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$2500 Whole house natural gas generator build list. (1 Viewer)

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R-BallJunkie

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If anyone is interested....just tested, ran the whole house just fine. Barely blipped when the 4 ton air conditioner came on.

I plan on storing it away in my garage when not used. Good alternative to fixed whole house generators. Not on a ATS but can be deployed in a matter of minutes.

links are just for reference, plenty of vendors to choose from...

Generator 13kw$ 1,344.00
NG conversion kit$ 106.00
Transfer Switch R510A$ 435.53
50' Generator fuel hose, 1"$ 295.00
50' Generator Power Cord 50-amp 125/250-volt 14-50p To Cs6364 Locking Connector$ 218.00
1" ball valve, NG$ 13.51
3/4" iron union$ 9.00
1 x 3/4 Threaded 3000# 316 Reducing Coupling$ 3.55
1" quick connect fitting$ 85.00
Rectorseal 96506 S1-02431995000 Hardstart$ 23.00
$ 2,532.59



Videos below



View attachment 38690 IMG_9240 by Rballjunkie Smith, on Flickr
 

Cody

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This is beautiful!!!! I'm wanting to do this as well. Did you install it yourself?
 
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R-BallJunkie

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This is beautiful!!!! I'm wanting to do this as well. Did you install it yourself?
yes and im not even close to being an electrician. its pretty much dummy proof when you wire the manual transfer switch. you have 10 circuits to pick from to run the house (9 if you want to run your air conditioning). I ran my teenager thru the setup from hooking up the gasline hose, hooking up the power cable, push starting the generator and flipping from line power to generator power.

 
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R-BallJunkie

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Did you to put a Y after the meter or hire someone?
put it in myself...wasn't that hard. had some leftover primer and yellow paint...its coated now. used pipe dope and a big wrench. i had to go with a 1" connection given the distance between my gas line and breaker panel was equidistant...about 50' to the midpoint. Of course cheaper if both are closer.
 

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Cody

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I’m nervous about doing this myself the same way that I was about drilling holes in my first tank. I’m sure it’s simple, but it makes me nervous.
 

foos

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I’m nervous about doing this myself the same way that I was about drilling holes in my first tank. I’m sure it’s simple, but it makes me nervous.
I would not do the gas myself. For the electric, if you know enough to not electrocute yourself and understand how to wire it up, you should be good to wire it in, but should still have a licensed electrician inspect and sign off on it to reduce your liability.
 

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I would do NG before messing with electrical especially a mains based transfer switch. But assuming I could get utility company to pull meter not so bad.

your transfer switch is fed by a breaker out of your panel? I’m assuming so would be easier.

Just throw main breaker and move circuits off that you want on genny to transfer panel then wire in transfer panel to existing breaker panel?
 
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R-BallJunkie

R-BallJunkie

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I would do NG before messing with electrical especially a mains based transfer switch. But assuming I could get utility company to pull meter not so bad.

your transfer switch is fed by a breaker out of your panel? I’m assuming so would be easier.


No the transfer switch is tied direct into each of the breakers you want on generator power...you dont even have to turn the panel off to switch loads between main and generator....just select thru the transfer switch.

But assuming I could get utility company to pull meter not so bad.
yeah.....i overthought the hell out of it because im scared of electricity but once you jump in and do the first circuit, its pretty easy because the wiring is labelled......just stay on task and knock it out in 20 minutes.

You don't need to pull the main meter....i wouldn't even hire an electrician to do this....it wasn't that hard.

Everything else is on gen power. no need to pull the main meter.....just kill power to the panel and start wiring.

All you need from the store is anchor bolts to mount the panel to the side of the house and wire nuts came with the transfer switch.

I believe the way its packaged and pre wired makes it 100% code compliant with no risk to back feeding the grid which was important to me.

i went thru the house and reverified every single circuit (many were labeled wrong). before i started. Only thing i'm missing circuit wise is my washer/dryer and the charger to the Tesla.

watch these videos.....

 

foos

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I would do NG before messing with electrical especially a mains based transfer switch. But assuming I could get utility company to pull meter not so bad.

your transfer switch is fed by a breaker out of your panel? I’m assuming so would be easier.

Just throw main breaker and move circuits off that you want on genny to transfer panel then wire in transfer panel to existing breaker panel?
The type he posted can be installed by throwing the main breaker. You add the box to the side, and rewire your loads through it and back to the breaker in the panel. Load -> transfer switch -> main panel. Then that type of transfer switch has a 3 position switch that sends the load to the breaker in the main panel and uses line power, turns the load off, or sends the load to the breaker in the transfer switch and uses generator power.

I don't know TX rules well, but in general you can replace existing without permit/inspection, but if you add or change electric you need an inspection and in some cases a permit. Failing to get it inspected can result in insurance denying claims and future owners being able to hold you liable for any damages possibly caused by your change.

Basically, a handy homeowner should be able to do the setup he has, but should get people licensed in the related trades to review and sign off on it to CYA.

I'm getting an ATS that does full house, and that goes before the main breaker and needs the meter pulled.
 
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I would not do the gas myself. For the electric, if you know enough to not electrocute yourself and understand how to wire it up, you should be good to wire it in, but should still have a licensed electrician inspect and sign off on it to reduce your liability.
there's usually a union you can break to make the disconnect on your side of the meter. Just isolate the main shut off on the city side, break the union and vent the area. Don't smoke cigarettes or operate a blow torch and you should be fine. The regulator on the city side will reset itself after you turn the gas back on. Make sure you use good pipe dope specifically made for Nat Gas (rectorseal yellow stuff), not tape when you repipe everything....soap and water test. You might have to relight pilots for the hot water heater and furnace if gas powered.
 
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@R-BallJunkie This is very similar to the setup my dad has on his house, only his generator is 8500w peak so it won't run the A/C. It will run everything else along with a portable A/C unit though. My generator is just slightly smaller than yours at 9/12.5Kw and have a brand new 3 ton A/C unit so it shouldn't have any issues at all then provided power is used sparingly when it's running.
 

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I'm still leaning towards power wall for demand and generator for backup.
 
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@R-BallJunkie This is very similar to the setup my dad has on his house, only his generator is 8500w peak so it won't run the A/C. It will run everything else along with a portable A/C unit though. My generator is just slightly smaller than yours at 9/12.5Kw and have a brand new 3 ton A/C unit so it shouldn't have any issues at all then provided power is used sparingly when it's running.
you need to knock down the in rush current with a "hard start" kit for the AC. i found on amazon for 18 bux(open box)...it acts as an extra capacitor.

this was my biggest concern when testing.....once running, i put every other circuit on load then cycled the AC on and off....no issues.
 
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R-BallJunkie

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I'm still leaning towards power wall for demand and generator for backup.
i'm an Elon/Tesla fanboy. unfortunately, 30K is not realistic for me right now......if i ever did solar (do have plans for a solar patio cover/walkway,,,i'd DIY it cause i'm so so cheap. we all have tons of $$ tied up in our tank....this is a twofold investment....my comfort, tank survival.
 

BigRick

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i'm an Elon/Tesla fanboy. unfortunately, 30K is not realistic for me right now......if i ever did solar (do have plans for a solar patio cover/walkway,,,i'd DIY it cause i'm so so cheap. we all have tons of $$ tied up in our tank....this is a twofold investment....my comfort, tank survival.
I want a solar roof not panels hurricanes will rip the whole roof off as they get stronger ..... lets do it!
 
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