Home Backup Generator,
April 24, 2008
By ernieufrom Brown Deer ,Wi
"This nice looking generator sits next to my air conditiioner and is a low maintenance product. When we have ice storms in late winter and we lose electrical power,it automatically kicks in an we have all the power we need to run our furnace,refrigerator ,lights .TV and micro wave oven. I am considering buying another unit for the lake cottage since we often lose electrical power during summer storms.This generator is reliable and relativly noiseless. It is a great investment for summer or winter.Briggs and Stratton makes great engines and now great generators as well."
What is your level of technical expertise?:
Home Handyman
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Overall Rating:
4
/ 5
Fully Automatic backup power works well,
April 21, 2008
By RSS1from San Diego
"At 7kw, it's not designed to power entire residential loads including central air conditioning and electric heat. What it's designed for, it does well. Starts within 6 seconds of power loss, takes the load that you have selected for it within the next 20 seconds and holds 62hz solidly. When utility power returns it keeps the load for about 5 minutes typically then it transfers the load back and secures itself about a minute later. Installation was easy (read inexpensive for a licensed electrician and plumber) and completed quickly. My only area of concern was with the automatic buss transfer device. It uses 2 50amp relays. If utility power is online, the utility relay is energized. If the generator is online, the generator relay is energized. All things being equal, I would prefer that an energized relay not be required to keep utilities online but rather have a single relay that "breaks" utility when it "makes" generator. The safety factor still exists for the power company but if a relay fails, I can still keep utility power as a default. At any rate, I would recommend this device to family providing they didn't live in an area that requires significant and substantial climate control"
What is your level of technical expertise?:
Professional
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Overall Rating:
4
/ 5
A Nice Small Unit,
March 7, 2008
By LR308from SW Florida
"At 7 kW this is a nice small unit that will give you basic lighting, keep your fridge and freezer cold, and let you watch t.v., listen to radio, and keep your computer up. It will also keep your well pump operating so you will have the basics to get by during an outage. If you heat with electricity or live in a hot area wherea.c. is needed, forget it. Here in s.w. Florida we were without power for nearly 2 weeks following Hurricane Charley. That was in mid August with daily temperatures between 90 and 100 and with all the water that was evaporating following the storm a.c. was essential. While this unit is excellent, for not a lot more you can get one large enough to power everything and the installation will be just as easy except for the extra weight. You can easily determine the total wattage which you require and then buy accordingly."
What is your level of technical expertise?:
Professional
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Overall Rating:
5
/ 5
generator,
March 7, 2007
By rrjeofrom Collinsville, IL
"Due to extended power outages in July and November, I decided to purchase a generator. Considerations were; Gasoline pros; cheaper, easier to install, portable. Gasoline cons; Needs fueled approx 3 times a day, no automatic start while I am on a trip, someone has to come here, connect, start, fuel, non use eventually leads to unstable gasoline, in a wide spread outage, gasoline stations may not have power, and if they do, they raise the price (that happened here with the stations that were open, gasoline went up 20 cents the first day and continued to increase until power was restored and the generators were shut down) and even though auto transfer switches are available, the unit must be maintained. Natural gas pros; Fuel source is underground and more reliable than electric distribution, no gasoline to get and handle. Automatic start-up and transfer, no one has to be on hand to start or maintain its operation, peace of mind is worth a lot to me. My unit has an exercise cycle that starts the unit weekly. This feature keeps the unit ready for operation. No one can borrow it, possibly making it unavailable when I want it. Natural gas cons; Higher price, 2 to 3 times a portable unit, gas line plumbing must be done, transfer switch installed and wired. Not a requirement, but I poured a concrete pad to make sure the unit remained level. I would recommend it, makes a better installation. With all the above stated, I am pleased with my decision to install the permeant unit. I have not had a power outage since installation, but I tested the unit and it works as intended. I did all the installation, piping, electrical and concrete myself, saving labor costs. I added an inexpensive hour meter, which is not included with this unit. The hour meter gives me a handle on usage."
What is your level of technical expertise?:
Professional
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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