Similar Generac, but I have to wheel mine out and plug it into an inlet box. I use an interlock in the panel instead of a switch-cheap, and you can run any circuit you want. The deep well is a killer for power draw. Keep an eye on your generator-in my case the tires go flat and cables to the battery corroded off-after that I ditched the Generac setup for a battery tender. Also have a 3000 watt inverter generator from Harbor Freight that I like a lot-just won't do the well.
Sorry about continuing derailment.
I'm not sure what brand I'm getting, but I'm doing the install myself. Had the gas company upgrade my meter a couple months ago in preparation and he installed a t joint so I could tie in easily. Gonna use csst for gas. What KW you getting? How much if you don't mind me asking? Looking at between 20-25KW myself. 20 at Costco is $4k. Installer wants $10k for generator installed, so like $6k labor. If I couldn't do myself I don't know if I could justify $10K.
I like having thing wired. I'm really liking the iotawatt. It seems the best option for me. Especially if I can add on cts.
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11.2 for 20 kw. That's without the propane tank, which is a buy or rent thing. Don't forget the transfer switch...they can get expensive. You're lucky you have gas. It seems to me contractors just double the price for installation, lol.
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Doesn't even hardly make the generator work. Just a tiny "blip" when it comes on.
Permanent install, no tires here. No issues so far with battery cables, but that is fairly common for things left on a charger. My generator built in float charger seems to do OK.
Yep, you are lucky. I have propane for heating and it is expensive compared to gas. And there is a limited supply (500 gallon tank) that I have to also use for heating.
I think I paid a touch over $3K for my 11KW, plus another couple hundred for auto transfer switch and another couple hundred of pipe and other miscellaneous supplies. So $4K is a pretty good deal.
It took a few long days to complete it all by myself. A half day of that was straightening out my breaker panel, it was a rats nest. I cut out literally two shoe boxes packed full of extra wire, and I probably could have done more. I spent lots of time neatening things up in there.
I ran gas pipe (black pipe) from regulator to generator on the other side of the house. I think it was about 50 feet of pipe plus the elbows etc. I would be wary of CSST, it has had some issues. I am not sure it is approved for this use, you might want to do some research and/or ask your code inspector before using it. Usually you are supposed to hard pipe them with just a short flex, mine had that flex included with the generator.
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Where i live csst is fine. The gas company guy literally suggested it. He said I'd be better off using it. Black pipe is okay also. With csst you have to ground it, but save the hassle of dealing with pipe cutting and reaming and threading and pipe dope. I just redid my hot water and used flex for that because the black pipe was a pita.
So is galvanized pipe which is what I used to avoid the messy rust. There was a time when flaking was an issue but no longer, at least not with natural gas. Still, it's best to check with your gas supplier and local code.
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I agree - I think the difference is that the gas is scrubbed of humidity a lot better now. Off course, drip legs are still required but I'm not so sure they are absolutely necessary (at least for condensation).
For anyone interested in the IoTaWatt gear I have more good news. I just got the shipping notice with tracking number... a whole 4 hours after I place the order! THESE are my kinda people!
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How many ct's did you get, ie, what else are you monitoring beside the incoming lines?
Just pulled the trigger on the IotaWatt! Thanks!
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You too, lol:
"How many ct's did you get, ie, what else are you monitoring beside the incoming lines?"
I just got the mains for now. Lol
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I got 2 200A CTs for the supply and 8 50's for circuits. I identified 6 I want to monitor for sure and figure I'll find a couple more. If not then I'll use them if/when I add a monitor to either of my subpanels. For now, 4 of the CTs will monitor the feeds to the subpanels and one each for the clothes washer and water heater. The range and oven are gas and the clothes dryer is fed by one of the subpanels.
EDIT Well I'll be. The reply reference showed up this time.
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I like what I've read here about IoTaWatt capabilities and the open-source nature of the project. Going to acquire one, install it, and may also integrate with the Hubitat.
FWIW I DO NOT recommend smappee. They had a sale on their energy monitor approximately two years ago and I purchased one. Similar to the Sense product, it claimed to automagically detect different devices in my home but the detection was awful. A major disappointment was my EV charger which it could not consistently monitor correctly (pretty sure I should train a 2 year old to look at my home power consumption and tell me when I plugged in a 8-10KW car charger). The Smappee monitor's wifi died, was now out of warranty, and smappee sppt told me I could buy a new one with a service contract.
I have higher expectations for IoTaWatt (and Hubitat).
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