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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,318
Registered: ‎10-11-2017

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

My sister is interested in getting one, so I'd like to know. Even though she doesn't live near water, her basement floods. She has 3 sump pumps there, but if the power goes out, no sump pumps. She doesn't even  use her basement for storage as she already lost everything she had stored there several years ago, but it is an expensive item to purchase, I think.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,034
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

My husband's former company sold and installed Generac. And we do not have one.

 

Through the years we have dealt with two power outages that were over 5 days. And numerous ones that lasted 2-3 days. And through the years we have installed two supplemental  gas heaters that will keep the house reasonably warm. So even if there is no power we can use our stove (gas) and water heater (gas). We have some great light sources. So we are happy with our set up. Plus, power outages are becoming few and few. In fact the Electric Company is currently upgrading the underground power lines this month.

 

Our next door neighbor has a Generac, installed it right outside our bedroom window. And there have been two power failures since he had it installed. The first time the power came on shortly after it went off. The power failure did not last more than 5 minutes. But his generator continued to run for another two days. The second power failure, it continued to run for another 3 days after the power came back on. Finally my husband went and told him the power was back on. 

 

I know several people that have Generac and are pleased. In fact my cousin has a Generac generator that does her entire 3 story house. There is about a 10 second pause between the time the power goes out and the generator kicks in. Other than that you would not know there was a power failure.

 

 

Regular Contributor
Posts: 156
Registered: ‎06-22-2012

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

I have had a generac for over 5 yrs. and I would not be without it.  My electric supplier in Halfmoon NY is NYSEG and they have outages all the time.  I like the fact that it kicks on and off automatically.  Worth every penny!!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,293
Registered: ‎08-14-2013

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

I have a whole house Generac because we are on Rural Electric and the power goes out for long periods at a time. It turns on for about five minutes, twice monthly to test. I've used it about five times so far this year. You have to be careful of the installer. Read their reviews on the web. I didn't and this jerk that installed mine lies terribly when I call for anything. I've had to call him twice for my mother's Generac not starting and it seems his recreational activities take precedence. 

Super Contributor
Posts: 367
Registered: ‎01-07-2012

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

We have had a Generac for over 10 years now with only one glitch in all that time.  The company that we bought from and have our maintenance agreement with came out after dark and worked on it and got it going.  Came back the next day and did a thorough tuneup and haven’t had a problem since.  So, I suggest you research the company and make sure they will stand behind not only the generator, but their service agreement.  

 

As others have mentioned, it is loud!  Very very loud!  Since the unit is right outside the master bedroom, if it is running at night, I move to the guest room!  LOL. I did ask if there was something that could be done about the noise level and the only suggestion was that it could have been installed away from the house but that would have significantly increased the cost of installation.

 

i am totally spoiled and would not have made a good pioneer!  I want my electricity!  So, for me, this is a great investment.

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

Just in general, I'll share my opinions about generators.

 

If we could, we'd have a standby. One that is powered by either natural gas or propane, and wired in to come on automatically when the power goes off. They are set up to cycle every 30 days or so to make sure they work (at least that is how the one some friends had worked). We have no natural gas available in this area, and we'd have to install a large propane tank to have one. The cost of the tank and the fuel and then rental fees on the tank because we'd never use the quantity of gas they require each year, stops us from having this kind.  I will say that we have known people who's standby generators have failed. They need to be maintained like other home systems, so you can't just assume once installed you are all done and guaranteed , but still the easiest way to give you back up power, in my opinion.

 

We do have two portable generators that run on gasoline. One is large enough to run our whole house and is wired in, where we just filp the main switch off in an outage, and the generator will supply power to the whole house. We have to be here to start the generator, it doesn't come on automatically, and we have to refill the tank every 6 to 8 hours if running fully. So while it isn't the easiest way, it is better than no heat/water/sump pump in an outage (as we are all electric). We have it stored in and running in the barn, which is far enough from the house to prevent any carbon monoxide danger.

 

Portable generators are great, because you can wheel them and load them to take them wherever you need them (you have power, but your brother across town doesn't, you can help), where the standby ones you cannot. You do have to keep a supply of gasoline, and they need to be fired up and maintained regularly too. They can be dangerous in town/city settings because of noise, carbon monoxide, and the risk of being stolen while in use.

 

We have needed and used our generators quite a few times, and I personally wouldn't be without one in some fashion or another. If we ever relocate to somewhere that natural gas is available, we will have a standby installed, no doubt about it. 

 

We priced it around here and it can (could at the time anyway) run about $5000 or more to get the size we'd need for a standby. That is a lot of money, but I would consider it a great investment and some peace of mind. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,604
Registered: ‎10-25-2010

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

We do not have one.  We are fortunate that our power never goes out.  Our utilities are all underground.

 

We do own two portable gas fueled generators.  They are used mostly for camping in the winter time.  We have lent them to friends who used them when their power went out...for heat and to keep the refrigerator going.

 

If we were without power for a long while, I would " live" in the RV for a while.  It is smaller than our home and easier to keep warm or cool depending on the season.

 

If your power goes out often and for long periods of time, I think a Generac is a good investment.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,460
Registered: ‎05-12-2012

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

YES!!  We are the first to lose power...and the last to have it back.....best investment we ever made!!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,915
Registered: ‎06-15-2014

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

My daughter has it. Works like a charm. Automatically comes on within less than a minute, powers the entire house.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,565
Registered: ‎09-15-2016

Re: Do you have a Generac for your home?

I had a whole house installed a few years after my husband died, I just couldn't do the 10+ long outages a year by myself anymore...the worst was 3 weeks without heat & water, just miserable. The unit turns itself on - off as needed & it's easy to maintain. I live in the country & the power company finally admitted problems with the underground & overhead lines, the area is identified as a Red Zone. The generator was expensive but no regrets & it gets lots of use.