Used Stand By Generators

[WordMan]

Anyone purchased a used stand by generator?

We're live in a rural area and trees, idiots, and other issues seem to regularly take out our power. My wife has MS and needs A/C, plus she works from home.

What sort of things should I be looking for?

Anything I should avoid?

Or is this just a bad idea and we should **** it up and buy new?

 

[dcg9381]

Anyone purchased a used stand by generator?

I did. I bought a generac 20KW that was being used by a very small scale datacenter. I could hear it run and was able to tell total hours. I paid about 1/3 of what a new one cost. No fun to have to move those things though. It's been flawless for 2+ years so far. I bought a new transfer switch and installed both.

I see them up at auction, but unless you can see them running, you're always taking a risk.

 

[2Rocky]

Here's what's at our place...Used to run the milking barn when the power went out....

 

[mm08822]

Absolutely want to know it runs and runs well before you buy. Also need a transfer switch of some sort. Easiest is to buy the model it was made to interface with. Hopefully you can get that with the gen.

Ask yourself who is available to get it running initially and keep it serviced especially if previously poorly maintained.
Is your wife mobile enough to get in the car (a/c) if it failed?

Maybe look for dent and dinged units. I've seen the on ebay.

 

[imagineer]

Peace of mind is worth the investment . . . buy a new one.

Last year I installed a new Generac 24kW. I bought it from Menards and did most of the install myself. I had a local plumber do the natural gas line. After the 11% rebate from Menards, the generator installed cost me about $6500.

 

[nadogail]

Too many variables to make a recommendation. The most reliable generators I have seen were powered by Witte Engines.

 

[P0234]

You didn't say you were going to be installing it yourself, so that leaves it up to who you can find to do the work. Often times getting the unit and install as a combo deal is probably going to come up fairly reasonable vs a used unit. I'm sure there is the rare case when someone decides the one they got last year isn't beefy enough for their needs, but for the most part, people get these and keep them until their service tech needs a new sale and tells them its time for a new one.

First thing you should do is find out if you can even find an installer willing to install a used unit. I'm betting its going to be more fun than finding someone who will install a used AC unit....

 

[nadogail]

I have installed used generators, I don't want to deal with used Air Conditioning Equipment.

 

[imagineer]

so that leaves it up to who you can find to do the work.

Good point. This is why I ended up doing the install mostly by myself.

Whereas there are two local contractors that are Generac installers, because I purchased my generator elsewhere, neither contractor would consider doing the installation.

I did find an electrician willing to quote the job, but the lead time for the install was more than a year. FWIW, his quote to install, excluding wire was $2500.

Another issue for my generator install was natural gas volume. The natural gas meter/regulator at my house was undersized to handle the flow required for the house PLUS the generator, so I had to purchase a larger one (about $400).

 

[Firebrick43]

Too many variables to make a recommendation. The most reliable generators I have seen were powered by Witte Engines.

Lol. Of course the haven’t been made in 50 or 60 years and Arrow isn’t making new parts as their stock is consumed so much of its NLA

 

[nadogail]

Listeroide, Indian Made Clones of the venerable Lister Diesel, would be a pretty close second choice. Their imports are probably no longer allowed.

 

[dcg9381]

I did find an electrician willing to quote the job, but the lead time for the install was more than a year. FWIW, his quote to install, excluding wire was $2500.

That's a steal compared to what they quote here. $7-$10k is what I've seen quoted over and over.

My experience with Generac is they support end consumers about like most HVAC manufacturers do. That is, they're not going to deal with you at all and will make you find a dealer even to warranty a component.

 

[reader2580]

I bought a used stand-by generator from a place on Ebay. They hook up all of the generators to a load bank to test them. They also video tape the test to prove the generator works. I haven't been able to find the place I bought from on Ebay recently.

 

[Firebrick43]

Listeroide, Indian Made Clones of the venerable Lister Diesel, would be a pretty close second choice. Their imports are probably no longer allowed.

I have a CS 6-1. I don’t think any have come in since 2010

 

[matt151617]

Anyone purchased a used stand by generator?

We're live in a rural area and trees, idiots, and other issues seem to regularly take out our power. My wife has MS and needs A/C, plus she works from home.

What sort of things should I be looking for?

Anything I should avoid?

Or is this just a bad idea and we should **** it up and buy new?

I would think of it as an investment... are you planning on staying in your house long-term? Does the power go out for any long period of time? I would **** it up and buy new, just to be sure you're getting something reliable and with a warranty.

 

[imagineer]

My experience with Generac is they support end consumers about like most HVAC manufacturers do. That is, they're not going to deal with you at all and will make you find a dealer even to warranty a component.

Spot on. I was having trouble getting my new generator to connect to my home WIFI and all calls to Generac ended up on endless hold.

 

[dcg9381]

Spot on. I was having trouble getting my new generator to connect to my home WIFI and all calls to Generac ended up on endless hold.

I had one of their load shed modules fail. I had bought it new, had receipt, within warranty period. I could see that the circuit board had a component that got hot.

I called them to warranty. They provided a "local dealer" for me to call and schedule a $250 "service call" to verify the part failed. When I said "that's more than the part costs" they suggested that I take it into the local dealer and pay the "diagnostic fee" before they'd warranty it. I suggested that I ship it back and they can verify that it failed at the factory. Apparently that's not an option. As far as I'm concerned Generac will not support consumers, so you may be on your own if you buy one from big box.

 

[cannuck]

We have several gensets bought used. The one that allows our main storage shelter to remain off line is a 24KW, 220/208/460 unit with about 15,000 hours on it. We only use it a few times a year (about the same amount as a place with unreliable on-grid service. I recently bought a 20KW, 25 year old Lister/Petter diesel for my farm use - trailer mounted 120/240/208. It runs fine (400 hours total!!!!!) but does not generate. Suspect voltage regulator but will dive into it later this fall. The bottom line is GET SOMETHING YOU CAN SUPPORT, and in reality your total use hours will be so low the age is not so important, but the reality is you could be years down the road if and when it DOES **** out you need to be able to fix it without being bent over a barrel.

 

[nadogail]

I had one of their load shed modules fail. I had bought it new, had receipt, within warranty period. I could see that the circuit board had a component that got hot.

I called them to warranty. They provided a "local dealer" for me to call and schedule a $250 "service call" to verify the part failed. When I said "that's more than the part costs" they suggested that I take it into the local dealer and pay the "diagnostic fee" before they'd warranty it. I suggested that I ship it back and they can verify that it failed at the factory. Apparently that's not an option. As far as I'm concerned Generac will not support consumers, so you may be on your own if you buy one from big box.

Sounds like they are more interested in supporting their dealers than their customers.

 

[dcg9381]

Sounds like they are more interested in supporting their dealers than their customers.

Or they consider the dealers to be their customers. Lots of stuff is pretty much B2B only. HVAC is one. No one wants to deal with our petty consumer BS and inability to connect a light bulb! Lock them into dealers, control the prices - that's a legit plan.

Anyone know of Kohler or Cummins is any better direct to consumer support?

 

[jack stand]

My 20kw diesel from Craigslist.
$4500 with just over 1000 hours run time.
Of course I had to build the building for it and have the space. When I built our place I planned for a remote electric meter and manual transfer switch about 300' away from the house. I like manually starting (100% reliable) and switching vs. "automatic", my thinking is that (most times) a power outage is a weather emergency and often during extreme winter weather. Calling the local generac guy and hoping that he was just hanging around waiting for a call for something to do during an ice storm (same goes for the propane delivery guy) while you're home has no heat or light, it's snowing sideways and turning to ice......
Mine is an emergency backup generator, during any other season I might fire it up during an outage after 3-4 hours for the freezers and refrigerator.
Propane powered "homeowner" gennys use a lot of LP as it has a much lower BTU's compared to gasoline or especially diesel fuel, of which I always have 400-600 gallons on hand for heating oil or tractor fuel and that's not getting into the "duty cycle" of a little 3600rpm screaming Briggs & Stratton that I understand cannot be operated 24 hours continuously without servicing.
That said I live in the country, literally at the end of the power line, and in Maine.

 

[nadogail]

My 20kw diesel from Craigslist.
$4500 with just over 1000 hours run time.
Of course I had to build the building for it and have the space. When I built our place I planned for a remote electric meter and manual transfer switch about 300' away from the house. I like manually starting and switching vs. "automatic", my thinking is that (most times) a power outage is a weather emergency and often during extreme winter weather. Calling the local generac guy and hoping that he was just hanging around waiting for a call for something to do during an ice storm (same goes for the propane delivery guy) while you're home has no heat or light, it's snowing sideways and turning to ice......
Mine is an emergency backup generator, during any other season I might fire it up during an outage after 3-4 hours for the freezers and refrigerator.
Propane powered "homeowner" gennys use a lot of LP as it has a much lower BTU's compared to gasoline or especially diesel fuel, of which I always have 400-600 gallons on hand for heating oil or tractor fuel and that's not getting into the "duty cycle" of a little 3600rpm screaming Briggs & Stratton that I understand cannot be operated 24 hours continuously without servicing.
That said I live in the country, literally at the end of the power line, and in Maine.

Looks like a "First Class Solution" to the long term requirements.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I invested in one of these...only time will tell if it was worth the trouble to get it up here. It is a 5KW MEP-802a diesel tactical quiet generator.

 

[Firebrick43]

Propane powered "homeowner" gennys use a lot of LP as it has a much lower BTU's compared to gasoline or especially diesel fuel, of which I always have 400-600 gallons on hand for heating oil or tractor fuel and that's not getting into the "duty cycle" of a little 3600rpm screaming Briggs & Stratton that I understand cannot be operated 24 hours continuously

Who cares if it uses more gallons of propane due to BTU content. If you look at the cost per BTU it’s 2/3 the cost of Diesel in the winter and 1/2 or less the cost in the summer.

And propane doesn’t go bad ever in storage.

 

[jack stand]

My point was to the consumption rate in comparison to diesel, storage (tank) size and the dependance on others in an extended emergency to re fuel. One could always find a way to fill a 5 gallon can of either gasoline or diesel fuel in an emergency. Can't do that with lp.
A 1000 gallon lp tank in many places would not be excessive depending on your other lp requirements (heat and hot water).

Again, my "prepping" is probably way overboard for many of you guys here who live in town. The line crew is restoring power in your neighborhood where a bucket truck and a couple of guys can put 1000's of customers back on line in the same time as restoring my single household rural service. I understand this logic and it's a price that I'm happy to "pay" for no neighbors within a short driving distance.

 

[cannuck]

for me diesel is the ultimate backup fuel as I have several other hydrocarbons that burn just fine in simple mechanical diesel pump engines.

 

[dcg9381]

One could always find a way to fill a 5 gallon can of either gasoline or diesel fuel in an emergency. Can't do that with lp.

Actually, you can self fill portable propane containers yourself. Look up "wet kit". Course, this assumes you've got a large propane tank.

Again, my "prepping" is probably way overboard for many of you guys here who live in town. The line crew is restoring power in your neighborhood where a bucket truck and a couple of guys can put 1000's of customers back on line in the same time as restoring my single household rural service. I understand this logic and it's a price that I'm happy to "pay" for no neighbors within a short driving distance.

It's interesting because in the last 2 years here, it's often the "town" guys that have been without power and water for more than a week... No one is immune. I agree that the POC is going to repair in order of biggest impact per hour...

 

[Sumboodie]

Bought an 8k Generac and ATS for $500 a few weeks ago. From the late 90s, new, but a bit rusty from moisture. 0 hours on it.

 

[Sumboodie]

for me diesel is the ultimate backup fuel as I have several other hydrocarbons that burn just fine in simple mechanical diesel pump engines.

Expensive to keep a block heater running all winter though.

 

[jack stand]

I only plug it in with the threat of a storm and then it's still thermostaticly controlled.
Then there's my 3500w kubota gasoline generator in the same generator bldg, just in case.

 

[Metal-Marc]

I understand this logic and it's a price that I'm happy to "pay" for no neighbors within a short driving distance.

 

[cannuck]

or your equipment is too short

 

[Mr onetwo]

My goal was to switch over to diesel for my tractor work, mowing and snow blowing, so a diesel generator made sense.If I go with a diesel pickup next year then I will have a 330 gal. tank in my garage for everything.The 2 cylinder Lister/Onan engine in the MEP-802A is extremely efficient.

 

[dcg9381]

Anyone own a PTO generator? Seems like a few people have tractors where that would work....

 

[jack stand]

In my opinion a pto genny is fine if you have multiple tractors on hand. Often a power outage is a result of a "weather event" where your tractor is necessary for those concerns, (clearing snow or downed trees) and depending on your setup, running a 30 or more HP tractor when only 16 HP is needed to operate your household needs....
A dairy farm for instance can have some big electrical needs and when the cows need milked, they need milked!

 

[Metal-Marc]

Anyone own a PTO generator? Seems like a few people have tractors where that would work....

Because it makes no sense to run a big motor when a much smaller motor will do the job.

 

[Firebrick43]

Because it makes no sense to run a big motor when a much smaller motor will do the job.

Maybe when power outages are infrequent, therefore you outlaying less capital for backup capacity

Even most large farms have compact chore tractors so its not necessary that much bigger of an engine.

Your not maintaining another engine that is rarely used

Your not worrying about fuel going bad or getting algae in it if its a diesel or gasoline generator because the tractor is used for other chores frequently

The PTO generator is very portable.

All reasons a PTO genny can make a lot of sense for some.

 

[930dreamer]

60kw project sitting inside my shop.

 

[Skooterj]

A friend of mine bought a used Army Surplus generator about 10 years ago. It was not in the best shape, but he has cleaned it up and it has been working fine for him. It did have a bunch of hours when he got it, but he probably puts less than 10 hours a year on it now.

 

[dcg9381]

60kw project sitting inside my shop.

Well, more than enough power to share!