Kohler vs. Onan vs. Generac????

[rev_2004]

I am looking into purchasing a wholehouse generator. Just curious as to others thoughts on the different brands here. Looking @ 20kw generator. From what I have read else where Onan/Cummins is probably the better of the three. As far as Kohler vs. Generac I keep getting mixed reviews and I am sure some of them are biased opinions. I am aware that Generac controls about 70% of the residential market but, they are also about 10% less. Curious as to wether or not anyone here has personal experience witb them or not?

 

[jhellwig]

I am an electrician and was researching getting into selling generators a few years ago. Everything I read about brands for home standby generators came down to one thing, availability of parts and service. Every name brand out there will work just fine if you use it like it is intended to be used. I would go with one that you can get parts and service locally. They all have their weaknesses and strengths.

I looked mostly at kohlers cause that is what my supply house sells. They seam sturdy. The onans I have been around are built very well.

 

[dave_376]

my opinion is to get a Propane/Natural gas generator or 2nd choice diesel and avoid any headaches from bad gas and they will be cheaper to run 24/7 during a power outage! I looking into buying a big unit also but didn't have the cash, I purchased a china knockoff and it has been good. My only complaint is that you need to check the nuts and bolts to make sure they are tight.

 

[rancher2]

I have been around a lot of differant generator setups. diesel, Lp, Gas ,PTO most are older with not a lot of run time on them. It always comes down to parts. Of the three you have looked at I have been able to get parts for older onan's. Generac and kohler are hard to get parts for the older gen sets. That been said I just bought a 10,000 watt Generac for my own use. It was dirt cheap and hadn't been run in years the carb was all gummed and rusted up. Got it runnning and it works great. Buy you a onan LP or Nat if you have the funds. You won't be sorry.

 

[NSMaple1]

Why so big?

 

[Oliver1655]

The size depends on what your needs are. For those of us in rural locations with our own wells the needs will be higher than those who are on a public water system. Is your hot water heater electric? What about your furnace, cook stove, ...

 

[rev_2004]

Thanks for your input everyone. NSMaple1 .........I live in the country and am the last one on my line as far as power goes. So if any thing happens I am out no matter what. I also am total electric. I do heat house & DHW with OWB. I also have a heat pump & electric back-up furnace. I would like to be able to use those if something happens to boiler when it is 0 deg. out or maybe when I am older and I cant keep up with OWB. Dryer, washer, dishwasher, well pump, freezer, refridgerator, 2 small fridges, stove, grinder(pump) for basement bathroom, lights, & hot water heater if boiler quits. Maybe a barn in the future.

 

[NSMaple1]

I'm in the boonies with a well pump. I just sold my 5500/8500 Genny because it was way more than we need, the kW used per gallon was just too much. The only times we're drawing more than 2000w is when laundry is being done or the stove is being used. Both of which don't need to be done during an outage. Right now we're using 950w with the big screen on, 3 people browsing, and various lights on. House is 72 throughout. I'm shopping for a 3000w inverter genny. We can go for a couple days on what's in the pressure tank, if that needs replenished I can unplug everything except the well pump until that's done. Heat & hot water is wood fired. Most houses with backup genny's have way more genny than needed.

Edit: I will admit though that I didn't sell my genny until I monitored my usage for a week or so - I'd likely suggest everybody do that before buying too.

 

[Halligan]

I moved into a new to me house this past summer and installed a whole house generator that runs off propane. I looked at Kohler and Generac and ended up with a 20kw Kohler. The installer is a big time generator dealer for both residential and commercial. He services all brands and in his opinion the Kohler's are better than Generac so he sells Kohler.

Aside from the hefty price I'm happy with the unit. I have it set up to self test every two weeks for 20 minutes. It comes in a nice composite enclosure that won't corrode.

With my job I may be gone for a couple of days when natural disasters strike and I like the piece of mind knowing the wife and kids will have power in my absence.

 

[HuskStihl]

i have a generac and have been very happy with its performance. the way a standby generator works, they should last nearly forever. The whole house setup is the way to go, preferably with the automatic switching (no fun to be out at 3am in the thunderstorm turning on your generator). Generators are fairly cheap with regards to increasing the output, just be aware that bigger ones eat lots more NG/propane.

 

[zogger]

Whichever, gasoline ones..well..you need a lot of gas in extended outages. go diesel or propane. and don't count on being able to go to the station and buy any, plan on already having bulk fuel before the fact of needing it.

Same deal here, last guy on the string, power goes out or we get blips of dirty power all the time.

I mean I know better, I just have a cheap gas one, but it is all I could afford. If I had my druthers, propane or diesel.

 

[HuskStihl]

Also make sure you factor in the AC. Where we live, you lose power due to hurricanes, which take out power for a week at a time, and usually when it's hot as ****. Hard to keep stay happy at 100 degrees with no AC. If ur outages are just a few hours then it's a different ballgame

 

[rev_2004]

I am def. looking at LP. The next question becomes between Air cooled vs. Liquid cooled? Most stand-by generators up to 20kw are air cooled. Anything over that is a Whole House generator from what I read and is liquid cooled. My question is it worth almost double the money for a liquid cooled generator? I know life expectancy is a lot longer on liquid-cooled. Also the stand-by (air cooled) says can shut down if they get to hot as in summer time. Like maybe they are meant to run only a few hours at a time. Is this correct?

 

[NSMaple1]

Also make sure you factor in the AC. Where we live, you lose power due to hurricanes, which take out power for a week at a time, and usually when it's hot as ****. Hard to keep stay happy at 100 degrees with no AC. If ur outages are just a few hours then it's a different ballgame

True that.

 

[dieselfitter]

My advice, decide the fuel source to narrow your options to specific models. Then compare engines between the various models. Essentially you are buying and engine that comes with a gen head and enclosure. Once you have narrowed it down to specific engine make and models, come back for relevant advice.

 

[John R]

I have a 20 KW Generac hooked up at my house, I installed it in July of 2012, no problems at all, Ran it for 8 hours under load when I installed it, done an oil & filter change and good to go.
Had a few 24+ hour power outages and it does it's job perfectly.

 

[Vermonster]

We have a 10kw Generac LP gen. Installed in 1998. Auto transfer switch after about 30 sec. Runs for about 15 mins/week to keep the battery charged. Bullet proof to date.

 

[LarryRFL]

While you are checking out different brands, check out Winco. They've been in the business forever and make reliable, high quality units in the USA. Personally, I believe they are better than Generac, Kohler or Onan. Onan are overpriced on parts. Generac is often referred to as Genecrap by the techs I know. Kohler falls somewhere in between, but limited on where you can get generator parts. Winco people have always been very helpful whenever I have called them with any questions and they know their stuff. Have dealt with them off and on since the mid '80's. If I wanted to buy something I know will work and last I wouldn't hesitate with Winco.

 

[HuskStihl]

I bet the quality/reliability will depend on the model. At least for the larger generacs, their motors are just borrowed from the automotive industry. Mine has a Mitsubishi 4 banger which performed reliably in the car world. A few steps up had what looked like a 5L ford V8. The generac was also much less expensive than a kohler when I priced 'em, and I'm a cheap bastard.

Vermonster, I prolly asked before, but where in NW are you?

 

[esshup]

We had a 20kw Generac installed at Mom & Dads house. Runs on LP. IIRC it was installed in 2010. Dad was wondering the first 2 years if they really needed it, as they were told that the power rarely goes out where they live, and it's only out for a short time if it does go out. The last 2 years, it's been used for about 130 hours total. He's not wondering now. Auto on, transfer switch, etc.

With that said, how often should the battery be changed? It self tests and runs for IIRC 10-15 minutes once a week.