Customer Reviews

Generac QT04524Y 45,000 Watt Liquid Cooled Propane/Natural Gas Powered Home Automatic Standby Generator (CARB Compliant)

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

 

 

I had this unit installed over a year ago, and in spite of its relatively high cost, it's been somewhat of a disappointment. Although in fairness the disappointment is compounded to a great degree by the inadequate quality of Generac's customer service.

We recently had extremely cold weather in the local area, causing many tree branches to break owing to the weight of ice. As we live in a rural area the utility company reported thousands of outages, and even after many outages were fixed new branches fell causing follow-on power outages. Thus, it was quite a while before stable power was restored. This was exactly the type of problem this "backup" generator was purchased to handle. However, when the power went out and this generator was needed for the first time, it did not come on.

After the initial cold snap was over and roads were serviceable a local commercial electrician was able to determine that during one of the generator's test cycles an over crank fault was detected, and the generator automatically shut off. The electrician was able to reset the system manually and the generator now seems to be functioning correctly.

Generac's site refers to "our knowledgeable on-site staff", so I called Generac to find the reasons that an over speed fault might occur and see when/if further service might be required before having to pay for an expensive, and perhaps unnecessary, service call from a licensed Generac service provider. Although the company provides a toll-free support number, 1-888-Generac, I found that no technical support is provided for customers (see below).

The first Generac support representative I reached was 'short', not able to provide any needed information, and told me Generac did not have any in-house technical support staff. The only help he could provide was to refer me to a service provider over 85 miles away. This was not the most desirable solution or what I sought. I called back the next day, got a considerably nicer representative, who confirmed that Generac does not provide technical support to customers. However, she was able to provide the names of two slightly closer service providers about 50 miles away.

Not to provide in-house technical support for a product listing for over $16,000 seems completely inappropriate, as does a fault with this expensive a product used only in a backup mode for a relatively short time.

Bottom Line: Sadly, my experience belies the company's statement that they are "committed to providing our customers with unsurpassed product and support." Considering the relatively early operational problem in combination with Generac's failure to provide technical support -- this product cannot be recommended.