Customer Reviews

Guardian 04456 12000 Watt Emergency Automatic Home Standby Generator

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

 

 

I installed this generator with the hope that I'll never use it for more than the weekly exercise cycle; then came Hurricane Wilma. The generator came on during the 1st part of the storm and stayed on for 5 days until the utility power was restored. The generator performed flawlessly. I ran most everything I needed including the pool motor. The external gfi outlets allowed me to use an electic chainsaw to cut a 30' palm tree from my driveway. This unit was priceless and am happy with it. My only issues are that the exterior shell is cheap, it's noisier than I'd like and it burned ~0.7 qt of oil during the 5 day run it had. Other than that, it was great for the money. The installation instructions were a breeze too.

purchased a 12 k generator model #4456-3 from amazon on 09/20/05in which I received it in sometime in early October 05 I had done the install myself in mid to late November 05 everything was working fine until mid to late march I notice that the generator was not doing it's self test I did a manual restart in which it started for about 2 seconds and cut out the over speed light came on and it shut down so I called Gen tech . They came out to check the problem and they found out it was the governor gear went bad.so they said they were going to replace it with a new one .To find out that They exchanged it for a remanufactured one. I was a little mad to find this out after all I thought I purchased a new not a remanufactured one for $2,600 dollars . generacs warranty booklet does not state in the back book that they will exchange it for a remanufactured one..this is very deceiving to the public it should be stated to let people know what to expect .I thought it would be exchange for a NEW one. So now that they exchange my generator with this remanufactured one on 6/2/06 model # 4456r-3 this one is popping out the carburetor so I called 0n 6/02/06 gentech to find out if this was normal they said no.so I also called Generac to find out that if the popping was normal and two people said it was not.so your department told me to write a
letter to exchange this for a new one. also when I got this remanufactured generator generac say's how they go through them but this one was missing an air filter. as for there warrenty there is none. i spoke with generac on 6 different times they do not call you bacK.generac does not do good on there own warrenty's

This is a good product, it works really well and is super nice in that it has everything that you need included.
That said - this product requires that you have a high pressure gas meter so know that going in and realize that it'll cost a little money ($100 - $1000 depending on where you are and how much other gas stuff (furnaces etc) you have that will need to be regulated back down) and involve a little bit of hassle to get a high pressure gas meter installed. I didn't see that mentioned anywhere and only figured it out after receiving the generator. Double check with you gas provider to be sure that you can get this and figure out what it will cost before you order!
Other than that, I think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you can literally run your house/business off it during electric outages.

I am not quite sure where the other reviewers are getting the high pressure requirements for natural gas. My manual says 5-7 inches water column for natural gas and 11-14 inches for liquid propane. The wiring was fairly straight forward, but if you are uncomfortable with electricity I would strongly suggest you have a licensed electrician perform the installation of the transfer switch. The fuel line, is critical, so make sure it is done correctly. the unit has worked flawlessly through 2 power outages and I believe it was a very worthwhile investment.

I have the 1999 model of the Generac Guardian 15kw system. This one is hooked directly into my panel and I have a subpanel hooked to the transfer switch. If you think you are going to buy a whole-house generator system such as this one you had better be a licensed electrician, pull all the permits, and have an electrical inspector (and gas inspector) licensed in your jurisdiction. You also better be licensed to plumb gas lines. If you don't, you could unknowingly risk the lives of the electric company employees and blow up your house. So many do-it-yourselfers think they know how electricity works but really have no idea--when you have the licensed electrician install this unit ask him for some horror stories.

On the bright side, this is a real generator, not a joke Home Depot portable. This generator provides two legs of 120v (240v) so it can run your entire house and several 240v appliances. Mine runs all circuits, including the hot water heater, but not the electric stove or the heat pump (a heat pump consumes 5 kw already, which brings you to the next higher Generac which is excessively cost-prohibitive.)

During Hurricane Isabel we ran our entire house for 5 days and ran an extension cord to run a neighbor's refrigerator for most of that time. We had hot water and every home comfort available to us except the electric stove and heat/AC. If you can swing the installation costs of such a unit (which easily costs more than the unit itself) by all means get this unit but if you intend to install it yourself you are a fool.

For people who don't have natural gas you will need to change out the regulator. I use propane so we needed a different orifice. Another reviewer stated that he needed a separate gas meter but I've not heard anything about that from our installer when we talked about natural gas vs. propane. If have a combination regulator and gas meter then the gas company needs to visit. If you have a separate regulator then you need to tap the line for your generator and its regulator before your house's regulator.

THE ON-LINE INSTRUCTION MANUAL MADE NO MENTION OF 11 TO 14 INCHES OF GAS PRESSURE. ILLINOIS PWR CO WANTS $1600.00 FOR THAT SERVICE, BUT THEY WILL GIVE ME 11 INCHES AT NO COST AND I AM GOING TO TRY THAT. I HAVE YET TO INSTALL THE GENERATOR. THE ON-LINE MANUAL ALSO SAID IT WAS 30 HP AND IT IS 26 HP, BUT HAS THE SAME DISPLACEMENT AS THE 15 KW UNIT AT 30 HP, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. I THINK THE BUYER IS NOT GETTING ALL THE INFO NEEDED FROM THE ON-LINE MANUAL AND I HAVE RECEIVED NO INFO ON THE $100.00 REBATE. THE UNIT LOOKS GOOD BUT NEEDS AN HOUR METER TO HELP KEEP TRACK OF MAINTENANCE.