Bill,
I am involved in standby generators, mostly large 3-phase diesel units. I
have sold several Generac units and found them to be a good product. They
seem to be well made and if they are maintained they are very reliable. The
"weakest link" in the system (and all back-up systems!) is the starter
battery! If, as a matter of course you replace the battery every two or
three years, and of course check the battery charger for proper operation
during the semi-annual preventative maintenance inspections (PMs), you
should have no problems. I would recommend that you sign a maintenance
agreement that would include, PMs as well as remedial repairs.
Incidentally, that seems to be a pretty fair price. As always, NFI and YMMV!
Regards and good luck
Jim Bauder
'58 TR3
Scottsdale, AZ
-----Original Message-----
From: shop-talk-owner@autox.team.net
[mailto:shop-talk-owner@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of bn1@pacbell.net
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 5:34 PM
To: Shop talk
Subject: Back-up home generator.
Hi List,
I have elderly parents, in their 80's, that live in Mt. Shasta, CA.
That's snow-belt and why I moved to southern CA after growing up there
and having shoveled enough!
I have bugged them forever to get a back up generator. Now after the
east coast black out, they got a quote. Their main survival needs are
powering the oil furnace for heat, a refrigerator and the micro-wave.
Hey, their kid doesn't use his burner stove much for cooking either ;-)
Their house is about 2M sq.ft.
I'd like to run this by all you experts.
The brand name is Generac. It produces 15,000 watts @ 100 amps. It's
propane powered and fully automatic. Apparently, it will even kick in
for half an hour once a month to keep everything lubricated and
working. I never knew there was a propane system. I was expecting like
a Honda gas powered. (I'm electricity challenged, BTW!)
Their quote was $6,895 + $525 for the 125 gal. propane tank. This is a
total quote: Wiring, slabs for the generator & tank, etc. Is this
reasonable? Any other ideas?
Is propane the best and safest way to go? Safety and reliability are my
main concerns here for obvious reasons!
TIA
Bill Barnett
Santa Ana, CA
'53 BN1 Healey 2nd owner
'72 240Z 1st owner
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