ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Standby resi generator reviews

Brand reccomendations .....

Look to who you have in your area - you want a dealer who can service the stuff, and will help you design the entire installation.

Kohler, Onan, Caterpillar ... are all fine businesses.

I can't make it any more clear .... the brand / model of the genny is the most irrellevant detail. In any event, it's the dealers who are in a position to have an opinion on the topic- not the sparky.

Far more important is correct sizing, fuel choice, and the correct ancillary equipment. I would take a correctly designed system with a China Diesel generator over and incomplete design with a massively oversized Cat any day of the week.

Fact is, most homeowners' true 'emergency' needs can be met with a pair of 1000 watt portables with extension cords. (Just enough to keep the furnace blowing and the fridge cold). For that, I recommend Panasonic first, Honda second, Coleman third.

Then again, I do not consider the loss of TV viewing to be an emergency.

I have been doing a ton of inspections for resi generators. The problems I see is that a home owner can buy the generator for the same price If not less than the EC can. Now the twist. If the EC buys it, will he provide service for the generator? Maybe if he buys from a larger company. However if the homeowner buys it, most times there is no service guarantee at all. So if I was buying it, I would go to a reputable company and look for the one that offers service to your machine down the road.