at approx. $3800. And am wondering what costs for installing would be (approximate).

Thank you!

[ballengerb1]

That small generator would not do a whole house, you knew that already. Larger generators can run an entire house and can run off natural gas or propane, some can be fitted to self start. If you want all this you crossed over the $10K line. Your most accurrate answer will be from 3 contractors who can give you a free bid. Try to get all 3 to bid on the same generator so you can compare apples to apples.

[KISS]

My understanding is that it's possible to fuel these by hooking them up to your gas line? AND..that they turn on when needed? Is this all factual?

That is factual. They also do a self-test weekly for about 20 minutes, but they don't transfer the load.

My other question is cost - I found a Kohler 12RES at approx. $3800. and am wondering what costs for installing would be (approximate).

Costs can never be actually provided, but you need to be aware of:

Permits pulled.
Pad has to be poured.
Gas connections have to be made.
Electrical connections have to be made.
Looks like that particular generator has a sensitive load option.

The automatic "transfer" switch was probably not included. Not that I've seen it, but Briggs and Stratton has a "priority like load center" The transfer switch is expensive. Generally <$1000.

[Fr_Chuck]

Yes, there are many sold, one of my favorite stores "Northern Tool and Equipment" sell them,

There as noted have to have a transfer swith which disconnects the box from the street while the generator is running and then back when the power comes on.

Most have automatic starts that turn them on at least once a month as a check to see if they work.

The size will depend on what you plan on running in your home,
But yes they can run off natural or propane gas ( which is preferred normally)

[ballengerb1]

You know Fr most of us would not admit to buying from those folks. I guess if you stick with name brands stuff you might be OK but much of their stuff is pretty shakey.

[stanfortyman]

A) Northern actually sells some good stuff. Their protable generators and pressure washers are good quality. Harbor Freight is another story. Their stuff is junk.

B) ALL permanent standby generators are self starting and require a fuel supply. Typically nat or LP gas.

C) A 10-12 kW most certainly CAN run any of the basics in a house. You DO NOT need a 20 or 25 kW just because it can provide enough to run everything at once. IMO for the average home anything more than a 15kW is totally overkill.
You DO NOT need to run the whole house the few times the generator is actually running.

You have the option of a transfer panel which is a sub-panel that only those circuits have generator backup; or you can go with a main transfer switch where the whole panel is generator backup.

The panel option is a few hundred cheaper to buy and less work to install, but limits you to a certain number of circuits. Usually 12-16 circuits. These are good because you have less of a chance of overloading the generator since only those critical circuits are on the generator.

From experience I can say stay away from Guardian. At the same time, their parent company Generac is not a bad unit at all. There IS a difference between the two.
Kohler, Onan and Winco are good units but are higher priced.

On average, figure about $4500-$8000 total depending on brand and size of the unit you go with.