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| Member |
They are not " ripping you off " , but there are cheaper alternatives . Which one fits your situation ? | |||
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| Savor the limelight |
People are trying to help you understand what goes into maintaining a generator, so you have a frame of reference when you make the determination of whether or not the place is trying to rip you off. If you don’t want to figure out what your generator requires maintenance wise and that logic doesn’t help you, then the place is not trying to rip you off. | |||
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| Member |
As others have said, the price they are charging for the service is not a "ripoff" per se, but to anyone who regularly maintains and services their own equipment, it is far beyond the cost of doing it yourself and it is not a complex job for anyone with even meager mechanical skills. To me it would be money not well spent. Only you can decide if that constitutes a ripoff. I have found that the best way to determine if you are being quoted a price far enough outside the normal range to be considered a true "rip-off" is to get a few more quotes. | |||
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Don't Panic |
I would suggest getting other quotes. Here in the western edge of Chapel Hill, my 1 visit-per-year preventative maintenance contract with a Generac dealer was $295. | |||
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| Member |
Most of estimate is labor/installation. Probably not a whole lot of difference between an 18 or 24 kw. | |||
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| Thank you Very little  |
https://www.generac.com/for-ho...build-your-generator Check it online, cost for the generator, your options from full to partial coverage and install, not including cost of running gas line | |||
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paradox in a box |
I think mine is a 22 and it cost 13K installed on my new construction home. 16 doesn’t sound outrageous for a house already built. These go to eleven. | |||
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Member |
I’ve had a Gillette Sentry Pro generator with a small Briggs and Stratton engine for 20 years. I’ve changed the starter and starter relay a couple of times. They seem to be hard on starters. I also change the oil, filter and spark plugs and clean the air filter annually. That’s about it. No other service has been required. | |||
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| Savor the limelight |
There’s different models of Generac 24kW generators. The two we bought were the basic air cooled ones with transfer switches. Two years ago, they were under $6k each delivered to the middle of nowhere. We poured our own pads. We had a licensed plumber hook up the gas and a license electrician hook up the electric. That was another $6k for both houses. | |||
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Fire begets Fire |
Generac certainly makes larger generators. I’m looking at a 50 kW unit. I know someone with 1200kW. "Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty." ~Robert A. Heinlein | |||
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blame canada |
It sounds like you do not have the skills to do this yourself. Your choices then, are to negotiate with this company or hire someone else. I would assume you've already called around, and likely the company you have a quote from already knows they are your only option. Assuming you could save half, being a masterfully persuasive negotiator...is $200-500 a year worth the peace of mind? Technicians and companies who are low-balled with difficult customers will often cut corners or find other ways to make up the difference. For something you rely on in an emergency, you want a place that can be trusted. The cost is secondary. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The trouble with our Liberal friends...is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." Ronald Reagan, 1964 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Arguing with some people is like playing chess with a pigeon. It doesn't matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon will just take a shit on the board, strut around knocking over all the pieces and act like it won.. and in some cases it will insult you at the same time." DevlDogs55, 2014  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ www.rikrlandvs.com | |||
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| Member |
I used to maintain a 25KW Diesel Kohler generator. Fairly straight-forward to do. Much different different than the 500 KW Volvo diesel generator I towed from Miami to Dohlonega in 2018. Fully enclosed with a 500 gal tank and skid mounted. Then there was the 2000KW diesel generator at the hospital in San Antonio. | |||
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| Member |
We did a 24kw Generac a little over a year ago. It will run the entire house with 2 full blown HVAC systems and pool without issue during the heat of summer. All in right around 9k. Semi-annual service is under $500 total. As previously said the service can be DIY but I rather pay for the convenience and continuity. -Jeff | |||
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| Member |
See if you have a Power Plus in your area to get a quote from. They service the gens where I work and seem to be pretty straight shooters. | |||
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Member |
That is a very inefficient setup. Most of the time, a home will only be drawing a few kW, usually less than five. Running a continuous five kW load from a fifty kW generator will use way more fuel than necessary. A generator is a backup power source. I have never understood the need to have one that can fully replace grid power. Also, generating electricity yourself is expensive. Is it really necessary to power the hot tube and pool heater during a power outage? I have a 14kW diesel backup generator. It can power so much of my house that I didn't even bother with a transfer panel, just a lockout switch. Unless I need to run both ovens, all stovetop burners, and the dryer, simultaneously, I've got all the power I need. It did struggle to startup my five-ton AC compressor, due to the 115amp inrush requirement, but I solved that by installing a VLD on my compressor. Now the compressor inrushes around 41 amps, and the generator just purrs along even running the house AC. Efficiency concerns aside, over sizing a diesel unit is especially problematic since it can cause wet stacking. This is why I passed on a 25kW unit and opted for the the smaller one. Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus | |||
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Ammoholic |
I stopped the generator business in 2015. You didn't mention brand, but others mentioned Genrac. Unless they've changed their maintenance intervals it was 100hr or two years. We offered more frequent than yearly plans but I always advised against it as it was a waste of money. I always told them to call and schedule service after major outages or do every 1 or 2 years. We charged $395 prepaid at install. $450 for unscheduled maintenance. Then discounted rates for more frequent prepaid service. It didn't matter if you wanted to prepay four years at once a year or four visits in the same year, price was the same. I'd tell people the best value was prepay three visits. Do one at break in period (10 hours) or after first major outage over 8 hours. Schedule second one for one year from first, then final at two years from second. This assumes no multi day outages, if that occurs go by hours not years. After that 2yrs/100hrs. We included oil, air/oil filter, plug, disposal, and valve check/adjustment. Also includes batteries at our cost if needed. I think it was $995 to prepay 3 visits, again it didn't matter the timing of the visits. Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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| Fire begets Fire |
Thank you for all your information. I’m just curious about one thing though… How in the heck do you know anything about my power requirements? "Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty." ~Robert A. Heinlein | |||
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| Ammoholic |
^^ I would do a questionnaire and ask customers to write two lists. First bare minimum, then what they'd like to have. I would prepare 2-3 quotes depending on customers exact requirements and desires. They would include minimum plus desired, and operating like they were on grid power. After collecting the information I would make suggestions of things to add/delete, especially if that moves them from air to liquid cooled (very expensive jump). How anyone could know from two paragraphs your needs, no clue? Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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| When you fall, I will be there to catch you -With love, the floor |
Not even close. My serv ice tech who has handled it for years He charges $235. The service is much more than a simple oil change. Oil, and all filters. A terst of the battery and charging systems. He also checks the output and makes sure it's set to operate the electronics in the house without damage. all in all he is there almost two hours checking everything. The exterior panels at all removed to check the mounts and baffles and air ducts. If parts are needed, they are replaced right then. While you could do it yourself, unless you have the knowledge, I'd avoid it. Why does it run the exercise cycle daily? One thing he did tell me about the newer Generac systems. The exercise cycle was shortened and doesn't allow the oil to heat up enough to burn off the moisture. Because if that the oil changes are coming out with a milky look indicating water. | |||
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| Member |
Well I suppose if you've got a house with a "minimum to get through an outage" of 50kW, then efficiency isn't a concern.  I do believe I stated that "most" homes don't demand more than a continuous 5kW load. IDK, maybe your home is 35,000 sqft with three Tesla fast chargers, a pool, a hot tube, and you cannot get through an outage without all those things. My apologies for assuming your power needs are close to 90% of all other homes.I was trying to address the idea that people feel the need to replace the grid instead of just providing a means to get through the outage. I do believe if people would install a VLD on their AC compressor and limit their lifestyle a little, they could use a far smaller generator than many that are installed. A bigger hammer doesn't always drive the nail better. Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus | |||
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