Customer Reviews

Briggs & Stratton 40248 7000-Watt PowerNow Dual Mode Air Cooled Home Standby Generator

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this generator in August of 2008. I live in an area (upstate NY) where we lose power frequently. The item arrived and was delivered to my back yard in perfect working order.

We recently had a very bad ice storm in the Northeast and we lost power for 3 days. The generator worked perfectly running my sump pump, hot water heater (gas, direct vent), furnace, fridge (2) and several lights. I had to run power cords from outside rather than use the NEMA power cord to a manual transfer switch I had installed before the generator was delivered (more on that later). I ran the house for 10-12 hours on the 2 20lb propane tanks before I needed to change them out, which was to me, excellent. The generator is very quiet, we could barely hear it in the house. I have it installed behind my garage facing downwind of the house.

Okay, the transfer switch issue. While the manual, Briggs & Stratton web site, Briggs & Stratton FAQ page does not specifically state this, you MUST purchase the B&S manual transfer switch PERIOD! The model number is Briggs & Stratton 71014 - PowerNow Generator Transfer Kit (10 Circuits). This is the only transfer switch that works with the GFCI breaker installed in the generator. I had 3 electricians (friends of mine) look at the gen-tran 30 amp transfer switch wiring that was installed in my house and it is NOT a switching neutral switch.

Confused? I was too until I got on the phone with a very nice B&S technician who told me to only use their switch. I was dissapointed as I then needed to shell out another $400.00 but now it's working fine. I did let B&S know that they should be specific about the fact that only their switch is compatible with these types of generators. It is because of this fact that I only rated it 4 stars.

All in all that one storm alone made this purchase worth every penny. It also kept the house in harmony (if you know what I mean).

I would heartly recommend this generator to anyone who is looking for a well built powerful and quiet standby generator. Just make sure you buy the 71014 - PowerNow Generator Transfer Kit from B&S

Installation was a snap but I had to go buy a battery. The literature said the unit came with a battery. The only battery that will work comes from Interstate Batteries at a cost of $149. Customer servcie at Briggs said they quit putting in batteries some time ago but did not change their adervertising!

First time I used the machine the power went out I went out in the rain to start the machine. It started fine and ran for about 15 minutes then shut down and would not restart. I made the mistake of not latching the access door to the controls. Apparently moisture got in and shut the machine down. After I let the machine dry out for 24 hours it started and ran perfictly. Be sure to shut and latch the access door in wet weather.

I wanted to run the machine on Natural Gas. It came with the proper jet to convert it. It said that I would need a special tool and gave the part number to change the jet. I ordered the part and paid $25. When it arrived it was a short handle screw driver. I got taken but you will not if you read this review.

I bought this for my parents who had three outages in two years. It was installed professionally and has already powered them through another outage. It also powered everything in their house except the air conditioning condensers and the electric stove/oven. That is the good news.

The not so good news is that this unit cannot be installed with an automatic transfer switch. That is a switch that automatically senses a power outage, turns itself on and then switches over to backup power. This unit uses a manual switch which requires someone to go to the unit, turn it on, and then go to the transfer switch and flip a switch. Not horrible but not the best if you can buy the better unit and automatic switch.

My parents are very pleased that they had the unit and someone came over to switch it on for them.

It purrs like a Bengal tiger. A bit loud but at 100 yards from the house that's not a problem. I bought the unit to back up my water well. We can live out in the country in south Texas without electricity, but not without water. I am very lucky to have a neighbor who knows all there is to know about electricity. Says he can wire anything. So here's what we did which will conflict with some other revues: Poured a concrete pad 4'x 4'x 4". The unit comes with two pads of its own which mount nicely on the concrete, one for the unit and one for the bottles for which a nifty cover is provided. The unit does not come with a battery. I bought a Com & Tractor battery (U1L12) at Carquest for $31.03. BTW, there are no battery bolts included so they were another $2.15. The Transfer Switch was $153.49 and no, you don't have to buy the Briggs one for $450.00. To charge the battery, I bought from Amazon a Sunforce 50022 solar trickle charger and a Sunforce 7 amp charge controller. Also the unit does not come with a male locking plug for the end of your cable...a NEMA L14-30 which I got at Lowes for $23.25. Total cost $2190.34. Free shipping. Included are two bottles of propane but excluding a bottle of Jack Black for my neighbor. Now we in bidness. I cannot, of course, vouch for the durability and longevity of the genny, but at this time it is very satisfactory.

I bought this generator to run my irrigation system in the back of my farm, so I would not have to run 500 yards of power cable or gas line. The choice of portable bottles or perminate is great. I us my tractor to shuttle the portable tanks back and forth. The generator starts easy and runs great. My irrigation system does not even raise my generator past an idle.

First the pros: I purchased this unit in Sept/07. I use it to power my fifth wheel in a remote location. It has no problem running my 15000 BTU air conditioner. I hook up my ac/dc welder to it and it runs flawlessly. I have also used it for power outages at home. I only have necessary breakers turned on (furnace blowers,refrigerator,freezer, garage door opener and some recepticles/lights). The only thing it has difficulty with is when my well pump kicks on. Nothing else can be on. If you have city water this would be an adequate unit.

Now the cons: One issue that I am having is when the temperature gets down around 40. The unit will no longer start. The manufacturer recommends synthetic 5W30 oil for easier starting during cold weather. I changed the oil/filter, regulator and spark plug. I set the gap for the new (platinum)plug at .030 as recommended. The original was @.025 out of the crate. I closed the gap to .025 with no improvement. Ambient temperature got above 43 and it started right up (with the new plug and the old plug). The next day at 40 degrees it would not start. The trouble shooting section of the owners manual states that "Ambient temperature too low to replenish vapor in LP fuel tanks". But, it fails to state what this temperature should be around. I purchased a 2 stroke 1000 watt unit that I can rely on during colder weather to charge my battery bank in my camper.

Briggs does not inform you on the decibal level. My web search came up with 82 decibals. They make the claim that it is quieter than other models. This statement is accurate when compared to some models. However, there are models out there with at least a 10 decibal reduction.

In light of the price tag of this unit, my next (large/portable) generator will be a gas powered digital/inverter model.

Just an update: I took it to a Briggs authorized service center (summer 2011). They made two repairs. The valves were way out of adjustment and the muffler had sheared off from the vibration. As stated previously....not worth the price tag. Much better units (higher efficiency and quieter) out there.

We get about 6 hours per tank if they are pre-filled exchanges, and about 8 hours per tank if they are topped off by our local guy.

Briggs and Stratton promotional materials claim that this unit comes with an hour meter (used for scheduling maintenance). It does not.

This generator is LOUD! You'll know it's running no matter where you are in your house.

You MUST use the Briggs and Stratton transfer switch, which is not included. Other brands of transfer switch will just trip the 30 Amp GFCI Main circuit breaker on the generator, and cause it to turn off. It's actually a very nice transfer switch, and I prefer it to other types of transfer switch. But it may be more difficult to install than other kinds if your existing wires won't reach it. There are no amperage meters built into the transfer switch, so balancing your load may be more difficult. There are not enough "isolated" ground lugs in the transfer switch, for use with all the available breakers. This is a pain in the neck, and you have no choice but to buy an extra isolated grounding kit for the box if you want to use all ten circuit breakers. The cost of the transfer switch is favorably comparable to the cost of other brands.

Very nice unit, runs fairly quietly and really prefer the LP fuel over gasoline. Could use a couple improvements:

1) Ability to charge battery internally without having to run for 20 minutes so frequently.
2) Able to check oil, connect without screwdrivers - a pain on a dark cold night
3) Ability to use other transfer boxes - theirs is more expensive.

Haven't had to use it yet for the house, but it ran my power tools just fine with the outlets.

I have to fix it once every two years. Due to the strong vibrations that are typical for a two stroke engine, the contacts get loose so you have to get in to find bad ones and tighten them to make it work. Other than that, it's OK. When I asked the people that come to fix it for the best brand in back-up generators, they said that the least trouble by far they have with Kohler. On the up side, in terms of the best fuel type, this one got it right - propane. Second best is diesel.

I ordered this generator and after 1+ month, was told they couldn't deliver. Looks like a good unit but don't really know.