Time for a generator!

MRD · 05-08-2017, 07:28 AM

You can purchase a 20,000 watt koehler generator thru Home Depot for $4600. It ships from the factory directly to you. You dont need a concrete pad. You do need a level surface. The bottom of the unit is weather proofed. Then you need a trench to the tank and to the house. I think the trench had to be about 18 inches deep. We dug it by hand. Then hire a electrician for a day to hook it up. You should be able to get the unit bought and installed for far less than the prices being quoted if you get involved in the process. If you want a hands off installation then the costs being quoted are in line but if you buy it and hire an electrician to do the installation you can save quite a bit of money. I have done it this way at three locations with no problem. Also most towns let you as the home owner pull the permit yourself saving electricians time.

codeman671 · 05-08-2017, 08:25 AM

The prices listed do seem high, and a 20k watt is a LOT of power. I cant recall exactly, but in my last house I had a GE (Kohler) generator, I think it was a 12-15k. I bought it landed for around $3k with the whole house transfer switch from Home Depot. I spent $1400 on the electrical, a few hundred to get the trench done and bought my own 1000 gallon underground tank for $3000+/-. All in I think I was $8k, and had huge LP capacity. I was running a 4300sqft home with hydro air heat (draws a lot of power), hot tub (kept it running but wasn't using it during outages), etc.

05-08-2017, 07:28 AM	#1
MRD Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 32 Thanks: 155 Thanked 20 Times in 12 Posts	You can purchase a 20,000 watt koehler generator thru Home Depot for $4600. It ships from the factory directly to you. You dont need a concrete pad. You do need a level surface. The bottom of the unit is weather proofed. Then you need a trench to the tank and to the house. I think the trench had to be about 18 inches deep. We dug it by hand. Then hire a electrician for a day to hook it up. You should be able to get the unit bought and installed for far less than the prices being quoted if you get involved in the process. If you want a hands off installation then the costs being quoted are in line but if you buy it and hire an electrician to do the installation you can save quite a bit of money. I have done it this way at three locations with no problem. Also most towns let you as the home owner pull the permit yourself saving electricians time.

05-08-2017, 08:25 AM	#2
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,501 Thanks: 221 Thanked 816 Times in 489 Posts	The prices listed do seem high, and a 20k watt is a LOT of power. I cant recall exactly, but in my last house I had a GE (Kohler) generator, I think it was a 12-15k. I bought it landed for around $3k with the whole house transfer switch from Home Depot. I spent $1400 on the electrical, a few hundred to get the trench done and bought my own 1000 gallon underground tank for $3000+/-. All in I think I was $8k, and had huge LP capacity. I was running a 4300sqft home with hydro air heat (draws a lot of power), hot tub (kept it running but wasn't using it during outages), etc.