Top 5 Natural Gas Generators
1 | Generac Guardian Series 5873 17,000 Watt Air-Cooled Propane/Natural Gas Powered Home Automatic Standby Generator With Transfer Switch (CARB Compliant) |
| I purchased a Generac generator less than a year ago and it has self-destructed. All you can see on the bottom on the case is little pieces of copper wire that were ground down inside the generator. This happened during a heat wave, so after spending over $16,000 I am sitting in the dark and the heat. Generac says it has a production problem (I wonder why?) and the parts may take 3 weeks to get to my dealer to install. I asked why I could not get a new generator under these circumstances and they said it is "not their policy to do that."
I would highly recommend that Amazon drop Generac as a supplier. DON'T BUY GENERAC PRODUCTS... | |
2 | Generac QuietSource Series QT03016 30,000 Watt Liquid Cooled Propane/Natural Gas Powered Home Automatic Standby Generator With Transfer Switch (CARB Compliant) |
| Generac is now doing to the commercial market what it has already done to the residential market... making standby power reliable, yet affordable. Protect your revenue stream by investing in a Generac Elite Commercial Series automatic standby generator. Our Generac Elite Commercial generators are ideal for a broad range of enterprises, including restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets, banks, fitness centers, hotels, and retail outlets. All Elite Commercial models are available in both single and three-phase configurations. They run on either natural gas or LPV, feature automotive style, liquid-cooled engines and Generac's exclusive Whisper-Test feature. Our 22, 27, 36 and 48 kW premium models come standard with higher displacement, low speed engines and aluminum enclosures. Aluminum enclosures are optional on the 60 kW and larger models. | |
3 | Generac Guardian Series 5870 8,000 Watt Air-Cooled Propane/Natural Gas Powered Home Automatic Standby Generator With Transfer Switch (CARB Compliant) |
| I purchased the Generac 5870 Generator in July 2010. It arrived by CEVA freight and the driver dropped it off 10 feet from the site that I prepared for it. Upon inspection it was in great condition except for a small ding at the base of the unit; no problem just cosmetic. I decided to keep it versus send it back and wait for a new one. It came with a 5 foot electrical tail protruding from the generator and two tails protruding from the transfer switch (a two foot tail that attaches to your main distribution panel and a 30 foot tail that connects to the generator's 5 foot tail via a connection box). Instructions are well written and easy to follow. I am a retired IT Executive with some knowledge about electrical connections so I did the electrical hookup myself. The gas connection I sub-contracted to a local propane service agent. I am glad I did as the gas connection line depends on the distance from the propane tank to the generator and the number of appliances and associated BTU's that are hanging off the gas line that you want to connect to. Because I was on the cusp of exceeding the exisitng gas line capacity, I decided to run a separate one inch gas line to where the propane tank line enters the house. Since an additional regulator and line was required, the existing piping and regulator had to be re-piped and teed. Switching the generator from natural gas to propane is very easy. Just place the T-handle into the slot located on the air breather housing inside the generator, pull it out (spring tension), and turn clockwise 90 degrees. The orfice is now good to go for propane. The gas contractor charged $98 an hour plus parts. It took him 4 hours (@400). I haven't receive the bill yet for the parts. Also, the amount, length, gender, and threads of nipples and pipe connectors required are numerous when running a separate line. While plumbing the generator is less complex than the electrical, I recommend having the gas connection done by a professional as they have the tools, knowledge, parts, and meters, to ensure a seemless gas connection to the unit.
Prior to activating the generator, you will need to logon to Generac's site to obtain an activtion code. I did this but upon entering the code via the generator's controller, it wouldn't accept it. The instructions state that if this happens to call them. I did so, (9:30 PM on a Monday night), and a generac representaive gave me a new code. The test was successful with out any issue. One other point. The 5870 transfer switch/subpanel comes pre-wired with associated breakers; two 240 volts (one 20 amps, the other 30 amps), six 120 volts (three 15 amps, three 20 amps). There are also 240 volt/70 amp wires that run from the transfer/sub-panel switch to your main distribution panel. Generac doesn't supply the 70 amp breaker required to connect these wires into your main distribution panel;($33 at Home Depot.). Also, you will need to buy the battery that starts the generator (@$70 at Walmart). Since the pre-wired/breakers didn't exactly match the circuits I wanted to back up, I needed to swap out the wire and breaker in the transer/sub-panel box from 30 amp/10 wire to 40 amp 8 wire to match my AC circuit in the main distribution panel. Also, I had to swap out the wire and breaker for one of the 20 amp/12 wire circuits in the transfer/sub-panel box to 15 amp/14 wire. All in all, the install went great. I now have my critical circuits backed-up for less than $3000. | |
4 | Generac QuietSource Series QT04524Y 45,000 Watt Liquid Cooled Propane/Natural Gas Powered Home Automatic Standby Generator With Transfer Switch (CARB Compliant) |
| Generac Guardian is now doing to the commercial market what it has already done to the residential market... making standby power reliable, yet affordable. Protect your revenue stream by investing in a Guardian Elite Commercial Series automatic standby generator. Our Guardian Elite Commercial generators are ideal for a broad range of enterprises, including restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets, banks, fitness centers, hotels, and retail outlets. All Elite Commercial models are available in both single and three-phase configurations. They run on either natural gas or LPV, feature automotive style, liquid-cooled engines and Guardian's exclusive Whisper-Test feature. Our 22, 27, 36 and 48 kW premium models come standard with higher displacement, low speed engines and aluminum enclosures. Aluminum enclosures are optional on the 60 kW and larger models. | |
5 | Generac Guardian Series 5871 10,000 Watt Air-Cooled Propane/Natural Gas Powered Home Automatic Standby Generator With Transfer Switch (CARB Compliant) |
| They have bad engines- Valve seats start going bad in three month- Hard to make Generac stand by their warranty-- |




