Customer Reviews

Generac Guardian Series 5882 8,000 Watt Air-Cooled Liquid Propane/Natural Gas Powered Standby Generator Without Transfer Switch (CARB Compliant)

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

 

 

We are off the grid on 100 percent solar power. We've known that we would need a generator, but waited awhile because there is so much sun in southern Arizona. I had a long time to research generators and to evaluate our needs. We only need a generator to get us through rare times when it's too cloudy to produce enough power from the solar panels. And of course, there's the chance that something will fail in the solar equipment.

I had originally planned on spending $6000 on a generator. Looking at our actual needs overtime I came to realize that 8KW would easily power not only our daily needs, but would also easily recharge the battery bank on cloudy days. After revising my needs I discovered the Generac 5882. The price was amazing and the specs looked perfect for us. I had a few questions and contacted the people at Generac. They were extremely helpful answering question and proving a kit so our solar equipment can turn on and off the generator as needed.

Along the way I learned that in our off-grid situation we did not need a transfer switch. Our inverter acts as a transfer switch and also balances the power from the generator between the house and recharging the batteries.

The installation was very easy, We did everything ourselves. Running the gas line was easy as we had pre-plumbed for the generator and only had to add a couple feet of pipe and connect the hose that came with the generator. Wiring was easy too. You have to hook up two power wires and a neutral. I discovered that you also have to run one line of AC back to the generator so that it can keep the battery charged. (And yes, you have to buy a car battery and install it -- this too is easy.)

Inside the generator there's a display panel that comes off with an allen wrench and exposes all the wiring. There is plenty of room to work and everything is clearly marked.

At first I hesitated to buy the generator because of a short and I decided baseless review that claimed it was cheap and had cheap parts. I'd like to know their credentials. To me, the unit seems sturdy; everything fits together tight; it looks attractive; it's easy to work on. The unit is quieter than I expected. It started on the first try. I would highly recommend this generator.

While the generator is working well and is just what I wanted, this model comes without the transfer switch. Unfortunately, the installation manual provides no instructions for installing a generator without their transfer switch. I have a mechanical transfer switch from a previous generator, and I chose to use my existing setup. The necessary wiring of this generator (model 5882) can only be discerned from study of the provided generator schematics and other transfer switch schematics which Generac has available on their website. Fortunately, with and electrical engineering background, I was able to figure out how to wire the generator. I suppose one could get instructions by calling the manufacturer, but that isn't a good substitute for a few paragraphs to describe some basic installation requirements for a simple manual operation.

So, while I am happy with the generator and definitely want it without the automatic transfer switch, I feel Generac is derelict in not providing support for this type of installation.

Any Generac home unit contains inferior components. Chinese or whatever. Customer service comprises, "your warranty is void", WTF. This stuff is absolute junk. Like it, buy something that costs half or less, and is honest about its manufacture origins.