Whole House Generators - Installation
Now that we have decided on a brand, and had our unit properly sized to suit our needs, it’s time to move on to installation.
Location
Now we need to choose a spot in the yard that best fits all demands. Keep in mind, we are combining two important utilities. Not only are we tying into our main electrical service, but we will need to get the gas connected as well. Most new generators are what is called “dual fuel.” Meaning they can use natural gas or propane. So hopefully your gas meter and electric meter are on the same side of the house. If not, you will need to get some estimates on either bringing the electrical connection closer to the gas meter, or running a gas line closer to the electric meter. Sometimes the gas meter or line itself will need to be increased to make sure the generator gets the appropriate amount of pressure.
Clearance
Now that we have coordinated what side of the home and roughly where the unit will sit, we need to check our clearances. There are many factors that come into play here but let’s start at the utilities. Even though we need to be close to the meters, you cannot be in front of them. You will need a minimum of 3 ft of clearance in front of the electrical and gas meter to be clear to allow them to be serviced properly. We urge you not to ignore this even if you’re in the county and cannot pull a permit. The danger is that if ever the utility company ever needs to work on the units, they have the right to remove or force you to remove the object in their way.
The next clearance measurements we want to look at will be from the house itself. Manufacturers suggest at least two feet from the home, and five feet from any door or window. Think of the generator as a small car. It idles and vibrates, as well as burns fuel and emits fumes you do not want in your home.
Setting The Equipment
Now we’re ready to go ahead and prepare for the real deal! The last bit of business to attend to is leveling the ground and setting the pad. You can pour your own pad, just make sure to stay within the manufacturer’s specifications. If you’re like us, and don’t want to go the safe and easy route, grab a prefab slab from the manufacturer. This ensures you have the proper three inches of clearance to the bottom of the unit, as well as the four pre-threaded holes that line up perfectly with the unit itself. This way you won’t have to worry about drilling your own and cracking the pad while in the process.
Before setting the pad and then the unit itself, make sure to level the surface. We like to dig down a little bit to find solid ground, then lay down some pea gravel. If you find this is not enough you can always thicken it up with a bag or two of sand. Once you get that all level, you can set your pad and the generator. Making the whole unit level is a true sign of professionalism. Not only will your generator run better, but it will look much nicer as well.
Connections
After the unit is set and leveled properly, it’s time to make the connections. This is where you want to use some good flexible fittings to connect your utilities. As we mentioned earlier, this is a small combustion engine. It will move a bit over time and when it fires up. All connections should be flexible so they won’t break loose over time.
