24kw Generac Price and Install

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

I did forget to Mention the Pad I have the generator on top of. The pad cost around $300.00🤑

[@carlwilson867]

Was a permit required?

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@carlwilson867 not for the pad.

[@MundiTaurus]

You and your husband did well. :-) ... To whoever: On a tighter budget, you can do the same with a portable generator at half the price. Depending, you can do everything with no permit. Portable generator strong enough to run what you need (or everything, which will cost more); (big is not necessarily better); (you can look up prices on tri-fuel generators, after checking the amps you need, (watts)); 50 amp inlet box, with interlock kit; hose/lines from generator; connect to natural gas meter. Many generators have kits with what you need, (but not things like the inlet box). A caveat: Portable generator with or without an inverter. Without, cheaper, usually louder (who cares). With, less worry about electronics, usually a little quieter (who cares). _Believe it: You can do all of that for about $1,000.00, depending, in regard to area, and price fluctuations._ It does not, may not, take an electrician/plumber/permit. Do your research! NOTE: Most generators have good wheel kits. So, unless you have some really rough ground, taking one out of the garage or shed and placing it is no big deal, (unless you have some physical problems). Storm coming, roll it out... with quick connects, fast hook up. Many have remotes, once set up, you can control from indoors. ADDITIONAL NOTES: An enclosure can be built to secure the generator, and protect it, to leave it out all the time. I personally, don't suggest that. For simple security, make a post hole about 1' deep, use some quick concrete, put/set a couple, (or three), long eye bolts in the top, use a quality chain. A battery operated - EDIT alarm - motion sensor can be used/hidden nearby, also... as well as an inexpensive motion solar light. TIP: You can also install a propane tank (above ground), about 120 gallons, for even worse times. Use your imagination and build something like a two level flower bed (or vegetable garden) around it... tank hidden, and you have pretty flowers (or some munchies). :-) BTW, *@BIGCHERYLPOPE* you can also install a soft-start on your central AC. That helps all the time. (I am not going to get into prepping, that would take too long/much.) EDIT I will say: _Learn how to naturally purify water!_ Have some other means, also. Some ways cost a few hundred dollars, some not much... but, what's better... water, or no water?

[@jackiedillon3897]

I have the 22kw. We just went through a hurricane in Georgia. My generator ran nonstop for 4 days. We had absolutely no issues.

[@rstokes8044]

Love mine here in Fl. In Fact, mine ran for 45 minutes this morning when we had a small outage 2100 house outage.

[@KevinRodriguez-rp1rw]

@@jackiedillon3897 you should never run a Generator 24hr a day or several days unless it’s water cooled. If not water cooled you can overheat the generator and burn it up. And you should shutdown the generator for about 2 or 3 hours a day and always check your oil

[@TXpete]

I just got a Generac 24kw Installed about 2 weeks ago. We had a power outage yesterday for a few hours, The Generator kicked in and did what it was designed to do. Very pleased with it.

[@365Pastor]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@Tanglishcouple]

Thanks for the detailed information! You definitely saved money compared to some of the quotes I’ve seen thrown out there.

[@LeonardCooperman]

Generac scared us and we went with the Kohler. It’s better built and has been flawless.

[@AD-rl4jv]

We thought about Kohler but we researched our area and there are only a few dealers and not many companies work on them. Finding service would be hard when you need it. Generac is very easy to find parts and service. The Kohler is quieter and a bit better quality.

[@1225328]

Thanks for the info. Interesting.

[@garzatatu6]

Thank you for sharing. Great info.

[@klemk5659]

5 years still going... Florida need I say more!!

[@mafosa8519]

A lot of mixed bags with generacs. I’d rather go diesel with limited fuel supply. Still a great share! Larry

[@RogerKey-h1e]

I bought the same unit. It ran a total of 5 1/2 hrs then it had a catastrophic failure. Getting an authorized dealer to fix it has yielded no results thus far. I’ve contacted 3 different dealers and it’s still broken after 4 months. I’m considering selling the usable parts on eBay and going with a different brand.

[@rupe53]

I would contact Generac directly. They may have an answer for you, which may include them knowing who the dealers are in the area and who may be better qualified. Quite often a small dealer just doesn't have the experience or the pull with the factory to get things done. Back before I retired, I worked at a larger dealer in the northeast. (15 techs on the road and 6,000 customers) We'd get calls to assist in situations like this because they trusted our opinion and got good feedback from our staff.

[@OurWild-Life]

That is the downside of having bought it from Amazon. If you had purchased from a local electrical service company, you would go through them for this issue.

[@titorican]

Wow very informative. Thanks for the superb info. 👍🏼 👍🏼

[@danelionheart5881]

Now if money means little then this would be sweet to have and run. But for people that worry if they will be living on the streets soon enough a Portable Gen is a better deal. I was hit with both Hurricane Helene and Milton. Yes I live in Florida. My Westinghouse 10,000 Watt Gen burns 6 gallons of gas for 16 hours. I ran both my Refrigerator's Microwave lights 10,000 BTU A/C and my Home computer so it was about 20 dollars a day to power my house up and keep my food safe and I paid less then 1000 dollars for my Gen that has low oil shut off pull start electric start and remote start. If you look into the cost to run the Generac for 24 hours you will see that will cost you over 100 dollars a day. My point is if money means nothing then it does not matter what you use as long as you are happy with it. But if you have little money to start with you make do with what you have and use it wisely. Generators were always meant to be used if the power goes out as a temp. Not long term. Just think if you lost power for 30 or 60 days like a lot have with Helene and Milton.

[@KevinRodriguez-rp1rw]

I have 9500 watt Generator and installed a soft start on my A/C unit so I can run my whole 1959 SQ foot home in Humble TX

[@TXpete]

You gonna need it in Humble, I lived there for 20yrs. The lights would go out all the time.

[@MundiTaurus]

@@TXpete That may be anywhere! Sometimes it's hell to get a utility to fix/replace a transformer/lines.

[@Cenlalowell]

This is what I did as well

[@keithb2696]

Some generator manufacturers require a factory trained or authorized person to do the start up in order to activate the warrenty. Also when it comes time for emergency repairs you might be put on a waiting list because of no service contract. Yes you save money but your insurance company might not cover you if any problems arise. If you are handy and mechanically inclined then go for it.

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@keithb2696 Yes my electrician was authorized and this was also told to me during selection process. My electrician did my initial setup and app install and also offered the servicing. Servicing is 200-250 yearly or when I get to the run time hours.

[@mgar7186]

What about the pad that the generator sits on or did you have a cement slab poured

[@manikdesilva1]

Thanks for the video. How did you decide on placement/ location of the unit ?

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@manikdesilva1 some things to consider are asking questions to permitting on process to understand, calling the gas company to locate how to determine your meter size and seeing if meter need upgrading and the cost, interviewing your or knowing who you will have be your licensed electrician and licensed plumber. It’s always good to check to make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors in home and ask as many questions. All my electrical and gas are on one side of home. And I do have a pool and pool equipment. I did do consultations and had the plumbers and electricians come out before placement of pad that the generator will sit on top of.

[@manikdesilva1]

@@BIGCHERYLPOPE thank you very much!!

[@7_of_9]

But will it turn on when you actually needed?! I have never seen a Honda failed and they get abused 24/7 on commercial sites

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

If properly maintained, run the weekly exercise, etc, they are extremely reliable. I've had my whole-house Generac not start only once in the last 9 years.

[@leesummers6979]

Honda's fail. But generally they're very reliable. I have a DOA honda in my garage right now.

[@stephenpatterson8056]

Literally in a power outage right now (9/12/24) due to hurricane Francine. My 22kw unit has been operating since power went out several hours ago. Infinitely better than the portable unit we used during last prolonged outage back in 2021 (hurricane Ida). Whole house just WORKS. No running extension cords, no picking and choosing what runs, no fighting lines of traffic to get gas, CENTRAL AIR! Best 15K we ever spent

[@andrewsquire9892]

Thank you!

[@jlscott3102]

Very informative. This is the lowest total I've seen so far. I've always figured that getting the work done in separate parts instead of a whole package would mean a difference of $1000s. How much was the cost of pouring the concrete pad? Or did u already have one?

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@jlscott3102 had gravel placed and used the quick pad. Quick pad is about $400 bucks

[@jlscott3102]

That's not bad at all. For us, we didn't lose power during Harvey, during Beryl from 6am to 4:30 pm, so I've debated the whole home or not. Live at the edge of Houston and Pearland. In our particular spot, outages are so rare. Right now, I have the generator inlet to the whole panel and dual-fuel generator, so I used propane tanks.

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@jlscott3102 That was not bad. My areas was out for about 4 days. And it seem like every storm or rolling blackout my community is without power. I think I can do 1 day but several days just became a common thing.

[@jlscott3102]

Wow, that's tough with this Houston heat. Whole-home definitely makes sense for y'all

[@teflondaprince]

How long does the backup last? What if power is out for a week etc?

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@teflondaprince I had power out for 4 days and it lasted. But it run off the natural gas line so it should be able to keep going you just have to check the oil.

[@RHPowerchessehuntin]

so did you change oil after 25 hours of run time

[@GentechNorthwest-ue4oq]

Be careful with hiring multiple contractors to install your generator. Who’s going to fix it in the event there’s an issue? You still need a Generac certified installer/ technician. Just a heads up. I would look into a turn key installer that will take responsibility for the entire install and be there to help with any issue that may arise. Good video.

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@GentechNorthwest-ue4oq Yes my electrician was authorized and this was also told to me during selection process. My electrician did my initial setup and app install and also offered the servicing. Servicing is 200-250 yearly or when I get to the run time hours.

[@GentechNorthwest-ue4oq]

@@BIGCHERYLPOPE sounds like your in good hands then.

[@John-iv2oz]

Can anyone tell me what it cost to run a natural gas generator, in this case a Generac, as compared to running your house from the local electric provider? I get a $400 - $500 bill during the summertime and was wondering if it is possible to switch my home over to a generator running off of natural gas.

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

Our family member actually asked us this! I am going to go over my bill for the 4-5 days without power it was barely noticeable in cost.

[@rupe53]

Much depends on the price of gas in your area but years ago I did the calculations based on Kw cost (locally) then gas consumption per hour based on load. Bottom line is making your own electricity might cost you 4-6 times as much per Kw.... not counting the cost of buying / installing a gen set. There is no free lunch. Saying the change in your gas bill was negligible, is like figuring MPG for your car based on looking at the gas gauge. Just not accurate at all.

[@archer102356]

My brother in Houston has a neighbor 22Kw Generac, 6 days 24-7 his natural gas bill was $400, so the answer is no. These generators are not efficient to run they are meant for backup. So you are looking at $1,600 a month plus it's going to breakdown rapidly, running it all the time.

[@rupe53]

@@archer102356 the reality is most run for a few hours or days. It's unusual to see prolonged run time, short of a situation where a storm has wiped out the utilities in a wide area. Also consider what you don't spend on electricity during that time and deduct that from your fuel costs. BTW, here in the northeast, we get major storms with possible outages near a week, but only once every 5 - 10 years. If you don't need a motel room (many are already full) plus you save the food and gain convenience, that also needs to be figured into the equation. It's kinda like insurance, where you hope you don't need it but glad you have it when the chips are down.

[@user-ho7lm5or7k]

Depending on house size I heard between $100 to $250 a day. Maybe you can limit it to powering only certain rooms and not entire house to keep cost down

[@Do_the_Dishes]

How much did the permit cost?

[@BIGCHERYLPOPE]

@@Do_the_Dishes if your property require a permit then the licensed trades ( electrician, plumber) will file and purchase the permits.

[@Do_the_Dishes]

@@BIGCHERYLPOPE Yes, I was just curious because I didn't see it in the list of different cost items you had listed. I have the same exact generator (Generac 24KW) at my house in Metaire, Louisiana (near New Orleans). I had it installed in April of 2022 and it cost me $13,925.02. It was a turn key installation from an electrical contractor. Fortunately, the natural gas meter was on the same side of the house as the Main Electrical panel, and the unit was placed very close to my electrical panel. My friend down the street got a quote the same day and his was going to cost about $2,500.00 more because his gas meter was on one side of his house and the electrical panel was on the other. Plus the generator couldn't be installed near the electrical panel. He never did get it. I love mine as it brings peace of mind and less stress during hurricane season. It worked great just two weeks ago when we lost power during Hurricane Francine for 23 hours. It powered my 3,500+ sq/ft. house with two A/C's (4 ton & 2.5 ton) along with 2 refrigerators, two deep freezers, pool pump, along with misellaneous lights & appliances.

[@GG-pr3yo]

At this point, I'm laughing my ass off. The guy across the street installed a 18Kw Generac system in April 24 - bragged about how wonderful it is..... Since April, Generac has returned 8 times and the system still won't run properly. They are fiddling with it again today and my neighbor looks like he's mad enough to bite the head off a snake. I'll save myself the $20K and get a portable gen (4000Kw) for $750 with a few cords ---Ka Ching!!!!!!!!!

[@mowcowbell]

And you'll be dragging out that unit during power outages. I tried that for a few years, got really old. Whole home generator kicks on automatically, even if you're not home.

[@JetFire9]

@@mowcowbell Portable generators can auto start and use automatic transfer switches. No dragging out. They can run on natural gas too.

[@jroo432]

Wonder if the valves were ever adjusted 😂

[@leesummers6979]

@@JetFire9 No they can't. Not a garage kept portable. Go ahead and rent a tow behind 30kw with cam locks.

[@leesummers6979]

@@jroo432 Not on the 18. It has an 816cc engine with hydro lifters

[@RHPowerchessehuntin]

why no picks.

[@mgar7186]

O nevermind I see it

[@KevinRodriguez-rp1rw]

Sorry for 1700 dollars

[@tweebs1]

Don't do it, these things are noisy AF. Your neighbors will hate you.

[@jrlaymance]

LOL, they have to start first.🤪

[@mikesecor6074]

they will love you, if you invite them over when power is out

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

I think you're confusing a whole house gen like this with a typical open-frame portable unit. There's no comparison. Besides, even if it is a portable, why would you care? You have power. Sounds like this is coming from someone who's never sat without power for nearly a week after a hurricane.

[@tweebs1]

Nope, my neighbor has one which is located about 300 feet from my insulated house can be heard with all the windows closed. I can tell when the power goes out by the lawnmower like sound. First time I heard it, I thought they had forgotten to install a muffler. My neighbor and I took a look at it, there is muffler, I'd recommend hearing protection if your going to be within its proximity for any length of time. My smaller 4kW open portable genny isnt quite that loud, but honestly I don't really need it, can heat with wood, cook with gas (or grill) and have small battery system for internet/electronics. Might fire up the genny for long outage to charge and run freezer.

[@tweebs1]

I'm also one of those weridos who enjoys camping without being a portable house with me.. so take with a grain of salt.