The generator was easy to assemble, started right up after filling oil reservoir and fueling. I haven't had a power outage yet since getting this generator (go figure). The only drawback I've seen (so far) is the information provided on the available plug receptacles is rather weak. The 50 amp plug is located underneath the panel face where all the other plug receptacles are located. It has a wire "latch hook" to keep the plug from falling out, but no info on how to properly use it. I had difficuly locating the correct male plug with a "straight" out feature since most are 90 degrees. It would have been nice to have the male plug-end supplied with the generator. I finally found one at Grainger (cost over one hundred bucks, but it's top notch). Although the muffler assembly is impressive looking, it's not quite as quiet as I expected.
This is an impressive machine. Our home's generator wiring was upgraded to 6/3 cable, feeding a transfer switch and dedicated sub panel with additional individual center-off transfer switches wired to it. I hadn't upgraded the inlet plug from 30 amps to 50 amps, yet. Got this generator delivered in front of our garage on a pallet. Slid it half way off the pallet and used a small hydraulic floor jack to lift it by one end, attached the wheels, then slid the pallet out from under it, attached the legs and rolled it into position behind our house. Added the included oil, some fuel, connected the battery and it started right up.
This unit's muffler quiets down the exhaust noise surprisingly well. In-fact the most prominent noise coming from this unit, comes from the engine's mechanical noise and forced-air fan. When the idle control is enabled the generator spins down and gets really, comfortably quiet. When the idle control senses a load, it spins the engine back up to full speed.
Plugged it into our inlet box via it's L14-30R socket, flipped every circuit over including our 65LRA/240V central air conditioner which connects to the generator via the sub-panel. Turned on every load I could think of, then engaged the A/C. I almost didn't notice when the 15,600w startup load from the A/C hit the generator, all I heard literally was a half second blip in engine noise.... in other words... with all the loads we currently have wired in (~8000w)... it was able to power them easily from a L14-30 plug... nice! It will be interesting when the L14-50 gets wired in and we add more circuits on the sub-panel.
To deal with the noise, I'll be building a small shed for this unit, near the house. I'm on the fence as to whether I'll attach a secondary muffler to this unit, since the exhaust itself, is already pretty quite.
The one draw back on this unit is that it consumes a good portion of fuel... 16 gallons in 10 hours @ 50% load.
Update 9/11/2012:
Since my original post, I did purchase a Walker Exhaust 22266 Quiet-FlowSS Muffler to use as a secondary muffler. Along, with some WALKER EXHAUST 40002 to connect the generac to the muffler... it's made HUGE difference in terms of quieting down the exhaust noise. BTW, the muffler exhaust port on this generator has an outer diameter (O.D.) of 1.5" inches.
Keeping in mind that this thing weights 390lbs, I decided to build a small shed for this generator so that we'd have it available for use in extremely bad weather (where it would be difficult to roll this thing into position...). Also, while the muffler does an excellent job at quieting down the exhaust noise, the shed serves to cut down on this generator's air cooling induction fan & engine noise, as well.
We ran 4 THWN 6 gauge cables ( through 2" SCHD 40 PVC conduit, 18" inches underground...) from the shed to our home, to support full 50 amp 240V service from the generator. Yes, this generator puts out a total of 72AMps at 240V, if we want to use that extra power in the future, I'll have to pull additional wires through our conduit and hook up to one of the generator's other power outlets. We also ran 2 THWN 10 gauge cables, from our home to the shed, to support a 20 amp 120v circuit. This circuit we use primarily to keep the generator's starter battery fully charged, it also provides us with a heavy duty outdoor outlet on that side of home, which comes in handy.
In terms of performance, we've had a brief power outage recently, and the generator, inside it's shed, has worked flawlessly.
Update 10/31/2012:
Lost power during Hurricane Sandy, for about 20 Hours. Generator ran the entire time, without a problem. First long duration run. My wife, daughter and I were VERY happy with the outcome. Worth every penny.
Buy Generac 5735 GP17500E 26,250 Watt 992cc OHV Portable Gas Powered Generator With Electric Start Now
Ok, it does come without the wheel kit or handle attached, but it wasn't too terribly bad to assemble. A bit of leverage and some lumber, and everything went together as instructed. Taking my time (and stopping to get some wasps out of the garage) it took me about an hour. I do feel that Generac could at least attach the wheels, even if they do leave the handle off to protect it during shipping.
Starting it was a breeze, and it runs smoothly, if a bit on the loud side. Not terribly annoying, but they could improve the muffler a bit.
Overall, it is stable, easy to operate, and so far has been reliable. I am quite happy with the generator. I would make sure that if you are having it delivered to a residence, the vendor makes appropriate delivery arrangements. Mine showed up on a 48' FedEx Freight truck that almost took out the power lines and had trouble making the corners in the neighborhood.
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This generator is solid. It ran for 10 days straight due to Hurricane Sandy. I only shut it down when we were not home or for maintenance. Powered my entire home without fail. The only warning I will give you is that make sure you have a lot of gas. I had 60 gallons in the shed, but that really is not a lot for this big guy. I was burning 1.2 gallons an hour. Im upping my supply to 75 gallons so I at least have 3 full days of runtime before I need to reload.
Your other option is a natural gas conversion
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This generator puts out a great deal of power. It will power most average size homes. I use an indoor manual transfer swith and an outdoor receptacle to connect the unit to the main 150 Amp house panel. I also have a wattmeter box to monitor the draw so as not to overload the generator. This generator is very heavy. When it gets delivered you need to make sure it can be set in an enclosed area like a garage. You need to put on the wheels and the front skid and handle. You will most likely need a floor jack to lift the unit up to install the wheels. It is not quite as easy as you may think. However once oiled and fueled up it started immediately and ran very smooth. It was actually quieter than I had expected. The fuel tank holds 16 gallons so be sure to get some Stabil to keep the gas fresh. This generator puts out a lot of power for the money and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
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Do NOT buy this!!! The first cable broke within a few weeks of use and I'm not hard on my cables at all. I contacted the company and they sent a replacement which wouldn't even charge my ipad. Ridiculous save your money.
