# Generac, for me the verdict is in



## coxt (Aug 14, 2020)

Dear Generator Forum,

Here is a message to the Better Business Bureau from a Generac installer. For me, this says it all.

===========================begin message========
Kenneth S
★★★★★
★★★★★
04/19/2020
I have recently ordered and installed over 50 Generac generators and have had shipping issues and then functional generator issues that should be covered under the warranty.
I would suggest if you are a large dealer and care about your customers that you put your two cents in to Generac to solve this or stop selling Generac. The following is what I sent to Generac: I have ordered and installed over 50 generac generators since 2007 for individual customers. I have had mixed results with these units due to failures, especially at or soon after install. Why should any generator owner need to pay anything more for a new generator that doesn't run correctly due to Generacs faulty quality of the product? I will stop suggesting your product to customers and should join in with some sort of class action legal means to your lack of service to your products. 
==========end of message==========

So, now I know. It's the company, not the installers. I have a local HVAC contractor that does all my HVAC work and I trust them. They say that they install and maintain Generac standby generators. I'd have to have a maintenance contract. Cost is $290 per visit for one, maybe two visits a year. They say they can get parts, etc. But if Generac refuses to pay them for warranty work, it simply doesn't matter what contracts I've got. It wouldn't matter how responsive, honest, or reliable they are. They are not going to work for free. They would tell me to take it up with Generac. When a company's own dealers/installers volunteer to join a class action suit against them, that tells me all I need to know.

BTW, I've been looking for a reliable standby generator for years and years. I have come to the sad conclusion that for a residential homeowner, no such thing exists. I personally believe that you would have to buy a commercial unit, with a multi thousand dollar emergency service contract, like hospitals have, if you absolutely had to have peace of mind for your home.

In the meantime, I have poked along for 24 years, ever since Hurricane Fran, with a Coleman Powermate 5000 Maxa ER portable generator. But now I'm getting old. The day will come when I simply won't be able to roll it out and connect it. I would have to watch as the lower level to my house flooded.

Tom


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

there ya go!
well i have been preaching to deaf ears...
at least now some one else gets it.
gen e wreck just goes not cut it when the chips are down.

build a generator shack for what you have!
simple and easy! 

or if you want to setup up to world class inverter gen then go the eu7000is honda...

or if you need large power stick with cat.


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## ToolLover (Jan 13, 2020)

From my experience locally, out of 10 Generac standby generators at least four have failed to be what an average buyer would expect to be reliable.
One is very old and needs to be replaced due to lack of replacement parts. (The owner is 90 Years old)
One was mine and it failed after 10 years of continued service.
One was an install that was replaced piece by piece until the problem was finally solved in four weeks..
The last one was a new install that took two weeks to get it running.
All were the 37 hp 3600 rpm units.
For that experience I say 👎to Generac.
And to new buyers: The AVR is on the mother board and you can only guess what that costs if you can buy one.
Believe you me, I have given very much thought to selling my unit and installing a PDGenerator.


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## mikroland (Jul 8, 2021)

coxt said:


> Dear Generator Forum,
> 
> Here is a message to the Better Business Bureau from a Generac installer. For me, this says it all.
> 
> ...


I'd have to say that there is a reliable option. It's called Cummins.

Also Generac 1800RPM liquid cooled units are reliable so invest in a good unit up front so you don't have to pay down the road.


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

mikroland said:


> I'd have to say that there is a reliable option. It's called Cummins.
> 
> Also Generac 1800RPM liquid cooled units are reliable so invest in a good unit up front so you don't have to pay down the road.


^ This. 100% agree.


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## Dutchy491 (Sep 18, 2019)

You agree to which, one the other or both? And why? Experience? Dutchy


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

Dutchy491 said:


> You agree to which, one the other or both? And why? Experience? Dutchy


Liquid cooled 1800 rpm is the way to go for longevity and reliability based on a lot of research. More $$ though. Cummins makes a good unit. Search Cummins RS25 on Youtube. They are quiet too.


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## FlyFisher (Jun 30, 2018)

mikroland said:


> I'd have to say that there is a reliable option. It's called Cummins.
> 
> Also Generac 1800RPM liquid cooled units are reliable so invest in a good unit up front so you don't have to pay down the road.


Considering the thread was 11 months old, almost a year old, when you posted to revive it I'm guessing you were looking up threads related to Generac. 

Yep - general consensus here is Generac gets a bad reputation, for sure. I had not seen this thread before, at least it doesn't ring a bell, so it was an interesting read. 

As to the poster that has concluded there isn't a reliable standby generator out there for homeowners - you also have to realize that what the homeowner market largely wants is:

Affordable (read that as inexpensive)
Turn-key (they don't want to lift a finger and get their hands dirty)

Unfortunately, Generac has built up a business model that has a megaphone in to that market, only they left reliability on the table. They are profiting from the ignorance of their customers - people believe the megaphone and open their wallets to them. 

It is up to the customer to do their due diligence to understand things. The irony - that is in direct opposition/contrast to the megaphone that is Generac's marketing.

If you are one to gravitate to and listen to Generac's megaphone - then yes, they will have you believe a solution doesn't exist - because it is out of the scope of the narrative that their megaphone blasts. 

Solution - don't listen to the megaphone.

Yea, that will cost you money - but if you have already come to the realization that the "residential grade" generators from Generac are a bad bag of problems then I would hope you are willing to see the value in the investment in a better unit and are then willing to make that initial higher investment.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

and also look at cat for good gen sets in the larger versions.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

well you do get what you pay for...
if you want a no touch service plan....
yea those get super expensive to have a guy on speed dial for 1/2 and hour response time!
but if you are doing a multi multi million dollar setup...
then yea $200k per year for an on call guy is not out of line.

now for the systems under $50k like most home systems.
you have to decide if you want to be in the biz of making your own power...
if you have skills, and are able to work. then yea you can get buy with a lower cost system....

but if you are wanting to do a touch less system... that will run some money!
and to get a johnny on the spot guy to be there right now when things go wrong...
yea we are few and far between!

if you find a good guy stick with them!
and make sure they are well paid!
if they were fast and did a super good job add 20% or more to the bill!
you might be surprised how far a few gift cards through out the year will get you!
GRIN!
they tend to priority the folks who keep them in curry! or pay well!

even if they come out for a basic call make sure they get a fast food gift card!

over gift and over pay....
that will keep you at the top of their list!


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## JJ Ranch (Apr 23, 2021)

If you have $15-20,000 to spend on a generator, you can get a prime/continuous duty rated 1800 rpm diesel. Mine will go 500 hours between oil changes and can run 7x24x365.


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## exmar (Jun 29, 2015)

All good comments. It's sad but true that Generac has the whole house (Don't have to get up off your A-- and do anything} market locked up. For the residential customer there are three choices, figure out the minimum you can get by on and get a portable, generator disconnect, etc. Pay the big $$ for a quality unit with reputable service, or Generac. Advertising does factor in, the town I live outside of has four traffic lights, the hardware, electrical supply house, the larger electrical and plumbing contractors and building supply all have big signs or static displays and they're Generac dealers. Folks see and remember. Folks are lazy, do the research? Do without something because the power is out? Maybe the aging of the electrical grid will cause more significant outages and the market will change. However, being an old geezer, I predict if that does happen new players will appear with big advertising budgets and no R&D, Tech Support or parts inventory.


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## CME4ELECTRICAL (Oct 18, 2021)

mikroland said:


> I'd have to say that there is a reliable option. It's called Cummins.
> 
> Also Generac 1800RPM liquid cooled units are reliable so invest in a good unit up front so you don't have to pay down the road.


Liquid cooled are great investment with LP or NG I would not recommend diesel unless you can polish the fuel and keep biocide in the tank. Other things to consider is the epa involvment with gas or diesel with NG or LP the epa can go pound sand.
Doesn't really matter ford, chevy, dodge as much as the care and maintenance on them. I still see pinto's and gremlin's driving around on occasions...


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

I have a friend with a Kohler whole house generator. He's used it a few times since he built his house, most recently for two weeks after Ida, and it worked great. I've been hearing negative things about the Generac units for a while now. Their older stuff is okay, but their newer line suffers from a lot of QC issues. They must be cutting a lot of corners.


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

Unfortunately, "profit above all else" is the pervasive focus in our world. 
Unbridled greed is not good for society as a whole.

Quality, reliability, honesty, integrity, ethics...these have much higher priority in my world.


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## ToolLover (Jan 13, 2020)

I wonder if Generac read these posts.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

i wish the mfgs all would read the real world posts.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

ToolLover said:


> I wonder if Generac read these posts.


Doubt it, but potential customers are….


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Oct 23, 2021)

A late pile-on, but I also had to pass on Generac ... I've had two, and in both cases they lasted me about a year or so, and then could not be easily repaired (by me). I'm off-grid and out in rural areas, not near a big city ... both of these are edge cases that do not fit a Generac service model, and we can't afford the dealer lock-in on service by auth'd dealers, huge trip charges, etc. It was not a sweet spot for us ...

Possibly great generators when they are new and/or running, but not long-lasting, not fixable by mere mortals, too expensive on parts, and other wierd issues, and therefore not good for rural use. IMHO, you have to live next door to the dealer ... and then only if he is your brother-in-law, or such. Why one $4k model would have a $3k part that fails often is beyond belief ...

We've settled on $1k gennys (duromax, westinghouse), not $4k or more (generac, others) as our sweet spot ... this works for us.

Hope this helps ...


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

50ShadesOfDirt said:


> A late pile-on, but I also had to pass on Generac ... I've had two, and in both cases they lasted me about a year or so, and then could not be easily repaired (by me). I'm off-grid and out in rural areas, not near a big city ... both of these are edge cases that do not fit a Generac service model, and we can't afford the dealer lock-in on service by auth'd dealers, huge trip charges, etc. It was not a sweet spot for us ...
> 
> Possibly great generators when they are new and/or running, but not long-lasting, not fixable by mere mortals, too expensive on parts, and other wierd issues, and therefore not good for rural use. IMHO, you have to live next door to the dealer ... and then only if he is your brother-in-law, or such. Why one $4k model would have a $3k part that fails often is beyond belief ...
> 
> ...


I think Kohler is the new go-to now for whole home generators. I would not consider a Generac at this point.


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Oct 23, 2021)

Perhaps Kohler could be good ... Generac's service model and authorized dealer (lock-in) just won't work for rural; don't know if Kohler has the same thing wrt rural locations, or if they allow access to service manuals, self-repair, and such. Something to check into ...


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